Tavia and Dorothy stood speechless. He held up to their gaze a handsome
ring!

"In my bag!" faltered Dorothy.

"If this is your bag," replied the man.

"Then some one put it there," declared Tavia promptly.

"No doubt of that, miss," said the man significantly. "It did not walk in
there."

"I mean some one who tried to get us into trouble. The little woman in
black!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I knew she had a motive in following us!"

But this assertion had no effect upon the store people. They were
evidently accustomed to persons making ready excuses, and paid no heed to
Dorothy's appealing eyes, her flaming cheeks, or her general astonishment.

"I never saw that ring before," she managed to say.

"You will have to explain all that to the police," the man declared, while
the woman detective was smiling "audibly" at her catch.

"But I tell you it is all a mistake!" Dorothy almost shrieked, realizing
now she must do or say something to defend herself.

"A woman has been following us all day," added Tavia, "and at the jewelry
counter she almost pushed me through the case. I am positive she stole
the ring, and got scared, or something. Then she must have tossed it in