The consequence of this slight feeling of injury was a certain coldness in his manner when he met her at luncheon; and the unhappy Rhoda at once jumped to the conclusion that he suspected her of the theft. She thus did less than justice to him, and more than justice to his wife. For she little thought that the artful Lady Sarah had done her very best to divert suspicion from herself and Jack Rotherfield by accusing the companion of her little son. Rhoda was heartbroken. She was crying quietly by herself in a distant corner of the grounds, when she suddenly found two long lean arms put round her neck from behind, and heard Minnie Mallory’s voice in her ear, saying in tones of encouragement: “Look here, don’t you cry. Aunt Sally’s been making mischief, I suppose, with Uncle Bertie?” Rhoda was startled, and turning quickly, asked the girl what she meant. By this time Minnie, with a battered and bent hat cocked over one eye, was squatting on the grass like a large-sized toad, looking up at her keenly out of her light eyes. “What was in that gun-case?” she asked suddenly. Rhoda dashed away her own tears and stared at the girl in dismay. Was Minnie a witch? “W--w--what gun-case?” stammered she. Minnie gave her a supercilious glance and a shrug. “Oh, you know,” she said. “That gun-case you took out of Jack’s car just before he went away.” “A gun, I suppose,” Rhoda replied quickly. “Then what did you take it indoors for?” There was a pause. Minnie shrugged her shoulders again. “Oh, of course, you needn’t tell me unless you like, but I can’t help guessing, can I? And I can’t help wondering why Jack looked so awfully cross when he came out again.” “You see quite enough, without being told anything,” was Rhoda’s comment. Minnie nodded. “Well, I do keep my eyes open, especially in a house like this, where there is so much to see. But I shouldn’t cry, if I were you. Because nobody will ever blame _you_ for anything that ever happens here.” There was a weird air of prophecy about this remark which made Rhoda feel uncomfortable. But she only sighed, and said: “Nothing that happens will matter to me, for I am going away.” “Oh, no, you’re not,” croaked the witch. “You’ll see,” said Rhoda, as she rose with an air of determination, and started to walk back to the house. The mocking laughter of Minnie sounded uncannily in her ears, as she disappeared into the yew path. She went straight to the study and knocked at the door. Almost at the same moment she became aware that some one was talking inside the room, and she would fain have retired. But as Sir Robert called out “Come in,” she had to enter, blushing and apologetic, and then she found that Jack Rotherfield and Lady Sarah were both in the room with the baronet. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were alone,” said Rhoda. “And he will be alone in a moment,” cried Lady Sarah merrily. “Jack’s had a breakdown, and he had to come back, and he’s been telling us all about it.”