o.
And she could be prevented from selling the diamonds. Mr. Dove seemed
to make that quite clear. But then there came that other question, as
to the inheritance of the property under the husband's will. That Sir
Florian had not intended that she should inherit the necklace, Mr.
Camperdown was quite certain. On that point he suffered no doubt.
But would he be able to prove that the diamonds had never been in
Scotland since Sir Florian's marriage? He had traced their history
from that date with all the diligence he could use, and he thought
that he knew it. But it might be doubtful whether he could prove it.
Lady Eustace had first stated,--had so stated before she had learned
the importance of any other statement,--that Sir Florian had given
her the diamonds in London, as they passed through London from
Scotland to Italy, and that she had carried them thence to Naples,
where Sir Florian had died. If this were so, they could not have
been at Portray Castle till she took them there as a widow, and they
would undoubtedly be regarded as a portion of that property which Sir
Florian habitually kept in London. That this was so Mr. Camperdown
entertained no doubt. But now the widow alleged that Sir Florian
had given the necklace to her in Scotland, whither they had gone
immediately after their marriage, and that she herself had brought
them up to London. They had been married on the 5th of September; and
by the jewellers' books it was hard to tell whether the trinket had
been given up to Sir Florian on the 4th or 24th of September. On the
24th Sir Florian and his young bride had undoubtedly been in London.
Mr. Camperdown anathematised the carelessness of everybody connected
with Messrs. Garnett's establishment. "Those sort of people have no
more idea of accuracy than--than--" than he had had of heirlooms, his
conscience whispered to him, filling up the blank.

Nevertheless he thought he could prove that the necklace was first
put into Lizzie's hands in London. The middle-aged and very discreet
man at Messrs. Garnett's, who had given up the jewel-case to Sir
Florian, was sure that he had known Sir Florian to be a married man
when he did so. The lady's maid who had been in Scotland with Lady
Eustace, and who was now living in Turin, having married a courier,
had given evidence before an Italian man of law, stating that she
had never seen the necklace till she came to London. There were,
moreover, the probabilities of the case. Wa