"Yes, a folder that I thought might be a railroad time-table," she said, nodding. "I knew, of course, of Mrs. Bloodgood's infatuation. I had her confidence. I knew that she had started to procure a divorce. I likewise knew how often she had begged Majendie to elope with her. Furthermore, almost every one there that night was watching Majendie for the same purpose—all who were speculating; Mr. and Mrs. Cheever, Bloodgood, Garraboy, Maud Lille, Slade—who came in late, quite unexpected—were there on the same errand."
"Yes, that I understood," said McKenna.
"Now, I come to the actual theft of the ring. The moment I found it had been taken, I realized all the difficulties of my position, how dangerous any inquiry would be to my reputation, which would necessarily establish the fact of its being a gift of Slade's. I resolved on desperate measures. That is why I came back, had the doors locked, extinguished the lights, and announced that I would call in detectives to have every one searched, unless the ring was restored during the period in the dark, while I counted one hundred."
"Did you suspect who had taken it?" asked McKenna.
"There were several I could suspect—that was the trouble," she said. "As you know, when I had counted sixty-one, there was a sound on the table. Every one exclaimed! The ring had been restored! When the lights were lit the table was bare. Evidently a second thief had taken what the first had restored. That's what I thought—every one thought. I was wrong. There were not two thieves, there was only one."
"The same person had put it down as a blind and taken it again," said McKenna slowly, as she waited for his comment.
"No," she replied, smiling. "It was all cleverly planned, and only an accident prevented its being successful. My ring was never on the table."
"The ring that was thrown down, then," said McKenna, suddenly enlightened, "was another ring—a blind—to cover what any one might have seen? I see!"
"And also to make it appear that the ring was in the studio."
"Yes, I understand it now," said McKenna, nodding, with a sudden snap of his fingers.