“It was horrid of us, Mr. Fortune,” Sally cried. “But it wasn’t only meant for you.” “Oh, don’t discourage me.” “It was all my fault, Mr. Fortune.” Alice put in her claim and looked at him ruefully and then began to laugh. “But you did seem so bored----” “Oh, no, no, no. Only my placid nature. Well now, to begin at the beginning. Somebody thought it would be a merry jest to have me on. That was you, Mrs. Beach. For your kindly interest, I thank you.” Mrs. Beach again showed signs of weeping. “Please don’t be horrid, Mr. Fortune,” said Sally, fervently. “I’m trying to be fascinating. But you see I’m so respectable. You unnerve me.” “I thought of a burglary,” said Mrs. Beach, choking sobs. “And I asked Sally to do it.” “And she did--all for my sake. Well, one never knows,” Reggie sighed, and looked sentimental. “It wasn’t you,” said Sally. “I wanted to shock Mr. Faulks.” “Dear, dear. I shouldn’t wonder if you have.” “Oh!” Sally shuddered. “That man is on my nerves. He simply follows me about. He scares me. When I found he’d got Tom to ask him here I----” “Yes, of course, it’s my fault,” Tom Beach cried. “I knew it would come round to that.” “You didn’t know, dear, how could you?” Sally soothed him. “He doesn’t make love to you. Well, he was here and his mamma and--oh, Mr. Fortune, you’ve seen them. They want shocking. So I talked to Bunny and----” “And I came in with both feet,” said Captain Cosdon. “My scheme really, Fortune, all my scheme.” “All?” Reggie asked with some emphasis. “Good Lord, not what’s happened.” “I thought we should come to that some day. What did happen?” And they all began to talk at once. From which tumult emerged the clear little voice of Sally. “Bunny slipped out early and put a garden ladder up at my window and then went off to the powerhouse. When I went to bed, I collected Tom’s pots from the study--that was because he is so vain of them--and Alice’s cameos--that’s because they’re so dowdy--and locked them in my trunk. Then I screamed at the window. That was the signal for Bunny and he switched the lights out and came back. All that was what we planned.” She looked pathetically at Reggie. “It was a good crime, wasn’t it, Mr. Fortune?” “You have a turn for the profession, Miss Winslow. You will try to be too clever. It’s the mark of the criminal mind.” “I say, hang it all, Fortune----” Cosdon flushed. “I know I spoilt it,” said Sally meekly. “I just stood there, you know, hearing Tom roar downstairs and you all fussing----” “And you underrate the policeman. Do I fuss?” Reggie was annoyed. “You’re fussing over my morals now. Well, I stood there and it came over me the burglars just had to have something of Mrs. Faulks’s.” She gurgled. “That would make it quite perfect. So I ran into her room and struck a match and there was her awful old ruby brooch. I took that and went out into the passage and screamed again. That was the plan. Then I bumped into somebody----”