"About six years old."
"I think, Newland, you may now speak to Lady de Clare."
"Lady de Clare, have you not a pair of ear-rings of coral and gold of very remarkable workmanship?"
"I have, sir," replied she, with surprise.
"Had you not a necklace of the same? and if so, will you do me the favour to examine this?" I presented the necklace.
"Merciful heaven!" cried Lady de Clare, "it is the very necklace!—it was on my poor Cecilia when she was drowned, and it was not found with the body. How came it into your possession, sir? At one time," continued Lady de Clare, weeping, "I thought that it was possible that the temptation of the necklace, which has a great deal of gold in it, must, as it was not found on her corpse, have been an inducement for the gipsies, who were in the neighbourhood, to drown her; but Sir William would not believe it, rather supposing that in her struggles in the water she must have broken it, and that it had thus been detached from her neck. Is it to return this unfortunate necklace that you have come here?"
"No, madam, not altogether. Had you two white ponies at the time?"
"Yes, sir."
"Was there a mulberry tree in the garden?"
"Yes, sir," replied the astonished lady.