ching the contents
of a trunk that stood in the room. Here they had brought to light a bag
of tools and a variety of garments, hats, and wigs evidently used as
disguises.

As they now displayed these trophies before the eyes of the bewildered
French woman, the last vestige of hope she had cherished vanished and
she burst into tears.

"Alas, alas!" sobbed she. "He was a bad man. I am convinced of it now.
And yet I cannot believe he was entirely bad."

"No one is all bad--thank Heaven," the chief responded, as he gathered
together the things that had been found, sent his men below, and having
said farewell, closed the door upon the weeping French woman. Then, as
he and Christopher went soberly downstairs, he added:

"Poor woman--she was all cut up. Everybody who goes wrong breaks
somebody's heart. He's bound to. The destinies of all of us are so
entangled with other persons that there is no such thing as living only
to ourselves. Consider, for example, how many individuals this Stuart
came in contact with--your father, yourself, Hollings, Rhinehart, and
these unlucky French people. He might as well have touched those lives
for good as for evil. And we are only a small part of the men and women
he has run up against during his existence. When I think of that, it
turns me pretty sober. The influence each of us exerts reaches a so much
wider circle than we realize that it certainly behooves us to make the
power we hold as strong for good as we are able, doesn't it?"

Christopher nodded gravely. Little more was said until the Burton and
Norcross store was reached, where, parting from their blue-uniformed
companions, Christopher and the inspector ascended to the firm's private
offices. Here on the desk of the senior partner Corrigan proceeded to
unwrap and display the treasure he had recovered. There was a sparkling
diamond pendant, two or three broaches, a sapphire-studded bracelet, and
the much-lamented and long-sought-for ring.

"You can identify it, can you, Mr. Burton?" questioned the officer, as
he passed it over for examination.

"Anywhere on earth, I believe," replied the jeweler. "The setting has
not even been disturbed. Nevertheless, to make certainty more sure, let
us send for Hollings and for Rhinehart, our expert."

"By all means."

Mr. Burton touched a bell and gave the order and while waiting for it to
be obeyed sat regarding the heap of flashing baubles lying before him.

"Somebody beside ourselves