pistol at the real burglar's head, and then, having aided Walter to
turn the tables, ran away. So far, good; Walter booted the
burglar out of the house, loaded up with the jewels, and left to
rejoin Adele. But fate would have it that he should meet Miss
Manwaring again in the Grand Central Station."

She paused for breath, then summed up with an amused smile: "There was
a most embarrassing contretemps: a broken desk and empty safe at home
to be accounted for, whether or not they attempted to swindle the
insurance company; and if they did make the attempt--and remember,
they were desperate for money--a witness to be taken care of. They
couldn't let Miss Manwaring go and tell the story of her adventure
promiscuously, as she had every right to if she chose, for if it got
to the ears of the insurance people their plot would fail, and they
were none too sure that they were not liable to be sent to jail for
conspiracy with intent to defraud. So they cooked up a story to
account for Miss Manwaring and brought her here, knowing that I had
recently dismissed Miss Matring. And immediately, as was quite right
and proper, everything began to go wrong.

"To begin with, the insurance people proved sceptical, largely through
Walter's stupidity. It seems that certain evidences had been left in
the house of Miss Manwaring's presence there with what we may call, I
presume, Walter's permission, the fatal night. The servants who
discovered the burglary noticed these evidences and mentioned them in
their telegram. Walter hurried back to New York to hush the servants
up. He wasn't successful, and the fact that he had endeavoured to
cover something came to the attention of the police, and, inevitably,
through them to the insurance company.

"Then Miss Manwaring turned out to be a young woman of uncommon
character, less gullible than they had reckoned; also, I may say
without undue self-conceit, they had underestimated me. I grew
suspicious, and questioned Miss Manwaring; she was too honest to want
to lie to me and too sensible to try.

"Meantime the need of money grew daily more urgent. They decided that
Walter must pawn the jewels in Boston. They could be redeemed piece by
piece when money was more plentiful. But the jewels were here, and
Walter in New York, and it would be insane for him to come here and
get them and then take them to Boston. In his emergency Adele went
Walter one better in the matter of stupidity. She took Mr. Lyttlet