Page:Alice Stuyvesant - The Vanity Box.djvu/292

 open. This surprised her; for she had tried it before going up to the top of the Tower the night before, and it was then locked. She peeped in, and was horrified to see the dead body of Lady Hereward lying at full length, with a pool of blood on the floor at her side. At first, Liane's only thought was to get away from so terrible a sight; but "something seemed to speak in her brain," reminding her of the beautiful jewelry Lady Hereward was in the habit of wearing. She assured herself it was not unlikely (as afterward proved to be the case) that Ernest intended to play her false. If he did, she would be penniless. Since Lady Hereward was certainly dead, and would never again want her jewels, it would not be like stealing to take them; and the person who killed her, whoever it was, would be suspected of the robbery.

Then Liane had tip-toed into the Tower, had tremulously taken Lady Hereward's rings, her brooch, and a bracelet, finding the body still quite warm. On the point of going away, she had spied a bead bag, and a gold case which "Miladi called her 'vanity box' lying on the table, with a rolled-up pair of gray suede gloves. In the bead bag was a little gold chain purse containing four sovereigns and several shillings. Liane put this purse and the vanity box into her pocket, with the jewelry, but of course she had no reason to touch a revolver which she saw lying on the floor. It was a small revolver, and Liane had seen it at Mr.