She opened it out and gave it a shake, as people often do when a thing has been folded up, and—something hard dropped out of it and rolled on to the stone floor with a clatter.
'What's that?' said Judith. 'There must have been some pin or something caught in the fur. I haven't worn it for ever so long—not since——'
She stooped and looked about a little on the floor. But she is near-sighted—that's why she frowns so,—and she didn't see anything.
'Never mind, I daresay it was only a safety-pin,' she said. 'Here, Maudie, dear,' and she held out the cape.
But Anne had been looking about on the floor too, and suddenly she made a dive under a table standing at one side. When she stood up again her face looked all—I don't know how.
'Jack,' she said, as if she were choking, 'it's——' and she held out her hand. There, on her palm—looking not quite so bright as the last time we had seen it, but otherwise none the worse—lay the diamond ornament, gran's curious old-fashioned treasure, which had caused poor mums and Anne, and indeed all of us, so much trouble and distress.
I gasped. I couldn't speak. Judith stared.
'What is it?' she said.
Then I tried to get my voice.
'It's the thing that was lost,' I said, 'worth ever so much, and an heirloom too. Didn't you know? Cousin Dorothea knew. Mother lost it the day of the Drawing-room. Oh,' as light began to break in upon me, 'it must have dropped on to your cape and caught in the fur—it is very fuzzy fur—and there it's been ever since! Oh, to think of it!'