"With the intervening doors open, I presume?"
"Wide open, as they are now," said Alice. "The other two doors were shut. Lady Sarah came up from dinner almost directly; and then, as it appears, the bracelet was not there."
"You are quite certain of that?"
"I am quite certain," interposed Lady Sarah. "I looked particularly for that bracelet: not seeing it, I supposed Miss Seaton had not laid it out. I chose out a pair, put them on, returned the others to the box, and saw Miss Dalrymple lock it."
"Then your ladyship did not miss the bracelet at that time?" questioned Mr. Pullet.
"I did not miss it in one sense, because I did not know it had been put out," she returned. "I saw it was not there."
"But did you not miss it?" he asked of Alice.
"I 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 staying with me, and had come up with me 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?"