“I thought I recognized it,” was her uncle’s comment, and the girl thought there was a rather hard inflexion in his voice, as if he were not too well pleased. He touched the necklace lightly with his finger.
“This doesn’t seem quite good enough for such a grand occasion. Why didn’t you put on the big birthday one?” He always called it this because it had been one of his birthday presents to her.
His wife gave much the same answer that she had given to Rosabelle. She had worn it so often, everybody knew it. She was getting just a little bit tired of it herself, and would give it a rest for a little time.
Rosabelle, watching her uncle keenly, saw a hard look come over his face, a look which she knew denoted displeasure not unmixed with suspicion. What could have caused it? Was it possible he suspected anything? Of course, she knew nothing of the anonymous letter. He said no more, however, and the small party trooped out to the waiting car.
But something in his wife’s manner had not satisfied him, and he was now on the watch. Two days after, husband and wife were to attend a big dinner-party. In the afternoon when he came home he went into Mrs. Morrice’s boudoir, where she and Rosabelle were sitting together.
“Oh, Lettice, I only just wanted to say I wish you particularly to wear the ‘birthday’ pearls to-night.”
Rosabelle looked up, just a little startled. His tone was not quite so hard as it had been the other night, but it was certainly not his ordinary one.
She turned her glance rather anxiously to her aunt. But Mrs. Morrice seemed perfectly at her ease, as she answered: “Certainly, Rupert, if you wish it, although I think they are just a little overpowering for to-night.”
So she came down in the “birthday” pearls when it was time to start and Rosabelle, who did not accompany them, was very relieved. Whatever suspicions her uncle had formed, he would be free of them now.
But that was just what Morrice was not. Subtly influenced by the anonymous letter, he thought he had noticed an evasiveness in his wife’s manner on the night of the ducal entertainment when she had given her reasons for not wearing her most valuable necklace.