f it," he said. "It makes interesting
reading. You're own share in the original investigations has some
excellent touches, if you'll permit me to say so. That trap for the
owner of the brooch was a neat idea."

Caldew's resentment waned under this compliment to his professional
skill.

"The trick would have worked, too, if I hadn't been called downstairs,"
he said. "The girl was quick enough to get into the room while I was out
of it. Not that it mattered much, as things turned out, but it is a
strange thing about this necklace, isn't it?"

"Very. Has Merrington told you all about it?"

"Yes, and he gave me a rare wigging for not discovering the loss.
Between ourselves, I do not think that I was treated quite fairly about
it. Miss Heredith never said a word to me about a jewel-case being in
the room. She took it downstairs before I arrived, and never mentioned
it when I asked her if anything had been stolen. If she had told me I
should have had the case opened. But that didn't weigh with Merrington.
He's beastly unfair, and never loses a chance to put the blame on to
somebody else when anything goes wrong."

"I am sorry if you got into trouble through my action in informing him,"
said Colwyn. "But of course you must realize that a discovery of such
importance could not be kept secret."

"That's quite true," replied Caldew, in a softened voice. "Fortunately,
it does not affect the issue, one way or another. Mr. Heredith believes
that Hazel Rath is innocent, and I suppose that is why he has called you
into the case. But she is guilty, right enough. I tried to make that
clear to Mr. Heredith, but he appears to be a man of fixed ideas. The
question is, what has become of the necklace? My own impression is that
she has hidden it somewhere. She had no opportunity to dispose of it
before she was arrested."

"That means that you think she has stolen it."

"Why, of course--" Caldew's confident tone died away at the expression
of his companion's face. "Don't you?"

"I do not."

"Why not?"

"For one thing, the jewel-case was locked. How did the girl know where
the key was kept?"

"She might have got the knowledge from her mother. Mrs. Rath, as the
housekeeper, would probably know all about the keys of the household."

"Of the ordinary keys--yes. But that knowledge was hardly likely to
extend to Mrs. Heredith's private keys, unless Miss Heredith told her.
Even if Hazel Rath did know where the key was kept, it is di