, 1914-09-24

to me that the cabinet might have
something to do with your visit. OF
course we don't want the cabinet in
jured. 1t is very valuable"
Don't worry said Grady easily.
Were not going to inJure 1t. And |
think we'll be ready to surrender it to
you at any time after tonight. Moos-
seer Piggott here wants to do II few
tricks with II first. | suppose you
have a certain right to be present, so
II you like sleight of hand sit down"
| hastily sought a. chair, my heart
singing within me. Then | attempted
TO assume a mask of Indifference. for
NJ. Pigot was obviously ANNOYED ot
my presence. and | feared for a mo-
ment that his Gallo ~suavity would be
strained to breaking. But Grady, If
he noticed his guests annoyance, paid
no heed to it, and | began to suspect
that the Frenchman's courtesy and
good breeding had ended by rubbing
Grady the wrong way. they were In
such painful contrast to his own hob
nailed Whatever the cause,
there was Il certain malice in the smile
he turned upon the Frenchman.
And now. MVosseei Piggott," he
said. settling back in his chair Il little
farther. were ready for the show"
What | have to tell you. sir began
NJ. Pigot in n voice as hard as steel
and cold as ice. has. understand well,
to be told in confidence. 1t must re-
main between ourselves until the Grim
inal is secured"
Understand, MIR. Lester?" Grady
asked, looking mt me. And | nodded
| saw Pigot's ayes flame and his face
flush with anger. for Grady's tone was
almost insulting. looked at him with
interest. He was typically French
smooth shaved. with a face scanned
with little wrinkles and very white.
eyes Swallowed by enormously bushy
lashes and close cropped hair as white
as his face. He was about sixty years
of age, | guessed, and there was about
him the air of a mar who had passed
through u hundred remarkable expe-
riences without once losing his aplomb.
Certainly he Il not going to lose 1t
now.
THE story which ] have to relate"
he began in his careful English. clip
ping his words n little now and then.
has to do with the theft of the ia
nous Michaelovitch diamonds. You
may perhaps remember the CASE
l remembered it. certainly. for the
robbery had been conceived and car
ried out with such h~riliancy II dar.
ing that its details had at once arrest
ed my attention-to say nothing " the
fact that the diamonds. which formed
the celebrated collection belonging to
the Grand Duke Michael of Russia.
sojourning in Paris because unappre-
ciated In his native land and also be
cause of the supreme attraction of the
French capital to one Of his tempera-
ment-were valued at something like
S,000,00O francs.
THAT theft" continued Nj. Pigot
was accomplished in a manner at
once so bold and so unique that we
were certain 1t could he the WORK of
but n single man-a rascal named Gro
chard, who calls himself also The In
vincible'-a rascal who has given us
very great trouble. but whom we have
never been able to convict. In this
case we had against him no direct evil
dence; we subjected him to an inter
rogation and found that he had taken
care to provide n perfect allbi: SO we
were compelled to release him. We
kept Crochard under constant surveiI.
lance. We searched his rooms not
once but many times.
hHR know fhRppuoh1V What W., ,,,.,.