on
into her confidence--and, crowning blunder! took his advice. Mr.
Lyttleton conceived a magnificently romantic scheme. Walter was to
come to New Bedford, secretly hire a motor-boat, and be off the
harbour here at a certain hour of night. Mr. Lyttleton was to
leave the jewels in a designated spot at the foot of the cliffs. At an
agreed signal between the yacht and Adele's window Walter was to come
in, at dead of night, and get the jewels, return to the mainland,
discharge his boat, go to Boston, pawn the jewels, and be here in good
time the next day.

"Walter, notified of this arrangement by letter to New York, fell in
with it heart and soul. More stupidity, you see. Worse yet, he put it
into effect. The arrangement was actually carried out last night. And
again their luck turned against them. It so happened that both Miss
Manwaring and Mr. Trego were sleepless last night and observed certain
details of the conspiracy; and to make matters worse, it was the very
night chosen by the thief to steal _my_ jewels.

"When that came out they were all in panic--Walter, Adele, and Mr.
Lyttleton. They put their empty heads together to think what was best
to be done to avert suspicion from themselves. Miss Manwaring was the
real stumbling-block. She knew far too much, and had proved rather
difficult to manage. Among them they evolved another brilliant scheme:
Miss Manwaring must be kidnapped and hidden away in a safe place until
the trouble had blown over. Miss Manwaring having ostensibly confessed
her guilt by flight, suspicion of complicity in the theft would be
diverted from Walter, Adele, and Lyttleton; though they had
positively no hand in the thing, they lacked the courage of their
innocence, and they argued that, when in their own good time they set
the girl at liberty, she would be wanted by the police and would never
again dare show her face where it might be recognised. Not only
stupid, you see, but cold-bloodedly selfish as well.

"Walter undertook to manage the business. He hired a rascally
chauffeur of his acquaintance and commandeered a closed car from my
own garage, figuring that the kidnapping would be an accomplished fact
long before the machine could be wanted, while its absence would never
arouse comment on a fete night. He then induced Miss Manwaring to
consent to meet him in a conveniently secluded spot near the gates. I
overheard something, enough to lead me to suspect there was something
wrong afoot, and