have been seeing the children, Cecile and Maurice D'Albert, and their
dog Toby, off to London. Before they went, I gave the leather purse
back to Cecile. It was not your purse, nor a bit like it. I took it
out of your hand when you were asleep. There were forty pounds in
banknotes, ten-pound banknotes, in the purse, and there were fifteen
pounds in gold. Your sister Mrs. D'Albert had given this money to
Cecile. You know your own sister's writing. Here it is. That paper
was folded under the lining of the purse; you can read it. The purse
is gone, and the children are in London before now. You can send a
detective after them if you like."

With these last words, Jane walked out of the room.

For nearly an hour Lydia stayed perfectly still, the folded paper in
her hand. At the end of that time she opened the paper, and read what
it contained. She read it three times very carefully, then she got up
and dressed, and came downstairs.

When Jane brought her breakfast into the little parlor, she said a
few words:

"I shall send no detective after those children; they and their
purse may slip out of my life, they were never anything to me."

"May I have the bit of paper with the writing on it back?" asked
Jane in reply.

Lydia handed it to her. Then she poured herself out a cup of coffee,
and drank it off.