‘I advised him to come,’ she said, with all the air of a grown woman, ‘and I said I’d stand by him, and I will, forever and ever, amen!’

The words dropped from her lips the more maturely, perhaps, because she had used them once before with reference to the humiliated boy, to whose pale, set face there came a smile as he heard them again, and stretching out his hand he laid it on Jerry’s curly head with a caressing motion which told plainer than words could have done of his affection for and trust in her.

What more Jerry might have said was prevented by the appearance of a new actor upon the scene in the person of Arthur himself.  He had borne the noise and confusion as long as he could, and then had rung for Charles to enquire what it meant.  But Charles was too much absorbed with other matters to heed the bell, though it rang three times sharply and loudly.  At last, as no one came, and the bustle outside grew louder, and Jerry’s voice was distinctly heard, excited and angry, Arthur started to see for himself what had happened.

‘Oh, Mr. Arthur,’ Jerry cried, as she caught sight of him coming down the hall, ’I was just going after you, to come and turn Tom out of doors, and everybody else who says that Harold took Mrs. Tracy’s diamonds.  She has lost them, and Tom—­’

But here she was interrupted by Tom himself, who, always afraid of his uncle, and now more afraid than ever because of the fiery gleam in his eyes, stammered out that he had not accused Harold, nor any one; that he only knew the diamonds were gone and could not have gone without help.

’Do you mean those stones your mother flashed in my eyes that night?  Serves her right if she has lost them,’ Arthur said, without manifesting the slightest interest or concern in the matter.

But when Jerry began her story, which she told rapidly in German, he became excited at once, and his manner was that of a maniac, as he turned fiercely upon Tom, denouncing him as a coward and a liar, and threatening to turn him out of the house if he dared harbor such a suspicion against Harold Hastings.

‘I’ll turn you all into the street,’ he continued, ’if you are not careful, and bring Harold and Jerry here to live; then see if I can have peace.  Diamonds, indeed! what has a poor man’s wife to do with diamonds?  Gretchen’s diamonds, too!  If they are lost, search the house, but never accuse Harold again.’

At this paint Arthur wandered off into German, which no one could understand except Jerry, who stood, holding fast to his arm, her face flushed and triumphant at Harold’s victory and Tom’s defeat; but as the tirade in German went on, she started suddenly forward, and with clasped hands and staring eyes stood confronting Arthur until he had ceased speaking, and with a wave of his hand signified that he was through and his audience dismissed.  Jerry, however, did not move, but stood regarding him with a frightened, questioning expression in her face, which was lost upon the spectators, who were too much interested in the all-absorbing topic to notice anyone particularly.