The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-13

keep me cut of IL! When my own
mother died and my father married
again / felt bound to adopt some pro-
fession and took up that OF medicine.
IL is a wild profession, at least amongst
its younger votaries, as doubtless you
know, and l was as wild as my COM
panions, l dare say, but not worse.
But / used TO think that there must be
some spy set upon my actions-every
little frolic was repeated to my father
with such exaggerations hat he be-
came at constant variance with me.
and il was a penalty 10 go home instead
OF n pleasure. / felt lonely and as II
i had no home, and this feeling per-
haps, as much as any other, induced me
20 marry, rather imprudently as IT
seemed at the time, a young lady to
whom l had become much attached"
"You are a married man, then. Sir
Charles? 2" L said.
"Yes! l have been married six months
now!"
"And your lady is in the house?"
"She ir! i sent for her as soon as my
fathers will was made known To mel"
"Will you kindly proceed, and let me
know under what circumstances the
raiah's heirloom was missed?'
1T was like this, Mr.. Busby. A week
before my father died, he sent for me
and accused me of having married Miss
Lascelles that was the name OF my
wife-without his consent, or knowl-
edge. | retaliated by saying that he
had shown no interest IN my proceed
,ings lately, and therefore | did not con
slider hat l owed him any confidence,
'I-also demanded who it was who had
informed him of the fact. He refused
TO tell me, but fell into terrible passion,
declaring that he had cut me out OF his
will and left me dependent on tho
bounty of my stepmother. l was deep
Is mortified, but o proud to remon'
strate with him. We parted in anger,
and a week after they wrote to tell me
he was dead. and that l was expected
to attend the funeral. l 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 find thatthcy had been made
merely to- brighten me-that l 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 10 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 n trace of them left. Upon
which, by his advice, | wired at nee to
Scotland Yard for assistance, and for
bid any of the servants leaving the
Gables till you hid arrived"
You did wisely, Sir Charles, but may
i ask il anyone has left the house even
for a walk, since the will was read?"
'No one that / am aware of. The
ladies have kept closely to their WI
rooms. The funeral took place only
the day before yesterday"
"And how many inmates does the
house contain ut the present mo
ment?"
"There is my stepmother, the
Dowager Lady Ellesmere-my wife,
Miss Craley, a poor protege of my late
father. but she doesn't count, and the
servants. Goddard, the butler, has
known me from a baby, and so has the
upper housemaid, Nelson. The others
have been changed several times since
my father remarked; 1 know little OF
nothing Of them!"
"Will you describe these jewels to
me, as accurately as you can, Sir
CharlesY"
Certainly. TSle center n was an
enormous emerald-that was surrounds
ed by a circle of large brilliants-those
again by emeralds and rubies-then
brillinnts. / can hardly describe the
effect of them to you. They blazed like
fire, and / have told you their esti.
mated value"
TOO valuable and remarkable for
any common person to NEEDLE WITH
1 observed. eff they have been stolen,
it has been done by practiced profes.
'sional thieves, or-or-"
"Or-whom?" demanded Sir Charles,
I"You don't imagine | would steal my
own jewels, do your
"Not exactly, Sir Charles. But l sup
pose you know it will be necessary
for me to examine everybody who may
ne in the house, separately, and to
make q thorough search and invcstiga.
ton of all the property contained In
.it?"
Il suppose 30. With whom will you
begin?"
swell, the next person of Importance
after yourself would seem to be the
Dowager Lady Ellesmere. Would it
be convenient for me 10 interview her
before l proceed to the others?" 4
Certainly. / believe She is expect
ing you with some anxiety. win you
accompany me to her %boudoir?"
] rose and followed him from the
room. He did not appear to entertain
any suspicion of his stepmother, with
regard to the robbery, but to my prac-
ticed eye IL seemed as clear rs daylight.