The Norfolk weekly news., 1900-08-02

diamonds !" cried the prince.
cess sat at the foot, as far from her hus-
band as she could conveniently get
without attracting notice. Miss Baxter
stood near window reading an i'm
portant letter from London which had
reached her that morning. The tall
thin detective and the portly Mr.. Briggs
came in together, the London man bow
ing gravely>to the prince and princess.
Mr.. Briggs took seat at the side of the
| table, but the detective remained stand
ing, looking questioningly at Miss Bax
ter, but evidently not recognizing her
as the lady who had come in upon him
and his friend when they had entered
the train.
~ beg the pardon of your highness,
but what / have to say had better be
said with as few hearers as possible. l
should be much obliged if this young
person would read her correspondence
in another room. "
THE young woman, said the prince
coldly, ''is secretary to her highness
and is entirely in her confidence.
The detective, apparently unrutfled
by the discourtesy he met, bowed pro-
foundly toward the prince, cleared his
throat and began.
MAY | a.E your highness, " he said,
addressing himself to the princess, chow
much money You possessed just before
you left Nienna?''
The lady looked up at him in surprise.
but did not answer.
'In heavens 5 name what has that to
do with the loss of the diamopds?"
raped out the prince, his hot temper
getting once more the better of him.
Cadbury Taylor spread out his hands
and shrugged his shoulders in protest
at the interruption. He spoke with def
erence, but nevertheless with a touch
of reproach in his tone.
~ am accustomed to be listened to
with patience and am generally al
lowed to tell my story my own way,
your highness.
What | complain of is that you are
not telling any story at all, but are ask
ing instead very impertinent ques-
ton
Questions which seem to you irrele-
want may be to Il trained mind most" -
"Bosh! Trained donkeys! Do You
know where the diamonds are?"
Yes l do, answered Cadbury Tay-
lor. still imperturbable in spite of the
provocation he was receiving
"Well, where are they?'
"They are in the vaults Of your bank
in Vienna"
~ don't believe it. Who stole them.
them"
They were put there by her high
ness the Princess Won Steinheimer.
doubtless in security for money
What roared the prince, spring
ing to his feet, his stentorian voice
ringing to the ceiling "Do You mean
to insinuate. you villain, that my wife
stole her own diamondsH"
''If your highness would allow me to
proceed in my own
Enough Of this fooling. There are
the diamonds" cried the prince, jerk
ing the box from his pocket and fling
ing il on the table,
THERE shouted old man Briggs.
t:iEsing his clinched ast down on the
oak, >'Whst did tell your knew il
all along The prince stole the dis-
monds and in his excitement ysnks
them out of his pocket and proves it, !
said so from the first 4"
"Oh, father, father!' moaned the
princess, speaking for the first time.
How can you say such thingt Ny
husband couldn't do mean action if
he tried The idea of his stealing the
diamonds Not if they were worth
thousand millions and detection impos-
sible. -
Come, come" cried Miss Jennie
Baxter, stepping energetically forward.
IL imagine everybody has had enough
of this. Clear ont, Mr.. Briggs, and take
Mr., Taylor with you. am sure he has