The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-12-17

MY reasons for suspectiDg Clameran
had Il hand In the robbery. AS soon as
1 had acquired this certainty my task
was easy. What did ! do2 l placed
trustworthy people to watch the par
ties in whom / was most Interested.
Fanferlot MS Joseph Dubois took
charge OF Clameran. and Nina Gypsy
never lost sight of Nine. Fauvel and
her niece.
81 understand it all now" said Pros.
per.
"And what have you been doing dur.
ing my absence, my young frjend?'
asked NJ. Ncrduret after Il pause.
At. this question Prosper blushed,
ALAS" lie stammered. II read in a
newspaper tHat Clumeran vas about to
morry Madeleine, and ! acted like q
fool!'
"What did you do? inquired Verdi.
ret uneasily.
81 wrote an anonymous letter to NJ.
Fauyel informiRg him that his wife
was in love with Raoul'-
NJ vrrlurot brought his clinched fist
down upon the table.
clulJlu' IS tNClIliAINh. lOu NAVY
ruined evcrything!'
He arose from his scat and strobe up
and down the room, oblivious Of the
dodgers below, whose windows shook
with every angry stamp of his foot
Prosper remained silent as long as
he could and then uncasily said:
81 am afraid | have embarrassed
you very much, monsieur"
"Ycs. you have dreadfully embar,
raised me. What am 1 to do? Shall /
hasten matters or waltz And l am
bound by n sacred promise. We had
better go and advise with the judge of
instruction. He can assist me. Come
with me-"
AS NJ. Verduret had anticipated, Pros
per's letter had n terrible effect. When
Nj. Fauvel opened his mail the morning
after 1t was posted, the fatal missive
fell into his hands.
Something about the writing struck
him as peculiar. 1t was evidently n
disguised hand, and, although, owing
to the fact OF his being Il millionaire,
he vas In the habit of receiving anony-
nous communications, this particular
letter filed him with an indefinite pre-
sentiment OF evil.
With trembling hand and absolute
certainty that he was about to learn
some new calamity, he broke the seal
and, opening the coarse cafe paper, was
shocked by the following words:
Dear sir-You consigned your cashier to prison.
You did we'll, since you were convinced of his
dishonesty and faithlessness. But even II he stole
$4,000 francs from your safe, does it follow that
he also stole Nine. Fauvel's diamondsH
This was a stroke of lightning to o
man whose life hitherto had been an
unbroken chain Of prosperity, who
could recall the past without one bitter
regret, without remembering any sor-
row deep enough to bring forth a tear.
What! His wife deceive him! And,
among all men, to choose one vile
enough to rob her Of her jewels and
force her to be his accomplice in the
ruin OF M innocent young man! For
did not the anonymous. letter assert
this to besthe fact and tell him how to
convince himself Of its truth?
Nj. Fauvcl determined to show the
letter to his wife.
"But suppose 1t be true!' he mutter.
cd to himself. Suppose | have been
miserably dupcd! BY connding in my
wife | shall put her on her guard and
lose all chance of discovering the
truth"
There was one simple of veri-
Gcation. The letter said the diamonds
had been pawned.
If 1t lied in this instance, he would
treat II with the scorn it deserved. If,
on the other hand, 1t should prove to
be true
Breakfast was announced. AT table
NJ. Fauvel talked necessarily, SO as to
escape any questions from his wife,
who, he saw, was uneasy at the sight
OF his pale face. But all the time he
was talking he was casting over In his
mind eXpedients for getting his wife
out of the house long enough for him
to search her bureau without her per-
ceiving him. At last he asked Nine.
Fauvel If she were going out before
dinner.
EYES," said she. 1.-THE weather is
dreadful, but Madeleine and / must do
some shopping"
"At what hour shall you goT
Immediately after breakfast"
He drew n long breath, as if relieved
Of n great weight. In q short time no
would know the truth.
After awhile he heard the carriage
roll away with his wife and niece.
Hurrying into Nine. Fauvel's room, he
opened the drawer of tho chlffonier
where she kept her jewels. The boxes
containing superb sets of jewelry
which he had presented to her were
gone! The anonymous letter had told
the truth!
Perhaps Valentine had put her dia-
monds In Madeleine's room,
Without stopping to consider the In
delicacy Of what he was about to do he
hurried into the young girls room and
pulled open n drawer after another.
He did not find Nine. Fauvel's dia.
monds, but Madeleine's seven or eight
boxes, also empty. l..
Was she, too, an accomplice? This
blow broke down hts courage.
M. Fauvel we'll knew thatIthe fact Of
tho diamonds being stolen was not suf-
fcient ground upon which to bring an
accusation against the accomplices.
Happily he could procure other proof.
He began by calling his valet and OIL,
dering him to bring him every letter
that should come to the house. He
then wrote to q notary at st. Remy
to send him a telegram containing IL