The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05

Carlisle when Mrs. Eaton is out. and
ostensibly for some other purpose"
And this is what was Zone. The man
for whom 1 sent had more knowledge.
as knew, than most local jewelers.. and
was safe He came the next afternoon,
and while my mother was paying a call
examined the parure with Marion and
myself. To my unutterable confusion
and horror he pronounced the stones no
\ stones at all. but paste, and not very
good paste either.
W
Marion did not laugh now; he was too
much concerned about my obvious dis
tress and annoyance. To find ones idols
so utterly shattered was a stunning
blow; but 1 had to arouse myself. for
there were others to be considered. What
on earth was to be done? The original
stones were worth many thousands Of
pounds / did not like that loss, but the
prospect of my mothers trouble when
the truth became known vexed me in
finiteiy more
Anyhow" said Marion at last, '1et us
keep 1T quiet for the present. / have no
doubt Mr. Rawsthorne will say nothing
about it to any one
Rawsthorne, whom we had known for
years. promised silence, and L am sure
he kept his promise. After he had gone
Marion said:
Il don't know exactly what made me
suspicious except the conviction that
I've seen that woman before, and in con-
nection with something that wasn't
straight You said there wasn't time to
get those stones changed between Satur-
day, the day Mrs. Walcot left Earn
shaw, and the Monday when you got
them back. But how if it wasn't Mrs.
Walcot at all who took them on the
Saturday, but he on the-which day did
he go? Wednesday,"
mo. on Thursday by an early train
We'll. if he took them on the Thurs
day he could get them changed by the
Saturday night. No doubt he had the
false ones ready or somewhere within
easy reach-Birmingham most likely.
| He posted them, you said, in Leaning
| TONI
But how could they have got the dia-
mondS? L made one more struggle in
| my unwillingness to believe II don't
| think that they were out of our sight at
| all, except, perhaps, when dressing for
| dinner, and at that time my mother
| would herself be dressing in the next
| room with the intervening door open;
and when they went to bed"
"Ahi were they in bed all night?''
Your bedroom is next the boudoir; did
you hear any one enter or any noise ?'
Nothing; / slept soundly-by the way,
yes, but 1 did. I heard that wretched
Venus snuffing about, and told Mrs. Wal
| cot in the morning that Venus was not
much to depend on for a guardian, the
creature rambled about so.'
What did she say?"
Nothing that / remember"
BE sure he got hold of them then and
| took the dog either to give warning or
| to afford an excuse, If he were found at
| that side Of the house, by saying the dog
| had slipped out and he had followed to
find her. A pretty piece of work you
will have to get them back. If you go at
| him straight he will declare the stones
| are as his wife brought them, and that
you are not acting as a gentleman
| should-that is where he will have you
| in suggesting that they have changed
| them. So often husbands have sold
their wives diamonds and substituted
| paste that he can easily insinuate you
have had them changed yourself to
/ spend on larks without the mater, your
| agent, your banker or any one being the
| wiser, and he will say you have taken
| advantage of what he told you as a
| trusted friend. He can make out a
Specious case, and a man of that stamp
noying. Mrs. Walcot stayed alone with
| you, / think you said, from the Thurs
| day till the Saturday. i suppose you
don't mind spending a hundred or two
over the business If you can only re-
| cover them?"
Certainly and twice as much for the
thing never to have happened. / can
hardly persuade myself even now that
| they could be guilty of such knavery."
| Marion said no more, but laid hold OF
a Bradshaw and dispatched a telegram
/ the reply to which gave plausible ex-
cuse for his going off the next morning
| and since L was too uncomfortable to
| rest quietly at home / said / would &c
| with him for three or four days.
| But there was another thing to be
! done. Take the trinketS with us we
must, yet we could not take them with
out my mothers knowledge. Martens
! readiness and decision solved the diff
Guilty He asked me to show him the
/ jewels. He then deliberately snapped a
| bit of the setting so that two of the
| stones were loosened. / stared in
| amazement, but he simply said. Wait
and put the case back in the cabinet
| After dinner as it was a rainy evening
Marion made as though he wanted tC
| be amused and asked my mother like
| a spoiled child to be allowed to look al
| her diamonds for treat. She was
rather surprised at such frivolity on the
| part of the Sedate and stern Marion
| but of course had them brought. AS
| soon as the case was opened and She
| became aware of the accident my moth
er was loud in her lamentations, and
| had no thought about anything except
| how the misfortune had happened and
what was to be done, but she was some
what pacfied when Marion suggested
| that we should take the set up to town
| in the morning and get the mischief
| remedied l wish / had that mans
| promptitude and nerve.
The next night saw us in close con-
| ference with a detective-I hate those
| crawling creatures. but there was nc
| choice-and we reviewed the situation
| Where were the Walcots? Since they
| would doubtless braZen 1t out If di.
rectly challenged they would not be
| specially anxious to conceal their where.
| abouts. They had spoken of returning
| to Mrs. Christie's for a couple of days
| and then visiting some friends before
| going over to Paris, so Mrs. Christie
! would probably be e BILE to inform us
| where they were. Had they the stones
| with them? We guessed so. and that
| these stones were to be disposed OF
| across the channel. So no time was tC
be lost If they once went beyond seas
goodbye to our chance of recovering
them. How on earth were they ever tC
be got hold of?
VI.
| O.etter from Mr. John Dene)
KEMPSTON. June Is. 1ss6.-Sir: Or
leaving you after receiving your instruc