The Dickinson press., 1892-06-18
THE GREAT nESpER.
TALE OF 4 BIG DIAMOND.
How an Immense Gem Was Lost
Recovered, ana Lost Again.
CHAPTER NH.

CHAPTER Nil.
"I advise you, sir" said the officer,
''to take the advice OF Sin Edmunds
solicitor, Mr. Wray.'
agreed, and he called in the law
Yer. told him, without reserve, all
that had happened, showing him the
heather case | had taken from the hole
We're Brace had placed il.
"A couple oi cunning scoundrels,"
he eNclailncd; their pretended suSpic-
ion oi each h"r was, OF course. in
.endedto blind YOU to their compile
ity, while each. hy duplicating the
other, diverted suspicion from him.
sell.
81 was never in my lie so complete
ly deceived" said. "Brace seemed
to me the embodiment oi rough hon
oStv liked the man. and it was Il
painful shock 20 me when found him
unialtl,,ul. and a thief.
Gle is worse than that. Nh. Thorne;
he is Il murderer ut heart: lor there
can hc no doubt it w;ls he who at
tempted Your lie: it was II
sheer .npoSsibili,y Tor the other
man to do ii. We have
heard the story OF the robbery from
Sir Edmund. The intelligence that
planned the attack WAS doubtless
Van loecl;' :. He looks like Il man OF
subtle intellect do not see what
other part he could have played in
this atl;lir.
',>ir Edmund told me, sir" said the
officer. ",hai, on your G.u.A from
the lei; wing, YOU beard m >ru,s in
Brace" room?'
II certainly did
That could very we'll have been
Van lIoeck. who i,ad taken Braces
place While he Slipped oil into Your
room, m,-another proof that the two
We're ca,im. together.
"Preci>ely," said Mr.. Wray; and
then, With an air OF business, -'Wrli,
now. What is TO bc done? hat is the
first question:. The evidence is
insufficient 10 charge either OF
the men even with beng
concerned in the robbery. The leath-
er ease proves nothing. They might
declare they iounl it empty. and
hav" concealed ii through fear OF ac-
c,lsa,lun, or they might I'LL three
swcarvour statement 10 be false, and
absolutely accuse You OF being your
sell the .iirt. And, until we can sub
stamli"'r the charge hy positive proof
we mist he careful to conceal our suS
plcioms from hem. Ii they think they
are likely to be brought to Justice they
will qHit the country by the first
and we cannot stop hem. The thing
/, hat must be done ut once is to search
ior the diamond. That is your af
fair he said, addressing the
ollicer 'undoubte6ly they have
placed ii somewhere in southampton
in readiness to take ii flight becomes
necessary
"I'll have all the liens searched be-
fore lie morning.
"That is pair oi your business, oi
course. At the same time, wouldsug
gest that ii is oi iarmore Importance
to watch the men themselves. N;u,
IIoecl> would not trust the diamond
to the keeping OF ordinary thieves
receivers: it would be safer merely
laid under Il plant in the gardens
down hy the dock. You may be sur,
he has he ingenuity to suggest q saft
place for its keeping"
"Ill have some plain-clothes mel
on the first thing tomorrow morning
and I'd better 20 and telegraph te
Scotland Yard at once
Gas soon us possible. But not te
alarm the men, you had better mak'
q pretcnse OF continuing your investl
CATIONS, and avail yourself OF SOM
plausible prctext for returning tt
Southampton. Everything at thi
moment depends upon keeping Val
Hoecll and Brace in ignorance OF ou
suspicion. And with that view, II
added, turning to me, 81 counsel you
Mr.. Tholme, to conceal your real feel
ings. Not one OF these three ought t.
see any change in your demeanor to
ward them
This was sound advice, and l reco:
nized the Importance OF conformin
with it; but ann the worst actor i
the world where my feelings are COZ
cerned, and my very soul revolte
: against the men who had plotted tt
gether to take my life frol
, the mere insensate greed OF gain.
felt more bitterly toward Brace tina
J toward his accomplice, not because
r thought Van Hoecll ssguilty, but b
! cause had felt more kindly towal
the Judge, to whom ! seemed linke
!. by the brotherhood OF labor.
/. | kept out OF his way when we I
J. turned to the library, and avoidt
: looking at him, lest he should pc
. ceive that was no longer his frien
:, But knew he had his keen eyes upt
y me, and was reading the signs OF II
}, newly born aversion, and this ma
h my acting worse.
r When the officer had completed
q investigation. he said sagaciously,
l. he closed his notebooks:
. . "I have sufficient information I
,. my present purpose. may not
= able to discover the perpetrators
). this outrage and robbery immedia
ly, but think ! shall be in q positi
= to tell you something about the Il
diamond within twenty-iour hour!
Sir Edmund accompanied him
nc the door. When he returned and to
the seat he had occupied at the he
,s OF the long table, Brace rose, al
placing himself at the opposite el
at inclined his head first to the Baron
10. then to the right, and to the left.
esquire and gentlemen OF this &C
mittee, he said, ,"I don't want to spe
disrespcc'ful OF the police; but the
telligent officer who has Jest
us, us il he'd got hold OF the tail {
OF Il rocket, and meant follerin'
8. right up. and holdin' tight Oh till
3II 3I bust, amt soin' to do any good
3 hisself or any one else in this busn,
8 The big diamonds lost, end he al
20 goin' to find it in twenty-iour hol
- nor in twenty-iour years. Ef it wa
haystaciS, don't say but what, W
as the help OF Providence-and q g
ON lot OF it-he might be up to the
, 10 he's undertook. But it amt h