me sitting together, and
Mrs. Carbuncle was the first to protest. If Mr. Bunfit thought that
he was going to search her things, Mr. Bunfit was very much mistaken.
What she had suffered about this necklace no man or woman knew,--and
she meant that there should be an end of it. It was her opinion that
the police should have discovered every stone of it days and days
ago. At any rate, her house was her own, and she gave Mr. Bunfit to
understand that his repeated visits were not agreeable to her. But
when Mr. Bunfit, without showing the slightest displeasure at the
evil things said of him, suggested that the search should be confined
to the rooms used exclusively by Lady Eustace, Mrs. Carbuncle
absolutely changed her views, and recommended that he should be
allowed to have his way.

At that moment the condition of poor Lizzie Eustace was very sad.
He who recounts these details has scorned to have a secret between
himself and his readers. The diamonds were at this moment locked
up within Lizzie's desk. For the last three weeks they had been
there,--if it may not be more truly said that they were lying heavily
on her heart. For three weeks had her mind with constant stretch been
working on that point,--whither should she take the diamonds, and
what should she do with them? A certain very wonderful strength she
did possess, or she could not have endured the weight of so terrible
an anxiety; but from day to day the thing became worse and worse
with her, as gradually she perceived that suspicion was attached to
herself. Should she confide the secret to Lord George, or to Mrs.
Carbuncle, or to Frank Greystock? She thought she could have borne
it all if only some one would have borne it with her. But when the
moments came in which such confidence might be made, her courage
failed her. Lord George she saw frequently; but he was unsympathetic
and almost rough with her. She knew that he also was suspected, and
she was almost disposed to think that he had planned the robbery.
If it were so, if the robbery had been his handiwork, it was not
singular that he should be unsympathetic with the owner and probable
holder of the prey which he had missed. Nevertheless Lizzie thought
that if he would have been soft with her, like a dear, good, genuine
Corsair, for half an hour, she would have told him all, and placed
the necklace in his hands. And there were moments in which she
almost resolved to tell her secret to Mrs. Carbuncle. She had sto