two hours. The grey dawn was beginning to steal in through the
little latticed window when Vyner moved, opened his eyes and looked at
me. He started as his eyes fell on the case.

"You are Mr. Bell," he said slowly. "Ridsdale told me that you were
coming to the _Theodora_ on purpose to discover the mystery of the lost
diamonds. You didn't know that I should give you an opportunity of
discovering the truth even before you arrived at the house-boat. Bend
down close to me--you have injured me; I may not recover; hear what I
have to say."

I bent over him, prepared to listen to his words, which came out slowly.

"I am a forger and a desperate man. Three weeks ago I forged one of
Ridsdale's cheques and lessened my friend's balance to the tune of five
thousand pounds. He and his wife were old friends of mine, but I wanted
the money desperately, and was impervious to sentiment or anything else.
On that first day when you met me, although I seemed cheery enough, I
was fit to kill myself. I had hoped to be able to restore the stolen
money long before Ridsdale was likely to miss it. But this hope had
failed. I saw no loophole of escape, and the day of reckoning could not
be far off. What devil prompted Ridsdale to bring those diamonds on
board, Heaven only knows. The moment I saw them they fascinated me and
I knew I should have a try for them. All during that evening's festivity
I could think of nothing else. I made up my mind to secure them by hook
or by crook. Before we retired for the night, however, I thought I would
give Ridsdale a chance. I asked him if he would lend me the exact sum I
had already stolen from him, five thousand pounds, but he had heard
rumours to my discredit and refused point-blank. I hated him for it. I
went into my tent under the pretence of lying down, but in reality to
concoct and, if possible, carry out my plot. I waited until the quietest
hour before dawn, then I slipped out of my tent, waded into the water,
approached the open window of the Countess's cabin, thrust in my hand,
took out the case, and, going down the river about a quarter of a mile,
threw the diamonds into the middle of the stream. I marked well the
place where they sank; I then returned to my tent and went to bed.

"You know what occurred the following morning. I neither feared Ridsdale
nor his wife, but you, Bell, gave me a considerable amount of
uneasiness. I felt certain that in an evil moment on the night before I
had given yo