The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-28
p w.

Nv.
vishnager found Mrs. Denison In the Ii
brary, alone.
II am glad to find you alone" he said.
II wanted a chance of talking to you"
Il knew you did, she said quietly. LET
us talk, them
Vishnager was surprised.
do you also know what L wanted to talk
about?" he asked
Yes. You know now that the diamonds
were never in the cases which 1 gave you
In the drawing room at Arbrow. You had
forgotten that you never opened the cases
then; In fact, you gave the detectives the
impression that you had actually seen the
diamonds before they were packed UP. You
also know that those diamonds are still in
my possession. There is a curious attrac-
ton about diamonds for a vain woman, and
1 am very vain. / cannot go for many DAYS
without wearing them, so long as I have
them. / need not necessarily wear them in
public, but 1 must put them in my hair and
around my neck and see how I look. The
other night. as 1 stood before the glass,
I heard you step in the garden below. 1 did
not see you, but ! know your STEP"
We'll" said Vishnager, lit is rather a
bad business, isn't it? How was ii the de-
~tectives did not find the diamonds in your
room2"
Because they searched the room and did
not search me. The diamonds nave never
left me. l am wearing them now, hidden"
She opened her big eyes wide and looked
very straight at him.
why do you say it is a bad business?"
Because 1 should have been bound to re-
place those diamonds. and they are of very
considerable value. In fact, your little act of
vanity the other night loses you G 2O,OOO-and
loses me still more"
"Indeed?" she asked.
Yes. 1t loses me my faith in you, which
certainly was worth far more than that to
me. However, 1 only wanted to say that 1
am going to make things easy for you.
Something can be arranged. We can invent
a story that"
stop" she said. cor I shall lose my faith
In you also. You might possibly have pur-
chased those diamonds and offered them to
me, but l should not have taken them. No
power on earth would have made me take
them"
Then what was your motive?"
She aughed.
Il am afraid / must give you some of my
very private and personal history If it
won't bore you. You know that 1 managed
all my mothers business affairs for her?"
81 do. She told my sister that you man
aged them excellently."
but 1 did not manage them excellently.
They are well looked after now, because
I had a lesson which taught me that there
were many kinds of business which 1 did
not understand and that / had better leave
in the hands of competent men. The lesson
would have cost my mother about 10000.
/ did not want her to know anything about
it, and for that reason 1 wanted to sell
my diamonds and replace the money. But
1 did not want my mother to know anything
of the incident or To know that L had sold
my diamonds for the purpose. / did not
want my friends to know thatI had sold
the diamonds. The sale Of diamond is rath-
er a humiliating confession of financial
weakness, you know. So 1 arranged that it
should be believed that the diamonds were
lost or stolen, and that / should sell them.
IL was a mad idea and not very well car
ried out L am sorry / ever had the idea,
but l was not counting upon your replacing
the diamonds at all. and 1 would not have
taken them from you. 1 have been a fool in
my desire to avoid humiliation, and have
been very vain. 1 have given you a lot of
trouble, for which / am sorry. But I have
not been dishonest"
A very long conversation followed and
Mrs. Denison locke particularly happy at
dinner that night.
A few days later the detectives theory
was triumphantly indicated. A parcel was
found, sealed with the Harston arms, con-
tanning two Jewel cases with one diamond
tiara and one diamond necklace hidden
under some stones in an old quarry. II was
Vishnager himself who found it and the
detective has not done Dragging about it
yet. He has IN additional theory that the
thief left the parcel there meaning to come
back for 1t on the following day, when he
was prevented. probably by arrest for some
other ~offense.
And Ellen vishnager is quite reconciled
to the idea Of her brothers marriage, which
is TO be next month.