Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-17

when did you first find that Lord STAN
ways cameo was forgery?'
Claridge literally bounced in his chair.
mer sharply: OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES d'you
m.-n? Forgery? Do you mean to say l
sell forgeries? Forgery? 1t wasn't forg-
ery!,
liherate tone. watching the Others face the
whiie. It 1t wasn't a forgery. why did you
destroy 1t and burst your trap door and
desk to Initiate burglary?''
The sweat stood thick on the dealers
face. and he gasped But he struggled hard
to keep his faculties together, and ejacu-
II didn't-didn't destroy it!''
Threw It into the river. then-don't pre-
yarieate about details"
"No-noLt's a lie! Who says that? Go
away! You're insulting met! Claridge al
most screamed.
Come. come. Mr. Claridge," Hewitt said
more placably, for he had gained his
point: don't distress yourself. and don't
attempt to deceive me-you can't. assure
you. know everything you did before you
left here last night-everythin
Claridge's face worked painfully. Once
or twice he appeared to be on the point OF
returning an indignant reply, but hesitated,
and finally broke down altogether.
Don't expose me. Mr.. Hewittr' he plead
ed; Il beg you won't expose me. / haven't
harmed a soul but myself. I've paid Lord
Stairway every penny back and l never
knew the thing was a forgery TIL began
to clean it. I'm an old man. Mr.. Hewitt.
and my professional reputation has been
spotless until now. beg you won't expose
NE"
Hewitt's voice softened Don't make an
unnecessary trouble of it, he said. Il see
a decanter on your sideboard-let me give
you little brandy and water. Come,
there's nothing criminal, 1 believe, in
mans breaking open his own desk, or his
own trap-door, for that matter. OF course
I'm acting for Lord Stairway in this affair.
and l must, in duty, report to him without
reserve. But Lord Stairway is gentleman,
end I'll undertake he'll do nothing incon-
siderate of your feelings If you're dis
posed to be frank. Let us talk the affair
over; tell me about it,.
'It was that swindler Hahn who deceived
me in the beginning Claridge said. Il
have never made mistake with cameo
before. and l never thought so close an i'm
itation was possible. / examined 1t most
carefully and was perfectly satisfied, and
many experts examined 1t afterward and
were all equally deceived. / felt as sure
as 1 possibly could feel that had bought
one of the finest, II not actually the finest.
canoes known to exist. 1t was not until
after 1t had come back from Lord STAN
ways, and / was cleaning 1t the evening
before last, that in the course or my work
IL became apparent that the thing was
nothing but a consummately clever forgery.
1t was made of three layers of nodded
glass, nothing more nor less. But the glass
was treated in way l had never before
known of, and the surface had been cum
ningly worked on till 1t defied any ordinary
examination. Some Of the glass imitation
canoes made in the latter part of the last
century, I may tell you, are regarded as
marvellous pieces of work. and, indeed, COM
mand very fair prices, but this was some
thing quite beyond any of those
81 was amazed and Mortified. l put the
thing away and went home. All that night
/ hay awake in state of distraction, quite
unable to decide what to do. To let the
cameo go out of my possession was i'm
possible. Sooner or later the forgery would
be discovered and my reputatlon-the
highest lin these matters in this country, L
may safely claim and the growth OF nearly
fifty years of honest application and good
judgment-this reputation would be gone
forever. But without considering this, there
was the fact that l had taken five thousand
pounds of Lord Stanway's money Tor a
mere piece of glass, and that money must,
in mere common honesty as Well as for my
own sake, return But how? The name OF
the Stairway cameo had become household
word and to confess that the whole thing
was a sham would ruin my reputation ana
destroy all confidenee-past, present ana
future-in me and In my TRANSACTIONS.
Either way spelled ruin. Even II l con-
fded in Lord Stairway privately, returned
his money and destroyed the cameo, what
then? The sudden disappearance of an ar
ticle so famous would excite remark at
once 1t had been presented to the BRITISH
Museum, and if it never appeared in that
collection, and no news were to be got OF IT,
neopIe would guess at the truth at once.
To make ii known that l myself had been
deceived would have awaited nothing. 1t is
nv business not to be deceived; and TO
have 1t known that my most expensive
specimens might be forgeries would equally
mean ruin, whether l sold them cunningly
as a rogue or ignorantly as fool Indeed,
my pride my reputation as a connoisseur, is
a thing near to my heart, and 1t would be
an unspeakable humiliation to me to nave
it known that I had been imposed on by
such a forgery. What could L do! EVERY
expedient seemed useless but one-the one l
adopted 1t was not straightforward, ad-
nit; but oh! Mr. Hewitt, consider the
temptation-and remember that II couidn I
do soul any harm. No matter who might
be suspected l knew there could not posi-
bly, be evidence to make them suffer. All the
rext day-yesterday-Iw was anxiously worry
ing out the thing in my mind and carefuiiy
devising the-the trick, I'm afraid you'll call
il. that YOU by some extraordinary means
| have seen through. 1t seemed the only thing
what else was there's More l needn't tell
| you; you know it. have only now 10 beg
| that you will use your best influence with
| Lord Stairway to save me from public de-
rision and exposure. / will do anything
pay anything-apything but exposure, at
my age and with my position
WELL you see,' Hewitt replied thought
fully. 'sI'ye no doubt Lord Stairway will
show you every consideration, and certainly
| I will do what l can to save you in the cir
cumstances; though you must remember
that you have done some harm-you have
caused suspicious to rest on at least one
honest man. But as to my reputation, I've
professional reputation of my own. If
help to conceal your professional failure I