The age-herald., 1901-12-15
I'm the Secret Service.

l of any kind: the only means of admit tanee to 1t by a trap door in the floor of my room, which would not be seen l by anyone coming in as the bed has 1 been placed over 1t. I should say the ] existence of the cellar is not known i to anybody, except myself and my land 1 lady. When I first took possession of it, | 1t had apparently never been used It l was In this convenient hiding place l would on occasions deposit any valuable i collection of stones." And you had put the diamonds there?" l Yes. Yesterday morning 1 received i the last stones which made up the re- 1 quired number, and having nothing to , do at he office I came back to the Gray's Inn Road with the little canvas bag in my pocket. 1 locked the door of my room and counted the stones again to see that the number was correct, and then put them away in the cellar " How? Have you safe there, or what kind of a receptacle? None. The cellar Is hiding place in itself I coul dnot have a better There is a drop of about seven feet to the floor, and no means of getting into it. Of course I could have had a ladder put there. but that would have called att tention to the place and implied that meant to use it, which l particularly wished to avoid"
 But how did you manage then, when you wanted to go down?' l naturally enqured.
 T have never been down. I had an in- genious arrangement, made like wind lass, whereby 1 could let down any packet until I heard it touch the ground, and wind 1t up again when l required it. The handle was fastened on the inside of the trap door, so that nothing could be seen even by anyone who might look under the bed"
 How does the trap door open?" I ask ed.
 Tn the usual way, with sunk han dle"
 '1s there a fastening of any kinda bolt, or lock and key?"
 No It would not have given much greater security, and I should have had to call in outside help to have anything of the kind done"
 You let down the bag of diamonds into the cellar in the ordinary way, l presume, when you came in. How long was 1t before you missed them?'
 T intended taking them round to my customer this morning and when after breakfast, I pushed the bed on one side and opened the trap door I saw the end of the chain daSgling loose. There was nothing attacheg to 1t. The leather pouch with which it was always weight ed and into which I dropped my valua- bles had gone-and the diamonds of course with 1t"
 q suppose it is not possible that the chain had broken?" He shook his head decidedly.
 Quite impossible. It was a nearly a new one, and though the links were small 1t was very strong, and well made, capable of bearing a much greater weight than what had attached to it.''
 Did you make an examination of the cellar?"
 "As far as I could by the light of candle, for you see I could not go down without sending for ladder, and I thought had better keep the matter as quiet as I could for the present" I nodded approvingly.
 Quite right About how much of the chain had gone?'
 Nearly half, I should say.''
 "So far" I said, although the affair is little unusual, I see nothing in 1t too strange to be accounted for. Some one must have heard of your hiding place and watched for an opportunity when you were out of the room to rob you. If they had once discovered the existence of the trap door, the rest would be comparatively easy. The only thing I don't understand is why they should have troubled to cut the chain when they could nave wound up the dlamondS within reach. For, of course. the per- son who committed the robbery must have known all about your arrange ments"
 But" he cried excitedly, T was never out of the room That is where the mystery comes in"
 Never out of the room?" I echoed. "Ohi you must have been. It might be only for a short time and you have for gotten."
 q never left the room," he repeatedly, solemnly, from Il o'clock yesterday morning when I returned from my of flee, until o'clock this morning: twen- ty-two hours in all. I was very busy with some private affairs, and I had my meals brought in to me and went early to bed.'
 Then" l said, "the thief must have got in in the night when you were asleep.'
 That cannot be-" he replied. flor the