Final Proof; Or, The Value of Evidence

by Rodrigues Ottolengui

  XI

  A FROSTY MORNING.[A]

  [A] Copyright by Short Story Publishing Company. Republished from the _Black Cat_, by permission.

  "Thank heaven, you have come," exclaimed Mr. Van Rawlston, as Mr.Mitchel entered. "I have a thousand pounds on my mind, and----"

  "Never heard of the disease," interrupted Mr. Mitchel. "If you considermind and brain to be synonymous, the locality is popularly supposed tobe inundated with water occasionally--but then, you mentioned a thousandpounds, and, a pound being a pint, we would have a thousand pints, orfive hundred quarts, and--well, really, your head seems hardly largeenough, so----"

  "I am talking of money," ejaculated Mr. Van Rawlston, sharply; "Englishmoney. Pounds sterling."

  "The deuce you are! Money, eh? Money on the brain! Oh, I've heard ofthat. It is a very common disorder."

  "Mitchel, I sent for you to help me. I am up to my ears in a mystery.I've been in this room nearly all day trying to solve it. I've had yourfriend Barnes working on it for several hours, yet we have made noprogress. In despair I thought of you; of your cool, keen, analyticalbrain, and I decided that you could discover the truth, if any man can.But if you are in a jesting humor, why----"

  "A thousand pardons, old friend. That is one pardon for each of yourpounds. But, there, forgive me, and I will be serious. I received yournote late, because I did not reach home until dinner time. You asked meto call here as soon as possible, and here I am within half an hour ofreading your message. Now, then, about this thousand pounds sterling.Where are they, or is it, as you are most accustomed to speaking. Theplural or singular verb seems to be a matter of choice with largeamounts."

  "The money is in this room."

  "In this room? You know that, and yet cannot find it?"

  "Therein lies the mystery. I had it in my hands this morning, and withina few minutes it had vanished."

  "Now, Mr. Van Rawlston, if you are presenting a problem for me to solve,I beg of you to be minutely accurate in your statements. You say 'hadvanished.' That is manifestly an impossibility. I presume you mean'seemed to have vanished.'"

  "There was no seeming about it. It was a single bank-note, and I placedit on this table. Five minutes later it had disappeared."

  "'Disappeared' is a better word, by long odds. It passed out of yoursight, you mean. That I can believe. The question then arises, how wasthis disappearance managed. I say managed, which is an intimation of mybelief that the note did not hide itself, but rather that it was hidden.From this postulate I deduce that two or more persons, besides yourself,were present at the time of said disappearance of said bank-note. Am Icorrect?"

  "You are, but really I can't see how you have guessed that there wasmore than one person with me!"

  "It could not be otherwise. Had there been but one person in this roomwith you, you would not think, you would know absolutely that he tookthe note. That you have a doubt as to the identity of the culprit, showsthat you suspect one of two or more persons."

  "Mitchel, I am delighted that I sent for you. You are exactly the man torecover this money."

  "What about Barnes? I think you mentioned his name?"

  "Yes. Naturally my first thought was to send for a detective, and Iremembered him in connection with that ruby robbery of yours, whichoccurred at my house. He is now following a clue which he considers agood one, and will report during the evening. But perhaps I shouldrelate the exact circumstances of this affair. The details arestrikingly curious, I assure you."

  "Now that I know that Barnes is on the scent, I may say that I am eagerfor the fray. Nothing would please me better than to succeed where hefails. Every time I outwit him, it is a feather in my cap, and anotherargument in favor of my theory that the professional detective is a muchover-rated genius. Allow me to light a cigar, and make myselfcomfortable, in exchange for which privilege I will devote my undividedattention to your tale of woe."

  Mr. Mitchel drew forth a handsome gold case, which bore his monogram indiamonds, and selected a choice Havana, which he puffed complacently asMr. Van Rawlston proceeded.

  "Some thirty years ago, or more," began Mr. Van Rawlston, "there cameinto my office a young Englishman, who introduced himself as ThomasEggleston. The object of his visit was curious. He wished to borrow fourthousand dollars upon collateral. Imagine my surprise when the securityoffered proved to be an English bank-note for one thousand pounds. Itseemed odd that he should wish to borrow, when he could readily haveexchanged his note for American currency, but he explained that forsentimental reasons he wished not to part with this note permanently. Hedesired to redeem it in the future, and keep it as a memento--thefoundation of the fortune which he hoped to earn in this new land."

  "A singular wish," interposed Mr. Mitchel.

  "Singular indeed. So much so that my interest was keenly aroused. Iagreed to advance the sum demanded without charge. Moreover, I put himin the way of some good speculations which paved his way to success atthe outset. It was not long before his thousand-pound note was back inhis possession. Since then we have been close friends, and I was notsurprised, when he died a few days ago, to find that I had been named asexecutor of his estates. Now I must speak of three other persons. WhenEggleston came to this country he brought with him a sister. A few yearslater she married a man named Hetheridge, a worthless scamp, whosupposed he was marrying money, and who soon abandoned his wife when helearned that she was poor. I think he drank himself to death. Mrs.Hetheridge did not survive him very long, but she left a little girl,now grown to womanhood. Alice Hetheridge is one of the persons who waspresent when the bank-note disappeared. A second was Arthur Lumley, ofwhom I know little, except that he is in love with Alice, and that hewas here to-day. Robert Eggleston was also present. He is the nephew ofthe deceased, and proved to be the heir to the bulk of the estate. Hehas only been in this country a few months, and has lived in this houseduring that time. Now I come to the events of to-day."

  "Kindly be as explicit as possible," said Mr. Mitchel. "Omit no detail,however trifling."

  "My friend died very unexpectedly," continued Mr. Van Rawlston. "OnSaturday he was well, and on Monday dead. On Wednesday morning, the dayof the funeral, his man of business brought me his client's will. Ilearned by it that I was chosen an executor, and I undertook to make itscontents known to the family. I appointed this morning for that purpose,and when I came, I was surprised to find young Lumley present. Alicetook me aside, and explained that she had invited him, and so I wassilenced. I asked her to bring me a certain box described in the will,which she did. It was locked, the key having been brought to me with thewill. I took from it a packet which contained a bank-note for a thousandpounds; the same upon which I had once loaned Eggleston money. Therewere also some government bonds, and railroad securities. Havingcompared these with the list attached to the will, I then read aloud thetestament of my dear friend. A part of this I will read to you, aspossibly shedding some light upon the situation."

  "One moment," interposed Mr. Mitchel. "You said that the packet takenfrom the box contained the bank-note as well as the bonds and othersecurities. Are you sure that the note was there?"

  "Oh, yes. I found it first, and placed it on the table in front of me,while I went through the other papers. When I looked for it again, ithad vanished. I say vanished, though you do not like the word, becauseit seems incredible that one would dare to steal in the presence ofthree others. But listen to an extract from the will. After bequeathingall of his property to his nephew, Eggleston inserted this paragraph:

  "'To my dear niece I must explain why she is not named as my heiress. Myfather married twice. By his first wife he had a son, William, and by myown mother, my sister and myself. When he died, my half-brother,William, was ten years my senior, and had amassed a considerablefortune, whereas I found myself penniless and dependent upon his bounty.He was not a generous man, but he presented me a bank-note for athousand pounds, and paid my pass
age to this country. My first impulse,after my arrival, was to make my way as rapidly as I could, and then toreturn to William the identical bank-note which he had given me. Forthis reason I used it as collateral, and borrowed money, instead ofchanging it for American currency. By the time the note was again in mypossession my brother had given me another proof of his recognition ofour consanguinity, and I decided that it would be churlish to carry outmy intention. Recently William lost his entire fortune in unfortunatespeculations, and the shock killed him. Before he died he gave his sonRobert a letter to me, reminding me that all that I owned had been thefruit of his bounty, and claiming from me a share of my fortune for hisson. I took Robert into my house, and I am bound to say that I have notlearned to love him. This, however, may be a prejudice, due to the factthat he had come between me and my wish to make Alice my heiress. It maybe in recognition of the possibility of this prejudice that I feelcompelled to ease my conscience by bequeathing to William's son thefortune which grew out of William's bounty. The original bank-note,however, was a free gift to me, and I certainly may dispose of it as Iplease. I ask my niece Alice to accept it from me, as all that myconscience permits me to call my own.'"

  "An interesting and curious statement," commented Mr. Mitchel. "Now tellme about the vanishment of the note."

  "There is my difficulty. I have so little to tell. After reading thewill, I laid it down, and reached out my hand, intending to give thebank-note to Alice, whereupon I discovered that it had disappeared."

  "Tell me exactly where each person was seated."

  "We were all at this table, which, you see, is small. I sat at this end,Alice at my right hand, young Eggleston at my left, and Lumley oppositeto me."

  "So that all three were easily within reach of the bank-note when youplaced it upon the table? That complicates matters. Well, when youdiscovered that you could not find the note, who spoke first, and whatcomment was made?"

  "I cannot be certain. I was stunned, and the others seemed as muchsurprised as I was. I remember that Eggleston asked Alice whether shehad picked it up, adding, 'It is yours, you know.' But she made anindignant denial. Lumley said nothing, but sat looking at us as thoughseeking an explanation. Then I recall that Eggleston made a verypractical suggestion."

  "Ah, what was that?"

  "He laughed as he did so, but what he said was reasonable enough. Insubstance it was, that if each person in the room were searched, and thenote not found, it would thus be proven that it had merely been blownfrom the table by some draught, in which case a thorough search shouldfind it."

  "Was his suggestion acted upon?"

  "You may be sure of that. I declined once to allow my guests to besearched when that fellow Thauret suggested it, at the time of the rubyrobbery. And you will remember that the scoundrel himself had the jewel.That taught me a lesson. Therefore when Eggleston made his suggestion, Ibegan with him. The search was thorough, I assure you, but I foundnothing. I had as little success with Lumley, and I even examined my ownpockets, with the vague hope that I might have inadvertently put thenote in one of them. But all my looking was in vain."

  "Might not one of these men have secreted the bank-note elsewhere, andthen have possessed himself of it after your search?"

  "I took care to prevent that. As soon as I had gone through Eggleston, Iunceremoniously bundled him out of the room. I did the same with Lumley,and neither has been allowed in here since."

  "What about the young lady?"

  "It would be absurd to suspect her. The note was her property. Still sheinsisted upon my searching her, and I examined her pocket. Of course, Ifound nothing."

  "Ah, you only examined her pocket. Well, under the circumstances, Isuppose that was all you could do. Thus, having sent the three personsout of the room, you think that the bank-note is still here. A naturaldeduction, only I wish that the woman might have been more thoroughlysearched. I suppose you have looked about the room?"

  "I sent for Mr. Barnes, and he and I made a most careful search."

  "What view does he take of the case?"

  Before Mr. Van Rawlston could reply there was a sharp ring at thedoor-bell, and a moment later Mr. Barnes himself was ushered in.

  "Speak of the Devil, and his imps appear," said Mr. Mitchel, jocularly."Well, Mr. Imp of Satan, what luck? Has your patron assisted you? Haveyou had the Devil's own luck, and solved this problem before I fairlygot my wits upon it? You look flushed with victory."

  "I did not know you were to be called in, Mr. Mitchel," replied Mr.Barnes, "and I am sorry if you shall be disappointed, but really, Ithink I can explain this affair. The truth is, it did not strike me asvery complex."

  "Hear that," exclaimed Mr. Mitchel. "Not complex! The sudden vanishingof a thousand-pound note, before the very eyes, and under the verynoses, as it were, of four persons, not complex! The Devil certainlyhas sharpened your wits; eh, Mr. Barnes?"

  "Oh, I don't mind your chaffing. Let me explain why I considered thiscase simple. You will agree that the note was either mislaid or stolen?"

  "Logical deduction number one," cried Mr. Mitchel, turning down a fingerof the right hand.

  "It was not mislaid, or we would have found it. Therefore it wasstolen."

  "A doubtful point, Mr. Barnes," said Mr. Mitchel, "but we will give youthe benefit of the doubt, and call it logical deduction number two." Heturned down another finger.

  "If stolen the note was taken by one of three persons," pursued thedetective.

  "He leaves you out of it, Van Rawlston. Well, I suppose I must give youthe benefit of the doubt this time. So there goes L. D. number three."He dropped another finger.

  "Of these three, one actually owned the note, and another had just heardof the inheritance of a large fortune. The third, therefore, comes undersuspicion."

  "Illogical deduction number one," said Mr. Mitchel, sharply, as heturned down a finger of the left hand.

  "Why illogical?" asked the detective.

  "First, people have been known to steal their own goods; second, richmen are often thieves. Mr. Lumley, being in love with the owner of thenote, was as unlikely to steal it as she was herself."

  "Suppose that he had stolen it before he heard that his sweetheart wasto inherit it?"

  "In that case, of course, he may have desired to return it, and yet nothave had the opportunity."

  "Such was probably the fact. That he stole the note I am reasonablycertain."

  "How did he get it out of this room?" asked Mr. Van Rawlston.

  "He must have hidden it elsewhere than in his pockets," said Mr. Barnes."You overlooked the fact, Mr. Van Rawlston, that you cannot thoroughlysearch a man in the presence of a lady."

  "Good point," exclaimed Mr. Mitchel. "You have your wits about youto-day, Mr. Barnes. Now tell us what you have learned in corroborationof your theory."

  "Lumley is in love with Miss Hetheridge. Up to a few hours ago, he was aclerk, upon a salary not sufficient to permit him to marry. Curiouslyenough, for one would hardly have thought him so foolish, when he leftthis house he went direct to his employer and resigned his position.Next, I traced him to a business agency, where he obtained an option topurchase a partnership in a good concern, agreeing to pay five thousanddollars for the same."

  "Five thousand dollars! About one thousand pounds," said Mr. Mitchel,thoughtfully.

  "The scoundrel!" cried Mr. Van Rawlston. "Undoubtedly he is the thief. Itrust you have arrested him, Mr. Barnes?"

  "No. He left the city by a train leaving the Grand Central an hour ago."

  "Track him, Mr. Barnes. Track him to the end of the earth if necessary.Spare no money. I'll pay the expense." Mr. Van Rawlston was excited.

  "I do not know his destination," said the detective, "but, fortunately,the train is a 'local,' and he cannot go far on it. I will do my best tocatch up with him. But no time is to be lost."

  As he hurried out, Mr. Mitchel shouted after him:

  "Luck, and the Devil go with you, Mr. Barnes." Then, turning to Mr. VanRawlston,
he continued: "After all, shrewd detective though he be, Mr.Barnes may be on the wrong scent. The note may still be in this house. Ido not like to say in this room, after your thorough search. Still, ifit could be managed, without the knowledge of Eggleston and MissHetheridge, I would like to remain here to-night."

  "You wish to make a search yourself, eh? Very good. I will arrange it.By the way, I should tell you that there is to be an auction hereto-morrow. Eggleston had arranged a sale of his library before hissudden death, and as the date was fixed and the catalogues sent to allpossible buyers, we have thought best to allow the sale to proceed. Thisbeing the library, you will see the necessity for settling this mysterybefore to-morrow, if possible."

  "A crowd coming here to-morrow? Excellent. Nothing could be better. Resteasy, Van Rawlston. If Barnes does not recover the bank-note, I will."

  It was already nine o'clock in the evening, and Mr. Van Rawlston decidedto go to his own home. Upon inquiry he learned that Eggleston was not inthe house, and that Miss Hetheridge was in her room. He dismissed theservant, and locked Mr. Mitchel in the library. Next he went up-stairsto Miss Hetheridge, told her that he had thought best to lock thelibrary door, and bade her good-night. Passing out to the street, hehanded the door-key to Mr. Mitchel through the front window.

  Left thus alone in a strange house, Mr. Mitchel dropped into an easychair and began to analyze the situation. He did not light the gas, asthat would have betrayed his presence, but the glowing grate-fire shedlight enough for him to see about him.

  Mr. Eggleston had amassed a great collection of books, for the librarywas a long room occupying the whole of one side of the house, theparlors being on the opposite side of the hallway. Windows in frontoverlooked the street, and at the back opened upon a small yard. Justbelow these back windows extended a shed, the roof of an extension,which served as a laundry.

  Mr. Mitchel went over in his mind the incidents which had been relatedto him, and two of his conclusions are worthy of note here:

  "Barnes argues," thought he, "that Lumley may have taken the bank-notebefore he knew that it had been bequeathed to his sweetheart. But thesame holds good with the girl herself, and might well explain herstealing what was really her own property. That is one point worthbearing in mind, but the best of all is my scheme for finding the noteitself. Why should I trouble myself with a search which might occupy meall night, when by waiting I may see the thief take the note from itspresent hiding-place, always supposing that it is in this room?Decidedly, patience is a virtue in this instance, and I have only towait."

  A couple of hours later, Mr. Mitchel started up from a slight doze, andrealized that he had been disturbed, though at first he could not tellby what.

  Then he heard a sound which indicated that someone was fitting a keyinto the lock. Perhaps the thief was coming! This thought awakened himto his full faculties, and he quickly hid among the folds of some heavydraperies which served upon occasion to divide the room into twoapartments. The door opened, and he heard the stealthy tread of softfootsteps, though at first the figure of the intruder was hidden fromhis view by the draperies which surrounded him. In a few moments hissuspense was at an end. A young woman, of girlish figure, passed by himand went over to the fireplace. She was in a dainty night-robe, her longblack hair hanging in rich profusion down her back. She leaned againstthe mantel, and gazed into the fire without moving, for some minutes,and then turning suddenly, crossed the room, going directly to one ofthe book-shelves. Here she paused, then took down several books whichshe placed upon a chair near by. Her back was towards Mr. Mitchel, buthe could see her reach into the recess with her arm, which was bared bythe act, the loose sleeve of her gown falling aside. Then there was aclicking sound just perceptible to the ear, and Mr. Mitchel muttered tohimself:

  "A secret closet, with a spring catch."

  In another moment, the girl was replacing the books, and, this done, shehurried from the library, locking the door after her. Mr. Mitchelemerged from his hiding-place, and, going to the shelf where the girlhad been, removed the books and searched for the spring which wouldunlock the secret compartment. It was not easily found, but Mr. Mitchelwas a patient and persistent man, and after nearly an hour discoveredthe way of removing a sliding panel, and took an envelope from therecess behind. Carrying this to the fireplace, he dropped to his knees,and withdrawing its contents, held in his hand a Bank of England notefor one thousand pounds. He looked at it, smiled, and said in a lowtone:

  "And Mr. Barnes was so certain that he would catch the thief!" Then hesmiled again, replaced the books on the shelf, decided that the largesofa might serve as a comfortable bed, and so went to sleep.

  He was awakened early, by a sense of cold. Starting up, for a momentdazed by his unfamiliar surroundings, he gazed first at the gray ashesof the dead fire in the grate, and then looked towards the windowsthickly covered with frost, and shivered. Remembering where he was, hethrew his arms about, and walked up and down the long room to start hisblood moving, and induce a little warmth. Presently he went to the backwindows and looked at the beautiful frosting, which resembled long fernleaves. Suddenly he seemed unusually interested, and especiallyattracted to one of the panes. He examined this closely, and taking anote-book from his pocket made a rapid sketch of the pattern on theglass. Then he raised the sash, looked out upon the shed, and emitted alow whistle. Next he stepped out through the window, went down on hishands and knees upon the tinned roof, and looked closely at somethingwhich he saw there. Returning to the room, one would have said that hisnext act was the most curious of all. He again opened the secret panel,and replaced the envelope containing the bank-note. Then he went to thetable where Mr. Van Rawlston claimed that the note had vanished, and hesat in the chair where Mr. Van Rawlston had been when he read the will.

  Several hours later when Mr. Van Rawlston came in, Mr. Mitchel wassitting in the same chair looking through a Bible.

  "Well," said Mr. Van Rawlston. "How did you pass the night? Did thethief pay you a visit?"

  "I think so," replied Mr. Mitchel.

  "Then you know who took the note?" asked Mr. Van Rawlston, eagerly.

  "Perhaps; I do not like to jump to conclusions. This is a magnificentBible, Mr. Van Rawlston. Is it in the sale to-day? If so, I think I willbid on it."

  "Oh, yes; it is to be sold," replied Mr. Van Rawlston, testily. Hethought Mr. Mitchel merely wished to change the subject, and at thatmoment he was more interested in bank-notes than in Bibles. He had noidea that Mr. Mitchel really coveted the Bible. But then he did not knowthat Mr. Mitchel collected books as well as gems. He was therefore muchastonished, some hours later, when the auction was in progress, to findMr. Mitchel not only bidding on the Bible, but bidding heavily.

  At first the bidding was spiritless, and the price rose slowly until Mr.Mitchel made an offer of five hundred dollars. After a moment'shesitation young Eggleston bid fifty dollars more, and it was seen thatthe contest was now between him and Mr. Mitchel. Bidding fifty dollarsat a time the price rose to nine hundred dollars, when Egglestonremarked:

  "I bid nine-fifty," then turned to Mr. Mitchel and added, "This is afamily relic, sir, and I hope you will not raise me again."

  "This is an open sale, I believe," said Mr. Mitchel, bowing coldly. "Ioffer a thousand dollars."

  "One thousand and fifty," added Eggleston, quickly.

  At this moment Mr. Barnes entered the room, accompanied by a short,young man, and Mr. Mitchel's attention seemed attracted away from theBible. The auctioneer noticing this, called him by name, and asked if hewished to bid again.

  "One moment, please," said Mr. Mitchel. "May I look again at thevolume?"

  It was passed to him, and he appeared to scrutinize it closely, startedslightly as though making a discovery, and handed it back, saying:

  "I have made a mistake. I supposed that this was a genuine Soncino, butI find that it is only a reprint." Then he turned to Eggleston with acurious smile, and said, "You may have the family relic. I shall not b
idagainst you."

  The auction over, the crowd dispersed, and when all strangers haddeparted, Mr. Mitchel nodded meaningly to Mr. Barnes, and approachedyoung Eggleston, who was tying up the Bible in paper. Touching him uponthe arm, he said very quietly:

  "Mr. Eggleston, I must ask the officer here to arrest you!"

  Eggleston's hands quivered over the knot, and he seemed too agitated tospeak. The detective realizing that Mr. Mitchel had solved the problem,quickly stepped closer to Eggleston.

  "What does this mean?" asked Mr. Van Rawlston.

  "Call Miss Hetheridge, and I will explain," said Mr. Mitchel.

  "No, no! Not before her!" cried Eggleston, breaking down completely. "Iconfess! I loved Alice, and wished to make it impossible for her tomarry Lumley. The note is here! Here, in the Bible. I stole it, and hidit there!" With nervous fingers he tore off the wrappings, and rapidlyturning the pages searched for the note. "Heavens! It is not here!" Helooked at Mr. Mitchel inquiringly.

  "No; it is not there. You paid too much for that Bible. Mr. VanRawlston, I prefer to have the lady called, if you please."

  Mr. Van Rawlston left the room, and Mr. Mitchel addressed Mr. Barnes.

  "By the way, Barnes, have you abandoned your theory?"

  "I suppose I must now, though I had not up to a moment ago. I found Mr.Lumley, and accused him of the theft. He would offer no explanation, butwillingly agreed to return with me."

  "We seem to have arrived just in time," said Mr. Lumley, quietly.

  "In the very nick of time, as you shall hear," said Mr. Mitchel. "Ah,here is Miss Hetheridge. Will you be seated, please, Miss Hetheridge."He bowed courteously as the young woman sat down, and then proceeded.

  "I did not think that the bank-note had been removed from this room.Why? Because I argued that the theft and the hiding must havenecessarily occupied but a moment; a chosen moment when the attention ofall three others was attracted away from the table where it lay. The onechance was that Miss Hetheridge may have hidden it in the folds of hergown. The men's pockets seemed too inaccessible. I agreed with Mr.Barnes, that the lady would scarcely steal what was her own, though eventhat was possible if she did not know that it was to be hers. For asimilar reason, I did not suspect Mr. Lumley, and thus by eliminationthere was but one person left upon whom to fasten suspicion. I supposedhe would return here during the night to recover the bank-note, and Iremained in this room to watch for him."

  At this Miss Hetheridge made a movement of her lips as though about tospeak, but no words escaped, and she shrank back in her chair.

  "During the night," proceeded Mr. Mitchel, "Miss Hetheridge came intothis room, and hid something. After she had left the room, relocking thedoor with a duplicate key, I found what she had hidden. It was a onethousand-pound note."

  There was silence for a moment, then Miss Hetheridge cried out:

  "I can explain!"

  "That is why I sent for you," said Mr. Mitchel.

  "The note was my own," said the girl, speaking rapidly, "but after thedisappearance of the other, I was afraid to have it in my room lest itbe found, and seem to inculpate me. I only received it a few days beforemy dear uncle died. He told me that his brother William had sent it as apresent to my mother upon her marriage, but as he had doubted the goodintentions of my father, he had kept the matter a secret. As both myparents died, he had held the note in trust for me. He did not investit, because he thought that his own fortune would be an ample legacy toleave me. A short time before he died, I passed my twenty-firstbirthday, and he gave me the note. That is the whole truth."

  "To which I can testify," interjected Mr. Lumley. "And I may now addthat Miss Hetheridge had not only promised to be my wife, but sheoffered me the use of her money to buy the partnership, which to Mr.Barnes seemed such a suspicious act."

  "I have only to explain then," continued Mr. Mitchel, "how it was that Idecided that Miss Hetheridge was not the thief. This morning I foundheavy frost on the window-panes. Upon one, however, I noticed acircular, transparent spot, where the pattern of the frosting had beenobliterated. Instantly I comprehended what had occurred. The thief, thereal thief, had come in the night, or rather in the morning, for I knowalmost the hour. He stood upon the shed outside, and melted the frost bybreathing upon the pane, with his mouth close to the glass. Thus makinga peep-hole, he must have seen me asleep on the sofa, and so knew thatit would be useless for him to attempt an entrance. As the person whodid this trick stood upon the shed, I had but to measure the distancefrom the shed to his peep-hole to be able to guess his height, which Iestimated to be more than six feet. Next, there was some veryinteresting evidence in the frost on the tin roof. The marks made by theman's feet, or his heels rather, for the frost was so light that onlythe impressions of the nails in the heels would show. My own madecomplete little horseshoe-shaped marks composed of dots. But those of mypredecessor were scarcely more than half a curve, which proved that hewalks on the side of his foot, thus slightly lifting the opposite sidefrom the ground, or roof, as it was in this instance. This much decidedme that Miss Hetheridge was not the thief, and I returned her bank-noteto the place where she had hidden it. Then I sat at the table where thewill was read, and studied the situation. The easiest way to hide thenote quickly seemed to be to slip it into the Bible which stood on thetable. Therefore I was not surprised when I found the bank-note which Ihave here."

  He drew forth the bank-note from his pocket and handed it to Mr. VanRawlston, who asked:

  "But why, then, did you try to buy the Bible?"

  "I had no idea of doing so. You forget that I had not seen Mr. Lumley.He, too, might have been six feet high, and he, too, might have had thehabit of walking on the side of his heel, as I quickly observed that Mr.Eggleston does. With only one of the men before me I decided to run upthe price of the Bible, knowing that if he were guilty he would bid overme. Mr. Eggleston followed my lead, and I was almost sure of his guilt,when he made the remark that he was buying a family relic. It was apossible truth, and I was obliged to go on bidding, to see how anxioushe was to possess the volume. Then, as I said awhile ago, Mr. Lumleyarrived in the nick of time. One glance at his short stature, and I wasready to let the Bible go."

  "You said you could almost tell the hour at which this man peepedthrough the window," said Mr. Barnes.

  "Ah, I see! You wish me to teach you tricks in your own trade, eh? Well,frost forms on a window-pane when the thermometer is near or belowthirty-two. On the wall here I found a recording thermometer, whichdiscloses the fact that at three o'clock this morning the temperaturewas as high as forty-five, while at four it was below thirty. Frostbegan to form between those hours. At five it was so cold, twentydegrees, that I awoke. Our man must have come between half-past four andfive. Had he come before then, his peep-hole would have been fullycovered again with frost, whereas it was but thinly iced over, the merefreezing of the water of the melted frost, there being no design, orpattern, as there was over every other part of the window-pane. So I mayoffer you a new version of an old saw, and say that, 'Frost shows whichway a thief goes.'"

  XII

  A SHADOW OF PROOF

  (_Letter from Mr. Barnes to Mr. Mitchel_)

  "MY DEAR MR. MITCHEL:--

  "I am leaving town in connection with a matter of considerableimportance, and am thus compelled to abandon a little mystery unsolved.It is not a very serious case, yet it presents certain unique featureswhich I fancy would make it attractive to you. I therefore take theliberty of relating to you the occurrence as it was told to me by theperson who sought my aid, as well as such steps as have been taken by metowards its elucidation. I must confess, however, at the outset, thatthough I have learned some things, the knowledge thus gained appears tome to complicate the affair, rather than otherwise.

  "Two days ago a district messenger boy brought me a summons, on scentedpaper. The writer was a woman, who explained that she wished to intrustto me the investi
gation of 'a great mystery involving the honesty of oneor two of our society leaders.' I was urged to call without loss oftime, and was at the Madison Avenue mansion within an hour.

  "In response to my card, I was shown up to the lady's boudoir, where Ifound Mrs. Upton eager to unfold her story, which evidently to her mindwas of paramount consequence. I accepted an invitation to be seated, andshe began at once, assuming a low tone, which was almost a whisper, asthough she imagined that when talking with a detective the utmoststealth and secrecy were essential.

  "'Mr. Barnes' she began, 'this affair is simply awful. I have beenrobbed, and the thief is a woman of my own social status. I am horrifiedto discover that one of my set could stoop so low as to steal. And thenthe thing itself was such a trifle. A diamond stud, worth two hundreddollars at the outside valuation. What do you think of it?'

  "Observe that she had told me little enough before asking for anopinion. She seemed to be a woman of mediocre mental grasp, thoughperhaps as bright as most of the butterflies that flit about thefashionable ballrooms. I decided to treat her as though she were reallyvery shrewd, and by a little flattery I hoped perhaps to learn more thanshe might otherwise be willing to confide to a detective, a class ofbeings whom she too evidently looked upon as necessary evils. I answeredher in about these words:

  "'Why, Mrs. Upton' said I,'if you really know the thief, and if, as yousay, she is a society woman and rich, it would seem to be possibly acase of kleptomania.'

  "'Kleptomania?' she exclaimed. 'Kleptomania? Rubbish! That is theexcuse all rich women give for what I call plain stealing. But your ideais not new to me. I believe in being perfectly just in these matters. Iwould not harm a flea, unless he had bitten me; but when he does biteme, I kill him. There are no half-way measures that will suit me. No,Mr. Barnes, there is to be no compromise in this case. I will notcondone theft, even if the thief be respectable and rich. And as forkleptomania, as I've said before, I've looked that up. I find it is asort of insanity. Now there is no insanity in this case. Quite thecontrary, I assure you.'

  "'You are very keen in your perceptions, Mrs. Upton,' I ventured. 'If weset aside the kleptomania idea, why, then, do you imagine a rich womanwould steal a thing of such little value?'

  "'Spite!' she snapped back without a moment's hesitation. 'Spite, Mr.Barnes. Let that be your cue. But I must tell you just how thishappened. You see, I hold a somewhat influential position in the societyof "The Daughters of the Revolution," and because I do have someinfluence, I am constantly bothered by people who could not becomemembers rightfully, if their titles were closely scrutinized; so theyundertake to gain their end through me. They grow suddenly attentive,effusive, gushing. I am their "dearest friend," they think me "socharming," "so beautiful," "so delightfully cosmopolitan and yet soexclusive." To hear them talk you would be persuaded that I belong toboth Belgravia and Bohemia in the same moment. But I usually seethrough their wiles, and long before they broach the subject I say tomyself, "My dear madame, you want one of our society badges to pin onyour breast; that is what _you_ are after." Then at last comes the noteasking for a "confidential interview," and when I grant it a lot ofdocuments are shown to me which are meant to uphold the candidate'sclaim to membership. But there is always the little flaw, the barsinister as it were, which they hope to override through influence;through my influence, which I may state, they never get.'

  "'Ah, then, this lady, whom you suspect of taking your stud, had hopedto join your society?'

  "'I cannot answer that with a single word. I cannot say either yes orno. You see, there are two women.'

  "'Oh, I thought you knew the thief?'

  "'So I do. I know it is one of two women. If I knew exactly which, ofcourse I should not need your help. But you have interrupted my story.Where was I?'

  "She evidently thought me an ass.

  "'Oh, yes,' she resumed. 'I was telling you how people bother me to getinto our society. Well, a woman of that kind has been fairly runningafter me all winter. She is a Mrs. Merivale. She was born an Ogden, andsome of the Ogden branch are fully entitled to membership. But,unfortunately for her, she traces back to the brother of theRevolutionary Ogden, and _her_ ancestor, far from fighting for ourindependence, is said to have made quite a tidy fortune by observing ashrewd neutrality; sometimes crying for England and sometimes thereverse, according to the company present. Of course, that is not Mrs.Merivale's fault; it all happened too long ago for her to have had anyinfluence. But, you see, she is not in the direct line, and we onlyrecognize the direct line. Heavens! if we did not, who knows where wewould end? No, collateral branches are out of it, so far as our societyis concerned, and I told her so plainly this morning. Of course, you cansee how she might be spiteful about it. It was a great disappointment toher.'

  "'Then you think this Mrs. Merivale took your stud just to annoy you?'

  "'Dear me; how stupid you are! Did I not tell you there were two women?The other is Mrs. Ogden Beaumont. You see she clings to the family name.She also was an Ogden, and in the line. She is a member, and she hadconsiderable influence in our society at one time. But she lost it byjust such schemes as she is trying to persuade me into. She manoeuvredtill she had two or three of her friends elected, who have even lessclaim than her cousin, Mrs. Merivale. Finally, it got so that if shewere to propose a name, the Membership Committee would be suspicious atonce. Now she wants Mrs. Merivale elected, and according to her littleplan I was to be the cat's paw. The scheming of those two women to getinto my good graces has been a source of amusement to me all winter,and the climax came this morning, when I told them both very franklythat I had seen through them from the start. Mrs. Merivale was horriblydisappointed, but she behaved like a lady. I must admit that, though shesaid some bitter things, things she will be sorry for, I assure you. ButMrs. Beaumont just lost all control of her temper. She stormed andraged, and said vile things, all of which had as little effect on me asa pea-shooter would against the rock of Gibraltar. So the two women wentoff, and in less than five minutes I discovered that my diamond stud hadgone with them.'

  "'Gone with them? Of that you are sure?'

  "'Of course I am sure. Do you suppose I would make such a charge withoutknowing that I am in the right? Come with me, and I will convince you.'

  "She led the way into a little anteroom next to her boudoir. It was notmore than eight feet square, and not crowded with furniture. The floorof hardwood, covered by one large silk rug, afforded little opportunityto lose anything by dropping it. There were four chairs, a smallreading-lounge, a revolving case filled with novels, a handsomepiano-lamp, and a little tea-table with all requisites for making tea.

  "'This is my little den where I retire when I am wearied by people andthings,' continued Mrs. Upton. 'Here I am surrounded by my friends, thepeople that our best writers have created. I love my books, and I get asfond of the characters as though they were all living; more, I think,because I do not come into actual contact with them. I can admire thenice people, and the mean ones may be as mean as they like withoutaffecting me. Well, I was lying here reading when these women wereannounced, and as I was too comfortable to get up and dress, I thought Iwould have them up and excuse my toilet on the plea of indisposition."Indisposed" is always a useful word; indisposed to be bothered by thevisitors, you know,--the nicest of all the white lies. So they came uphere and sat around my lounge and began to bring their all-winter'sscheme to a climax. After awhile, when I saw that the time had arrivedto disillusionize these women, I dismissed my headache and got up tohave a frank talk with them. As I arose my diamond stud dropped from thecollar of my waist which I had opened, and I picked it up and placed iton that little tea-table. Then we had our little scene. It was as goodas a play. I kept my temper, as a hostess always must, but my guestswere not so self-possessed, and, as I have said, Mrs. Merivale said afew things, and Mrs. Beaumont a great many more, that would not soundpretty coming out of a phonograph. Then they left, and I walked to mywindow and saw them jump into their carriage, Mrs. Beaum
ont slamming thedoor herself with a bang that must have weakened the hinges. That isall, except that I immediately remembered my stud and came here for it.It was gone.'

  "'I suppose, of course, you have searched this room, under thepossibility of its having dropped to the floor?' I inquired.

  "'Yes, indeed,' she answered. 'I had my own maid up, and superintendedthe search myself. But I took the precaution to see that nothing shouldbe removed from the room. I had the door closed, and then we took up therug carefully and shook it. Nothing fell from it, and the stud was noton the floor or elsewhere. You can see yourself that it cannot be adifficult matter to search this little room thoroughly. It has been donewithout success, but if you like you may search again. I assure you thatnothing has been taken from the room. If one of those two women has nottaken that stud, you may count me an idiot.'

  "'You have admitted that your maid was in this room, and that bringsanother possibility into the case,' I said.

  "'You mean that Janet might have taken it? Not at all a possibility. Inthe first place she is devoted to me, as my people adopted her when shewas but a child, and she has been personally in my service for more thanten years. No, Janet would not do such a thing, but even if she would,she could not have done so. I took precautions.'

  "'What precautions?' I asked.

  "'Why, she would need one hand to pick it up, and I not only kept bothof her hands occupied, but I did not permit her to stoop to the floor.'

  "'How could you keep her hands always occupied?' said I.

  "'Why, most of the time she was handling the broom, and that requirestwo hands. It was only when she shook the rug and moved the sofa thather hands were otherwise occupied. I myself did the searching, and I amabsolutely certain that Janet had not the least opportunity to pick upso much as a pin.'

  "'And you think that one of your friends would do what you would notattribute to your maid?'

  "'Assuredly. In the first place these women are not friends of mine;after to-day, I should rather say enemies. Moreover, I would trust Janetas I would few of my real friends. You see I have not tested all myfriends, and I have tested Janet. She has had temptation enough andopportunity enough to rob me a thousand times over, were she sodisposed. No, I tell you one of those two women has that diamond stud.'

  "'Would you mind saying which one you are the more inclined to suspect?'I asked.

  "'Why, that is a hard question. Sometimes I think one, and then againthe other. Mrs. Beaumont showed so much venom that I can see more reasonto suspect her if I decide from motive alone. It is really her scheme toget her cousin into the society. It is she who feels most thwarted,because of her lost influence. On the other hand, I cannot rememberseeing her within reach of the tea-table, while Mrs. Merivale was nearit all the time. So Mrs. Merivale had the opportunity, while theincentive through temper was with Mrs. Beaumont.'

  "This was the little problem which I was asked to solve, and I thinkthat you will comprehend my meaning when I say that it was intricatebecause of its very simplicity. Let me enumerate the facts so as to geta sort of bird's-eye view of the situation.

  "First, we have two women present when the missing property is placed ona table accessible to at least one, and possibly to both. Second, asmall room, with floor devoid of cracks, and covered by a rug easilymoved and shaken. Third, only a few pieces of simple furniture in theroom. Fourth, the visitors depart, and the property is missed. Fifth, asearch without discovery, a third possible thief entering upon thescene.

  "We have apparently but four solutions; either one of the three womentook the stud, or else the alleged loser lies. I omit the possibilitythat the stud was merely mislaid or accidentally out of sight in theroom; this, because I personally conducted a search, which was sosystematic as to make it absolutely assured that the stud was not in theroom when I looked for it.

  "Of the four theories, then, I preferred first to consider that onewhich the mistress declared to be ridiculous. I insisted upon seeing andcatechising the maid Janet, thereby deepening madame's doubts as to myability. After talking with this girl for half an hour, I felt soconvinced of her integrity that I mentally eliminated her from the case.Next in order we had the two visitors, one of whom, according to Mrs.Upton, had a motive while the other had the opportunity. The firstpostulate always is that the guilty person must have both opportunityand motive, unless indeed we are dealing with an insane person, whenmotive may be eliminated, though frequently the insane are actuated byquite intelligible motives. Thus we seemed obliged either to discoverthat Mrs. Beaumont had an opportunity to obtain possession of the stud,or else that Mrs. Merivale had a motive, except that the latter may havesimply acted upon the opportunity without motive, in which case we wouldbe dealing with the kleptomaniac. After due consideration I decided tocall separately upon these two ladies, and went to Mrs. Merivale first.

  "She courteously received me, and as soon as I met her I was pleasantlyimpressed by her personality. After five minutes' talk I was certainthat if she took the stud, it was, after all, the act of a kleptomaniac,and that no petty motive of revenge would have tempted this high-born,beautiful gentlewoman to descend to theft. She asked me the object of mycall, and looked at me so frankly that there was no chance forsubterfuge. Consequently I openly declared the purpose of my visit.

  "'Madame,' said I, 'I regret very much the embarrassing nature of myerrand. But you visited Mrs. Upton this morning, I believe?'

  "'I did, in company with my cousin, Mrs. Beaumont.'

  "'Did you happen to notice that while you were there she placed adiamond stud on the tea-table?'

  "'Yes; I remember the circumstance perfectly, because of the impressionwhich it made upon me.'

  "'Would you mind telling me what that impression was?'

  "'Why, simply that it was very discourteous, or at least very untidy.When we were shown to her room, she was lying down, with the collar ofher waist open. After a while she arose, the stud dropped to the floor,and she picked it up and placed it on the little tea-table. I thoughtthat it would have shown a greater sense of propriety if she hadreplaced it and fastened her collar.'

  "'Do you recall whether the stud was still on the table when you left?'

  "'Why, no! How should I? I paid no further attention to it whatever.'Then as a new idea entered her mind, her eyes flashed, and the colorrose in her cheeks as she said to me sharply:

  "'You cannot mean that Mrs. Upton dares to intimate----'

  "'She intimated nothing,' I hastened to interject. 'Immediately afteryour departure the stud was missed, and the most thorough search hasfailed to discover it. In these circumstances Mrs. Upton sought my aid,and I drew from her the details of her morning's experiences.'

  "'I imagine you had little difficulty in drawing forth the details.' Shesaid this with a sneer, which made me understand how this woman couldsay unpleasant things without forgetting her dignity.

  "'I assure you,' I hastened to add, 'Mrs. Upton knows nothing of myvisit here. I have on my own responsibility called with the idea that ifI could obtain an account of your visit from yourself, there might besome slight difference in the two stories which would show me how toproceed.'

  "'I know no more than I have told you, and as I am far from beinginterested in Mrs. Upton's lost baubles, I must beg you to excuse mefrom further discussion of the subject.'

  "I was dismissed. It was courteously done, but done nevertheless. Icould do nothing but take leave. Still I made one venture,--

  "'I must ask your pardon for intruding, but, as I have said, I thoughtyou might be able to supply a missing detail. For example, do you recallwhether Mrs. Upton's maid entered the room while you were there?'

  "'I am sorry, Mr. Barnes,' said she in courteous but firm tones, 'but Imust decline to pursue this conversation further.'

  "That was all. I had seen one of the suspected persons, and learnednothing. Still an interview of this character is bound to leave animpression, and in this case the impression was very strongly in favorof Mrs. Merivale. Wi
thout irrefutable proof I could not believe thatthis dignified, frank woman had stolen the stud. For the time at least Ialso dismissed all theories of kleptomania.

  "Thus my attention was directed toward the woman who had a motive, butwas reported to have lacked the opportunity. I called at once upon Mrs.Beaumont.

  "This lady is of quite a different mould from her cousin. Older by atleast ten years, she is still handsome, her beauty being, however,physical in character only. She lacks the self-poise and dignity whichrenders Mrs. Merivale's beauty so much more attractive. Moreover, she isvoluble, where the other is reserved, a trait which I welcomed asaffording me more opportunity to gain some possible clue to truth.

  "She came into her reception-room where I awaited her, evidently brimfulof curiosity. I had sent in my card, and it seems she had heard of me inconnection with that somewhat famous wager of yours.

  "'Mr. Barnes, the detective, I believe,' she said as she entered.

  "'At your service, Madame,' I replied. 'May I have a few minutes'conversation with you upon a trifling, yet quite puzzling matter?'

  "'Why, certainly,' said she, 'but don't keep me in suspense. I amburning with curiosity to know why a detective should call on me.'

  "I thought that this woman might be caught by a sudden attack, and madethe venture.

  "'A diamond stud was stolen from Mrs. Upton this morning, while you werethere!' I said, watching her closely. She did not flinch, but seemedhonestly not to comprehend the suggestiveness of my words.

  "'I do not understand you,' said she.

  "'It is not a serious matter, Madame, but Mrs. Upton placed a diamondstud on her tea-table while you and Mrs. Merivale were with her, andmissed it a moment after you had left. Therefore----'

  "This was plain enough, and she grasped the truth at a flash. In aninstant she gave me evidence of that temper against which I had beenwarned by Mrs. Upton.

  "'You dare to insinuate that I took her miserable little stud? I wishmy husband were at home; I would have you horsewhipped. No, I wouldn'teither. It is not you who suspect me, it is that self-sufficientshe-devil, Mrs. Upton. So she accuses me of being a thief, does she?Well, mark me well, Mr. Detective, I shall make her pay dearly forthat insult. I have stood enough of that woman's impertinentsuperciliousness. This is going too far. If she has a shadow of proofagainst me, she can meet me in open court. Do you understand me? Go backand tell Mrs. Upton, with my compliments, that she must either provethat I stole her stud, or else I will sue her for libel. I'll let hersee with whom she is fooling.'

  "'Really, Mrs. Beaumont,' said I as soon as I found a chance to speak,'you have rather gotten ahead of my intentions. I assure you that noaccusation has been made against you.'

  "'Indeed!' said she, scornfully uplifting her nose. 'And pray, then, whyhave you called? Certainly Mrs. Upton cannot imagine that I would beinterested in the petty thieving that goes on in her house.'

  "'The point is just this, Madame,' said I. 'The stud was placed on atea-table while you were present. Mrs. Merivale has told me that sheremembers this distinctly. When you had left, the stud was missed, andthe most thorough search has been made, not once but twice, withoutfinding it. Indeed, there is no place in the room where it could havebeen lost. According to the story of Mrs. Upton, the affair, trifling asit is, is a really puzzling problem. But I ventured to hope that eitherMrs. Merivale or yourself might remember some incident which might giveme a clue; such, for example, as the entrance of one of the houseservants.'

  "'That is nothing but a smooth story invented by yourself,' said she,'in order to pacify my righteous indignation. But you cannot deceive me.Mrs. Upton has told you that I stole her stud, and you have come here toendeavor to prove it.'

  "'In justice to Mrs. Upton,' said I, 'I must state, on the contrary,that she very distinctly told me that you could have had no opportunityto take the stud, as you were not at any time near enough to thetea-table to touch it.'

  "'If she told you that, it shows how little observation she has. I don'tat all object to admitting that I had the thing in my hand.'

  "'You had it in your hand!' I exclaimed, surprised.

  "'Yes. It happened in this way, Mrs. Upton received us with her collarunbuttoned, in the most slovenly fashion. After a while she got up fromthe lounge, where she was feigning a headache because too lazy toarrange her toilet before receiving guests. It was then that the studfell to the floor. She picked it up and placed it on the table. When wewere leaving she led the way out of the room, Mrs. Merivale following,and I leaving the room last. As I passed, I thoughtlessly picked up thestud and looked at it. I then put it back. I have a vague idea that itrolled off and fell to the floor, but I can't be sure.'

  "'That is singular,' said I; 'for if it fell to the floor it should havebeen found.'

  "'Undoubtedly. Very likely it has been found; I should say, by one ofthe servants. You will never induce me to believe that Mrs. Upton tookthe trouble to search for that stud without help. She is too lazy byfar.'

  "I thought it best to keep discreetly silent, preferring not to mentionthe fact that the maid had been in the room. It being evident to my mindthat this woman would adhere to this story, true or false, I deemed itprudent to at least appear to believe her.

  "'I am much indebted to you, Madame,' said I. 'You see that, after all,my visit has led me to the truth, for we know that the stud probablyfell to the floor, and is therefore either still in the room, or else,as you suggest, one of the servants may have picked it up.'

  "'All that is very well, Mr. Barnes,' said she; 'and you are very cleverin shielding Mrs. Upton. But, as I said before, you do not deceive me.This matter is more serious than you imagine. That woman has workedsystematically for two years to supplant me in our society, "TheDaughters of the Revolution." Just now she fancies that she hastriumphed over me; but in spite of that, she is jealous of my influencewith the members, and would go to any extreme to injure me socially. Shewell knows that I did not take her stud, but she is quite willing toallow this suspicion to drift out to the world, knowing that it would bedifficult to prove my innocence of a charge so vaguely circulated, andthat there might be some who would turn aside from me because of thisshadow. Now this I shall not permit. If she does not prove her charge, Ishall certainly sue her for libel, and have the whole matter cleared upin the open tribunal of the law. You may tell her this from me. Thereshall be no half-way measures. One thing more before you go. I must callmy maid.'

  "She rang a bell, and a moment later her maid responded, and at hermistress's orders went upstairs and brought down a jewel-case of largesize. This, Mrs. Beaumont opened, and taking out the contents strewedthem on the table.

  "'There, do you see these?' said she with pride in her voice. 'These aremy jewels. Mrs. Upton perhaps is richer than I am, but I defy her toshow such jewelry as I have. Some of these things are two hundred yearsold. Here is a necklace which one of my ancestors wore at the firstinauguration of Washington. Here is another which my grandmother wore atthe coronation of Queen Victoria. Here is an emerald ring, presented tomy own mother by Napoleon. And you see what the others are. Nearly allhave some history which adds to their intrinsic value. And with these inmy possession, to think that that woman would accuse me of stealing acommon little diamond stud! It makes my blood boil. But I have told youwhat course I shall pursue, and you may warn Mrs. Upton.'

  "This ended the interview. I had gained some information at least, for Ihad learned that Mrs. Beaumont did have the opportunity to take thestud, but, on the other hand, the motive for such an act seemed lesstenable. She certainly would not take it for its value, and in view ofher own magnificent array of jewels, she would be less likely to imaginethat she was giving Mrs. Upton any great annoyance by the petty theft.Then, too, her assertion that Mrs. Upton is systematically seeking toundermine her influence in their society connections, affords a possiblereason for our last theory, that Mrs. Upton lied in declaring that thestud had been stolen. Thus the matter rests, as I have had noopportunity to have
another interview with Mrs. Upton. If you call onher, I am sure that you will be well received because of the fact thatshe knows all about your outwitting me in that wager matter. Trustingthat you may care to give this little affair some of your time andattention, and with the belief that you will certainly unravel thetangle if you do, I am

  "Very sincerely yours, "JACK BARNES."

  (_Letter from Mr. Mitchel to Mr. Barnes_)

  "MY DEAR BARNES:--

  "I read your letter with considerable interest. As you very truly say,the case was intricate because of its simplicity. As you had followed upthree theories with apparently the result that you were at leasttentatively satisfied that neither held the key to the mystery, itseemed proper to take up the affair where you had left it, and toendeavor to learn whether or not Mrs. Upton had lied to you, and stillhad the stud in her own possession. For this and other reasons I decidedto adopt your suggestion and call upon Mrs. Upton. I did so, and, as yousurmised, was cordially received. She met me first in her parlor, and Iat once stated to her the object of my visit.

  "'Mrs. Upton,' said I, 'you are perhaps aware that I have a friendlyregard for Mr. Barnes, the detective, ever since the affair of my littlewager. I have received a letter from him this morning in which he statesthat an important criminal case compels him suddenly to leave the city;he has also given me a succinct statement of the few facts in relationto the loss of your stud, and has asked me to interest myself in thesolution of this little mystery."

  "'And you mean to do it?' she exclaimed, impulsively. 'Why, howdelightful! Of course you will find out all about it. To think that you,Mr. Mitchel, the man who outwitted Mr. Barnes, will take up my case! Iam honored, I assure you.'

  "I give you her exact words, though her flattery was somewhatembarrassing. In the course of the conversation she referred to you interms which I repeat, though I do not at all share her poor estimate ofyour ability.

  "'Of course,' said I, 'I am not a detective, yet I do take a triflinginterest in these little problems, I find it mentally exhilarating tomeasure minds, as it were, with these wrong-doers. Thus far I havegenerally been successful, which, however, only proves my claim thatthose who stoop to crime are not really ever sound mentally, andconsequently, either from too little or from too much care, some slightdetail is overlooked, which, once comprehended by the investigator,leads unerringly to the criminal.'

  "'Ah, how delightfully you talk!' said she. 'I am so glad you have takenthis up, for, do you know, I rather thought Mr. Barnes a little dull,not to say stupid. Why, he actually suggested that my maid took thestud!'

  "Here, I thought, was an opportune moment to follow the method which youemployed with Mrs. Beaumont, and by a sudden, unexpected accusation, toendeavor to surprise the truth from her. I said:

  "'Oh, Mr. Barnes has given up that idea now, and has almost adopted oneeven more startling. He thinks that perhaps you took the stud yourself."

  "I had expected from your estimate of this woman's character, which yourecall was not very flattering to her mental calibre, that if indeed itwere true that she had concocted this little scheme to injure a societyrival, thus taken unawares she would feign great indignation. On thecontrary, she laughed so heartily, and spoke of your theory so lightlythat I was practically convinced that again we were on the wrong scent.All she said by way of comment was:

  "'Well, if that is the result of his investigation, he is a bigger foolthan I took him to be. It is certain, therefore, that he will neverdiscover the truth, and so I am doubly glad that he has gone out oftown, and that you have consented to take his place.'

  "'You must not so quickly condemn Mr. Barnes,' said I, feeling bound todefend you. 'He has really worked in this matter quite systematically,and this final theory has been reached by exclusion.'

  "'I do not understand,' said she, puzzled.

  "'Well, first he accepted your assurance that the maid Janet was notguilty because she had no opportunity. Then he called upon Mrs.Merivale, and from his interview with her judged that she too must beinnocent, a view in which I must concur after reading his report of whatpassed. Then he called upon Mrs. Beaumont, and though she admitted, whatyou did not yourself observe, that she actually took the stud in herhand when leaving the room, yet it seems equally certain that shereplaced it, as she says she did. Thus, if the stud is really not in theroom, there apparently could be no other explanation than that you aremisleading us.'

  "'Us? Does that mean that you too held the view that I merely pretendthat the stud was lost?'

  "'My dear Madame,' I replied: 'such an idea, of course, seemspreposterous, but a detective cannot set aside any theory withoutthorough investigation. In an analysis of this character the personalequation must have a secondary place. In this affair it could not helpus at all. Perhaps you will not understand my meaning. But do you notsee that it is just as inconceivable that either of the other ladiesshould have stolen this stud of yours, as it is to believe that youmerely pretend that it is lost? From the view-point of the impartialinvestigator there can be no choice between these propositions.'

  "'I must say that you are not very flattering,' said she, troubled, asshe realized that social position could not protect her from suspicionany more than it would the other women. 'Why, I have my enmities, ofcourse, and I frankly admit that I do not love either Mrs. Merivale orMrs. Beaumont, especially not the latter. Still, to concoct such ascandalous calumny against an innocent woman would be awful. I could notbe so low as that.'

  "'I believe you,' said I, and I did. 'But, on the other hand, would itnot be equally low for these ladies, your social equals, to stoop topetty theft?'

  "'I suppose you are right,' said she reluctantly; 'but how did the studdisappear? Don't you see that I had strong evidence against one of them?It was there when they were in the room, and gone when they had left.There must be some explanation of that. What can it be?'

  "'Of course,' said I, 'there must be, and there is, an explanation. Themost plausible seems to be the one suggested by Mrs. Beaumont, that itrolled from the table to the floor when she put it back. It seemsincredible that two searches have failed to discover it, yet it is asmall object, and may be lying now in some crevice which you all haveover-looked.'

  "'I think not,' said she, shaking her head dubiously. 'Suppose you comeup and see for yourself. You won't find any crevices. Why, we have evenrun wires along the line where the seat and back of the lounge arejoined. No, the stud is not in that room.'

  "And now, friend Barnes, we come to the finale, for I may as well tellyou at once that I have found the stud,--that, indeed, as soon as Ilooked into the room, I suspected that it was within those four walls,in a place where no one had thought of looking, though, to mystify you alittle more, I may say that it may not have been in the room when youmade your search.

  "I inclose with this a sciagraph, that is to say, a picture taken withthe X-ray. You will observe that the skeleton of a small animal isdiscernible surrounded by a faint outline which suggests the form of adog. If you understand something of anatomy, look where the stomach ofthe dog should be, and you will notice a dark spot. This is the shadowof the missing stud, which, as Mrs. Beaumont suggested, must havedropped to the floor. There it evidently attracted the attention of Mrs.Upton's pet dog, Fidele, who took it into his mouth, with the resultshown in the sciagraph. You will ask how I guessed this at once? In thefirst place I had perfect confidence in the thoroughness of your search,so when I saw the dog in the room, lying on a silk pillow, two pertinentfacts were prominent at once. First, the dog may not have been in theroom when you examined the place, and consequently you could not havecounted him in as a possible place of search. Secondly, he might easilyhave been present when the two ladies called, and this was probablesince his mistress was lying down and the dog's sleeping-pillow was nearthe head of the lounge. If you noted this, you may not have comprehendedits use; perhaps you took it for one which had sl
ipped from the lounge.At all events, I do not consider that you have been at all at fault. Ihad better luck than you, that is all.

  "Very sincerely yours, "ROBERT LEROY MITCHEL.

  "P. S.--I do not myself believe in luck. I must also state that Mrs.Upton has sent letters of apology to the other ladies. The dog, Fidele,is to undergo an operation to-morrow. One of our most skilful surgeonshas agreed to regain the stud and preserve the life of the pet. Alaparotomy, I believe they, call it.--R. L. M."

  THE END.

  Transcriber's Note:

  On the first page of advertisements, the "^o" represents asuperscripted "o". 16^o is for an abbreviation for sextodecimo,which refers to the book size (6.75" x 4").

  Throughout the document, the oe ligature was replaced with "oe".

  Throughout the dialogues, there were words used to mimic accents of thespeakers. Those words were retained as-is.

  Passages in italics were indicated by _underscores_.

  Passages in bold were indicated by =equal signs=.

  Small caps were replaced with ALL CAPS.

  On the title page, a comma was placed after "A CONFLICT OF EVIDENCE".

  On page 95, "but, as. well," was replaced with "but, as well,".

  On page 122, the question mark after "It wasnot difficult to discern that a human being had beencremated" was replaced with a period.

  On page 160, "moment" was replaced with "moments".

  On page 177, "dimunitive" was replaced with "diminutive".

  On page 178, "momnt" was replaced with "moment".

  On page 187, "attacted" was replaced with "attracted".

  On page 191, "in _Herald_ for D.M.," was replaced with "in the _Herald_for D.M.,".

  On page 226, a single quotation mark was added after "Why have you doneit?".

  On page 230, "stiring" was replaced with "stirring".

  On page 257, "Livingston" was replaced with "Livingstone".

  On page 274, a single quotation mark was added before "Madame, your lifeis in danger."

  On page 319, a double quotation mark was deleted after "remaining of thethirty.'".

  On page 327, a double quotation mark was added after "I said'suppose,'".

  On page 329, a quotation mark was added after "will be moreappreciative".

  On page 368, the double quotation mark after "yes," was replaced with asingle quotation mark.

  On page 384, the double quotation mark after "this littlemystery." was replaced with a single quotation mark.

  On page 386, the double quotation mark after "you took the studyourself." was replaced with a single quotation mark.