Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-17
Martin Hewitt,
Investigator
BY ARTHUR MORRISON.
VI
The Stairway Cameo Mystery.
BY ARTHUR MORRISON.

| Exactly. I want you, If you can, to APP
of sos obec benp nd th
| cameo. OF course. IL you happen on the
| thief as well, so much the better. Perhaps,
| after all. looking for the one is the same
| thing as looking for the other?"
| Not always; but usually it is, of course;
| even if they are not together, they certain
| ly have been at one time, and to have one
! is a very long step toward having the other.
| Now, to begin with is anybody suspected?"
! We'll, the police are reserved. but l be-
| lieve the fact is they've nothing to say.
! Claridge won't admit that he suspects any
| one, though he believes that whoever it was
must have watched him yesterday evening
| through the back window of his room. and
! must have seen him put the cameo away IN
| his desk; because the thief would seem to
| have gone straight to the place. But half
| fancy that. in his inner mind, he is inclined
| to suspect one or two people. You see, a
| robbery of this sort is different from others.
| That cameo would never be stolen, l
| imagine, with the view of it's being sold-it
| is much too famous a thing; a man might
| as well walk about offering to sell the
| Tower of London. There are only a very
| few people who buy such things, and every
| one of them knows all about it. No dealer
| would touch it; he could never even show
| it. much less sell it, without being called
| to account. So that it really seems more
| likely that it has been taken by somebody
| who wishes to keep 1T for mere love of the
| thing-a collector. in fact-who would then
| have to keep it secretly at home. and never
| the consciousness that at his death 1t must
| be found and this theft known; unless, in
deed, an ordinary vulgar burglar has taken
| 1t without knowing it's value.
. That isn't likely" Hewitt replied. AN
| ordinary burglar ignorant of it's value,
| wouldn't have gone straight to the cameo
| and have taken 1t in preference to many
| other things of more apparent worth, which
| must be lying near in such a place as
| Claridges."
'True-I suppose he wouldn't Although
| the police seem to think that the breaking
in is clearly the work of a regular Grim
fnal-from the jimmy marks, you know, and
so on
We'll. but what of the two people you
| think MIR. Claridge suspects?'
| "Of course l can't say that he does
pect them-I only fancied from his tone
| that il might be possible; he himself in
sists that he can't, in justice, suspect any
body. One of these men is Hahn. the trav-
cling agent who sold him the cameo. This
mans character does not appear to be abb
| solutely irreproachable; no dealer trusts
him very far. OF course, Claridge doesn't
! say what he paid him for the cameo; these
| dealers are very reticent about their profits.
| which l believe are as often something IKE
| 500 per cent as not. But 1t seems Ham
| bargained to have something extra, depend
| ing on the amount Claridge could sell the
carving for. According to the appointment,
| he should have turned up-this morning, but
! he hasn't been seen, and nobody seems TO
| know exactly where he is"
Yes; and the other persona"
| well, l scarcely like mentioning him,
because he is certainly gentleman, ana L
| believe, in the ordinary way, quite inca
pabe of anything in the least degree DIS
! honorable; although, of course, they say
| collector has no conscience In the matter
of his own particular hobby, and certainly
| Mr.. Woollett is as keen a collector as any
| man alive. He lives in chambers in the
next turning past Claridge's premises-can,
| in fact look into Claridges back windows
| if he likes. He examined the cameo sew
| eral times before l bought it, and made
| several high offers-appeared, In fact. very
| anxious indeed to get it. After L had
| bought ii he made, | understand some
| rather strong remarks about people like my
self spelling the market by paying ex-
travagant prices, and altogether cut up
/ 'crusty,' as they say. at losing the speci-
| men," Lord Stairway paused lew sec
| onds and then went on: I'm not sure
that / ought to mention Mr.. Woollett's name
! for a moment in connection with such
a matter; L am personally perfectly
like theft myself. But am telling you
| all l know
! Precisely 1 can't know too much in a
| case like this. 1t can do no harm If know
| all about fifty innocent people. and may
| save me from the risk of knowing nothing
| about the thief. Now, let me see: Mr..
! Woollett's rooms. you say, are near MI.
| Claridge's place of business? Are there any
| means of communication between the
| roofs?'
YES, I am told that it is perfectly pos
| sible to get from one place to the other py
| walking along the leads
Very good Then. unless you can think
| of any other information that may help
| me- think. Lord Stairway, / will go at
| once and look at the place"
| DO by all means. l think I'll come back
| with you. Somehow. l don't like to feel
| idle in the matter. though suppose can't
do much. AS to more information l don't
| think there Is any,.
I'm regard to Mr. Clardges assistant,
| now: Do you know anything of him?
only that he has always seemed very
civil and decent sort OF man: honest,
| kept him many years-there are a good
| many valuable things about at Claridges.
| Besides, the man has keys of the place
| himself. and. even if he were thief, he
wouldn't need to go breaking in through
| the roof"
80 that" said Hewitt eve have, di-
rectly connected with this cameo. besides
| yourself. these people: Mr.. Claridge, the
| dealer; Mr.. Cutler, the assistant in Mr..
| Claridge's business; Hahn, who sold the
article to Claridge, and Mr.. Woolett. who
| made bids for it. These are all?'
"AH that 1 know Of Other gentlemen
made bids, 1 believe, but I don't know
| them"
Take these people in their order Mr.
| Claridge is out of the question, as dealer
with q reputation to keep up would be,
| even If he hadn't Immediately sent you this
five thousand pounds-more than the mar
| ket value, understand, of the cameo. The
| assistant is reputable man. against whom
nothing is known. who would never need
| TO break fn and who must understand his
business well enough to know that he could
never attempt to sch the missing stone
without instant detection. Hahn Is man
| of shady 'antecedents. probably clever
enough to know well anybody how
to dispose of such plunder--if it be possible
to dispose of 1t at all; also, Hahn hasn't
been to Claridge's today, although he had
an appointment to take money Lastly
Mr.. Woollett is gentleman of the
most honorable record, but a perfectly
rabid collector, who had made every effort
to secure the cameo before you bought it,;
who, moreover. could have seen Mr.. CLAIR
idge working in his back room, and who
has perfectly easy access to Mr.. Claridge's
roof. If We find IL can't be none OF these
then We must look where circumstances in
dicate."
There was unwonted excitement at Mr.
Claridge's place when Hewitt and his client
arrived. 1t was a dull old building and in
the windows there was never more show
than an odd blue china vase or two. or
mayhap, few old silver shoe-buckIes and
a curious small sword. Nine men out of
ten would have passed it without a glance:
but the tenth at least would probably know
l for ,,la 20 ~