The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1904-08-18
s that the stone you set?"

is that the stone you set%
| / glanced at IL, but / only replied
81 don't call myself an expert I'm pre
| cious stones. and all can say is tha,
this one precisely resembles in size
shape and appearance the one given
me to set"
While this statement was superficl
| ally true, that one glance had been
enough to me that / was not looking
at the Champion diamond.
The detectives left. saving that
would have TO tell all | knew in the
witness box. and then, just as ! was
about to lock up the place for tho
night. Nell cane in. IL was III,
nrst time she had let me see her since
ler father had been taken away.
The face which | had thought The
sweetest on earth was marble white
and there were dark shadows undo,
her lashes.
There's something ! muet say {.
yon." she painted; something Tv.
been wild to say all day lest IL shoulr
he too late, but | dared not let an
one suspect. A month ago father con
hdei to me that he had lost srea.
deal of money. and he showed me how
to open n secret drawer in his Chin
pendale bureau. IF ever anythint
happens to me- he said. don't lose 8
moment, but look into this drawer:
throw away everything that you vii.
find in the left-hand partition and keer
what may be in the right
Together We ransacked the old bu.
reau, and at length Nell touched the
spring which opened the secret draw
er. | drew in my breath sharply. foI
the light of the candle which | held
struck cut CLEAN from a pile Of ex
quisitely made false stones which lay
in partition Oh the left hand. while
on the right was the Champion dia
mond
1nvoluntarily l betrayed the dread.
ful nature of the discovery by an ex.
clamation, for, left to herself. Nell
would not have understood. But she
was quick to comprehend. and, re.
alizing the worst, she swayed. stag.
gering backward
My poor father" she moaned as |
held her. ''He is ruined forever and
!. too. The daughter of a convicted
thief is no fit wife for an honest mani"
My darling, You are a wife for a
king, and as for your father. swear
to you that l will save him yet"
You? You cannot"
81 tell YOU that | can and will"
For even as I spoke an idea flashed
into my head which startled me by its
audacity. In moment | had thought
out every detail
made up the stones. Champion
diamond and all. into a packet. care:
fully closing the secret drawer ana
seen. went straight to my brothers
house in Kent managing to avoid the
service OF a subpoena. Thus was not
present at the police court proceed
ings. which would have meant ruin
for my plan.
Mr.. Nugent was committed for trial.
and meanwhile | stayed in the coun-
try, working each night in my locked
room With the tools | had brough.
with me until thc gray dawn filtered
under my closed shutters
When ] saw my old EMPLOYER in the
dock at the trial was shocked at tho
CHASTITY change which had come over
hlm.
The evidence at first went steadily
against him. 1t was proved that he
had lost money heavily on the stock
exchange. Mr. Crampton swore that
the stone in the ring delivered to him
by MI Nugents own hand was not
his diamond. One expert testified that
not only was the stone he now saw
not the Champion diamond. It was not
n genuine jewel at all bu; Il marvel
Gus imitation. Another was not so
positive He looked at the gem
his glass. turning it this way
and that. declaring that in all his ox-
perience he had never seen a false
stone so cleverly executed as this. In
deed. he was not prepared TO swear
that ii was false.
This was the first ray Of doubt
which had been thrown by the eyi.
dence upon Mr. Nugent's guilt; and
then Went into the box was cool
now, for the game | had determined
on had cost me many a qualm of con-
science. But | had no intention of
'j''g MIR. Cranrpton swearing