Evening star., 1914-08-09

ado l remember it, Quon protested
with reproachful sincerity. Il wish | might
hope ever to be repaid for the sleep lost on
that casel"
@To say nothing of the damage to your
reputation
4To say nothing of that
"You never got a clue?'
"Never one. But | try to comfort myself
with the reflection that Burns, the Pinker-
tons, and the New York Detective Bureau
were no more fortunate. That was mas
terly job
"Has none of the stuff ever turned up?"
"Oh, plenty of it, here and there-rnostly
in Europe. In fact, I'm told that Joachim
has reassembed most of the collection: but
it has cost him five times his original out
lay
4There are, of course, pieces still missing?"
3Oh, naturally
@Well, then,' said the lady deliberately,
II don't mind telling you that there's one
piece l distinctly remember, on board this
ship-a magnificent sardonyx cameo"
"Truly?'
aWould you care to see it2 Then-look!'
MRS. BEGGARSTAFF unclosed her left
w hand. In its palm lay Miss Carteret's
brooch
With wondering exclamation, Quoin
bent forward to examine the cameo, while
Mrs. Beggarstaff regarded with trium-
phant smile his bent head. 1t was something
to have startled the greatest living detective,
which was precisely the distinction the keen
witted old woman accorded this man.
@Take it to the light and have a good
look"
THANK you," said Quoin, rising instantly
and moving forward to the lighted COM
panionway, where he fingered long min
ute, intently inspecting the brooch with a
small magnifying glass.
@Unquestionably one of the missing
pieces" he declared fatty, returning. Aand,
if I'm not mistaken, one of the finest in the
collection"
u thought So"
@How did you come by it, please?"
"It's the property of the young person
who shares my cabin; name, Lucy Carteret.
She's an American, about twenty, and has
lived abroad all her life. Now she's going
to New York to join her father, who-she
says-gave her this on her fifteenth birth
day.
@The question is. Who is Carteret perez
am not psychic" Mrs. Beggarstaf OBJ
jected. @The woods are full of Carterets;
but l know none that this child resembles in
any way. Besides, she has denied every re-
lationship I've suggested thus far
@But we mustn't forget that when found,
this paternal Carteret will probably prove
to be a perfectly honest bourgeois who
picked up the cameo casually in some out
of-the-way shop, at home or abroad. Pos
session of one piece from the Joachim col
lection is no proof of criminal knowledge"
3It's cousin german to receiving stolen
goods" the Dowager Dragon argued OBJ
stinately
Nonsense! If we'd gone on that theory,
we could have jugged half the antique deal
ers from Frisco east to Moscow. l happen
to know that Joachim's agents picked up
pieces in both places. In fact Quoin OBJ
served musingly, 4I've often thought that
the widespread distribution of that loot
might be taken as pretty good evidence in
support of something I've always con-
tended was a popular chirnera,-the exist
ence of regular organization of social free
booters."
3You don't believe there is any such
thing?'
No." said the detective soberly, II don't.
But I've learned too much to deny the pos
sibility of anything that looks incredible.
l don't believe; but I'm open to conviction.
You're going?' he added as Mrs. Beggar-
staff stirred and sat up, preparatory to rising