The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-25
The
Granton Rubies.


bies; but as the loss had not been re-
ported officially 1 paid very little at
tention to the matter. thinking that If
the gems had even been lost at all
they must have been speedily found.
AT any rate, it was no part of my
duty as superintendent of the local
1orce to go poking my nose into an af-
Ialr IN which our services were ap-
parently not required.
Then, on the second day, a more pre-
else rumor came in that the rubies |
were still missing but that rather |
than have recourse to the police the |
duchess had sent to London for the |
fashionable investigator, Radford |
Shone who had arrived at Granton |
abbey and was conducting a rigid in |
quiry.
Finally, on the third day, the whole |
business was lifted out of the region |
Of rumor and automatically crystal |
lied into police case by the tragedy |
Of the death Of Monsieur Lupin. the
French tutor. 1t is open to any one
to employ whom they like in the mat
ter of missing property, but when hu-
man life has been filehed even a
duchess has no option but to call in the
constituted authorities
II was shortly after 10 o'clock in the |
morning when the telephone sum- |
moned me TO the abbey with the mea-
ger information that the tutor was
dead, and that l was wanted imme-
dlately. Taking a uniformed constable |
with me in the dog cart, quickly
uaVerSed the two miles from the town
10 MS Srace'S ancestral mansion and
vas at once shown into the presence
of the duchess. I was aware that the
duke was i'm America on a shooting
trip out west
man of 60, received me in her boudoir
and 1t was easy to see at glance that
she had been shaken up rather badly
From her attitude when I entered 4
should say that she had been s-lring
out over the park, but she jumped up
on hearing my name announced, and
came forward, talking fast.
"Oh, Mr.. Fosterl" she began the
most dreadful thing has happened
My eldest boys French tutor has been
found hanging in a disused we'll in the
apple orchard, quite dead. 1 feel as
sure as can be that it was an accident.
There was no reason why he should
commit suicide. He was well and
cheerful last night. The idea OF a muir
der is not TO be entertained for a mo-
ment. 1t is preposterousi''
She spoke in little jerky sentences.
her breath coming short Her face
was tWitching nervously, and her fin
gers kept plucking at the buttons of
her silk blouse
81 can better form an opinion on
that point when I have viewed the
spot and talked with the DOCTOR" 1 re-
piled. But-your grace will pardon
me-you speak as If the idea of MUIR
der has been mOOred."
Did -" she faltered. 'I didn't
mean to. l only thought"
Then she broke down. and, If II Is
permitted to use the phrase about a |
lady of such exalted position, looked |
foolish.
tried her on a new tack
we have heard some gossip i'm the
town about your grace having lost |
some valuable jewelry," / said. "and /
that you were having the matter in |
vfstigated privately. / don't want to /
Ply into what may be only kitchen 1
1AIk, but I need not remind YOU that if /
Fhere has been robbery it may have 1
some bearing on this gentleman's /
death. In justice to every one YOU 1
ought to give us all your confidence"
The two cases are absolutely dis
tinet, Mr.. Foster, yet" she faltered. /
and then went on as though impelIed /
against her will. yes, this affair of |
poor Lupin has made concealment i'm
possible. I had hoped to hush it up |
but that is out of the question now. II |
is true that my rubies are lost, and
that I sent for Mr.. Radford Shone TO 1
find them"
is he at the abbey now" I hazard
ed.
I'm another room. waiting to see
you, and full of a theory which I beg
you TO disregard" the duchess replied
pleadingly. He is so convinced that
he is right that he insists on impartingt
his views to you, otherwise 1 tell YOU
frankly l should not have put the idea
of murder into your head"
Your grace, il seems, has lost conf
dence in Mr.. Shone?"
The duchess looked down and hesi-
tated, toying with those blouse but
tons so violently that 1 expected them
10 come off. "N-o-o-not exactly she
said at last "On the contrary, I be-
lieve him TO be very clever. But I
know-that is, I feel certain-that he
has been misled about the cause of /
Lupin's death"
Has he found the rubies?"
Not yet. He thinks he has a clew-
at least, he suspects some one in
whose innocence I believe firmly But
therei I have not patience to discuss
II. You would never have heard of |
Shone's idea if it had not been for this
calamitous death of the tutor AS it
is, there is no help for it. You had /
better see Mr.. Shone at once and hear
NHdl ne mas 10 say.
she touched a bell and a footnan
came to conduct me to the room where
the eminent investigator awaited me
As l passed through the corridors I
could not resist an inward chuckle at
the irony of fate which had driven the
duchess to employ the costly bit of a
private expert, and then to have to be-
seech the police to treat him with con-
tempt. For practically that was what
The vehement disclaimer of his theory
amounted to.
The servant showed me into a small
library where TWO men were sitting.
one on either side of the hearth The
talest, clean shaver fellow with Gu
rious Goldfish eyes, jumped up on nv
entrance; the other, who was stout
and stOlid, retained his seat and sur
veyed me with lazy insolence. 1t was
rot intended to reach my ears, but I
distinctly heard him mutter:
THE usual type of provincial cop
per. Shone. Plenty of zeal, but limit
ed intelligence. A nice mess he'd have
made of it if you hadn't been here"
The tall man took no notice, but ad-
vanced to meet me- his protuberant !