, 1902-08-15
A Strange Incident

l doubt IL you have ever heard of a
strange incident that happened only a
season or two ago. in that section of the
fashionable world known as society"
A lady of title. Lady Barmouth, re-
questerd me to call on her one morning
about the beginning of June. the London
season being then at Its height.
Il want your help. Mr.. Love-" she be-
gan, and then stopped awkwardly. Per
haps you are not aware that at several
balls and dinner parties this season
there have been Jewels and ornaments
stolen. 1t has, OF course, caused a great
deal of unp~leasantness without their
Knowing how 1t was done or who did 1t"
/ had heard several wild tales of arti-
cles having been missed at fashionable
gatherings, and there was much specu-
lation as to who was the culprit. The
articles were not, as a rule, OF immense
value, and they always disappeared SIN
ely, consequently no public notice had
been directed to the matter. In one or
two cases the police had been consulted,
but 1t was impossible for them to help.
There could be no doubt that the thief
was a person who mixed in society as
an equal, probably a woman who had
allowed her love of jewelry to tempt her
to dishonesty.
IT presume. then. that the-er-thief Is
a guest-a person In society,"" l said, In
quiringly.
IT am afraid 80. Two or three things
were missed at a dance which I gave last
week. Now. ] am giving another dance
next Thursday. and I am. of course. most
anxious It should not occur again. at any
rate in my house. / thought / would en-
x.- --.a-- g. 49, .,A-t-~ 80 n a
IL you detect anything suspicious. OF
course, you would be treated as a guest
We made arrangements about terms,
and It was agreed that I should be in
PRODUCED as an American. by name Cap
tain Burke.
ST suppose, Lady Barmouth." I said,
careiessly, you don't suspect anybody
In particular"
"Oh. no. she said. but I noticed what
thought was a look Of anxiety on her
[kes,-aud rnrsd7-r fre4rts s7ets-ef e.
Al I was leaving. Lady yarmouth said:
.Of course. Mr.. Lowe, you quite under
stand. there must be no expose. II you
make any discoveries. they must be treat
ed as secrets. I can't have a scene of
any kind. It must be hushed up"
l returned to the Office impressed with
two ideas. First, hat my task was one
of those delicate cases that require all
your tact and yield very little credit; Sec
ondly, that Lady yarmouth knew more.
or, at any rate, guessed more. than she
cared to tell.
Thursday evening arrived, and I went
to Merton house. Practically. my duty
was to mingle with the guests, enjoy my
self and keep my eyes wide open. Moth
ing seemed to be more improbable than
that there should be a thief among the
Brilliant throng that crowded the rooms.
Everything was conducted in the most
sumptuous and luxurious style; a Hun
garian band discoursed the sweetest of
dance music, and the guests we're among
the highest in the land.
For a long while nothing occurred of
the smallest significance. But at about 2
o'clock in the morning. when I was sit
ting In a snug corner of the conservatory,
where cigarette smoking was permitted,
] noticed a couple take up a position In
the opposite corner, They were both
young, and evidently very much in love
with one another. The girl was hand
somely dressed and wore some valuable
jewels. In particular / noticed a pair of
diamond eardrops which had just come
into fashion again. Without being a con-
noisseur of precious stones, / understand
them we'll enough to know that these were
very valuable indeed. and likely to be
worth several hundred pounds.
These to young people were sitting out
during a dance, and they fiirted all
through a set OF lancers without any i'm
patience at their length.
At last they got up and went Into the
ballroom again. On the chair where the
girl had been sitting lay something shin
ing. / strolled across and examined 1t. 1t
was a v~inaigrette, which she had proba-
bly left there by accident. l replaced 1t,
linking it might serve as a trap for
our fashionable thief II he were in the
ne~ighborhood, and withdrew to my cor
ner. where / was almost invisible.
Presently an old gentleman strolled
out to smoke a cigarette. He was a tall.
handsome, intellectual-looking man. with
the air OF a true aristocrat. His name 1
din't know, but l had noticed him chat
ting with the guests. He was evidently
known to every one, and was a man of
social Importance.
Presently his eye caught the little jew
eisd vinaigrette. He looked carelessly
round the conservatory to see II he were
observed, and picked II up. He now had
his back to me. / was IN the point OIL
stepping up to him when he turned round
and replaced the vinaigrette and walked
quietly away.
It was lucky I had not moved. I should
rave looked rather foolish. Some curious
instinct bade me cross the conservatory
and look at the vinaigrette again. With
cut thinking about 1t. I put 1t to my nose.
The next thing l remember is that I
found myself sitting in a chair. Grad
ually things became clearer. The vim
aigrette lay by my side. I was drugged.
For a few minutes 1 had lost consciors-
ness. / still felt dizzy and sick. but KNOW