“Na, na, I canna believe ony ill o’ ye, Johnnie Scott,” replied the girl.

And, in fact, the man had such magnetic power over her that he could make her believe anything that he wished.

“Now let us look into this satchel,” he said, proceeding to open it.

He took out the bags of money.

“There is one bag gone! fifty pounds gone!” he exclaimed.

“Na, that canna be, gin it was in the bag.  I hanna opened it ance,” said the girl, unhesitatingly.

The man paid no attention to her words, but took out the jewels and began to examine them.

“Confound it!  The watch and chain are gone, and the solitaire diamond ring is gone, and—­” here the man broke out into a volley of curses forcible enough to right a ship in a storm, and said:  “The jewel snuff-box, worth ten times all the other jewels put together, is gone!  How is this, Rose?”

“I dinna ken.  How suld I ken?  I took the bag frae your hands, and I put it back intil your hands, e’en just as I took it, without ever once seeing the inside o’ it,” boldly replied the girl.

A volley of curses from the man followed, and then he inquired: 

“Was the bag out of your possession at any time since you received it?”

“Na, not ance.”

“Then that infernal valet has taken the lion’s share of the prog!  I wish I had him by the throat!” exclaimed the man, with a torrent of imprecations.

“What do ye mean by a’ that?” inquired Rose.

“I mean, that servant I believed in has robbed me, that is all,” said the man.

With her recovered spirits Rose had regained her appetite.  She now rang the bell loudly.

The housekeeper answered it.

“Is breakfast ready?” inquired the hungry creature.

“Yes, madam; and I will put in on the table just as soon as you are ready for it,” answered the old woman.

“Put it on now, then,” replied the girl.

The housekeeper left the room.

Rose made a hasty toilet while her husband was washing the railway dust from his face and head.

And then both went into the adjoining parlor, where the morning meal was by this time laid.

After breakfast the man went out.

The woman remained in the house.  She was in a very unenviable state of mind.  She was not yet quite easy on the subject of the murder at Lone Castle.  For although her husband and herself might have no connection with the crime, still they had undoubtedly been lurking secretly about the house on the very night of its perpetration, and therefore might get into great trouble.  And, besides, she was frightened at having secreted the costly watch and chain, snuff-box, and other jewels, from her Scott, and then told him a falsehood about them.  What if he should find her out in her dishonesty and duplicity?

She did not dream of giving up her stolen property.  She would risk all for the possession of that precious golden box, whose brilliant colors and blazing jewels fascinated her very soul; but where could she securely hide it from her husband’s search?  At that moment it was with the watch and the diamond ring under the bolster of her bed.  But there it was in danger of being discovered, should a search be made.