Her looks, her words, the gravity with which they were uttered, alarmed me. In the morning I had trusted implicitly to my innocence for justification: then I could not understand how facts should condemn me, when conscience held me guiltless; but now I knew better. I looked at Cornelius; perhaps he was only astonished; I fancied he seemed to doubt. All composure, all presence of mind forsook me. I threw myself in his arms, as in my only place of hope and refuge. "Cornelius," I cried in my terror, "don't believe it; I don't know what it is, but don't believe it--pray don't." He looked moved, and said to his sister-- "Not now, Kate, not now." "Nonsense!" she replied, "it is too late to go back." "I think it is," assented Cornelius, looking down at me. But I threw my arms around his neck, and looking up at his face with all the passionate entreaty of my heart-- "You won't believe it, Cornelius, will you?" I asked; "it's against me, I am sure; but you won't believe it?" "No, indeed," he replied, with some emotion, "I will believe nothing against you, my poor child." The assurance somewhat pacified me. Kate, whom my alarm seemed to impress very unfavourably, observed drily-- "It is not a matter to make so much of, and I never said you could not explain it, Daisy; at all events here it is." With this she drew forth from her pocket, and laid on the table, the filagree bracelet. "Is that all?" asked Cornelius, seeming much relieved. "I think it quite enough, considering where it was found," shortly said Kate. "In the studio! What about it: was it not in the studio I gave it to her?" "That is all very well, but I should like to know how it has got stained with the very same ochre that was used to daub the face of poor Medora." "Even that is nothing, Kate; you know well enough that everything Daisy wears bears traces of the place where she spends her days." Miriam had remained indifferent and calm, whilst all this was going on in her presence; she had not changed her attitude, scarcely had she raised her eyes, or cast a look around her. She now stretched forth her hand, took up the bracelet from the table where it lay, looked at it, laid it down again, and said very quietly-- "It is mine." "Yours!" cried Cornelius. "Yes, I know it by the clasp. I put it on this morning, and dropped it, I suppose, in the studio." "There, Kate," triumphantly exclaimed Cornelius, "so much for circumstantial evidence!" Kate looked utterly confounded. "Yours," she said to Miriam, "yours? are you quite sure it is really yours?" "Quite sure," was the composed reply. Miss O'Reilly turned to me, and asked shortly-- "Why did you not say it was not yours?" "I did not know it was not mine, Kate. I knew I had left mine in the studio." "Then it is really yours!" said Kate, again turning to Miriam, who replied with an impatient "Yes," and an ill-suppressed yawn of mingled indifference.