“How should I know? She asked me for a string to tie a package. Lots of them ask for string, or a piece of corrugated paper, or a card to write a greeting on.”

“Was that all?”

“That was about all.”

“Look!” exclaimed Lucile. “Who put that there?”

She was pointing to a loose end of wrapping paper through which had been drawn and neatly tied a bit of crimson thread with a single purple strand.

“Search me,” smiled Cordie. “How should I know?”

While Lucile was disengaging the thread and thrusting it in her pocket, Cordie was searching the top of her desk.

“That’s funny,” she said at last. “It was here a moment ago. Now it’s gone.”

“What?”

“My iron ring.”