Year: 1878

have chance of getting off safe now. l
have 1t all settled, if you will only help
ME get this old woman's plate. With that
and few trinkets happened to pick upa
few wears ago, you and | may set up in
business over in America. The other fell
lows will help me. Meet me here to-mor-
row night, to let me know that all is safe
for us. See here. 1 have brought you
valuable present. Keep it until the plate
is secure with me; for you must stay here
until all blows over; then make some eN-
cuse for leaving, and come over and join
me i'm New York. If you want money,
sell those diamonds in Liverpool; they are
worth no end of money"


could see quite well that he took some
thing out of his pocket and gave 1t to her.
She held il up to look at it; and there,
glstening in the light, l saw-my grand
mot hers diamond ear-ring!-the one that
had been stolen over nine years ago, with
the other Jewels, from her bedroom.


Here, then, at last, was the mystery
solved, everything made clear, and all
through a dream! Presently the light fell
on the mans face again, and instantly
recognized my grandmothers very respect
able gardener. A decent man he was be-
lieved to be, but thief all the time, and
one who hid his evil deeds under the
cloak of religion. And who was this wo-
man he seemed to have got such power
over? Evidently his wife; for L gathered
that from his conversation with her. l
waited where l was until they were both
gone-Martha back to the house and her
wicked husband to the village; then, as
quietly as | could, returned TO the house
and reached my room. Falling on my
knees gave thanks to God for making
me the means of finding out such wick
ed plot, and perhaps saving the lives of
more than one under the roof, tor it is no
more than likely that had those desperate
men been disturbed in their midnight
plunder, they would not have hesitated at
any deed which would enable them to car
ry out their wicked plans.


slept little that night, and next morn
ing tried to appear calm and composed,
though I was frightened and really ill. /
was longing for my husband to come that
I might tell him all, and consult what was
best to be done to prevent the robbery and
bloodshed. At last, to my great reliet,
saw him coming. / ran to the gate to
meet him, and told ham what 1 had seen
and heard the night before. "Now," |
said, twill you ever laugh at my 'tancies'
again?"


'.No, my dear little wife," said he, 'I
never will"


We then arranged that we should tell
his mother and sister everything, and he
was to go to the nearest police station and
arrange with the chief officer to have
number OF men ready in the wood near
the house at ~ o'clock that night; that af-
ter dinner we were to say "good-bye" to
Mrs. Benson, and drive home; but would
retern and join the police force in the
wood, and wait there until we saw Martha
leave the house to meet her husband. We
were then to 90 i'm and wait until the
thieves came in, when they were to be sur
rounded and taken prisoners. My hus-
band wanted me to remain in our own
house, but would not do so, as said 1
would only be imagining all sorts of
dreadful things; besides, knew his moth
er and Mary would like very much to have
seme one with them.


1t all turned out as we'll as could be.
The night was very fine, and at just II
O'Clock Martha stole down to the place
where / had seen. her the the night before;
then we all, about dozen policemen, and
ourselves, went into the house. The men
were stationed out of sight in different
rooms, waiting for the robbers entrance.
Henry came up to Mrs. Benson's room,
where all OF us women were, including
the two servants. With breathess anxiety
we watched and waited. From where /
stood / could see the way they would
come.


1t was Q o'lock when saw Martha COM
ing up the walk and four men with her.
"Look!" said, "there they are!" They
went around to the back door, and we
heard them stealing along the passage in
the direction of the plate closet. Then a
sudden rush-a scream from the wretched
Martha-imprecations loud and deep-a
shOt!-anOther scream!


"May God grant no lives will be lost!"
we prayed.


Poor Mary nearly tainted. At last Ave
heard the officer call Henry to come
down. The four men were well secured
and taken to the police station Martha
was taken there, too. She confessed that
she had let them in for the purpose of steal
ing the silver. One of the robbers was
slightly wounded in the arm, but no one
else was hurt. Very thankful was when
l found next day that none were the worse
for having gone through such terrible
scene.


The house where Martha's husband
lodged was searched, and the case of dia-
monds and many other valuable articles
found there. This immensely respectable
gardener had been disgrace to his family
and his profession. Left very much to
himself through the indulgence of his i'm
ployer he had contracted habits oftippling
with low associates at neighborng village,
h.n Y,lnN,
To at las assume the degraded character of
a burglar. Now came the retrbution
which attends on wrong-dOing. The
4 IL L