The Argosy — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

66 The Diamond Bracelet. were shut. Lady Sarah came up from dinner almost directly; and then, as it appears, the bracelet was not there.” bs “You are quite certain of that?” “ 7am quite certain,” interposed Lady Sarah. “I looked particles for that bracelet; not seeing it, I supposed Miss Seaton had not laid it out. I chose oat a pair, put them on, returned the others to the box, and saw Miss Seaton lock it.” “Then you did not miss the bracelet at that time ?” questioned Mr. Pullet. . “T did not miss it in one sense, because I did not know it had been put out,” returned her ladyship. ‘I saw it was not there.” “But did you not miss it?” he asked of Miss Seaton. “‘T only reached the table as Lady Sarah was closing the lid of the box,” she answered. ‘ Lady Frances Chenevix had detained-me in the front room.” “My sister,” explained Lady Sarah. “She is on a visit to me, and had come with me up from dinner.” | ‘You say you went and sat in the front room,” resumed the officer to Alice, in a quicker tone than he had used previously: ‘ will you show me where ?” :; Alice did not stir ; she only turned her head towards the front room, and pointed to a chair a little drawn away a the window. “In that chair,” she said. ‘‘ It stood as it stands now.’ The officer looked baffled. ‘‘ You must have had the back room full in view from thence ; both the door and window.” ‘Quite so,” replied Alice: ‘‘TF you will sit down in it, you will per- ceive that I had uninterrupted view, and faced the doors of both rooms.” ‘“‘T perceive that from here. And you saw no one enter!” — ‘‘No one did enter. It was impossible anyone could do so, with- out my observing it. Had either of the doors been only quietly unlatched, I must have both heard and seen.” “‘ And yet the bracelet vanished!” interposed Colonel Hope. “They must have been confoundedly deep, whoever did it; but thieves are said to possess sleight of hand.” “They are clever enough, some of them,” observed the officer. ‘ Rascally villains! I should like to know how they accomplished this.” | “So should I,” significantly returned the officer. “At present it appears to me incomprehensible.” | There was a pause. The officer seemed to muse ; and Alice, happen- ing to look up, saw his eyes stealthily studying her face. It did not tend to reassure her. ‘Your servants, are trustworthy; they have lived with you some time ?” resumed Mr. Pullet, not apparently attaching much importance to what the answer might be. Gomicbooks.co