wledge. "They are Burmese."

"Whatever they are, you have been playing them and Fluette against each
other. Burke, I suppose you can't help lying; it comes easier for you
than telling the truth. You know that those fellows managed to steal
the bar of soap--"

"While you were watching it," he interpolated.

"--and," I went on, ignoring the thrust, "they notified you and Fluette
of the fact Friday morning."

"Yes," he said slowly, after a pause, "they told us they had secured
the bar of soap."

"If that's so," I fixed him with a level look, "why did the
intelligence floor you so?"

"You draw your conclusions so admirably that you ought to be able to
supply the answer to that question yourself."

"I 'm not here for that purpose,"--curtly. "Come, speak up."

He sat for a long while silent; then,--

"Well," said he, "it would come as a shock to any man to be bluntly
told that he had just been deprived of a fortune. Mr. Fluette,
confident that he was within a step of securing the stone, blamed me
with being the cause of his disappointment."

The fellow's demeanor angered me beyond endurance.

"Burke," I cried heatedly, "do you think you can make me believe that a
man of Alfred Fluette's calibre would purchase the Paternoster ruby
from you, knowing that it was not yours to sell? Bah!" I was filled
with disgust.

"Ah, Swift, Swift," the rogue said, complacently wagging his head at
me, "there are some things of which even you are ignorant.

"Here is one of them--listen: the Paternoster ruby was no more Felix
Page's than it is yours or mine. It is the property of the king of
Burma; it was stolen from him years ago, and the Burmese nobleman who
is at present in this country with his retinue--"

"Tshen-byo-yen," I said quietly, and had the satisfaction of beholding
Mr. Burke favor me with a startled glance.

"Yes," he pursued, with considerably less assurance, "that's his name."

"And one of the 'retinue,' as you are pleased to call his gang of
thugs, is that hideous, misshapen monster that shrieks like a ghoul. I
suppose that he too was hunting for the ruby Friday night--after having
stolen it the night before." My sarcasm failed to touch Burke. He
shuddered, saying:

"The dwarf? He's a mute--Tshen's slave. Tongue 's been torn out.
And--truly--believe me; you may easily verify what I say--Tshen is the
properly accredited representative of the king of Burma, invested with
full power and authority