placed in me."

"I don't understand, sir," cried the boy, flushing.

"You soon will, my lad. I, in my desire to do my duty by you, felt that
it would not be right to let a mere schoolboy like you come away to make
your home at some place of education with so costly, and, from its
associations, unique a jewel as the one in question."

"You used to say so to me, sir," said the boy quickly.

"Yes. But in your young hot-blooded Indian nature you were not
pacified, and I felt bound to do something that I thought then would be
right."

Singh looked at him and then at Glyn, while the rest of those assembled
listened eagerly for the Colonel's next words.

"Do you remember, boys, our long stay in Colombo?"

"Yes!" they cried in a breath.

"Well, they are famous people for working in jewellery there, and I
easily found a man ready to undertake the task of making a facsimile of
the belt."

"Facsimile!" cried Singh, starting away from the speaker.

"Yes, my boy; and he did it beautifully--so well that I was almost
startled by its exactitude and the way in which a few pieces of green
glass resembled emeralds."

"But the Sanskrit inscription?" cried the Doctor.

"Exactly copied," said the Colonel; "cut in the glass. I tell you it
was so well done that I was almost startled."

"Then--then--then," cried Singh wildly, "I have been deceived!" and his
voice seemed to cut down that of Glyn, who was about to burst out in a
triumphant "Hooray!"

"Well, yes, my boy," said the Colonel quietly. "I told you I must
confess. I did deceive you in that, but with the best intentions."

A look of agony crossed the boy's face, and he turned from father to son
and then back.

"Treated as a child!" he cried. "Deceived again! Oh, in whom am I to
trust?"

"In me, I hope, boy," almost thundered the Colonel in the deepest tones.
"I had the trust imposed on me by your dead father to care for you and
your wealth until you came of age. Should I have been acting my part
had I given up to you and let you treat as a toy that valuable jewel
that was almost sacred in his eyes?"

"But to--but to--Then where--where is it now?"

"Lying safely with others, sir, in the bankers' vaults."

"Oh-h-h-oh!" cried Singh, and his whole manner changed as he stood for a
few moments striving for utterance yet unable to speak. But at last the
words came, hoarsely and with a violent effort, as in the reaction from
his fit of indignation he almost mu