Williams news., 1917-12-13

word Of honor that you dldnr turn tnlS trick"
 Betty laughed, staccato. "But if I say did?'
 Quoin shrugged. '"That would end my interest"
 And if it turns out I didn't-eh?"
 ''Then I may be able to tell you some thing to your advantage"
 Betty sat up sharply. "You mean you know where my necklace is?''
 Ibid you smuggle it?" Quoin coun- ter-questioned.
 A note of unimpeachable candor in- formed the wOman's voice. CT give you my word of honor did not know nothing about it. Beyond the fact that I myself placed a genuine necklace in that case, and saw a paste necklace come out of it"
 "There!" Mrs. Beggarstaff exclaimed with look of triumph at Trait.
 The face of this last suddenly as- stunned a most unbecoming brick-red hue. That's all very we1l," ahe grumbled, land Pm not doubting Betty little bit; but" he stam1nered and gulped, "but tell you now I can't be- lieve it of Tad, and as for Lydia-' He made an eXasperated gesture. "Quoin's craZy-that's all!"
 ''What's this?" Betty put in quickly. '"Tad and Lydia?" She waited an in- stant, her color waning. What have they to do with my necklace?"
 'I'n tell you," said Quoin gently. "Craven gave his daughter your neck lace, hidden in Chinese puzzle box, to bring through the customs, counting on her exemption, as an alien, from rigid inspection"
 Mrs. Merrilees rose from her chair. staring fixedly at Quoin. "You know this to be a fact?"
 'T saw it in Miss Craven's posses sion. The rest is inference from con- tributory circumstances"
 The detective endured her stare without f1inching; though the color of his dark face deepened and his breath came trace more quickly. Convinced at length of his sincerity, she turned away, moved to a window, and stood there with her back to the room, gag ing thoughtfully out into the misty chiaroscuro of the plaza.
 ''That's why we wanted your word you were on the level before we told you," Peter explained.
 'T see,' said the woman in a gentler voice. "Please tell me about ft.''
 ''Very we'll" Quoin responded with the story, from his view and point, of Lydia's adventure in the fog. "It was your necklace in the box, the real thing, beyond mistake" he concluded.
 ''But," Betty argued, bewildered, "1 don't see"
 "Wait. I think I can make every thing clear. When Southpaw shut the box and gave it up, on my demand, I watched him pretty closely, and saw him slip a playing card in with the necklace. After I got outside I opened the box up on my own account, partly to satisfy myself about the necklace, partly to have a look at that card. It was a knave of diamonds"
 Betty swung back from the window. ''But what can that mean?"
 Its a question I think Craven can answer-if he will. Anyhow, we're safe in assuming the card was intended for him, and certainly it must have had init, establishes a secret bond of un- derstanding between two known black legs and-Thaddeus Craven
  the time?'
 Because, very naturally, I wasn't at all sure you wanted to be told.'
 ''If you'll please explain-'
 "Quoin means,'' Peter interrupted, you've been such a consistent per former, he hesitated to do anything calculated to cramp your style, if this thing was what it looked like-a frame. up between you and Tad to beat the customs
 "But what right had you to jump al any such conclusion?" Betty insisted.
 Because I knew you knew real gems from false-and the necklace you had shown us that very morning was coun- terfeit.''
 "It isn't possiblel" Betty protested hotly. q saw it myself.'
 ''So did I i; and was interested enough well, you'll recall I asked to see them in strong light? You were so satis- fled you never looked twice. But I was positive then that they were false, and even more positive later, when I saw the real collar in the puzzle box''
 ''Stil1 don't understand.' '1f you remember, Craven took his time about fetching that box from the purser. It was good ten minutes be- fore he got back. He had time and to spare to open your despatch box and substitute the counterfeit for the genu- ine-duplicate key you knew nothing about, of course.'' Look here-' Peter began excited. ly, then checked and turned sullen. "Well?' Mrs. Beggarstaff demanded while Betty and Quoin obliged the young man by looking their curiosity. 'Oh, I don't like to say it." he nut