Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-02-27

though looking pale and careworn. he
motioned me to seat and took one him
self.
you wired to Scotland Yard for me
yesterday, understand, Sir CharlesP'
l commenced.
II did. There has been a most serious
robbery committed on these premises,
and l suppose, Mr.. Busby," he said,
looking at my card, which he held in
his hand, that 1 must tell you every.
thing know concerning it?"
ut woyd be better, Sir Charles"
replied. "Perhaps you will begin by de-
scribing the jewels you have lost"
II know very little about jewelry."
he said, "but they were magnificent,
ond my late father has often told me
that they were valued at from twenty.
five to thirty thousand pounds"
"They must ,iave been unique to
have cost that sum-" remarked.
HE did not buy them; they were a
gift to him for services received. Be.
officer in the East India company
service and saved the life of the raiah
of Tanibore, whose Kingdom was in a
state of mutiny, in order to quell which
the company had volunteered the as.
sistance of one of their regiments, in
which my father held the rank of lieu.
tenant. In return for this service the
rajah, who was deeply grateful, pro.
scented him with the ornament from
his turban, which comprised some OF
the state jewels, and begged that 1,
should be handed down in his family M
an heirloom. Shortly afterwards nv
father came into his title and property
he returned to England and settled
down here-he married, and am the
sole ISSUE of his marriage"
"You considered, then, Sir Charles,
that the rajah's heirloom would nat
urally descend to you and your children
after you?"
II have been told so, times out OF
mind! When l was q mere infant and
my father was proud of me, he used to
produce those jewels for me to play
with, and tell me they were my own,
1 never dreamt, for a moment, that il
would be otherwise, until-until-"
Until what? If l am to assist you
In this matter, Sir Charles, you must
please to be quite candid with me-
You must not from false delicacy keep
back anything"
"Well, then, will say that, until my
father married again, never thought
it possible that he would disregard the
Iajah's wish concerning them!"
The late baronet married a second
time, then? The present Lady Files.
mere is not your motherl"
30! dear mol My mother died when
/ was about sixteeh."
"And your present age, Sir Charles /"
twenty-five on my last birthday"
"This lady whom your late father
married, is she young?"
very young, in comparison with
bim-about thirty, should thinkl"
"And-pardon the question-may
ask if you are, and always have been
on good terms with this lady, sil
Charles?"
The young man looked distressed
Before he answered me he glanced ur
into my face and inquired:
SIS this quite necessarily"
"Quite necessary, Sir Charles!"
'Then if l must speak, Mr.. Busby
my stepmother has always been my
bitterest enemy with my late father!
From the day she entered this house
as Lady Ellesmere, her aim has been to
keep me out of it! When my OWL
mother died and my father married
again felt bound to adopt some pro
fession and took up that OF medicine
1t is wild professical, at least amongst
Its younger votaries, as doubtless you
know, and I was as wild as my com
panions, / dare say, but not worse
But used to think that there must BIZ
some spy ret upon my actions-every
little frolic was repeated to my father
with such exaggerations that he be
came at constant variance with me
and 1t was penalty to 60 home instead
of pleasure. felt lonely and as Il
had no home, and this feeling per
haps, as much as any other, induced IN.
to marry, rather imprudently as Il
seemed at the time, young lady t.
whom l had become much attached"