nes have utterly and completely disappeared."

"And no other jewels besides?"

"Not a solitary one, Mr. Headland."

"Rum sort of a thief, wasn't it, to cut off with only half the booty?
The duchess must have had lots of other jewels and there were Mrs.
Glossop's, too. Those superb rings of yours, for instance, madam, fancy
a burglar getting in and not paying his respects to those. Pardon
me----" Her hand a-glitter with splendid flashing diamonds was resting
on the edge of the tea table. He bent over and looked at them closely.
Naturally she resented this under the circumstances, but though her
cheeks flushed she let the hand rest where it was until he had studied
it to his heart's content.

"May I say, Mr. Headland, that all her Grace's jewels have been
identified by her banker, to whose care the police have returned them,"
she said with just the shadow of an indignant note in her low, sweet
voice. "These have been in my possession for years, thank you. A
thousand people can testify to that; and the insinuation is not nice."

"My dear madam, I assure you I had not the slightest thought----"

"Very likely not. As a matter of fact, I don't see how you could, Mr.
Headland; but under these distressing and extraordinary circumstances it
was an unhappy attention and a most suggestive one. Pray say no more
about it. You are at liberty, Mr. Narkom, to show Mr. Headland over the
house whenever he chooses to investigate it."

And as he chose to investigate it at that moment the superintendent led
the way to the death chamber forthwith.

"I say, old chap, that was a bit thick, and no mistake," whispered
Narkom as they went up the stairs. "To be talking about the dead woman's
jewels and then to stoop and examine Mrs. Glossop's own--a woman worth
millions!"

"Clear your mind of the idea that I meant to suggest anything of that
sort at all, Mr. Narkom," Cleek replied. "It was the beauty of the rings
themselves that appealed to me--that, and the wonder of the
circumstances."

"Circumstances? What circumstances?"

"Two very extraordinary ones. First: why a woman of such evident taste,
breeding, and position as Mrs. Glossop should choose to load her fingers
with diamond rings in the daytime; and, second, why she should choose
this particular day of all others to do so."

"Possibly she neglected to take them off when she went to bed last night
and, in the excitement of the things which have happened since, has
thought no m