house. My son's room adjoins my own; then comes the little boudoir I
assigned to Anna; then--"

"Yes, Madame," said Kreutzer, unable to endure this any longer, "but
what of that? You said--"

"I am positive that this afternoon no one was near those rooms but
Anna."

Kreutzer was in agony. "Go on, Madame," he said, imploringly. "Do you
not see that this is torture? I cannot bear it longer."

She looked at him again, with that assumed expression of compassion,
and he could have torn her secret from her with hooked fingers, so
exasperated, so intensely agonized was he by her delays. Finally he
made a desperate, downward, begging gesture with both hands, and,
understanding, she went on:

"This afternoon my son returned from somewhere, and went into his
room. He did not come into my room to call me, as he sometimes does.
He was very quiet and it made me curious. I thought perhaps the boy
might be there suffering with some headache, or something, which he
did not wish to bother me about. A mother's heart, you know--"

"Madame, I pray you, have some consideration for a father's heart, and
hasten."

"I went into his room to speak to him and found that he had left it;
but on his table was a little jewel-box."