trunks," said Adam.

"Probosces, I imagine you mean," suggested Johnson.

"Yes--that was it. Their probosces," said Adam. "They were great
honey-gatherers, those elephants--far better than the bees, because they
could make so much more of it in a given time."

Munchausen shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I'm outclassed by these
antediluvians," he said.

"Gentlemen! gentlemen!" cried Sir Walter. "These interruptions are
inexcusable!"

"That's what I think," said the stranger, with some asperity. "I'm having
about as hard a time getting this story out as I would if it were a
serial. Of course, if you gentlemen do not wish to hear it, I can stop;
but it must be understood that when I do stop I stop finally, once and for
all, because the tale has not a sufficiency of dramatic climaxes to
warrant its prolongation over the usual magazine period of twelve months."

"Go on! go on!" cried some.

"Shut up!" cried others--addressing the interrupting members, of course.

"As I was saying," resumed the stranger, "I felt confident that within an
hour, in some way or other, that case would be placed in my hands. It
would be mine either positively or negatively--that is to say, either the
person robbed would employ me to ferret out the mystery and recover the
diamonds, or the robber himself, actuated by motives of self-preservation,
would endeavor to direct my energies into other channels until he should
have the time to dispose of his ill-gotten booty. A mental discussion of
the probabilities inclined me to believe that the latter would be the
case. I reasoned in this fashion: The person robbed is of exalted rank.
She cannot move rapidly because she is so. Great bodies move slowly. It is
probable that it will be a week before, according to the etiquette by
which she is hedged about, she can communicate with me. In the first
place, she must inform one of her attendants that she has been robbed. He
must communicate the news to the functionary in charge of her residence,
who will communicate with the Home Secretary, and from him will issue the
orders to the police, who, baffled at every step, will finally address
themselves to me. 'I'll give that side two weeks,' I said. On the other
hand, the robber: will he allow himself to be lulled into a false sense of
security by counting on this delay, or will he not, noting my habit of
occasionally entering upon detective enterprises of this nature of my own
volition, come to me at once