The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-02

cAOuAO spring Vu0 SOiuIlOQ OF the myS.
terry upon me. Then he stopped and
said abruptly:
didn't tell you that the next
morning-that is to say, Sunday-Mr.
Marsden went out ON horseback, shoot
ing, in the veldt, up toward that range
OF hills which lies over yonder to the
northwestward, between here and Bark
~ West. I can see by your face that
you are already asking you Alf what
that has got to do with spiriting mill
lion or SOS worth of crystallized carbon
out OF the safe at De Beers. Well. q
little patience and you shall see.
EARLY that same Sunday morning I
was walking down Stockdale street, in
front Of the De Beers offices, smoking
a cigar. and OF course worrying my
brains about the diamond. took long
draw at my weed and quite involun-
tarily put my head back and blew it
up into the air-there, just like that
and the cloud drifted diagonally across
the street dead in the direction of the
hills on which Mr.. Philip Marsden
would just then be hunting buck At
the same instant the revelation which
had scattered my thoughts about the
other little case that mentioned Just
now came back to me- I saw, with my
minds eye of course-well, now. what
do you think saw?'
If it wouldn spoil an incompatible
detective" said somewhat irrelevant
". II should say that you would make
an excellent story teller. Never mind
what think. I'm in the plastic condi-
ton just now. am receiving impress
sions, not making them. Now, what
did you see?"
saw the great De Beers diamond
say, from 81, 10000 to 81, 500, 600
worth of concentrated capital-foating
from the upper story of the De Beers
consolidated mines, rising over the
housetops and drifting down the wind
to Mr.. Philip Marsden's hunting
: ground.
To say that / stared in the silence of
blank amazement at the inspector, who
made this astounding assertion with a
dramatic gesture and infection which
naturally cannot be reproduced in print
would be to utter the merest common
place. He seemed to take my stare for
one of incredulity rather than wonder
Tor he said almost sharply:
All, see you are beginning to think
that am talking fiction now, but new
er mind, we will see about that later
on. You have followed me, have no
doubt. closely enough to understand
that having exhausted all the resources
OF my experience and such native wit
as the fates have given me, and having
made the most minute analysis of the
circumstances of the case had come to
the fixed conclusion that the great dia-
mond had not been carried out Of the
room on the person of human being
nor had it been dropped or thrown from
the windows to the street. yet it was
equally undeniable that it had got out
s OF the safe and out of the room. %
land therefore it flew out, sup
pose" | could not help interrupting
nor, ! am afraid, could l quite avoid a
suggestion of incredulity in my Tone
Yes. my dear sir, /" replied the in
spector, with an emphasis which he in
creased by slapping the four fingers of
his right hand on the palm of his lett.
Eyes it few out. 1t flew some IL OF
IL miles before it returned to the earth
in which it was born, if we may accept
the theory of the terrestrial origin of
diamonds. So far, as the event proved,
was absolutely correct, wild and all
as you may naturally think my hypoth-
esis to have been.
- ha opnfin1,o6 or Il;
walk and making an eloquent gesture
of apology. being only human, al
most instantly deviated from truth into
error. In fact, freely confess to you
that there and then i made what con-
slider to be the greatest and most fatal
mistake of my career.
Absolutely certain as was that the
diamond had been conveyed through the
air to the Barl1ly hills and that Mr.
Philip Marsden's shooting expedition
had been undertaken with the object of
recovering it, / had all the approaches
to the town watched till he came back.
He came in by the old Transvaal road
about an hour after dark had him ar
rested, took him into the house of one
Of my men who happened to live out
that way, searched him, as I might say.
from the roots of his hair to the soles OF
his feet and found-nothing.
"Of course he was indignant, and of
course | looked very considerable fool.
In fact. nothing would pacify him but
that l should meet him the next morn
ing in the boardroom at De Beers and
in the presence Of the secretary and at
least three directors apologize to him
for my unfounded suspicious and the
outrage that they had led me to make
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