an of the highest
character--honourable, truthful, and in every way trustworthy. I have
never, in all my experience of him, known him to deviate a
hair's-breadth from the strictest honour and honesty of conduct."

"You regarded him as a man of irreproachable character. Is that so?"

"That is so; and my opinion of him is unchanged."

"Has he, to your knowledge, any expensive or extravagant habits?"

"No. His habits are simple and rather thrifty."

"Have you ever known him to bet, gamble, or speculate?"

"Never."

"Has he ever seemed to be in want of money?"

"No. He has a small private income, apart from his salary, which I know
he does not spend, since I have occasionally employed my broker to
invest his savings."

"Apart from the thumb-print which was found in the safe, are you aware
of any circumstances that would lead you to suspect the prisoner of
having stolen the diamonds?"

"None whatever."

Mr. Anstey sat down, and as Mr. Hornby left the witness-box, mopping the
perspiration from his forehead, the next witness was called.

"Inspector Sanderson!"

The dapper police officer stepped briskly into the box, and having been
duly sworn, faced the prosecuting counsel with the air of a man who was
prepared for any contingency.

"Do you remember," said Sir Hector, after the usual preliminaries had
been gone through, "what occurred on the morning of the tenth of March?"

"Yes. A note was handed to me at the station at 10.23 a.m. It was from
Mr. John Hornby, and stated that a robbery had occurred at his premises
in St. Mary Axe. I went to the premises and arrived there at 10.31 a.m.
There I saw the prosecutor, Mr. John Hornby, who told me that a parcel
of diamonds had been stolen from the safe. At his request I examined the
safe. There were no signs of its having been forced open; the locks
seemed to be quite uninjured and in good order. Inside the safe, on the
bottom, I found two good-sized drops of blood, and a slip of paper with
pencil-writing on it. The paper bore two blood-smears and a print of a
human thumb in blood."

"Is this the paper?" asked the counsel, passing a small slip across to
the witness.

"Yes," replied the inspector, after a brief glance at the document.

"What did you do next?" "I sent a message to Scotland Yard acquainting
the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department with the facts, and
then went back to the station. I had no further connection with the
case."

Sir Hecto