I was almost too angry to speak. Later I was to experience a certain feeling of sympathy for Bruce Applebury, but I wasn’t aware of it then. “Victoria,” I said, “you certainly know Judy better than to accept any such monstrous theory as this. Judy and I know that Bill Grant isn’t a thief. She’s come back here because she wants the thief found. It’s a point of honor with her that he shall be found. Won’t you put matters in Alec’s hands and start a search?” I don’t know what she’d have answered, for there was a knock on the door just then, and Punch came in. He was a desolate, pitiful little figure, white-faced, big-eyed, desperately serious. “Grandmother sent me,” he said. “She wants you to come into her room.” “How does _she_ happen to be in on this?” Victoria demanded wildly. “Punch, have you been telling her about it?” He confronted her panicky anger very steadily. He was much more adult in that moment than she. “She called me in and asked me what had happened,” he said. “She’d heard people moving about and Uncle Alec talking to me in the hall. I told her the necklace had been stolen again. From Bruce. She told me to go and send Judy to her, and I wouldn’t because I knew Judy wasn’t there and I didn’t want Gran to know that she’d gone. But she made Digs wheel her into Judy’s room. She saw Judy wasn’t there, and then she came back. Just after that I saw Judy coming in, so I told her to go in and see Gran. I waited outside the door, and after a while Judy came and said Gran wanted to see you and Bruce.” “I’m glad she’s found out about it,” Bruce said. “Now perhaps we can get somewhere.” Victoria gave him a baleful look. I think at that moment she hated everybody in the world. There was nothing to be said, though. That summons could not be disregarded. From the door she threw back a look at me. “You may as well come along too,” she said. It wasn’t a very cordial or even courteous invitation but I made it serve. Punch hung back to help me. “You were a true prophet, Punch,” I said. “You predicted big trouble, and here it is.” “I didn’t think it would be as bad as this,” he admitted. “You look as if you’d had a night of it,” I commented. “How did you know Judy had gone?” “She had the necklace, you see,” he said, “so I was keeping watch on the davenport the way I did the night before. And I saw her go out, her and Bill. They didn’t know I saw them. So then I waited to see if they wouldn’t come back. I was afraid I might go to sleep, so I walked up and down the hall here most of the time after they went. I’m glad she has come back,” he added. “I knew she would.” Alec was patrolling the hall now, and he joined us. “Did you get anywhere with Victoria?” he asked. I shook my head. Then we both turned to see who was coming down from the floor above.