"The coat the letter fell out of?" corrected Betty, knowing that
such quibbling was foolish On her part and might provoke serious
irritation in her questioner, yet unable to refrain. "Of course I
remember it; what about it?"

Peabody accepted her description of the coat. He was plainly excited
and nervous, and betrayed a curious disposition to conciliate Betty,
instantly detected in his change of tone.

"Did you pick up any other papers?" he asked quite politely. "Any
folded sheets, I mean, or a long envelope? I thought you might have
put them back of the clock or somewhere for safe keeping and
forgotten to mention them to me."

Betty looked her astonishment. Automatically her eyes traveled to
the clock which was pulled out of its place against the wall. So the
man had actually looked there, believing that out of chagrin she
might have concealed his papers from him!

"Nothing fell out of your pocket except my letter," she said
earnestly and with a quietness that carried conviction. "I saw
absolutely nothing else on the floor. If I had picked up other
papers, I should have returned them to you, of course."

Mrs. Peabody cleared her throat, usually a sign of coming speech on
the rare occasions when she did open her mouth in her husband's
presence.

"What you lost, Joseph?" she asked eagerly. "Something missing out
o' your pocket?"