were supposed to be, so she could accuse me of making away with
them, when the truth had to come out, that the pearls were gone. I saw
just one thing to do. I told the butler to call Mr. Sands, quick. 'Mr.
Sands is just going,' he said. 'I was ready to help him on with his coat
when you rang.' 'Well, beg him to step in here one instant,' said I. The
man went out; and I couldn't have counted ten before Mr. Sands appeared.
I pointed to the empty case that was open on the table, and explained in
about a dozen words--I wanted to finish before Madam arrived!--that Mrs.
Sands had told me to look in the case for the pearls; that she went out
in a hurry; and when I looked, the pearls weren't there. 'I sent and
asked her to come,' I went on, 'but she was busy.'

"Well, Mother, the face of that man just broke my heart! It was more as
if some awful thing he'd half expected, had come true. I might have
stuck a knife in his heart.

"'Does my wife know you asked for me when she couldn't come?' was the
first thing he said after he'd stood quite still for a second or two. I
told him no, I'd taken the responsibility on myself, and I hoped I
hadn't done wrong.

"'Not wrong,' said he. 'You meant well, I'm sure. Still, I wish the news
had come to me from my wife and no one else.'

"Then he walked over to the window, and stood looking out. If I hadn't
known he was there, I shouldn't have seen him. The curtains were drawn,
not all across, but partly, and it was a sort of bay window, so there
was room for him to stand behind the curtains, in the shadow they made.
He hadn't been there two seconds, I give you my word, when the door flew
open, and Mrs. Sands bounced in.

"'You sent for me?' she asked, and threw a look round the room, as if
searching for someone. I felt I should die if her husband came out--but
he didn't. I managed to stammer that the pearls weren't in their case,
and so on; and it seemed as if my words turned her to a block of marble!
She just stared at me. 'Maybe you think I stole the pearls!' I said
right out. She assured me quite nicely that she believed nothing so
foolish, and that even if I'd wanted to steal the things, I couldn't
have smuggled them away from the house. (Of course, I could, though, if
there had been time.) My heart melted to her, I must confess. But I was
thinking more of her husband. It was up to me to get him out of the fix.
I suggested to Mrs. Sands calling in Clo, to see what she could make of
the