The doctor felt a strange sensation suddenly sweep over him. He had often seen a woman in hysterics, and he had all your medical man’s contempt for that special form of disordered feminine nerves, but now he felt as if he himself might easily burst out crying and laughing together.
“That ring,” he exclaimed, “was my wife’s gift to her niece on the girl’s twenty-second birthday. It is a poor little bit of a thing, with a turquoise in the middle and two small pearls, one on either side. One of the pearls had gone dead, and my wife sent it away to have it replaced by a good pearl. So she arranged that the gift should reach our niece anonymously on her birthday. If the stories that are being told of Garlett and Jean are on a level with that story——”
The other raised his hand.
“I should be deceiving you, Maclean, were I to admit that all, or even most of the stories now being told concerning your niece and Garlett are as easily refuted as is apparently this story of the diamond ring. Let us simply take what we know to be true.”
“How d’you mean?”
“What happened after Mrs. Garlett’s death? Garlett gave out he was going away for a long time—perhaps for as long as a year. I thought it odd that he didn’t come to see me, to make the arrangements any ordinary man of business makes when going away for so long a period. But he just sent me a hasty note as to the proving of his wife’s will, and left the very day of the funeral! I thought his conduct very strange then, and I don’t mind telling you now that I hope the other side won’t get hold of it. But there’s one thing we can’t keep from them—that is Garlett’s sudden return at the end of three months. Now why did he do that?”
“Because of old Dodson’s state of health,” replied Dr. Maclean hotly.
“The direct cause of his return was a letter from your niece. He told me that himself the first time I met him.”
“That letter,” said Dr. Maclean sharply, “was written on my advice—in fact she showed me the letter before she sent it off to Garlett. The girl was placed in a very difficult position at the factory.”
“I know that,” said the lawyer quickly. “Everybody knew that it was most awkward for the girl. Old Dodson used to make love to her. I heard about it at the time. I believe he went so far as to propose marriage more than once!”