At The Villa Rose

"Yes, monsieur," replied Perrichet.

"We may assume, then, that Mlle. Celie was changing her dress at

that time."

Besnard was looking about him, opening a drawer here, a wardrobe

there.

"Mlle. Celie," he said, with a laugh, "was a particular young

lady, and fond of her fine clothes, if one may judge from the room

and the order of the cupboards. She must have changed her dress

last night in an unusual hurry."

There was about the whole room a certain daintiness, almost, it

seemed to Mr. Ricardo, a fragrance, as though the girl had

impressed something of her own delicate self upon it. Wethermill

stood upon the threshold watching with a sullen face the violation

of this chamber by the officers of the police.

No such feelings, however, troubled Hanaud. He went over to the

dressing-room and opened a few small leather cases which held

Celia's ornaments. In one or two of them a trinket was visible;

others were empty. One of these latter Hanaud held open in his

hand, and for so long that Besnard moved impatiently.

"You see it is empty, monsieur," he said, and suddenly Wethermill

moved forward into the room.

"Yes, I see that," said Hanaud dryly.

It was a case made to hold a couple of long ear-drops--those

diamond ear-drops, doubtless, which Mr. Ricardo had seen twinkling

in the garden.

"Will monsieur let me see?" asked Wethermill, and he took the case

in his hands. "Yes," he said. "Mlle. Celie's ear-drops," and he

handed the case back with a thoughtful air.

It was the first time he had taken a definite part in the

investigation. To Ricardo the reason was clear. Harry Wethermill

had himself given those ear-drops to Celia. Hanaud replaced the

case and turned round.

"There is nothing more for us to see here," he said. "I suppose

that no one has been allowed to enter the room?" And he opened the

door.

"No one except Helene Vauquier," replied the Commissaire.

Ricardo felt indignant at so obvious a piece of carelessness. Even

Wethermill looked surprised. Hanaud merely shut the door again.

"Oho, the maid!" he said. "Then she has recovered!"

"She is still weak," said the Commissaire. "But I thought it was

necessary that we should obtain at once a description of what

Celie Harland wore when she left the house. I spoke to M. Fleuriot

about it, and he gave me permission to bring Helene Vauquier here,

who alone could tell us. I brought her here myself just before you

came. She looked through the girl's wardrobe to see what was

missing."

"Was she alone in the room?"

"Not for a moment," said M. Besnard haughtily. "Really, monsieur,

we are not so ignorant of how an affair of this kind should be

conducted. I was in the room myself the whole time, with my eye

upon her."