urned the
key. Hewitt was standing in my sitting-room, with a newspaper in his
hand.

"Sorry to break your morning sleep, Brett," he said, "but something
interesting has happened in regard to that business you helped me with
yesterday, and you may like to know. Crawl back into bed if you like."

But I was already in my dressing-gown, and groping for my clothes. "No,
no, come in and tell me," I said. "What is it?"

Hewitt sat on the bed. "I'll tell you in due order," he said. "First, I
saw Samuel again last night--after you had gone away. You remember I
went back to my office; I had a letter or two to write which I had set
aside in the afternoon. Well, I wrote the letters, shut up, and went
downstairs. I opened the outer door, and there was Samuel, in the act
of ringing the housekeeper's bell. He said he was very anxious, and
couldn't sleep without coming to hear if I had made any progress; he had
called before, but I was out. I half thought of taking him back to my
office, but decided that it wasn't worth while. So I walked along to the
corner of the Strand, till I got him well under the lights. Then I
stopped and talked to him. 'You ask about the progress in your case, Mr.
Samuel,' I said. 'Now, I have sometimes met people who seem to consider
me a sort of prophet, seer, or diviner. As a matter of fact, I am
nothing but a professional investigator, and even if I were possessed of
such an amazing genius as I lay no claim to, I could never succeed in a
case, nor even make progress in it, if my client started me with false
information, or only told me half the truth. More, when I find that such
is the state of affairs, and that if I am to succeed I must begin by
investigating my client before I proceed with his case, I throw that
case up on the instant--invariably. Do you understand that? Now I must
tell you that I have made no progress with your case, none; for that
very reason.'"

"He protested, of course--vowed he had told me the simple truth, and so
forth. I replied by asking him certain definite questions. First, I
asked him whose the diamonds were. He repeated that they were his own.
To that I simply replied, 'Good evening, Mr. Samuel,' and turned away.
He came after me beseechingly, and prevaricated. He said something about
another party having an interest, but the matter being confidential. To
that I responded by asking him with whom he had communicated before
sending for me, and who was the person in the brou