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


viii and left me dependent on the
bounty of my stepmother. I was deep
ly mortified, but too proud to remon.
strate with him. We parted in anger,
and week after they wrote to tell me
lie was dead. and that l was expected
to attend the funeral. came down
here in consequence, quite believing
that my fathers threats to me had been
carried out. Judge of my surprise
then, when the will was read after the
funeral, to ind that they had been made
merely to brighten me-that inherited
all the property with the exception of
a settlement made upon his wife
at the time of their marriage, including
the famous jewel. which was expressly
mentioned as a family heirloom. But
when the solicitor came to look for the
! jewels In the strong box in which they
had always been kept in my fathers
bedroom, they had vanished - there
was not trace of them left. Upon
which, by his advice, / wired at once to
Scotland Yard for assistance, and for
bid any of the servants leaving the
Gables till you had arrived"
you did wisely, Sir Charles, but may
] ask if anyone has left the house even
for a walk, since the will was read?"
mo one that l am aware of. The
ladies have kept closely to their own
rooms. The funeral rook place only
the day before yesterday"
"And how many inmates does tho
house contain at the present mo
mcnt?"
There is my stepmother, the
Dowager Lady Ellesmere-my wife,
Miss Craley, poor protcge of my late
father. but she doesn't count, and the
servants. Goddard, the butler, has
known me from baby, and so has the
upper housemaid, Nelson. The others
have been changed several times since
my father remarried; | know little or
nothing of theml"
will you describe these jewels 10
me, us accurately as you can, Sir
Charlcs?"
"Certainly. The center one was an
enormous emerald-that was surround
ed by circle of large brillinnts-those
again by cmerads and rubies-then
brilliants. l can hardly describe the
effect of them to you. They blazed like
lire, and | have told you their esti-
mated value"
TOO valuable and remarkable for
any common person to NEEDLE with,
observed. IF they have been stolen
it has been done by practiced profess
sionnl thieves, or-or-"
"Or-whom? demanded Sir Charles
"You don't imagine would steal my
own jewels, do your"
Not exactly, Sir Charles. But sup
pose you know it will be necessary
: for me TO examine everybody who may
I've in the house, separately, and to
make n thorough search and invcstiga
ton of all the property contained In
, it?"
~ suppose so. With whom will yor
begin?"
We'll, the next person of Importance
utter yourself would seem to be tn,
Dowager Lady Ellesmere. Would II
be convenient for me to interview hel
, before l proceed to the others?'
.. Certainly. | believe she is expect
ing you with some anxiety. Will you
accompany me to her boudoir?"
| rose and followed him from tn,
room. He did not appear to entertain
,, any suspicion of his stepmother, will
regard to the robbery, but to my prac
ticed eye IL seemed as clear as daylight
i1Cwe7er, one of our first rules is neve
: to be prejudiced by the story of on,
witness, but to keep our heads clee
until we have heard all there is Il
Lcll.
The young bnronet preceded me tt
the boudoir, and simply saying; "Thi
is MIR. Busby, from Scotland Yard, Lad,
. Ellsmere," left me alone with his step
mother. Hcavens. what a beautiful
woman she was! AS she rose to re
/, /, ceive me, l thought l had never seei
anything SO handsome out of pic
ture. Her appearance made quite
revulsion in my feelings regarding her
Her voice, too, when she spoke, was a
.. soft and musical as a flute.
"You are the detective for whom Si
Charles has, telegraphed" she com
mcnced by saying.
Eyes, my lady, / am," 1 replied, ant
then she waved her hand towards
chair in the most graceful manner
and said: Pray, sit down. Upol
which did as she desired me, and sh
resumed her own seat.
This is a most unfortunate affair
Mr. Busby," she commenced, and l re
piled:
without doubt, my lady, it Is"
ITO happen at such moment, toe
when we were all so distressed abou
y the poor dear baronet's death, make
it doubly annoying"
but, as your ladyship must perceive
: such an impudent robbery could onl,
? take place at time of distress and con
fusion. The thieves have counted OF
that, to allow them to make off witt
their booty"
; but trust you will stop them," sh
said, with faint smile.
II hope so, but in order to do 1t
must ask you to afford me all the he'll
in your power, Lady Ellesmcre, by tell
!, ing me everything you can about tn
= theft and the circumstances in whicl
: II must have been carried out"
;. "Of course, quite understand that
. hut there seems very little to tell. Whel
the solicitor, Mr.. Gator, unlocked tn
safe after my late husbands will wa
= read, in order to deliver over the jewel
:. into tho keeping of Sir Charles, the
J were gone-not vestige of them any