"You suggested it yourself!" exclaimed Beverley. "I know," the girl confessed. "The idea popped into my head. But it can't be true. He's not that sort, whatever else he may be!" "He went off furious with you, with us both," Beverley said. "It must have been he who stole the pearls. There's a strong motive--something for him to hold over us, and force us to give the papers back." "If we've got them!" cut in Clo. Beverley sprang up. "I'm lost in this!" she faltered. "There are too many things against me. I can't cope with them all at once. I must go to the boudoir and get that envelope, whatever happens." "What shall I do?" asked Clo. Beverley was already at the door, and had opened it. "If I don't come back to you in five minutes, it will be a sign I want you to come to me." When the door had shut behind her Angel, the girl felt she would be thankful for the five minutes' respite. She lay flat and straight as a figure on a marble tomb, yet she could not rest for thinking of O'Reilly. His eyes seemed to be looking into hers. By shutting them, she could not shut him out. When she thought that the five minutes must have passed, she slid wearily off the bed. "I must go to Angel," she said half aloud. But she had not got to her feet when, without knocking, Beverley flung the door open. Instantly Clo guessed that some new and worse misfortune had happened. "This time it's the end. I give up!" Beverley panted. "The envelope has gone with the pearls. I hadn't even opened it. I don't know what was inside." "Gone! The envelope gone!" gasped the girl. "Gone--from--where?" "From the table in the boudoir," Beverley answered. "I laid it there when Miss Blackburne told me about the pearls. It was there when I came to you. Miss Blackburne hasn't left the room. She didn't even see the envelope. I've searched everywhere for it--but it's gone." XVIII DEFEAT All Clo's efforts and schemings wasted! She had tricked, stolen, risked her life, in vain. The envelope was gone. "You can't have looked everywhere," she insisted. "The thing must have got tucked out of sight--unless Miss Blackburne ... but no, she's as good as gold!" "I'm sure you're right about her. She is good," said Beverley. "But ... she says nobody came into the room while she was there.... I asked her. Otherwise I might have thought that Rog----" The sentence broke. "I wanted to see you alone," Angel began again, "so I came back. You've been so wonderful to-day, you've made me depend upon you. If there were anything to do, you'd be the one to do it. But there's nothing ... is there? I can't see any light, can you?" "Let me help you to look for the envelope," said Clo.