The herald., 1896-02-13

, 1t unless he had further occasion for COM
plant. After it was all over he felt with
vague uneasiness to see II his diamonds
were safe. The familiar little bunch
made by the chamois bag was instantly
apparent to his touch. and with it was
that precious photograph.
| His brain, after this reminder, was too
busily engaged in loving thoughts Of Mad
cline, to dwell long on SO disagreeable a
subject as his mysterious enemy in the
second cabin, whom he set down as being
nothing more, at the worst, than a mild
lunatic.
But, half an hour later when he retired,
not only were his joyous musings changed
/ in one instant into the most acute mental
agony, but the second cabin passenger leapt
into disagreeable but paramount import
ance in his mind. 1t had been his custom
to fold his vest with his treasure undis-
turbed in its pocket and put it under his pill
low while he slept. Tonight, though, he
took the photograph out of the pocket and
in so doing actually touched,-perhaps for
the first time on the voyage-the precious
package Of whose safety he had so often as
sured himself through the comfortable
lump it made under the cloth Of his waist
coat. That touch affected him as might an
electric shock. With hurried, nervous fin
gers, he pulled the packet out and found
not the little chamois bag, but, instead a
worthless dummy. The diamonds were
gone!
The loss of the Jewels drove Morley al
most crazy. Had they merely been miss
ing from the pocket in which he had so care
fully placed them, he might have hoped that
they had slipped out of themselves and that
they would be found and returned. But the
presence of the dummy package proved that
they had been deliberately stolen and by a
thief CT great cleverness-a thief far too
clever to be easily forced to the surrender
of the booty.
Morley's first instantaneous suspicion
rested on this second cabin passenger For
moment he felt certain that his treasure
had been stolen during the struggle at the
rail. But, moment later, an idea flashed
across his brain which was almost as great
a shock as the discovery Of the loss of his
jewels had been. The second cabin passen-
ger could not he reflected, have had any
knowledge of his possession of the gems, or
of their hiding place. He had told one per-
son only about that and that person was
Madeline! And, when she had pressed the
photograph-her love token-into it's posi-
ton, she had had her hand in the very
pocket in which the diamonds were hid
den!
But this theory was SO horrible in Its
significance that he recoiled from it. 1t
seemed incredible to him that the charming
girl-the girl whose lovely mind and lofty
soul had captivated his heart-could be a
common thief. A moment later he hated
himself fer having thought it. He put the
idea away from him, angry that, as he did
so, evidence sprang up in his mind despite
himself to prove that she alone had had the
knowledge and opportunity necessary fol
the commission of the crime.
Declaring her innocence over and over
to himself he tried to run over in his mind
all the events of the voyage which NIGH
have bearing on the case. He realized
almost with pleasure now-since it argued
for Madeline's nnocence-that the dia
monds might have been stolen at any time
during the voyage. Some one, learning by
accident That he possessed them, might have
entered his cabin at night and changed the
packets while he slept. This was improb
able. but he had read stranger stories Of
robbery. Again, could he remember how
many and who had pressed against him or
that crowded steamship? He comfortet
himself with the thought that an expert
pickpocket might have performed the deet
While they were mobbing in to dinner; O,
wondered II he had not gone to sleep in {
deck chair on one of the nights when ht
remained late out of doors, and thus expos
ed himself t" robbery. And more plaus