Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-18
THE LANGLEY BURGLARY.

| preaching 1St OF September were all collected one
night after dinner In the drawing room, when the
conversation, hitherto rather langutd, CHANGED 10
! turn on burglary that had lately taken place In
| the neighborhood. Every one at once seized on
the topic and proceeded TO relate more or less IT.
relevant, but all alike CHASTITY, stories Of famous
burglarfeS and rObberies till suddenly Miss Cecil
| Clifford. a cousin OF Lady Langley's very pretty
girl and an heiresS TO boot who had hitherto taken
no part in the talk, looked up suddenly and said:
| Il do wish you would not all discuss such hOr-
| rors. How do you expect US TO sleep quietly in
beds IL you VIII insist on retailing such frghtful
stories, especially those wretches who broke in
! 10 Colston Park still at large? i feel as IL
| should find a burglar In my room tonight, so II
| should rouse the house with q false alarm, don't
| blame me-"
! "Ithink should die If were to wake and see
one In my room," exclaimed Lady Langley, shrug-
! gtng her pretty white shoulders In not wholly
! affected fright.
! AT all events the man would not trouble you
long enough with his company II that tin case Of
yours, with your diamonds in 1T, were lying on
your dressing table as usual" returned her cousin.
81 know youI be murdered through those dia-
| mond5 one day.
apo YOU really mean that Lady Langley keeps
her tewelry in her dressing tablet" asked Captain
lie Marchant, an tmpecun1ous young man, who
was suspected, on very good grounds, OF being au
naietes with the pretty heireSs, and who was in
| consequence rather out Of favor with her guard
| ians.
| ITO be sure she does laughed the host; "and
as Cecil says know we shall wake up some fine
morning to find ourselves corpses because Of that
within OF hers"
whats the use OF having jewelry If it is always
to be at the banker'si' retorted Lady Langley.
Il wish to goodness you'd be sensible, Flo'," re-
pateroom at all events. know that / shall do
nothng but dream OF your diamonds"
gay apd the to
satlon on the same subject, despite her cousins
very evident dislike OF it, in which she was as
Sisted by Captain LIE Marchant, who chaffed Miss
| Clifford good deal about her nerves, until the
party separated for the night.
The next morning the house was In confusion,
! for the diamonds were gone.
Lady Langley missed them the moment she rose,
for her maid being far from well at the time, she
bad hidden the girl not sit up for her. and had
dressed herself, leaving her diamonds, which she
had been wearing, loose on her dressing table,
her cousins room to bid her goodnight as usual,
and she put them in their case. or course, every
hole and corner was searched, but In vain The
police came, but We're equally unsuccessful. Not
either the thieves or the lewery was to be
found. The police including the detective hastily
summoned from London, were positive that the
| hOuse-a conviction that did not add to the com
fort OF the inmates of Langley Towers. Suspicion
ran riot the household servants, one and all, be
| longed 10 well-knOwn and respectable families in
| the neighborhOOd. and had mostly been for con-
| siderable periods in the Langleys' service, while
the visitors servants, it happened seemed equally
| above suspicion The only person who ventured
to differ from the officials was Captain La Mar
chant, who openly pooh poohed the whole thing
| as simply invented by the police to screen their
own incOmpetency.
| Whether from conviction or opposition Miss
| Clifford embraced the police theory. and before
long her suspicion fell on the maid OF one OF the
visitors, who She felt convinced was at least an
| accOmplice. Unfortunately for this poor girl,
Cecil Clifford cOnf1ded her doubts to her cousin,
| who in her turn uncOnSCiously betrayed them to
| the detective, so the unlucky maid was 1mmedi-
ately placed under a surveillance that rendered
| her life burden to her, and ultimately cost her
/ her situation.
| Captain lie Marchant demonstrated several times
on the subject with his ancee (fOr such she really
was, though the engagement was not officially
seemed to distrust him. as Of late from some cause
| or other, his usual sunny temper had quite de-
serted him; his tongue had acquired a bitterness
new to his friends, while his handsome, merry
| face had grown to look worn and haggard.
| Miss Clifford, though still persisting in her
| laying the very evident temper he showed TO the
account OF some money troubles that she well
knew were worrying him, 0ut at last he went too
far, and ere their interview ON this occasion ter
minated, the engagement between them was sum-
marily broken of by the lady.
Captain LIE Marchant never took any steps to
/ bring about reconciliation, which, On her side
| Cecil Clifford was far too proud to dream OF,
though what the arrangement cost her only she
| he had exchanged into regiment stationed in
India, and beyond one other fact she heard no
more OF Nun IN tnree or Iour years later the news
Egypt, and formed one OF the band sent to the re-
| lief OF Gordon and KhartOum. Strangely enough,
the one fact that she did hear pr1vately-namely,
his having before leaving England provided for
/ the future OF the poor girl who had suffered so
severely from the suspicious that were cast upon
her about the lost damonds-only seemed to
render her more fncensed against her erstwhie
| betrothed.
| at Langley, when one night toward the end OF the
season Miss Clifford Miss Clifford still, In spite of
% az large found nd
her host, who ignorant OF her previous acquaint-
ance, had been actuated by benevolent desire "to
| do dear old Denis a good turn" by making him &C.
| queinted with the he1reSS.
The old lovers stood for moment face to face in
silence, scrutinizing one another the lady secret
| ly, though not trace OF the hard work he had I'm
| was the first to speak:
| 1T is long since we met Miss Clifford
Not since we were together at Langley" she
replied, softly.
ayes; when the diamonds were stolen. l won
| der If that business will ever be cleared up?"
| Just then dinner was announced, and the
| guests filed down in solemn procession. Although
Colonel LeMarchant escorted Miss Clifford her at
| tention was at first claimed by her other neigh
| bors- But when the conversation had become
sufficiently animated to allow OF private CONVEX
satiOn, Colonel LeMarchant turned toward her and
their eyes met.
"what wretched time that was,n he said
softly.
| AT Langley, do you mean? Yes, indeed 1t was
But was 1T not curious how they found those
/ diamonds"
Found them! you don't say sol, he exclaimed,
| eagerly. when? Do tell me. please Miss CHI
ford You see, only came home few days ago
| and nave heard nothing.
| 'Oh. it is nearly year since Sir James was
out fishing with one OF the boys when his line got
entdng led in the branches OF old tree which had
fallen into the river at some time. In diSentang.
| ing IL they saw something wedged In against the
trunk or the tree which, after little trouble they
| nshed out. IL proved TO be the Identical case in
| which Lady Langley kept her diamonds and when
| III was forced open there they were safe enough,
and reports which appeared later declared that the
/ box must nave lain there ever since the night of
| the robbery. The theory Is that whoever stole iC
/ must have hidden Ii in the river bank meaning to
fetch IL when the fuss had blown over, but that the
| current swept 1t away till the tree stopped it,
| ''CurlouS.' said Colonel LIE Marchant, slowly,
! ''Ies, Is IL not" she forced herself to answer
/ quietly, Tor the strange expression on her COM
| panions race troubled her, She scarcely knew why
Il suppose there can be doubt that 1t was some
| OF the servants; though, after such lapse of
| time, lt would be hopeless t, try and bring it
| home 10 any one"
| lie Marchant looked at her sharply and was
| Just going 10 speak, when their host interrupted
him with some questions about the SOudan and
the conversation became general till the ladies re-
tired.
Miss Clifford had sheltered herself In the draw.
lng-rOon Dehlno large portfolio OF rare prints to
think undlsturped over her unexpected meeting
With her OLD lover, when the subject OF her
thoughts quietly came up and took a seat beside
her.
Il cannot tell you how glad am that those dta.
| mOndS nave been recovered, he said
80 ain i, she answered. do Won know 7 feel
as III were clalrvoyante something or the
| sort, for ever since the robbery, whenever have
| Dten al ali unweil, my nightmare has been about
those diamonds and the river l hear the rushing
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