s to the Maitland house. "Of
money?"

"Not money, although I had a good bit in the house." This also I knew.
It was said of Miss Letitia that when money came into her possession it
went out of circulation.

"Not--the pearls?" I asked.

She answered my question with another.

"When you had those pearls appraised for me at the jewelers last year,
how many were there?"

"Not quite one hundred. I think--yes, ninety-eight."

"Exactly," she corroborated, in triumph. "They belonged to my mother.
Margery's mother got some of them. That's a good many years ago, young
man. They are worth more than they were then--a great deal more."

"Twenty-two thousand dollars," I repeated. "You remember, Miss Letitia,
that I protested vigorously at the time against your keeping them in the
house."

Miss Letitia ignored this, but before she went on she repeated again her
cat-like pouncing at the door, only to find the hall empty as before.
This time when she sat down it was knee to knee with me.

"Yesterday morning," she said gravely, "I got down the box; they have
always been kept in the small safe in the top of my closet. When Jane
found a picture of my niece, Margery Fleming, in Harry's room, I thought
it likely there was some truth in the gossip Jane heard about the two,
and--if there was going to be a wedding--why, the pearls were to go to
Margery anyhow. But--I found the door of the safe unlocked and a little
bit open--and ten of the pearls were gone!"

"Gone!" I echoed. "Ten of them! Why, it's ridiculous! If ten, why not
the whole ninety-eight?"

"How do I know?" she replied with asperity. "That's what I keep a lawyer
for: that's why I sent for you."

For the second time in two days I protested the same thing.

"But you need a detective," I cried. "If you can find the thief I will
be glad to send him where he ought to be, but I couldn't find him."

"I will not have the police," she persisted inflexibly. "They will come
around asking impertinent questions, and telling the newspapers that a
foolish old woman had got what she deserved."

"Then you are going to send them to a bank?"

"You have less sense than I thought," she snapped. "I am going to leave
them where they are, and watch. Whoever took the ten will be back for
more, mark my words."

"I don't advise it," I said decidedly. "You have most of them now, and
you might easily lose them all; not only that, but it is not safe for
you or your sister."

"Stuff and n