! He looked like one of R. Caton Woodville's drawings
of Indian mutiny officers, with that flowing black beard; very
conspicuous among all these smooth chins. Forbes determined to sketch
him.

He was rather sorry not to see Thomas at the table. Was Haggerty after
him with the third degree? Poor devil! It did not seem possible; yet
all the evidence pointed to Thomas. Why should Jameson say that he had
seen sapphires if he had not? Still, the thing that did not add up was
the position with which Thomas had allied himself to the Killigrews.
Hang it, there was a figure missing. Haggerty was right. A man with
any sympathy had no business man-hunting.

After dinner Crawford sought Forbes. "Have you any fire-arms with you,
Mort?" he whispered.

"A pair of automatics. Why . . ."

"Sh! Please hustle and get them and ask no questions. Hurry!"

CHAPTER XXIII

"Mr. Killigrew," whispered Haggerty, "will you get Miss Kitty an'
Thomas int' th' study-end o' th' library?"

"Found anything?"

"Th' sapphires were in his trunk, all right. Tucked away in th' toes
of a pair o' shoes. Webb is in th' library now. Jus' get Miss Kitty."

"Very well," replied Killigrew, leaden-hearted.

Thomas had been busy all day. He was growing very tired, and often now
the point of his pen sputtered. The second man had brought in his
dinner and set it on a small stand which stood at the right of the
desk. It was growing cold on the tray. A sound. He glanced up
wearily. He saw Kitty and Killigrew, and behind them the sardonic
visage of Haggerty. Thomas got up slowly.

"Take it easy, Mr. Webb," warned Haggerty. "Go on, Miss Killigrew, an'
we'll see first if you've hit it."

Thomas stared, wide-eyed, from face to face. What in heaven's name had
happened? What was this blighter of a detective doing at the villa?
And why was Kitty so white?

"Mr. Webb," began Kitty, striving hard to maintain even tones, "on the
night of May 13, you and Lord Henry Monckton stood on the curb outside
my carriage, near the Garden, where I was blockaded in the fog. I
heard your voices. There was talk about a wager. The time imposed
upon the fulfilment of this wager was six months. Shortly after, Lord
Monckton entered my carriage under the pretense of getting into his own
and took my necklace of sapphires. He did it very cleverly. Then they
were turned over to you. You were to carry them for six months, find
out to whom they belong