sper Lamotte, in behalf of Miss Wardour,
will visit the city at once and set the detectives at work.

This was shock number one for the public of W----.

Miss Constance Wardour, of Wardour Place, was a lady of distinction. She
possessed the oldest name, the bluest blood, the fairest face, and the
longest purse, to be found in W----; and, the _Argus_ had said truly,
the Wardour diamonds represented a fortune, and not a small one.

Emmeline Wardour, the great grandmother of Miss Constance, was a belle
and heiress. Her fondness for rare jewels amounted to a mania, and she
spent enormous sums in collecting rare gems. At her death she bequeathed
to her daughter a collection such as is owned by few ladies in private
life. She also bequeathed to her daughter her mania. This daughter,
after whom Constance was named, added to her mother's store of precious
stones, from time to time, and when, one fine day, a bank, in which she
had deposited some thousands of her dollars, failed, and she found
herself a loser, she brought her craze to a climax, by converting all
her money into diamonds, set and unset.

At her death, her granddaughter, Constance, inherited these treasures,
in addition to a handsome fortune from her mother; and, although the
original collection made by Emmeline Wardour contained a variety of rare
stones, opals, amethysts, pearls, cameos, etc., besides the many fine
diamonds, they all came to be classed under the head of the "Wardour
diamonds."

It is small wonder that W---- stood aghast at the thought of such a
robbery, and it is impossible to say when the talk, the wonderment, the
conjectures, suggestions, theories, and general indignation would have
ended, had not the second shock overborne the first. Once more let the
_Argus_ speak:

A STARTLING DISCOVERY.

Yesterday afternoon, while the town was filled with the excitement
caused by the Wardour robbery, Miss Sybil Lamotte, the beautiful
daughter of our wealthy and highly respected citizen, Jasper
Lamotte, Esq., eloped with John Burrill, who was, for a time,
foreman in one of her father's mills. Burrill is known to be a
divorced man, having a former wife and a child, living in W----;
and his elopement with one of the aristocracy has filled the town
with consternation.

Mr. Lamotte, the father of the young lady, had not been from home
two hours, in company with his wife, when his daughter fled. H