330 THL

1. But, oh ! Harry, love makes one do or try anything !”

If Persis had heard those singular words, she would have felt no doubt was any longer possible.

VII.

NExXT morning, at ten o’clock, a police- man came round; post haste, to Sir Everard’s. e asked to sce Miss Remanet. When Persis came down, in her morning wrap, he had but a Dbrief message from head quarters to give her: “Your jewels —are found, Miss. Will you stepround and 1den- tify them ?”

Persis drove back X

with him, all trem- . bling. ILady Maclure accompanied her. At o the police-station they

left their cab, and

entered theante-room.

A little gioup had assembled there. The first person Persis distinetly made out in it was Sir Justin. A great terror scized her. (iregory had so poisoned her mind by this time with suspicion of everybody and every- thing she came across, that she was afrad of her own shadow. But next moment she saw clearly he wasn’t there as prisoncer, or even as witness ; merely as spectator. She acknow- ledged him with a hasty bow, and cast her cye round again. ‘The next person she definitely distinguished was Bertha, as calm and cool as cver, but in the very centre of the group, occupying as it were the plce of honour which naturally belongs to the prisoner on all similar occasions. Persis was not sur- prised at that ; she had known it all along she glanced meaningly at Gregory, who stood a little behind, looking by no means trium- phant. Persis found his dejection odd but he was a proud detective, and perhaps somes one clse had cffected the capture !

“These are your jewels, T believe,” the inspector said, holding them up 5 and Persis admitted it.

“This is a painful case,” the mspector went on. A very painful case. We grieve to have discovered such a clue against onc

STRAND

COUOVE MAKES ONE DO OR CTRY ANYTHING.

M AGAZTNL.

of our own men ; but as he owns to 1t himself| and intends to throw himsell on the mercy of the Court, 1t's no use talking about 1t. He won’t attempt to de- fend 1t ; indecd, with such cvidence, 1 think he’s doing what’s best and wisest.”

Persis stood there, all dazed. “I—-1 don’t understand,” she cried, with a swim- ming brain. “Who on earth are you tailkung about ?”

The inspector pointed mutely with onc hand at Gregory : and then for the first

time Persis saw he was guarded. She

clapped her hand to her head. In a moment it all broke in upon her. When she had called in the police, the rubies had never been stolen at all. 1t was Gregory who stole them !

She understood it now,at once. "Thercal facts came back to her. She had taken her necklet off at night, laid it carelessly down on the dressing-table (too full of Sir Justin), covered it accidentally with her lace pocket- handkerchicf, and straightway forgotten all about it. Next day she missed 1t and jumped at conclusions. When Gregory came, he spied the rubies askance under the corner of the handkerchief —of course, being woman, she had naturally looked cverywherc cxeept in the place where she laid them-— and knowing it wasasafe case he had quictly pocketed them before her very eyes, all un- suspected. e felt sure nobody could qecuse him o of a robbery which was com- mittedd hefore he came, and which he had himself been called in to investigate,

“The worst of it 1s,” the mspector went on, “he had woven a very IMgCenIous Case avainst Sir Justin O'Byrne, whom we were on the very point of arresting to-day. if this voung woman hadn’t come in at the eleventh hour, in the very nick of time, and carmed the reward by giving us the clue that led to the

discovery and recovery of the jewels. They were brought over this morning by an

Amsterdam detective.”