As she passed through the apartment adjoining the gift room, she could see the tables weighed down with their priceless things, and Ralph still alone in front of the maharajah’s lacquer box and the sapphire ring opposite the prayer rug on the wall. She could see, too, that in his hands _was the little purse_; _he was closing it--slipping the strap under the band_. He put it quickly down as he heard her steps and came toward her with a radiant face as though he had no thought beyond the fact that she had come back and alone. She had time only to meet his eyes with a troubled question in her own, for, sharp and alert, Mr. Jones, with one of the other detectives, followed behind her. The three together entered the room where Ramsay stood. Jones said briskly: “Now, we’ll take charge here, Mrs. Hereford, and relieve you, Captain Ramsay.” But the young man paid no more attention to them than if they had been ghosts. He was looking only at the woman whom he had taken lately in his arms. “Since you went away I have learned to read the writing on the wall.” She did not answer. She was not thinking of Persian characters and Persian rugs. “Miss Hereford came in her wedding gown. She was looking for you and she read me the writing on the wall.” “I have forgotten what it says.” At the far end of the big room Jones and his man were comparing the lists and checking them. “I saw Miss Hereford, too,” said Jones. “She came to the fur room to tell me about the little pigskin purse with loose cash--two thousand dollars! I told Miss Hereford it was a mistake to let loose cash like that lie around.” And the detective took up the little pocketbook, undid the strap which Mrs. Hereford had just seen Ramsay close. Jones was perfunctory, and he looked into the little purse out of habit. Finding it empty, he held it over to Mrs. Hereford and Ramsay, saying: “Empty as a drum.” Jones was delighted. He was glad of the snappy little incident, and his man, at the other end of the room, turned round with alacrity at his chief’s voice. Captain Ramsay, his hands in his pockets, stood perfectly motionless, looking quietly at the lady of the house. Before he could speak she said: “Miss Hereford is very careless, and how could she possibly exchange two thousand-dollar bills on her honeymoon? I thought as you did, Mr. Jones, and I told her father before he went to town I had a lot of large bills to pay on the place and I wanted some cash. Mr. Hereford asked me to slip in my own check instead. I left it out on my desk in my boudoir. I’ll go and fetch it now.” There was nothing whatsoever to say to the lady of the house--it was perfectly _en règle_. “All right,” said Jones. “We’ll list it properly and it will be much safer.” As the lady of the house went out the detective said to Captain Ramsay: “Now if you want to go off duty?”