282 LHI

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““ THE DETECTIVE WAS LIFTING A LACE HANDKERCUIEF,

dreams of suspecting, that person’s the one who has committed the robbery.”

“Why, you’ll be suspecting mysell next ! Lady Maclure cried, with some disgust.

“Your ladyship’s just the last person the world T should think of suspecting,” the detective answered, with a deferential bow-— which, after his previous speech, was to say the least of it equivocal,

Persis began to get annoyed. She didn't half like the look of that girl Bertha, herscll ; but still, she was there as Tady Maclure's guest, and she couldn't expose her hostess to discomfort on her account.

“‘The girl shall 7#o# be scarched,” she put in, growing hot. “I don’t carc a cent whether 1 lose the wretched stones or

not. Compared to human dignity, what are they worth? Not five minutes’ con- sideration.”

“Theyre worth just sceven years,” Mr.

Gregory answered, with professional delinite- ness. “ And as to scarching, why, that’s out of your hands now. This 1s a criminal casc. I'm here to discharge a public duty.”

“I don’t in the least mind being searched,” Bertha put in obligingly,

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vith an air of

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mdifference. “You can scarch me if you hke - when you've got a warrant for it.”

The dctective Tooked up sharply : so also did Persis. This ready acquaintance with the liberty of the subject v eriminal cases 1mpressed her unfavour-

ably. “Ah! wcll see about that,” Mr. Gregory answered,

with a cool smile. ““ Mcanwhile, [ady Maclure, T'll have a look at the boxes.”

IT1.

T search (strictly 1llegal) brought out nothing. Mr. Gre- cory returned to Persis’s bed- room, disconsolate. “You can lcave the room,” he said to Bertha; and Bertha ghided out. “I've set another man outside to keep a constant cve on her,” he added in explanation.

By this time Persis had almost made her mind up as to who was the culprit ; but she said nothing overt, for TLady Maclurc's sake,

to the detective. As for that immovable official; he began

asking questions --somce of them, Persis thought, almost hordering on the personal. Where had she been last night 7 Was she sure she had reallv worn the rubies 2 How did she come home? Was she certain she took them off 2 Did the maid help her undress? Who came back with her in the carriage ?

To all these questions, rapidly fired off with cross-cxamining acuteness, Persis answered m the direet American fashion. She was sure she had the rubies on when she came home to Hampstead, because Sir Justin O'Byrne, who came back with her in his sister's carriage, had noticed them the last thing, and had told her to take care of them.

At mention of that name the detective smiled meaningly. (A mecaning smile is stock-in-trade to a detective.) “Oh, Sir Justin O'Byrne ! he repeated, with quiet sclf-constraint. * ZZe came back with you in the carrtage, then ? And did he sit the same side with you ? 7

Lady Muaclure grew indignant (that was Mr. Gregory’s cue). “ Really, sir,” she said, angrily, “if you're going to suspect gentle- men 1 Sir Justin's position, we shall none of us be safe from you.”

“The law,” Mr. Gregory replicd, with an