Then rising hastily from his chair, he took the trinket in his hand
and carried it to the well-trimmed lamp which stood in a niche that
held a golden crucifix.

The Lord Douglas saw lying in his palm a ring of singular design. The
main portion was formed of the twisting bodies of a pair of snakes,
the jewel work being very cunningly interlaced and perfectly finished.
Their eyes were set with rubies, and between their open mouths they
carried an opal, shaped like a heart. The stone was translucent and
faintly luminous like a moonstone, but held in its heart one fleck of
ruby red, in appearance like a drop of blood. By some curious trick of
light, in whatever position the ring was held, this drop still
appeared to be on the point of detaching itself and falling to the
ground.

Earl William examined it in the flicker of the lamp. He turned it
every way, narrowly searching inside the golden band for a posy, but
not a word of any language could he find engraved upon it.

"I saw the ring upon her hand--I am certain I saw it on her hand!" He
said these words over and over to himself. "It is then no dream that I
have dreamed."

There came a low knocking at the door, a rustling and a whispering
without. Instantly the Earl thrust the ring upon his own finger with
the opal turned inward, and, with the dark anger mark of his race
strongly dinted upon his fair young brow, he faced the unseen
intruder.

"Who is there?" he cried loudly and imperiously.