The age-herald., 1901-12-15

ing'l form"
 One morning I received the following note from the Chief;
 "I should be very much obliged If you would help an acquaintance of mine, who does not wish to employ an ordinary de- tective, in a search for some lost dia- monds It is out of your usual line, l know, but the reward is very handsome, and II thought you might be kind enough to take the matter up as you have noth- ing else on hand just now. Also al- though l don't like the man-his name is Robert Moss-I should be glad to as- sist him, if l could, in return for some valuable help he once rendered me-
 To please Sir Edward I wrote saying that q would do what I could and MT. Moss eu on me the same day
 :. did or need more than a casual l glance to zee that 'Moss' must have originally been. written Moses" His face and bearing showed his race and showed 1t in it's least pleasing form. Though a comparatively young man, his figure was full and heavy. his face coarse but strong with thick. notceably red lips, and bold, staring black eyes. Alto gether was not prepossessed in his favor.
 'I want you to investigate a most ex- traordiIary affair for me-" he began excitedk. T have always been able to manage my own business hitherto, but I acknawledge to being fairly puzzled now. hear that you are very clever at unravelAng complications. so perhaps you may be able to get hold of a clue; at all events 1t Is my last hope"
 I could see he was a little scornful of my capacity and my sex, and that made me the more keen to do my best.
 You must know that am a dealer in precious stones, principally diamonds" he went on. "I have an office In Hatton Garden, hut that has been such happy hunting ground for London thieves late ly-you will. no doubt. remember two robberies there within the last six months that. for greater safety, I often keep the principal part of my stock at the room in tile Gray's Inn Road"
 'Is the question of greater security your only season for doing this?' I ask ed. He looked at me sharply.
 Well, perhaps, not entirely. I am not a diamond merchant in the regular way, you know. l am looked upon in the Garden as a mere nobody. Apparently, I have very little business. But l do good deal in quiet way. get orders from private, collectors or gentlemen who understand something about diamonds themselves, and are particular to have only perfect stones I go to Amsterdam and other centers, and hunt up what they want, and they have the stones set according to their own fancy"
 "Then it may happen I said. that at times you have stones in your posses sion representing a considerable amount of money?"
 "Of course. And as luck would have it, I had the lprettiest lot of diamonds yesterday that I have had for a long time. I had collected them for an Amer ican millionaire, who was going to have them made into a necklace for his wife. He had been diamond digging himself at one time at lMatto Grasso, in Brazil, and knew what he was doing, so l couldn't palm of anything second rate on him.
 "Otherwise no doubt you would have done so," I thought. And I said
 You say you had the diamonds yes- terday. Do you mean that they were lost or stolen then?"
 'I don't know what to think" he said, "Tve ben half off my head since it hap pened, for I shall be ruined if they aren't found. They're Gone-disappeared en- tirely, without leaving a trace, but how they could have done so I haven't the least idea It's more like magic than anything else"
 "PShaw! l said g. little contemptuous- Iy, for he looked nervous and half afraid. Some of our London thieves are clever enough to get long without any of the black arts
 You don't know all yet" he said solen1nly Wait until I have finished, and then see if you will be as ready with an explanation.
 q have bed-sitting room in the Grays Inn Road on the ground floor, with eel | lar underneath. The cellar is long but | narrow with no window or ventilation