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diff --git a/46006.txt b/46006.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8cfbdd1..0000000 --- a/46006.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7451 +0,0 @@ - THE BLACK TORTOISE - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Black Tortoise - Being the Strange Story of Old Frick's Diamond -Author: Frederick Viller -Release Date: June 16, 2014 [EBook #46006] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BLACK TORTOISE *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - - - THE BLACK TORTOISE - - _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick's Diamond_ - - - BY - - FREDERICK VILLER - - AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION FROM THE NORWEGIAN - BY - GERTRUDE HUGHES BRAEKSTAD - - - - GARDEN CITY NEW YORK - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - 1914 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1901, - BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO. - - - - - *CONTENTS* - - *PART I* - -CHAPTER - - I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America - II. Old Frick - III. Mr. Reginald Howell - IV. The Black Tortoise again - V. At the Police Station - VI. A Morning Visit - VII. Lawyer Jurgens - VIII. The Arrest - IX. The Photograph - - - *PART II* - - I. The Trial - II. The Photograph cannot lie - III. In the Dark - IV. Monk's Examination - V. The Most Important Chapter in the Book. Clara acts the - Detective - VI. Old Frick Again - VII. The Yacht *Deerhound* - - - - - *PART I* - - - - *THE BLACK TORTOISE* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *MONK CONTEMPLATES A VOYAGE TO AMERICA* - - -"I am off to America on Friday next." - -"What! off to America?" - -"Yes; I'm not joking." - -"Are you really serious? Fancy, going to America this time of the year, -at the end of November! It must be very important business which takes -you there! Can't you send some one else? You know Clara won't consider -her firstborn properly baptized if you don't stand godfather to him. -That ceremony is to take place next Sunday." - -"Unfortunately it is important business--very important business--that -only I can undertake. I am awfully sorry to disappoint your wife, but I -must go." - -This conversation took place in Monk's sitting-room. It was my usual -habit, on leaving my office at seven o'clock, to go up to Monk's rooms -and have a chat with him, and sometimes persuade him to come home with -me. - -I ought perhaps here to inform my readers that, some years before this -story begins, I had returned to my native country after having spent -several years abroad, where I had made a small competency as an -engineer. When I again saw Monk, the friend of my boyhood, I found he -had, strange to say, adopted the profession of private detective. As far -as I could understand, he carried on this business just as much out of -love for his work as for a means of earning his living, and had already -won himself a reputation by his shrewdness, honesty, and -disinterestedness. - -Monk's sudden announcement took my breath away; he had never for a -moment said a word about going to America before. - -"Is it a new case you have on hand?" I asked. - -"No; it is not a new case." - -I looked doubtingly at him; this was not the Monk I was accustomed to -see standing quietly before me with the handsome, open countenance, and -the intelligent grey eyes looking fearlessly into mine. - -He was now pacing restlessly up and down the floor. All at once he -stopped in front of me. - -"Can you stay with me this evening?" - -"Yes; with pleasure," I replied. "Clara has gone to the theatre with a -friend. I am therefore free, and it was my intention to propose to you -that we should spend the evening together." - -"That's right; let us have supper at once, for I have something to tell -you, and until I have done so I shall have no peace." - -Monk rang; and soon after we sat down to supper. My host ate scarcely -anything; indeed, he hardly attended to his duties as host, and could -not conceal his impatience to hasten the end of the meal. - -It was quite apparent that something unusual was the matter, so I got -through my supper as quickly as possible without interchanging many -words. - -When we returned again to the sitting-room, Monk placed me in one of his -comfortable chairs, and set before me some whiskey and water and cigars. -He himself lit a cigar, but soon threw it half-smoked into the fire. - -"You said you wanted to speak to me about something, Monk." - -"Yes; if you have patience to listen to me." - -"Of course I have!" - -A faint smile lit up Monk's dark countenance. - -"I have put your patience to a severe test over and over again with my -lectures on detective science, logic, deductions, and the like; but what -I have in mind this evening is nothing of that sort. Do you feel -inclined to hear a story about myself, the story of how it was I came to -be the kind of man I am, and to lead the life I do?" - -"My dear fellow," I answered, "I am more than ready to listen to you. -Any one can see that sometime or another something has happened to you -which has thrown a shadow over your existence; but, as you can -understand, one does not ask one's friends about that sort of thing. -One generally waits until one is approached." - -"You are right, and I ought to have told you all about it long ago; -especially as, for my part, I have nothing whatever to conceal. Yes, a -man is wrong to shut himself up in himself more than is necessary; and -in my case I am afraid I have been foolish, and doubly stupid, not to -have called to my aid a clever friend's assistance. I have stared -myself blind with trying to find a way out of the dark. It is, however, -wrong of me to call the affair my affair, since I no longer play any -part in it; but, in any case, it concerns some one who was as dear to me -as my own life. Are you prepared to listen to me? If so, you shall get -to know as much of my history as I know of it myself." - -"Go on, Monk; go on! If an honest man and an intelligent woman can help -you in any way, you have them at your disposal in Clara and myself." - -I stretched out my hand to him; Monk seized it and shook it heartily. -All doubt and restlessness on his side had vanished. In giving the -account of his story, I only wish that I could have given it in his own -clear language and striking words. To detail it in full is of course -impossible; but I will do the best I can, and if the narrative should -become tedious, or wanting in clearness, it is my fault, and not Monk's. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *OLD FRICK* - - -When we separated, about fifteen years ago (began Monk), that time you -went to Zurich to complete your studies as engineer, I went in seriously -for law, and was fortunate enough in four years' time to take my degree -with honours. - -My friends and teachers tried to persuade me to follow a scientific -career. An endowment could have been had from the university; and with -this, together with a small inheritance from my father, I could have -followed without trouble the beaten path to a professorship at the -university,--so I was told, at any rate. - -But this was not to my mind; to have got free from the student's bench -only to climb immediately to the dusty chair of a professor, seemed to -me anything but attractive. - -I first got a situation in the office of a government official, far up -in the country, where there was little to do, but plenty of game and -fishing; and I returned to Christiania the year after, a bearded, -red-cheeked, young Nimrod. - -Then I became the youngest inspector in the Christiania police office, -and spent about two years in fining young men for disorderly conduct in -the streets, and keeping order among the erratic female population of -the town. - -As you can well understand, it was hardly an occupation likely to -attract a man for any length of time, and I explained this to our -amiable chief superintendent when, one day, I placed my resignation on -his desk. - -"Stop a moment, my dear Monk," he said, with his genial smile. "Could -you not wait a little, before you hand in this resignation? I must -admit I have not found that you possess any special talent, either with -regard to arresting drunken students, or as a censor of vice; still, on -the other hand, I should be much deceived, after my many years of -experience, if you do not find your right sphere in the detective -department. Practically every one is aware that it is to you we owe our -success in the great post office robbery, although officially you had -nothing to do with it; and I, at any rate, know how well you cleared up -the Fjorstat murder. For many months I have been thinking of offering -you an appointment on the detective force. If you will take your -resignation back, you can consider the matter as settled." - -I gladly accepted the offer, but not until I had obtained a year's -leave; a year which I spent abroad in travel, to study languages and -life in the great countries. - -I need hardly mention how useful my stay abroad has been to me. - -I have no doubt that I found my right vocation when I joined the -detective police; especially if I am to take into consideration the -overwhelming praise which my superiors gradually poured upon me, or the -flattering attention which the papers and the public began to bestow -upon me. - -Monk paused, and for a few minutes paced up and down the floor, as was -his habit when he was deeply occupied in thought. - -Well, he continued, I think I have now given you an account of my life -until the day when the incident occurred which since has played such an -important part in my life, and continues to do so to this very day. - -It was a rainy and stormy night at the end of September, about seven -years ago, when, wet to the skin, and dead beat, I came driving up to my -lodgings in University Street. At that time I always had rooms on the -ground floor, so that I could get in and out quickly and unobserved. - -I had been on an expedition after some burglars high up on the Egeberg -hills. The expedition had been long and irksome, both for myself and my -assistants, and without result. - -I always employ the same cabman--you remember Peter Lyverson, of course? -Well, he had been waiting for us five hours in one of the small streets -in the East end, and was just as disappointed at the lack of success and -as wet as I was, so I thought it only right to ask him inside and give -him a stiff glass of brandy. - -Lyverson had just finished his glass, and with a profusion of thanks was -lighting a cigar and bowing himself out, when we heard a ring at the -telephone. - -"Wait a moment," I cried to him, and rushed to the apparatus. - -"Hello! are you Monk, the police detective?" - -"Yes; who is it?" - -"Bartholomew Frick of Drammen Road. Can you come out here at once? My -house has been broken into. I thought that a man like you would prefer -to be the first on the spot, and as quickly as possible!" - -"All right, I will come." - -It was not pleasant, for I was wet and tired; but business is business, -and Bartholomew Frick was right in saying that I liked to be the first -on the spot. Some minutes later the carriage was rolling along the -deserted streets in the pouring rain toward Drammen Road. - -I used the time, while we were on our way, to recall what I knew about -"Old Frick." - -Bartholomew or "Captain" Frick, as he was also called, had left Norway -when quite a young man--somewhere between twenty and thirty years of -age. For a generation or so no one heard anything of him, until suddenly -he returned to his native country, an old man. This was some years -before my story begins. - -He came to Christiania, bringing with him a whole shipload of -curiosities and costly articles, and was, on the whole, considered to be -a very rich man. - -His title of captain he presumably got from the fact that he had won his -fortune, so people said, as captain of a pirate ship, and later on as a -slave-dealer. - -A more likely explanation, and one which carried with it a greater -conviction of truth, was that he had acquired his fortune at gold -washing in Australia, and diamond digging in Africa. He had, in both -places, been one of the first to discover the rich treasures there. - -On his return to Christiania he bought himself a large house in Drammen -Road, and this he filled with the curiosities which he had collected and -brought with him from all quarters of the globe. - -After becoming settled, he began to look about him to make inquiries -regarding his family, and he found that his only remaining relations -were his brother's widow and two young children in needy circumstances. - -Apparently in order to make some reparation for his earlier neglect, he -overwhelmed the poor widow with benefactions, and brought the poor, weak -soul to a state of great bewilderment by placing large, and to her -notions fabulous, sums at her disposal. - -After a short time she died, and Frick then adopted her two children, a -boy and a girl, and it was generally assumed that they would inherit his -wealth. - -Old Frick was a well-known figure in Christiania, and had a widespread -reputation for his riches, benevolence, and--irascibility. - -The house is situated just outside Skillebek, as you must know. I -should not wonder, however, if you have never seen him, although your -house is not far from his property, for during the last few years old -Frick has been confined to his house, an invalid, and he never shows -himself outside of it. As it usually happens, the indifference of the -world to him now is just as great as its interest in him and his affairs -was at one time. - -Presently, the carriage drew up before an iron gate, which was -immediately opened by a man, the coachman of the house, with a lantern -in his hand. - -Words were unnecessary; he was prepared for my arrival, and I followed -him immediately up to the house. - -We went along a passage and passed one or two rooms, in the last of -which stood some servants whispering together, until we came, at length, -into a large room or salon which was lighted up. - -This salon presented a motley appearance. Some of the furniture was -old-fashioned, and some of it modern. There were tropical plants in -large tubs; Venetian pier glasses on the walls, having between them -large cases filled with wonders from all climes, and of all ages; -stuffed animals in the middle of the room and in the corners. On a -shelf stood some heavy altar candelabra from an old church, and from a -neighbouring shelf hung a lamp, doubtless stolen from some Hindoo -temple. On a bracket, opposite a clock worked by sand, a relic of the -Middle Ages, ticked a splendid specimen of a modern Parisian timepiece. -Indeed, I might go on forever enumerating the extraordinary and -wonderful assortment of curiosities that met one's eye at every turn. - -In spite of this conglomeration, the room was not unpleasant. My first -impression--and later it proved to be correct--was that, though all -these things had been brought together by Bartholomew Frick, they had -been arranged by his niece. - -At one end of the room only was there any noticeable disorder. There -several chairs were overturned, a couple of cupboards stood wide open, -and a window was entirely smashed, both glass and woodwork. The storm -and rain, however, did not beat in, as this room lay to the leeward side -of the house, and the cheerful fire in the grate at the other end of the -room impressed one with a sense of warmth and comfort. - -By the fireside sat old Frick in an armchair. On the mantelpiece before -him lay a large American revolver, with brightly polished barrel, and -leaning against his chair was an enormous Prussian cavalry sword. - -The master of the house was clad in a large-patterned dressing-gown and -slippers, and he got up at once when I came in. - -At his side stood his brother's children, a fine young fellow with an -honest face, and a very pretty young girl. - -Old Frick himself could hardly be considered handsome. He had a large, -fat, red face, with an enormous reddish-blue nose, white bushy hair, -which stuck out in unkempt tufts, and a white, thick heard under his -chin. His eyes were light, and generally friendly: but when he was -angry, which not seldom happened, they changed into a kind of greenish -colour, which was anything but pleasant to see. - -Every human being is said to resemble some animal or another in -appearance; Bartholomew Frick would not have done discredit to a Bengal -tiger. - -He came quickly across to me, and pressed my hand in his own large ones; -they were of the fulness and size of a walrus's flippers. He was stout, -broad, and thick-set, but moved about with youthful energy, although -somewhat clumsily. - -"Oh, are you here already, Mr. Monk? Glad to see you! It isn't more -than twenty minutes since I rang you up through the telephone; that's -smart work if you like! That's the thing, young man, promptitude above -everything! It is the most important thing in the world. How do you -think Napoleon managed to conquer the whole of Europe? What do you -think it was that helped him? His promptitude, my friend, and nothing -else. Don't talk to me of generalship or anything of that sort. He was -smarter and quicker than every one else, and that's the reason he could -do what he liked with them all. - -"But now you must hear how it all happened with regard to the -burglary--ah, you wink at me, Sigrid? I suppose you mean that I must -first introduce you to Mr. Monk? Very well! This is my niece, Sigrid -Frick, and that is my nephew, Einar Frick; both are the joy and stay of -my old age. But now what about the--what are you now making signs -about, Einar? I suppose you mean Mr. Monk should be asked to take a -seat." - -"And a glass of wine," whispered the young girl, casting a compassionate -glance at my wet clothes. - -"Yes, of course: Mr. Monk shall sit down and have everything he wants. -But meanwhile I can in a few words tell him how it all happened." - -Bartholomew Frick was, however, not a man of few words, and it took some -time before I got to know how he had lain sleepless, kept awake by a -"devilish unpleasant pain in his big toe," and so toward one o'clock had -heard a strange sound in the room below,--for he slept just over the -salon where we sat. - -The old man had lost not a minute in getting out of bed; he had seized a -loaded revolver, which always lay at hand on his table, and a sword, -which was also within reach, both mementos, no doubt, of his adventurous -life. - -Thus armed, and with slippers on his feet, but with no other clothes on -than his nightshirt, he had crept down the stairs and slowly opened the -door of the salon. - -Here he saw two men, who were quietly at work breaking open his -cupboards and emptying their most valuable contents into a sack. - -"I first of all fired two shots at their heads," continued Frick; "but -when the smoke had lifted, I saw they were both as alive as ever, and on -their way to the window to escape. I rushed after them with the sword, -and they would not have got away alive if I had not stumbled over that -confounded panther!" and he pointed to a large stuffed panther which lay -overturned on its side in the middle of the room. - -"But you might have killed them, uncle!" faltered the young girl, -reproachfully. - -"Yes, killed them! I only wish I had hacked them to sausage-meat! But -just listen; now comes the most irritating part of all. Only one of the -scoundrels could get out through the open window, for the one half has -no hinges on it and does not open; so the other fellow, who evidently -didn't think he had time to escape before I came up, disappeared head -foremost, through both glass and framework. But he didn't get through -quickly enough, for when I got away from the confounded panther, his -left leg was still hanging inside the window ledge. 'You shan't take -that with you, at any rate,' thought I, for now I was only a couple of -yards from him, and the sword was just raised above my head, ready to -strike, when, one of my feet caught in the jaw of the ice bear, and over -I fell for the second time. - -"Yes, you laugh! Perhaps you do not believe me? But I tell you, if -that ice bear had not been in the way, I should have been able at this -moment to place on the table before you the rascal's foot, and perhaps a -bit of his leg as well. Here, you can see for yourself; the sword just -cut off the heel with a bit of the sole, and more than that I could not -manage; but another inch or two would have done it." - -He triumphantly put before me a broad heel, with a bit of the sole -attached, evidently cut from the boot with a powerful stroke. - -"This was the only bit of the scoundrel that was left behind; the rest -of him ran across the garden, over the railings, and out into the road. -The revolver had also fallen from my grasp, or else I should have tried -a couple more shots after them. I once shot a Zulu at seventy paces, -with the same revolver; he had stolen a hen from me, the rascal!" - -I didn't quite know what to think of such a bloodthirsty old man. But a -certain humorous twinkle in his eyes gave me to understand that this was -not genuine, and, as the young people didn't try to hide their -merriment, we all three had a good laugh. - -I afterward learned that old Frick suffered from many of the defects -which are so often the outcome of a hard and adventurous life, such as -he had led from his youth to old age: stubbornness, waywardness, and -tyrannical contempt for the feelings of others when his own were -aroused. Otherwise his heart was soft, and as good as gold. - -It was plain to see that the burglary had not in the least ruffled his -temper. On the contrary, he felt himself considerably enlivened with -this reminder of a life which had been full of such scenes. - -At last he finished his description of how the thieves had disappeared, -the house had become aroused, and I telephoned for, etc., with the -result known. But what he was especially proud about was that he had -given orders that nothing should be touched or moved in the room after -the burglary. - -"I myself have been a policeman," he said. "I was sheriff in Ballarat -for three years in succession, and I had charge of many investigations -there. One thing I have learned by experience, and that is, that the -place of a crime must remain untouched until the police arrive, -otherwise it is impossible for them to get to work." - -I thanked him for his thoughtfulness and presence of mind, which seemed -to please him. - -I have described this, my first meeting with old Frick, so fully, not -because it is of any great importance to my story, but because it will, -perhaps, give you some idea of the man and his characteristics. - -Next I proceeded to examine the scene of the burglary. It was just as -Frick had said, nothing had been touched or moved. Even the sack which -the thieves had used to stow away their spoil in, lay there on the -floor, just as they had flung it from them when they took to flight. - -Several of the cupboards in the room had been filled with gold and -silver articles, and precious stones. It was a complete museum; and the -thieves had, so far, carried out a sensible plan in having broken open -all the cupboards and drawers, but only putting into the bag the -articles which were of the most value and the easiest of transport. -Otherwise, there was little else to discover. We could follow the -tracks of the thieves through the garden, over the palings, and out into -Drammen Road; but they had left nothing behind them except old Frick's -trophy, the heel with the bit of sole adhering, and the sack. - -This was emptied, and the contents set in their places in the cupboards. -Nothing seemed to be missing; and as each article was numbered, and the -place in which it was to stand, it was an easy matter to control them. - -Suddenly Miss Frick clasped her hands together, and exclaimed:-- - -"But the tortoise, uncle! the tortoise is gone! - -"It is a precious gem we have given that name--a large diamond set in -gold, and in the shape of a tortoise," she added, when she saw my -puzzled expression. - -"That is the most valuable of all my collection," continued Frick. "I -don't know what the diamond can be worth when it is polished, but all I -know is that I have been offered L2000 for it as it is now. It is -black." - -He raked about with his large fingers at the bottom of the sack, and -finally turned it inside out, but there was no diamond tortoise. Then -the room, and at last the garden, and the nearest part of Drammen Road -were searched most carefully by aid of the lantern, but without result. - -"How large was the tortoise?" I asked. - -"It could at a pinch be hidden in the hollow of a man's hand,--say about -two inches in diameter with the setting." - -It was now nearly three o'clock in the morning. There was no more for me -to do there, so I prepared to take my departure. - -The old man began again to lament the loss of the diamond, and -complained in the most energetic manner that he had not been able to -shoot, or cut in two, the rascals who had robbed him. - -"It would be stupid of me to promise anything," said I; "but, for my own -part, I am pretty sure we shall have the birds caged before many days, -and that we shall secure the diamond as well." - -With these words, I took my departure, put the cut-off heel bits in my -pocket, and went home. - -My thoughts on the way were naturally taken up with what I had heard and -seen at Bartholomew Frick's. - -But, remarkably enough, it was the young girl, Miss Frick, upon whom my -thoughts dwelt most of all. I had only heard her speak a few words, and -this was the first time I had seen her face; but she attracted me -strangely. I have never been of an impressionable nature, and no woman -had ever had much of an attraction for me. So I was astonished to find -how clearly her image stood out before me after the few hours we had -been together. I already felt a strong desire to please her--a desire -to do something which would compel her admiration. - -You must, in any case, get the diamond back for her uncle, I thought; -women naturally set value upon a detective's skill. It will at any rate -please her uncle, and bring me into her society again. - -I had at once noticed that the robbery at Frick's was of a simple and -not very complicated kind; and though the matter from a professional -stand-point had not interested me particularly, it had suddenly become -invested with a new importance. - -As soon as I arrived home, I hurriedly changed my wet clothes, made -myself a cup of coffee over the spirit lamp, and then took out the piece -of heel. - -It was a broad, strong heel, with an iron rim round it, and entirely -new, just like the sole. It did not seem to have belonged to the usual -kind of cheap boots which our ordinary criminals are apt to patronize; -at the same time it did not seem to have belonged to the better class of -foot-gear. The heel somehow seemed to me to be familiar, a vague -recollection of something set my brain to work. - -Ah, suddenly I saw it all! The heel and sole belonged to the same sort -of shoes, in fact they were a perfect match to a pair which had just -helped the police to circumstantial evidence by an impression on soft -soil in a similar case. It was the same kind of boot with which the -prison society provides discharged prisoners, so that they shall not be -entirely shoeless when they come out of prison. - -One of the thieves must be a discharged prisoner, I went on reasoning. -The boots are quite new; he must, therefore, have been just lately -released,--in all probability yesterday morning. The burglary must have -been planned and the necessary watch on the house undertaken by a -confederate who, of course, must have been at large for some time -previous. - -Ten minutes later I stood in the anteroom to my office at the police -station. It was not yet morning. The official on duty sat and dozed -over the stove. - -"Find out from the ledger, if any of our burglars have been discharged -from jail in the course of the last two or three days," I asked. - -It is, unfortunately, a fact, that a large majority of crime is -committed by prisoners who have just been let out of jail, and we -therefore carefully keep a register of those who are let loose. - -In the meanwhile, I went into the guardroom and ordered two constables -to follow me. - -"Black John, the Throndhjemer, as you perhaps remember, sir, was -discharged yesterday morning; I don't see any others. - -"That's all right! find out where he hangs about when he is out." - -"I know him well, sir. He generally puts up at 'Fat Bertha's,' she who -has the coffee-house and lodgings for travellers up by Vaalerengen. But -he often frequents the sheds in the brick fields and round about there." - -I always had a trap in readiness at the police station, and in a quarter -of an hour I, and two officers in plain clothes, stopped at a suitable -distance from Fat Bertha's lodging-house. - -Black John was not there, however, and we began to search among the -brick ovens. - -Daylight was just breaking when we came to the second oven, and the -workmen were arriving with their tin cans in hand. Two men crept out on -the other side and began to run across a ploughed field which adjoined -one of the sheds. - -We set off after them; but it seemed as if they had got too much of a -start, and were likely to get away from us in the morning mist. - -Suddenly one of them began to drop behind, and we soon had him between -us. We let the other one get away for the time being. - -The fellow we had got hold of swore and cursed, but otherwise made no -resistance. - -"If it hadn't been for that sore foot of mine, the police wouldn't have -got me this time," he bawled. - -We followed the direction of his look, and saw how his left foot had -forced its way through the shoe, which was dragging about his ankle. - -Black John's volubility did not deceive me. I kept a sharp eye on all -his movements. While he, with a kind of raw good nature, joked with the -constables, he slowly passed one hand behind him, and with a deft -movement threw a small parcel some ten or twelve paces behind him. - -"You had better leave tricks of that sort alone, Black John," I said in -a friendly tone, stepping back and picking up a dirty little packet -wrapped in a greasy piece of _The Morning Post_. - -Inside three or four wrappers of the same sort I found the strangest -object I had ever seen. - -It was a large black diamond, of a flattened oval shape, tapering at the -ends. It was set in a broad gold rim of the same form as the stone, -and, to make its likeness to a tortoise more complete, a head was -introduced, together with a little stumpy tail, and four knobs -underneath, to represent feet,--all of gold. In the head shone two -green precious stones for eyes. - -"Oh, no; it won't be of much use to me, I can see," said Black John, -resignedly. "I suppose I am in for another year or two." - -He exhibited a subtle humour, while he tramped along to the town between -the two policemen. The effects of just-from-prison libations did not -seem quite to have left him. - -"Ours is a hard sort of a profession, sir," he continued confidentially. -"I think it's just as well to be a convict all one's life. Then one -wouldn't get such frights at night. Such a one as I had last night!" - -"Were you frightened, then, last night, in the Drammen Road?" I asked -sympathetically. - -"Frightened, indeed! What would you say, sir, if you were busy rooting -about in a house at night, when you thought all was quiet and still, and -an old ourang-outang in a shirt were suddenly to appear before you with -a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other, firing away at you till -the bullets whistled about your ears?" - -In this kind of jocular strain he talked until we reached the town, -where we parted. - - * * * * * - -It was half-past twelve, and the sun was shining brightly when I again -rang the bell at old Frick's in the Drammen Road. - -I had slept a few hours, handed in my report to the superintendent, and -now I wanted to have the pleasure of giving old Frick his diamond back -again. - -I had taken a little more trouble than usual about my toilet; you can -guess the reason why. - -I was very pleased to find Miss Frick alone when I was ushered into the -sitting-room. I thus had an opportunity of exchanging a few words with -her; for when old Frick came in I knew only too well who would take up -all the conversation. - -She received me in a friendly manner, and when, without further ado, I -showed her the diamond, she clapped her hands in joyful surprise. - -"How glad uncle will be! When he once gets it back again he will look -upon last night's affair as an exceedingly pleasant diversion. May I -take it to him?" - -"Yes, of course!" - -"It was I who advised him to telephone to you in the night, Mr. Monk, -and to-day I also assured him that you would be certain to find his -tortoise again." - -"It is a great pleasure, Miss Frick, to find you have such confidence in -inc. May I ask how you got to know of my name?" - -The young girl blushed a little. "We have often read about you in the -papers, and Einar tells me there isn't a case which you cannot clear -up." - -"I must thank your brother for his flattering opinion, and I am indebted -to the burglars of last night for giving me this opportunity of making -your acquaintance and the acquaintance with your family." - -"But you must excuse me a moment, Mr. Monk. I must hurry away and find -uncle and give him the diamond. I haven't even told him you are here!" - -She ran out of the room, and I looked after her, enraptured. She was -even prettier by daylight than by lamplight. Light, reddish-golden -hair, blue eyes, a straight nose, and a beautiful shapely mouth, yet not -of the smallest. As for her figure, it was that of a veritable Diana as -she vanished from the room. - -I stood looking out of the window, when the door opened. - -I turned round hastily, and at first I thought it was Miss Frick who had -come back again. But the next moment I discovered that it was a young -girl whom I had not seen before, who stood hesitating on the threshold. - -She was also tall, fair, and slight, and with something of the same -grace in her movements. Indeed, both in her movements and carriage she -was wonderfully like Miss Frick. Nor was her face and especially the -shape of her head unlike Miss Frick's, but her hair was much redder, her -lips thinner, and her mouth more sharply moulded. Her eyes were -certainly blue and pretty, but they wore a colder expression. - -I thought at first it was Miss Frick's sister, but a glance at the -small, coquettish, servant-maid's cap told me she held a different -position in the house. - -With an excuse she hurriedly left the room; she had thought Miss Frick -was there. - -Scarcely had she shut the door after her before Miss Frick again -appeared, and as she saw perhaps that I looked a bit puzzled, she gave a -low laugh and said:-- - -"You have seen my double, I suppose? She didn't know any one was here. -All strangers are astonished at the likeness between Evelina and me. She -is my lady's-maid." - -"The likeness does not strike me as being so great," I answered; "do you -think so yourself? I should never make such a mistake as taking her for -you." - -"Oh yes, indeed!" she replied; "at first it was almost unpleasant to me. -Her father was, in his line, a well-to-do artisan, but things went badly -with him, and he took to drink. The mother is not a very desirable -person either, and so my uncle, who had known them many years, proposed -that I should take the daughter as my maid." - -It was a pleasure to me to talk with this pretty young girl. She was -more natural and free from any affectation than any young woman I had -met. It was easy to see she had plenty of common sense, and was well -educated. - -Mr. Frick did not tarry long. He came waddling in, clad in a -large-checked, English pea-jacket, his full-blown face beaming like the -sun. He was not satisfied this time with shaking one of my hands, but -seized both in his gigantic paws. His praise of my skill was quite -overwhelming and it was only by the greatest effort that I got him to -change the subject. - -After that followed an invitation to dinner at "Villa Ballarat," as he -called the house. He would like to have a full description of how I had -managed to discover the thieves. - -This invitation clashed with my engagements that day, and I should have -felt almost duty bound to refuse it, had I not happened to look at Miss -Frick. - -It appeared to me as if I could read something in her face which spoke -of anxious expectation, and--I accepted the invitation. - -The dinner went off very well. Old Frick told us how he had first -become possessed of the tortoise; that, however, I will return to later. - -Happily there was another person present who could listen to old Frick, -while I had a much more interesting conversation with Miss Frick. - -Young Einar, who seemed a fine young fellow, and whose occupation it was -to keep his uncle's books and accounts, alone emptied a bottle of -Pleidsieck monopole, and then stole away immediately after dinner with a -good supply of his uncle's Havana cigars, to have a game of billiards at -the Grand Hotel. - -Before I left Villa Ballarat, I had another talk with old Frick, of a -more serious nature. I represented to him how wrong it was to let so -many costly articles as those he had gathered together, lie unprotected -against thieves and burglars. - -"You have seen yourself, Mr. Frick," I said, "how you tempt people to -become housebreakers." - -Old Frick showed himself for once amenable to advice. - -"Come and see me to-morrow," he said; "I should like to have your -opinion as to how I ought to arrange my things. The house here is -becoming too small for me; I expect a guest in a few days. What do you -say to my building a pavilion out in the garden, and arranging it -specially as a museum or as a place of custody for all my curiosities? -If I built the pavilion expressly for this purpose, I ought to be able -to make it sufficiently proof against thieves. I could use iron safes, -iron bars before the windows, electric-alarm apparatus, and suchlike. -So long as I am well and able to move about, I can look after my -things,--as you have seen I did last night; but when I get older, it -will be more difficult. One cannot depend upon the young people in the -house." - -By sufficiently encouraging this plan of his, I got him to start the -work, and within a month old Frick had a building constructed in the -garden, about forty yards from the house. A building which should serve -as a depository for all his collection, and at the same time give space -for his office, and containing a fire-proof room for money and important -documents. - -This building will, later on, play a part in my story, and I shall -therefore give a short description of it. - -It was built nearly square, and divided into two. The whole of the one -half was fitted up to receive Frick's collection. It formed a large -room with no windows, but was lighted from above. Over the skylights -were placed strong gilt iron bars to prevent entrance from above. - -The heavy iron shutters, which, being painted white and lacquered, -looked like innocent wooden boards, could be pulled down in front of the -cases when the museum was closed. - -These iron shutters were so well balanced with hidden counter weights -that the weakest child could move them up or down. They could be locked -with strong safety locks, of which Bartholomew Frick alone had the keys. - -The other half of the house was partitioned into two, forming a larger -and a smaller room. The larger did duty as Mr. Frick's office, and -there his nephew took up his residence in the morning among the heap of -business books. The smaller room, which, on account of the many feet -thick, brick walls, gave very little inside space, served as a -fire-proof room for money and documents. - -This room had no windows, and only one very solid, double iron door, -which led into the before-mentioned room used as the museum. - -It had been made according to my suggestion; for I reasoned thus: The -office is, as a matter of course, the least-protected room in the -building. It has windows, and necessarily a good many strangers will be -going in and out there. The safest thing is to let the one door to the -fire-proof room, where Frick likes to keep a large sum of ready money, -lead out into the museum. It is only frequented by the people of the -house and guests, and at night it is more secure against burglary than -the office. - -All round the garden there was an iron railing, twice as high as a man, -and people who were going to the house had to ring a bell at the iron -gate. - -At that time, when I made old Frick's acquaintance, he had invested a -great deal of his money in various enterprises, mostly industrial -undertakings, and especially such as would bring new trade and industry -to the country. - -He himself took no part in the management of these undertakings, and the -work in his office was not more than could be managed by himself and his -nephew. - -It was not long before I was a regular and, as far as I could perceive, -a welcome guest at the villa; indeed, all through the winter there was -scarcely a day when I did not visit there. - -Old Frick was never tired of asking me about news from the police -courts; but I soon realized that it was not so much my stories that -interested him, as the fact that for each of my stories, which I tried -to make as short as possible, he found opportunity to treat us to two or -three of his own, which always took a long time. - -He was, however, an admirable story-teller, and we often sat by the hour -together, listening to him with the greatest interest. - -Generally the party was limited to old Frick, Sigrid, and myself. Einar -was a gay young fellow, who spent a good deal of his time and his money -with his companions, and he gave us but little of his society. Thus the -three of us spent many pleasant evenings together. - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *MR. REGINALD HOWELL* - - -Here was my first letter from Miss Frick:-- - - -DEAR MR. MONK,--My uncle wants you to come and dine with us to-morrow at -five o'clock. He is expecting an Englishman to-day, a son of one of his -old Australian comrades, and would like you to make his acquaintance. - -Yours, SIGRID FRICK. - - -It was not a love letter, not even a friendly epistle, but quite the -most conventional piece of writing one could receive; and yet it caused -me great happiness when this note arrived, in the fine bold handwriting -I got to know so well. - -It was on a Saturday, a few days before Christmas. From the first day I -had seen Sigrid Frick, until now, I had employed the time in falling in -love as deplorably as ever a man can do, and I could see that my -attentions were not displeasing to her. And so, as a matter of course, -I accepted the invitation for dinner next day. - -On my arrival at Villa Ballarat, I found old Frick beaming with delight. - -"Here he is, Monk; here he is!--Reginald Howell, son of my old friend -Howell, who was the best man and the most faithful friend in the whole -world. I don't think my old friend, even when he was young, had such a -fine appearance as his son, here; but his heart was as true as gold, and -he was as reliable as a rock." - -It would have been difficult for old Frick to get away from his -reminiscences of old Howell, but luckily his niece recalled him to the -present by intimating that he ought to introduce me to the young -Englishman before he indulged in them further. - -He was a tall, handsome young fellow, about my own age, and of the dark -English type. His manners were easy and unaffected, as is usual with -Englishmen of good birth. - -There was nothing particularly attractive about his face, although he -had fine eyes, somewhat dark, almost black, in fact, but without the -fire in them that usually accompanies eyes of that colour. His manners -were rather insinuating, though not at all unpleasant. - -I gradually learned to like him fairly well. - -At first, it happened that he threw many a tender glance at Miss Frick, -and on that account I felt not a little inclined to quarrel with him. -But as this was only a repetition of what had happened in the past two -months with half a dozen other young men who visited Villa Ballarat, I -was sensible enough to allow these feelings to have only a momentary -hold upon me. - -He soon kept his eyes to himself, probably because he saw "how the land -lay," as the sailors have it. - -One thing which, in a great measure, spoke in the young Englishman's -favour, was his apparent modesty. - -When his father died the year before,--he had until then lived in -Australia,--the son decided to go to Europe, and he took his passage on -a sailing ship. But the vessel had caught fire in the open sea, and the -passengers and crew had had to take to the boats. Only one of the boats -had reached land--the one in which Reginald Howell and eight others had -saved themselves. But the boat foundered on a coral reef, and Mr. -Howell at last found himself, the only survivor, on a little island. The -natives were friendly to him, and after two months' stay there, he -sighted a ship which brought him to England. - -People seldom refuse to relate interesting stories when they concern -themselves; but it was only after repeated appeals from old Frick that -Mr. Howell was at last induced to give a very sober and curtailed -description of his adventurous voyage. - -It was easy to understand that he must have behaved very coolly and -bravely under such terrible circumstances, and that it was only due to -his presence of mind and courage that he was able to save himself, yet -he seldom spoke of himself, and then always in the most modest manner -possible. - -In short, he had the habit, owing either to the way in which he had been -brought up, or by nature, seldom or never of speaking about himself,--a -habit which never fails to make a favourable impression. - -When the young man came to England, he of course gave the authorities an -exact account of the wreck of the _Queen of the East_, and the fate of -the crew. The account had been published in several of the English -papers, and he laughingly proffered to show us some of these papers if -we found his verbal account not exhaustive enough. - -Mr. Howell had come to Norway at the express invitation of old Frick, -who, when he had heard of his old friend's death, had written and asked -the son to visit him in Norway. The young man had received Frick's -letter just when he was on the point of sailing from Australia--he had -already arranged previously to visit Europe--and had notified his -departure by telegraph. - -"You did right, Reginald, in coming as quickly as possible to your -father's old friend. I suppose you intend to spend the winter with us. -You can learn to go on 'ski' here; a fine sport, I can tell you. You -must live with us. I have had two rooms made ready for you here in -Villa Ballarat." - -Mr. Howell said he thought he would avail himself of the invitation for -one or two months; he was a keen sportsman, and had long ago made up his -mind to have a look at, and a try at, ski-running. - -"That's right," cried old Frick, clinking his champagne glass against -that of the Englishman. "The whole house and all that I possess is at -the disposal of my old friend's son. After dinner you shall hear what I -owe him. I don't suppose I need offer to assist you with any money, for -in his last letter to me your father wrote that he would leave you -everything he possessed, for your mother died when you were a little -boy, and you were the only child. Your father was not so very rich, but -I think he wrote something about L1200 a year." - -"Yes, thereabouts," replied the young man, good-naturedly, and smiling -at the kind old man's loquacity; "and that is more than enough for me." - -"Then perhaps I had better strike out your name from my will; it has, -until now, been standing beside those of Sigrid and Einar." - -We all laughed heartily and rose from the table. - -When we were drinking our coffee, and had lighted our cigars, old Frick -began the story of his friendship with Howell the elder, and the -adventures which had bound these two so closely together. - -To tell the truth, I tried my best to slip away, hoping for a chat alone -with Sigrid; but that couldn't be managed, and after having heard old -Frick's story, I must confess that only a man in love could dream of -anything more interesting than his account of it. - -I should like to give it in all its detail, and in old Frick's words, -but I cannot, and I must restrict myself to giving you the main points -in his story. - -Bartholomew Frick had left Norway and run away to sea in 1830; his -desire for adventure and his dislike for the schoolroom had driven him -to this. - -For many years he roamed about in the great East, in India, South -Africa, and Australia, sometimes as a sailor, and sometimes as a hunter -and adventurer on shore. - -Then, at the end of the forties, he found himself in Australia when the -gold fever was just beginning to rage. Soon after, a party of three -people started for Melbourne to proceed to the gold districts. One was -Frick, who was the eldest of them, and two Englishmen, Howell and Davis. - -The acquaintanceship of these three men--they were adventurers, but all -of good family--was not of long standing; but it developed, in the -course of the following year, into strong friendship and most faithful -comradeship. - -They led the usual life of gold diggers for many years, and sometimes, -when they were lucky, they would go off to Melbourne and spend their -money in a few days' time. - -Having gone through many ups and downs in the course of seven years, -they at last came across a rich find of gold, and realized a fortune in -a couple of months. - -The partnership was then dissolved. Howell, who was the quietest and -most level-headed of them, bought a large piece of land and took to -sheep farming. In this way he was able to preserve his fortune and even -to add to it, although he had not been one of the most fortunate. - -On the other hand, Frick and Davis did not think they had enough. The -money they had made enabled them to carry out a plan which Frick had -thought of, and which for a long time they had been anxious to carry -out. - -In the middle of the thirties Frick, when quite a young man, had been in -South Africa. He then followed the settlers who trekked to the north -across the Orange River, and who had joined in raids across the river -Vaal, and still farther to the north. - -When on these expeditions Frick himself had found diamonds, and had -heard wonderful stories from the natives of the great quantities of -these stones which were to be found in caverns of a peculiar formation, -reminding one more of deserted mines than anything else. - -Frick had obtained the report through a source which did not admit of -doubt that there was at least some truth in it; and the location given -with regard to the place seemed to be efficient. But he could not then -get any companions to form an expedition, as the supposed place lay far -away in the desert, blocked by wild and hostile negro tribes. Nor had he -at that time the means to fit out an expedition by himself, and he was -therefore obliged to give up all thoughts of it. These were the -diamonds in search of which Frick and Davis decided to go. - -"Davis seemed to me to be just the right sort of a man," remarked old -Frick, when he had gone thus far in his narrative; "he was at least -double as greedy about finding the diamonds as I." - -Now that they were able, the two companions journeyed at once to the -Cape, bought themselves an excellent outfit, and hired people sufficient -for a large expedition. - -The money which they did not spend on the outfit they sent to the bank -in London. - -It was Davis who managed all that; he was the most businesslike of the -two. - -This expedition got as far as the Vaal, but did not return, and this is -how it happened. - -When they had got so far that, according to Frick's and Davis's -calculations, they should be only a day's journey from the diamond -caves, they let the natives, with the ox wagons, camp, while they -themselves continued their journey alone. - -They were lucky enough to find what Frick maintained must have been -Solomon's deserted mines, and they filled a whole sack with diamonds. -But when they reached the camp they found it had been plundered, and all -the members of the expedition killed by a hostile negro tribe. - -Frick and Davis were also captured after a hard struggle. - -In the night Davis, who was uninjured, succeeded in escaping, but Frick, -who had received an arrow in his thigh, could not follow him. - -Davis, with Frick's consent, took with him the bag of diamonds, and -promised immediately on reaching civilization to prepare a new -expedition for the release of Frick. - -In the meantime, the blacks dragged him with them farther and farther -inland, where it was impossible for him to think of flight, and so he -lived with them for three years. - -At last a gang of European pioneers turned up far in the interior of the -dark continent where the tribe lived, and before the blacks had thought -of keeping guard on Frick, he had joined the whites and followed them to -their own settlements. - -In all probability the blacks had, after such a long time, come to look -upon Frick as one of themselves. - -When Frick reached civilization the first thing he did was to ask after -his friend Davis. - -Yes, he had returned safely to the Cape Colony, but had not mentioned a -word about any relief expedition for Frick. On the contrary, he had -given out that Frick was dead, and had gone straight to England. He had -mentioned that he had some diamonds with him, but he had not shown them -to any one. - -Frick was not very well pleased with this information, as you can -imagine. He still had a few small diamonds with him, which he had found -during his stay among the blacks. These he sold for a couple of hundred -pounds, and set out for England to find Davis. - -Here he discovered that the latter had drawn all the money out of the -bank, had sold all the diamonds, and having bought a large country -estate, was now living, a landed proprietor, in Yorkshire. Frick set off -to visit Davis at his country house, but was not even allowed to enter. -Davis refused to deliver up any part whatsoever of the money that had -been deposited in the bank, or any of that which he had received from -the sale of the diamonds. - -When Frick became furious and tried to force his way in to the -scoundrel, he was turned away by the servants. - -Frick then applied to the police, but they advised him to take legal -proceedings. He would have to engage a lawyer in order to proceed -against his old comrade. - -It was not a difficult matter to find a lawyer, or even lawyers, but -none of them would take up the case unless Frick would guarantee them -their fees and expenses first. Davis was rich and powerful, and would -naturally use all the weapons with which the English law so lavishly -favours those who have few scruples and plenty of money. - -Frick raged awhile like a lion in a cage, but happily he pulled himself -together and shipped to Australia before he had become quite "mad from -anger," as he expressed it himself. - -In Australia he was well received by the third member of the late -partnership, and when Howell got to learn of the story, he became just -as furious over Davis's rascality as Frick himself. It was, however, an -unfortunate period with Howell. His farm had just been visited by a -huge flood, and the larger part of his flock of sheep had been drowned. - -But Howell did not give in. He would not hear of Frick's remonstrances, -but raised, with much difficulty, a loan of L5000 on his property. This -money he forced upon Frick, and when the latter saw that his friend -would not listen to reason, he no longer hesitated, but went back to -England with the money. - -There was now no difficulty in getting the affair taken up. A clever -lawyer was engaged, and the case against Davis was carried on with all -possible despatch. - -Frick himself thought he should never succeed in bringing him to bay. -Davis had understood how to make use of the time to guard himself well, -and had employed all means to delay the case. - -Frick's L5000 was fast disappearing, when his lawyer was fortunate -enough to discover some dark doings in Davis's life before the time when -Frick had learnt to know him. - -These doings were of such a character that Davis, who in the meantime -had been elected M.P. for his county, had to, at any price, prevent them -being made public. He was therefore obliged to agree to a compromise, -and to pay Frick half of what he was worth, which, after all, was only -what was Frick's due. - -"In the end, I got such a good hold of the rascal," continued old Frick, -"that he not only offered to pay all I asked for, but he even wrote me a -humble letter, and begged me, for God's sake, not to make the affair -public. 'It would completely ruin him,' he wrote. - -"As Davis had invested all the cash in his estate, it was difficult to -get ready money. But the affair was at last settled, and I have not -told the story to any one. I did not give any promise to this effect, -but it's just as well that you, who have now heard it, also keep it -quiet. If it can help the scoundrel to repent of his sins in peace and -comfort for the rest of his days, it is no doubt the best. - -"It was not possible to get your father, Mr. Reginald, to accept -anything more than the L5000 he had lent me, although I was now much -richer than he. No, he was as proud as Lucifer, just as proud as he was -faithful." - -With the exception of Mr. Howell, we had all listened with the greatest -interest to old Frick's long story. In spite of Mr. Howell's good -manners, his impatience had several times been noticeable, even to the -story-teller himself. - -The latter remarked: "Yes, you have, of course, heard the story several -times before from your father, Reginald; so for your sake it was hardly -necessary to tell it. But I am anxious that those who stand nearest to -me in the world should know what a friend your father was to me." - -Mr. Howell smiled, somewhat embarrassed; "Yes, of course, I have heard -the story from my father two or three times. But you can understand he -did not lay so much stress upon the help he gave you. It was no more, -he said, than a man's duty to a friend; and that's what I think also." - -"He is his father's son!" exclaimed old Frick, and was not satisfied -until he had seized the Englishman's hand and shaken it vigorously, -although the latter modestly tried to avoid it. - -"Did you ever hear anything later about Davis?" he asked after a pause. - -"No, not much!" answered old Frick. "He was already married when I took -proceedings against him, but I don't think it was a very happy marriage; -his wife took care to see that a good deal of the punishment he so well -deserved was carried out. Later on, I also heard that he had much -trouble in managing his large property, after he had been obliged to -take out so much capital. Ah, well, that's his own lookout; we have, -thank God, something else to talk about than that scoundrel. One thing, -however, I forgot to mention, is, that when Davis was forced to pay me -back half the money, I took the black diamond in its present setting, -the one we call 'the tortoise.' I took that over for L2000, which would -be about its value in its uncut condition. We found it, just as it is, -up in Solomon's mines. It was the only one of the diamonds that Davis -had not sold." - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *THE BLACK TORTOISE AGAIN* - - -I have little to relate about the months which followed after that -Sunday at Mr. Frick's. - -Young Mr. Howell still lived in the house; he took a fancy to "ski" -sport, and learnt it in a surprisingly short time. - -He accepted Frick's pressing invitation to remain in Christiania till -the summer, when he intended visiting Finland and Spitsbergen. - -Einar Frick and Reginald Howell became good friends, in spite of the -difference in age, much to the satisfaction of old Frick. They were -always together, and I fancy old Frick was not very strict during this -time with regard to his nephew's office hours. - -A detective, however, incidentally gets to know a good many things, and -I soon discovered that the two young men did not always pursue the most -innocent pleasures. Even in Christiania, there are always to be found -at least a dozen young good-for-nothings, who have plenty of money and -nothing to do. Einar and Mr. Reginald became regular visitors in this -circle, where later it became the fashion to gamble, and not for very -low stakes, either. - -I became uneasy about this, and one day I spoke to Einar and gave him a -serious warning. - -By the young man's blushing and frank confession, I saw that he had not -as yet entirely fallen a victim to evil influence. Besides, he added -that he had latterly had more pocket money from his uncle, and didn't -play higher than he could afford. Mr. Howell had several times prevented -him from playing for high stakes. He also promised to withdraw -altogether from the gambling circle, which Mr. Howell had said he also -was inclined to do. - -This reassured me, and on the whole I must confess that Mr. Howell's -behaviour was in every respect that of a gentleman. That I, in spite of -this, entertained a shadow of antipathy or suspicion about him, is one -of those things which cannot be explained. - -One thing I cannot pass over in my story: one fine day, when I summoned -up courage and put the all-important question to Miss Frick, I received -as satisfactory an answer as any man could wish. - -She desired that we should, for a time, keep our engagement secret, for -she shrunk from telling her uncle, who would scarcely take the prospect -of losing her with composure. Old Frick was remarkably fond of his -brother's children. The old man had lived his life for many years -without having felt the sunshine of tenderness other than that of -comradeship; now he seemed to be making up for it in the fond relations -between him and the two young people who were tied to him by the ties of -blood as well as by those of gratitude. - -I have, all the same, a suspicion that the old fox had an idea of what -had passed between Sigrid and me; and at the same time, I also think -that I had been fortunate enough to win his respect, so that if he were -to lose his niece, he would rather have given her to me than to any one -else. - - * * * * * - -It was the tenth of May, and a beautiful day; the spring had come -unusually early that year, and the trees were already covered with -leaves. - -My work was finished. It had been a long and troublesome day, and I was -just standing in my room, wondering if, as a reward, I should give -myself an evening off and spend it at Villa Ballarat. I had not had time -to visit Sigrid for several days. - -Just then I heard the telephone bell. - -"Hello! is that you, Monk?" - -It was old Frick's voice; I knew it well; it was the same voice that, -eight months ago, had asked me for the first time to come to Villa -Ballarat. - -"Yes, it is I." - -"Can you come out here at once? Something has happened!" - -"I shall be with you in ten minutes." - -At St. Olaf's Place I took a carriage; I didn't want to lose a minute. - -An uncomfortable feeling possessed me that some misfortune was pending, -or had already occurred. I do not know if one can really have a -presentiment without some material cause; in this case the feeling had -sufficient ground by old Frick's abrupt message. - -At the outer gate stood Frick himself, holding it open for me. He -locked the gate carefully after us, stuck the key in his pocket, and -then said, as he stopped in front of me, with his hands in his -pockets:-- - -"The black tortoise is gone again!" - -"Gone?" - -"Yes, gone! Stolen, I say," and he raised his voice. - -I asked him not to speak so loudly and to explain the matter. It was a -relief for me to hear that it was nothing worse. Little did I suspect -that anything worse could have happened. - -"There is no one about who can hear us," said Frick. "It is as I say; -the black tortoise has been stolen again, and within the last few hours. -Since five o'clock." - -I looked at my watch; it was exactly twenty-five minutes to eight. - -"How can you be sure it happened after five o'clock? Didn't the black -tortoise lie in the case with the iron shutters, in the museum?" - -"Yes, of course; but now you shall hear. Old Jurgens, the lawyer, you -know him, of course? He who has that collection of curios, the old -idiot! Well, he dined with us, and afterward we drank our coffee out in -the museum, as we often do. At five o'clock Jurgens left, and we all -went over to the house. For some reason, as I shall presently explain, -I forgot to lock the door of the museum and cupboard. In about half an -hour's time I suddenly remembered this. I then had a look into the -cupboards before I locked them, and so discovered that the tortoise was -gone." - -"Are you sure it was there at five o'clock?" - -"Yes; we had been looking at it just before we all left the museum; I -was the last who went out, and I had put it in its place before I left." - -"Have you told any one that the tortoise is gone?" - -"No; the first thing I did when I was sure of what had happened was to -telephone to you; since then I have watched and seen that no one has -gone in or out of the gate." - -A long life rich in changes and events had taught this old man -expediency and presence of mind. - -He had done just the right thing, and his information and answers were -clearer than nine-tenths of those which detectives are accustomed to get -under similar conditions. - -"Is Miss Sigrid, or your nephew, at home?" - -"No, Einar went to Hamburg on business for me the day before yesterday; -he will be there about a week, and Sigrid went for a walk about half an -hour ago. It was while accompanying her to the gate that I came to -remember the door of the museum wasn't locked." - -"Haven't you missed anything else in the museum but the tortoise?" - -"Not so far as I can see; in any case, there are still a number of small -and costly articles which would be much easier to turn into ready money -than the tortoise. It could not have been any ordinary thief, or if so, -it must have been an unusually stupid one!" - -"Has the black tortoise any special value to you or to any one else -apart from the worth of the gold and the stone?" - -"No, that I can gladly swear! You mean, I suppose, is there anything -about this diamond, as one reads of in the English detective stories, -where black and yellow people sneak about with daggers in their belts -and vengeance in their eyes! No! there is nothing of that kind in this -case. We found it in the cavern, as I told you, together with all the -other diamonds. Man had not set foot there for thousands of years; and -the negroes who live thereabouts do not care a fig for diamonds. For -that reason they let Davis keep the bag, which he took with him when he -escaped in the night. It is only when negroes have learned to know the -blessing of civilization that they get a taste for diamonds." - -"One thing must be done," I said, "while it is yet light. Will you take -care that no one passes in or out through the gate, while I meanwhile -find out if any one has got into the garden over the railing?" - -As already mentioned, the whole of Frick's property, which was about -three or four acres and laid out in a garden, was closed in by a high -iron railing. - -The distance between the rails was so little that even a child could not -squeeze himself through. It was not altogether improbable, though -difficult enough, that a daring and agile man might have climbed over -the railings, notwithstanding the spikes. - -It was, however, easy to find out if any one had got over in that way. -It had lately rained a good deal, and the ground on either side of the -railing was soft. Any footstep would therefore leave a trace, -especially on the outer side, where there was a newly ploughed field. - -I went all round the garden; no one had come that way. - -Old Frick was patrolling to and fro at the gate, when I returned. - -"Nobody has got over the fence to-day," said I. - -"No," he answered thoughtfully; "that has been my belief the whole time. -I fear that we must have thieves in the house,--but here comes Sigrid!" - -He was quite right, for there was the dear girl walking at a rapid pace -toward the gate. - -A warm blush overspread her face when she saw me, but it disappeared -quickly, and I noticed she looked very pale and fatigued. - -We opened the gate for her, and I gave a sign, to Frick that I wished -first to speak with her. - -I went up to her, took her hand, and whispered some words which had -nothing to do with the theft. Then, as we came nearer her uncle, I -remarked aloud and as carelessly as possible:-- - -"Your uncle cannot find the black tortoise; he thinks he must have -mislaid it in some place or another." - -I said this purposely to arouse her attention, in case the diamond -really had been mislaid. I was afraid that if I mentioned at once that -it might have been stolen, she would have become too excited to think -quietly over the matter. - -"But, dear me, isn't it in the cupboard? I myself saw you put it in its -place before we followed Mr. Jurgens through the garden." - -I could not help noticing that Sigrid spoke in a very absent-minded -manner; she looked fagged out, like a person who had gone through some -physical or mental exertion. - -We told her not to mention anything for the present to the servants -about the disappearance of the diamond, and then she left us and went -into the house. It struck me as remarkable that the affair should -interest her so little. - -The next thing I did was to telephone to the police station, and order -two of my men to come out immediately to Villa Ballarat. I then asked -old Frick to take a walk with me in the garden until they arrived; in -this way we could see that nobody went in or out of the house without -our knowledge. - -"Where is Mr. Howell?" I asked. I suddenly began to wonder why I had -not seen or heard anything of this gentleman. - -"Oh, he went by rail to Osterdalen this afternoon. He was invited by a -man called Varingson, I think, who owns large forests up there. They -are going to shoot capercailzie; it is only four days, I think he said, -before close time begins." - -"What time in the afternoon did he go?" - -"He had sent his luggage down to the station before mid-day; but the -train was not going before six or seven. We can hear from Iverson when -he left. Besides, you know, everybody goes and comes as they like in -this house." - -Iverson was Frick's trusted man; he was formerly a sergeant in the army, -an unusually trustworthy and clever fellow, whom Frick had taken into -his service at my recommendation. He was generally known as the -gardener, but he took his turn as gatekeeper, and with the coachman he -kept the yard in order; was joiner, smith, and many other things, and -received from old Frick a very liberal salary. Both he and the coachman -were unmarried; they lived in quite a small lodge near the gate, but had -their meals up at the house. - -In the meantime my two men arrived at the gate, and I gave them my -instructions. One of them was to keep watch outside the villa and -arrange that he should be relieved, so that the house and garden should -not be unwatched. If the diamond was still within the iron railings, -the thief would at once try to get it out of the house. - -The other constable got orders to instruct pawnbrokers and all others to -whom the diamond might be offered that, should this occur, they must -inform the police without loss of time, and that the person bringing it -must be followed and watched. - -At supper I received a long detailed account from old Frick and Sigrid -of all that occurred in the house that day. Their statement as to time, -etc., corroborated exactly. Sigrid had, however, a bad headache, and -looked very poorly. Both Frick and I advised her to go to bed, which -she did, soon after. - -Then I had a conference with Iverson. The coachman was away for the -day. - -Lastly, I had a talk with the housemaid and cook. Sigrid's maid, -Evelina, had been away that afternoon to visit her mother. She had, -however, been at Villa Ballarat about six o'clock, but had gone out -again immediately, and not yet returned. - -What results or conjectures I arrived at after all these investigations, -I shall later on return to; for the present, I can only add they were -not very satisfying; I began to be afraid that this affair would cause -me more trouble and worry than any other business of the kind had -hitherto done. - -Before I parted from old Frick I got him to write an official -notification of the robbery to the police; without this I could not take -up the case in earnest. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *AT THE POLICE STATION* - - -The next morning at eleven o'clock I stood in the police -superintendent's office; he had told me to be there at that hour. - -I had, for some weeks, figured as chief of the detective department, -during my superior's holiday. The latter was applying for a position in -another department, and I had had the chief superintendent's assurance -that I would be appointed in his place. "I have already spoken to the -Minister of the Interior about it, and you can consider the matter as -good as settled," were the words with which my superior officer, some -days before, had concluded a conversation which had given me great -satisfaction. It was soon after I had been fortunate enough in clearing -up the celebrated Bjornernd case, and in getting the murderer arrested. - -My chief had always been very friendly to me, and treated me, especially -of late, almost as a comrade; that is to say, as far as his -old-fashioned dignified and solemn manners would allow of it. - -He shook me by the hand as soon as I came in, and said:-- - -"Good morning, take a seat." He beckoned to a constable, standing -stiffly in a corner, who then pushed a large armchair toward me. "You -can go into the anteroom for the present, Strukstad; I have something to -talk over with Mr. Monk. - -"You are a lucky fellow, Monk, to have got another interesting affair in -hand. I mean the diamond robbery at old Frick's, in Drammen Road. If I -know you rightly, you have already made up your mind about the case. -From what I have heard you are a friend of the family. Indeed, if I am -not very much mistaken, it is not only the diamond which attracts you to -the house." - -I must confess I was much surprised that my chief should know a secret -which I, like all other people in love, believed to be well guarded. - -Naturally, I did not enter upon that part of the story, neither did my -superior seem to expect it; but I began, as shortly and briefly as -possible, to explain to him a little about the state of affairs in the -house, and among the occupants. - -I afterward gave him an account of the previous day's events. - -"As you may know, sir, there was a guest at the house yesterday to -dinner. It was old Jurgens, the lawyer; you know him, his collection -and his mania for collecting! I have heard that his relations are -trying to prove that he is incapable of looking after his own affairs. -He is getting imbecile from old age, and is squandering his large -fortune by buying up all the world's curios. - -"But he is still sharp enough not to let any one pawn off any trash upon -him; but if there is an object of real value, one way or another, then -he will pay the largest sums without blinking. - -"He dined with old Frick. He came, of course, only to see his -collection, and he nearly worried the life out of Frick with his -importunate requests to be allowed to buy this and that. - -"The party at dinner consisted of Jurgens, Frick, Miss Frick, and Mr. -Howell. Young Frick had gone away two days before. There were in the -house, besides, the cook, the housemaid, and the gardener. The coachman -was on a visit to his family at Moss. I have already telephoned to the -police there and ascertained that he reached there in the morning and -left by the evening train at eight o'clock. - -"Miss Frick's maid, Evelina, was also away during the afternoon; she had -got permission to go home to her mother, who was ill. - -"After dinner they all went into the museum, as the people of the house -call the building which I told you about some time ago,--the one which -Mr. Frick, upon my advice, had erected out in the garden between the -main building and the Drammen Road. - -"When they have guests at Villa Ballarat, it is often the custom to -serve the coffee in the museum, especially when the guests wish to see -the curiosities. - -"Jurgens, the lawyer, had then for the twentieth time asked to see the -black tortoise, and was persistently pressing Frick to sell it him. - -"'I will pay L500 cash for it!' shouted the old man. - -"'In the first place it is worth four times as much, my dear Jurgens,' -old Frick had replied, 'and besides, I wouldn't sell it at any price.' - -"Jurgens then had to relinquish all hopes of obtaining the diamond; but -he continued asking to be allowed to buy some of the other curiosities. -He was especially struck with a little elephant carved in ivory with a -clock in its forehead. The clock-works lie in the animal's body, and -the trunk acts as the pendulum. The swinging backward and forward of -the trunk has a most comical effect. - -"He had no better success with the elephant than he had had with the -tortoise; and it was rather a relief to the family when the tiresome old -man was taken away by his servant. You know he has some difficulty in -walking, and has to be carried about in a wheeled chair, pushed by his -servant. - -"Frick said good-by to Mr. Jurgens, and was just going to lock the -cases, after having put everything in its place, when a cry was heard -outside. - -"The clumsy servant, who had apparently been drinking, had nearly upset -the old man on to one of the flower beds. - -"All rushed out from the museum into the garden. - -"After having got Mr. Jurgens righted again, and safely outside the -gate, they all went into the house. Thus it came about that old Frick -forgot to lock both the cupboard with the iron shutters and the door to -the museum. - -"It was then exactly five o'clock in the afternoon. - -"Old Frick went up to his room and took his after-dinner nap. Miss -Sigrid went out for a walk; she had been suffering from headache the -whole day. - -"At six o'clock they met again; she had been back a quarter of an hour, -and awaited her uncle with afternoon tea in the sitting-room. - -"The two sat together till seven o'clock, drank tea, and went through -Sigrid's household accounts. - -"At seven the young girl went again for a little walk, as her headache -was no better. - -"When Frick had seen her to the gate, he suddenly remembered that the -door of the museum was not locked, and then he made the discovery that -the diamond was gone. - -"The gate-keeper Iverson had spent the time between five and half-past -seven in the little lodge; he had been busy with some carpentering, and -stood at the windows, which looked out on the gate and the road. - -"I asked him if any one had passed in or out during that time. The key -to the gate hung in the room where he was working, and he had himself -let every one in and out. - -"Yes, first there was Miss Sigrid, who went out at five and came home in -about half an hour or three quarters. - -"About six Evelina came home, but went out again at about half-past six. - -"About seven o'clock Mr. Howell went out; he had a gun and game-bag, and -took a four-wheeler which was passing at the time. - -"Soon after, Miss Sigrid again went out, accompanied to the door by Mr. -Frick. - -"The cook and the housemaid had been in the kitchen or their bedroom the -whole time." - -"I must say yours is a model of a preliminary report, Mr. Monk; you seem -to have got it all by heart, and not even to have made any notes." - -"I believe I have a special talent in that respect, sir. I only get -confused, if I take down anything except what is absolutely necessary. -I can see it much clearer when I've got it in my head." - -"Yes, oh yes, each one has his own method! It is at any rate a very -useful talent for a detective. But tell me one thing; how can you be so -sure that the different times you mention are correct? It is not always -that the people in a house are so exact in regard to time." - -"As it happens, my statements have been confirmed on that point. Old -Frick has a remarkably good pocket chronometer, and he takes a pride in -always keeping it correct to the minute. - -"Just before Jurgens left, a remark was made how correctly the little -watch in the elephant's head kept time. It stands on a shelf just over -the cupboard where the diamond had its place. Although it had not been -regulated for a long while, it showed the right time to a minute; which -was verified by comparing it with the chronometer. - -"And thus we have a safe starting-point: the time was five minutes past -five. - -"Then Mr. Frick takes his afternoon tea precisely at six each day. The -servants have got into the habit of being most exact in that respect, as -the old man is very particular. - -"Finally, Iverson looked at the clock when Mr. Howell left, to see if he -would be in time for the train. Mr. Howell had made the remark as he -was passing out that the time was ten minutes to seven, which agreed -exactly with Iverson's watch. - -"As you see, the different times which I have mentioned cannot be far -wrong--not more than a minute or two." - -"Yes, I see that. I suppose your inquiries at the pawnbrokers' and -jewellers' have been so far without result?" - -"Yes; up till now they have led to no result, and I think they never -will." - -The superintendent nodded. Neither of us said as much, but we were both -agreed that the thief who could steal an article like the tortoise, -which would be so difficult to dispose of, whilst he had plenty of other -salable articles to select from, must have had his special reasons, and -would not have rushed to his own destruction by trying to dispose of the -stolen jewel to a pawnbroker. - -"Of course I know," said the superintendent, cheerily, "that you haven't -by a long way finished with your investigations. But it would really be -interesting to make a few guesses as to who could have taken the -diamond. Who can have taken it, do you think?" - -I saw that my august superior wanted to discuss the case; and I could -not refuse, although I had no mind for it at this stage of the inquiry. - -"As far as I can see," I answered, "there are only five persons who -could have taken the diamond; the gardener Iverson, Mr. Howell, the maid -Evelina, the cook, or the housemaid. All these people had the entry to -the garden between five and half past-seven, and also into the museum." - -"You forget two people, Mr. Monk." - -I stared at him. - -"You forget old Frick and Miss Frick." - -The superintendent smiled, and I tried also, but it was a sorry attempt, -and a most unpleasant feeling crept over me. - -The superintendent evidently took notice of this. - -"Yes, I speak, of course, from quite a theoretical standpoint. It is -part of a policeman's ABC that he must suspect every one as long as the -guilty party is not discovered." - -"Not every one, sir!" I felt I spoke with an earnestness which was not -in harmony with the situation, or with the genial tone of my superior; -but I could not get rid of the unpleasant feeling which the mentioning -of Sigrid's name had caused me. - -"Perhaps you are right, Mr. Monk; in any case, this will not prove the -opposite. But tell me, what is really your opinion of Mr. Howell?" - -It was obvious that the superintendent wanted to get away as quickly as -possible from the subject, which I had been foolish enough to discuss in -rather a disagreeable manner, and I felt not a little ashamed of my want -of tact. - -"It is only right, sir, that you should direct my attention to him. -From five o'clock till ten minutes to seven he had the opportunity of -taking possession of the diamond and getting away with it from the -house. There would be no risk for him to enter the museum; if any of -the servants had seen him do it, it would have attracted no attention; -he is just like a member of the Frick family. - -"That is one side of the case; the other side is that Mr. Howell in -every respect gives the impression of being a gentleman, that he is tied -by the bond of friendship to the Frick family, and finally that -pecuniarily he is so situated that he need not steal either diamonds or -anything else." - -"Are you sure of this?" - -"Yes; I go by what he and old Frick have said; besides, at half-past -nine this morning, I called on Wendel, the banker. I myself recommended -this highly respected firm to Mr. Howell, and I asked the chief, quite -confidentially, how Mr. Howell's account stood. - -"He informed me that the latter at the present moment had from three to -four hundred pounds standing to his account. It was the remainder of a -sum of money he had brought with him in cash and deposited with the -banker; besides which, instructions had been received from Messrs. -Hambeo and Son, the London bankers, to open an account for Mr. Howell to -the amount of two thousand pounds." - -"Well, I should be glad if I had such an account at the bank! It does -not seem probable that the Englishman should have taken the diamond. By -the bye, Mr. Monk, I must not detain you any longer; go on with the -matter as you yourself think best; you have, of course, not had much -time for inquiries, and I ought, perhaps, not to have been so -inquisitive at such an early stage of the investigations; but you must -rather look upon our conversation as a kind of refreshment, which I take -between the dustbins and the demonstration in the theatre. Well, good -luck to you, and let me hear from you as soon as you have anything of -interest to report." - -The superintendent shook me by the hand. - -"Strukstad, let the manager of the theatre come in," he said resignedly, -as I went out at the back door. - -Later in the day a letter was handed me from the superintendent, marked -"Private," which read as follows:-- - -DEAR MR. MONK,--I have not been able to dismiss old Frick's diamond from -my mind. Couldn't it have been lost in quite an ordinary way; fallen on -the floor, put on a wrong shelf, or in some such way got astray? - -One might also imagine that some one for fun has hidden it, to play old -Frick a trick. - -I confess it is not likely, but it is still more unlikely that any one -should have stolen it--the most unsalable article of all the valuables -which you say lay in that cupboard. - -I ask you to take this into consideration, and apply the greatest -caution in your investigations. - -The disappearance of the diamond will soon be the general talk of the -town. - -It is of the greatest importance that the police should not make fools -of themselves. That is to say, they must not let themselves be deceived -by people's extraordinary stupidity. - -I know your good sense, and in all probability these lines are -superfluous. - -Yours, etc. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *A MORNING VISIT* - - -I did not forget the superintendent's good advice. Immediately after the -disappearance of the diamond I searched the whole of Villa Ballarat most -carefully. - -The servants behaved with exemplary resignation, and offered to open all -their trunks. I even took the liberty of searching Mr. Howell's rooms. -All his drawers and trunks were open, but contained nothing of interest. -My investigations also made it clear that this gentleman had proceeded -direct to the station on the day the diamond disappeared, and from there -took the train to Elverum. - -I don't know how it was, but I always had a misgiving that this young -Englishman might have had something to do with the disappearance of the -diamond. This, perhaps, was the reason that made me feel, more acutely -than ever, that not one of us really knew the young man, in spite of his -having been several months in Villa Ballarat. His manners were free and -open; but--one did not learn to know him. - -I soon placed Iverson, the gardener, the cook, and the housemaid _hors -de concours_. Iverson had for many years shown himself to be a most -respectable and reliable person. He was a bachelor, had a nice little -sum in the bank, and it was easy to find out about his antecedents. He -was the son of well-to-do peasants in Smaalenene, and when quite young -had gone into the non-commissioned officers' school and followed a -military career, until he entered Frick's service. He had always borne -a most irreproachable character. - -Last of all, we now come to the lady's-maid, Evelina; and should you -have a suspicion that she is likely to play an important part in the -lamentable events which now followed, one upon the other, you will not -be far wrong. - -From the first, or, more correctly, from the second day I entered old -Frick's house, this young girl had struck me as being strange. There -was something mysterious about her, perhaps on account of her reserved -and even sulky manners. - -Sigrid also considered her unusually silent, more so by nature than most -young girls are. She thought that she was a girl of strong character, -and liked her, in spite of her reticent ways. - -During the latter days she had been still more reserved than before, and -had not given one the impression of being in good health, although there -was little change noticeable in her appearance on account of her -naturally pale complexion. - -The afternoon of the disappearance of the diamond, Evelina had spent in -the following manner (her explanation tallied exactly with that of -others): She had, soon after dinner, when the family had retired to the -museum, served the coffee there. When that was finished, she had left -Villa Ballarat to visit her sick mother, just before the time Jurgens -had left the house. At six o'clock she had returned to the villa again -to fetch something she had forgotten, and had, at the same time, put on -another dress on account of a change in the weather; but she had been -scarcely half an hour in the house. - -It struck me as strange that Evelina had suddenly become more lively -than I had ever seen her, and Sigrid also thought that she looked better -and more cheerful since the day when the diamond disappeared. - -As regards Evelina's mother, Madame Reierson, I found out that she made -her living by washing and ironing, and by letting a couple of her rooms; -but it was said that she was fond of drink, and that her principal -income evidently consisted in what her daughter allowed her. Miss -Frick's generosity no doubt enabled Evelina to give her mother -considerable help. - -Madame Reierson's specialty lay in talking of times gone by, when -Reierson was alive and was a well-to-do turner in Groenland; "she too -had had her own house and a horse and trap." - -As you see, I had not gained much by my investigations, but my opinion -regarding the loss of the diamond had, however, begun to take shape, -which made it desirable that I should make Madame Reierson's -acquaintance. - - * * * * * - -At half-past nine the next morning, when the May sun was shining warmly, -a gentleman entered the courtyard of 44 Russeloek Street. - -The gentleman was not very elegantly dressed; his coat was somewhat -shabby, and his trouser-bottoms a little the worse for wear, but still -he might pass as quite a respectable person; for instance, as a poor -theological student of middle age. - -I hoped, at least, that my appearance was something like this, for this -was the role I intended to play. - -In the courtyard a woman was standing rinsing clothes under a pump. I -asked for Madame Reierson, and learned that she was living in the fourth -story on the right-hand side of the staircase. - -"I mean the woman who takes in washing." - -"Well, I don't think there's much washing done, but there's only one -Madame Reierson in this house, at any rate," was the surly answer. - -"I think you're right about the washing. In any case, the clothes I -last got home were only half washed," I remarked. - -My depreciatory remark about her neighbour's work evidently appealed to -the woman; she deigned to let go the wet clothes she had in her hand, -and turned round to me. - -"Ah, indeed! Really! So she has been washing for you, has she, and you -don't like her washing? Well, you're not the first as says that. It's a -shame that such a drunken wretch should take the bread out of other -people's mouths, and live in grand style, and enjoy herself." - -"Well, I, for my part, have been thinking of giving her up as my -washerwoman." - -"Ha! ha! you give her up?" said the worthy woman, with a scornful laugh. -"A lot she'll care about that! As long as she's got that fine daughter -of hers in service at old Frick's, in the Drammen Road, she can live in -grand style, and enjoy herself without washing a rag. But I should say -it'll all come to a terrible end some day; when people begin to run -after them actors I wouldn't give you a thank you for 'em!" - -And with that our short but pleasant conversation ended. - -I tried to find out a little more about the actor who had suddenly been -introduced upon the scene, but I was sharply sent about my business by -the woman, who "did not go about telling tales, let alone to strangers." - -There was nothing more to be done, so I mounted up to the fourth story. - -On a door with glass panes were fastened two visiting-cards. I read: -Ludwig Frederiksen, actor; Tho. Herstad, medical student. - -To the left I found an ordinary kitchen door. As I knocked at this a -stout woman appeared. Madame Reierson was clad in what I would call a -simple morning toilet. I can hardly describe the various articles of -her dress; all of them, however, appeared to be too tight-fitting for -her buxom figure, and to have seen better days. - -I lifted my large, broad-brimmed, low-crowned, clerical hat to her, and -then explained that the object of my visit was to ask madame to do some -washing for me. - -She seemed greatly surprised that any one, unsolicited, should intrust -his clothes to her to wash, and asked rather suspiciously who had -recommended her. - -"Perhaps we might go inside," said I. "I would like to sit down a -little. I'm not quite well, and the stairs trouble me." - -She mumbled something about "_she_ didn't mind," and showed me through -the kitchen into a disorderly room, filled with foul air. This served -as her parlour and her bedroom. - -I sat down heavily and laid my hand on my heart. - -She didn't seem, however, to be troubled with any sympathetic feelings, -for I heard her mumble something about, "Why do folks climb stairs when -they can't manage 'em?" - -"But who has shown you up to me, then," she continued. - -I could see it would be difficult for me, if not impossible, to get into -conversation with this unpleasant woman, as she apparently had not yet -had her "morning drop," and was therefore not amenable to any friendly -approach. - -I decided to come to the point at once. - -"Miss Frick has recommended me to come to you, as I wanted a good -washerwoman,--Miss Frick, who lives in Drammen Road." - -The woman sat herself down in a chair right opposite me, and looked -rather astonished. - -"Do you go to the Fricks'?--You?" was the unflattering answer, as she -critically surveyed me. - -I regretted the plain attire, which I had thought would be suitable for -my supposed errand; but there was no help for that now; I had to get -along as best I could. - -"I am studying for the church," I said with dignity, "and I am secretary -to the women's mission, and we generally have the committee meetings at -Miss Frick's." - -"Oh, indeed! Really!" Suddenly there was a gleam in the woman's eyes. -She had evidently got an idea into her head, because from that moment -her manner was affable and insinuating. - -"Oh, indeed! Now really! So you are going to be a parson? That was -what our eldest son was also to be. Reierson wanted him to become a -doctor, but I swore that he should become a parson. Well, I expect you -meet a lot of grand ladies there, then! Have you seen my daughter at -Miss Frick's?" - -"What, your daughter?" - -"Oh, well; that's no matter;" she evidently did not find it very -opportune to say anything about her daughter, since I myself didn't -appear to know her position in Frick's house. "But as you go to old -Frick's, you have, of course, heard summat of his big diamond which he -has lost." - -I knew, of course, that the town had already begun to talk of the -diamond affair, but it came quite unexpectedly upon me to hear this -woman talking of it. Did she want to know what suspicions they had at -Frick's house? Did she know anything about it? Had she her own -suspicions, or was it only curiosity? - -"Yes, fortunately, they have got hold of the thief." - -"No! now you don't say so!" - -Just at this interesting point of the conversation we heard the kitchen -door open. - -Madame Reierson left me, and quickly disappeared. - -Then began a lively conversation in almost a whisper, but the door was -rickety and my hearing sharp; it was Madame Reierson's voice and another -woman's voice. I recognized it; it was her daughter's. - -"--Not home?--not come home yet, do you say?--been out the whole -night--" - -I heard the mother mumble something, that "he" must soon come home. - -"And he has not even left any message? He promised that I should meet -him at ten o'clock to-day.--A strange gentleman, do you say, whom Miss -Frick has recommended to come to you--?" - -The mother must have spoken of my presence, but the daughter seemed to -have a legitimate suspicion about the recommendation from Miss Frick. -Perhaps she was inquisitive, and wanted to see the phenomenon who came -to Madame Reierson with his washing; for the door immediately opened, -and I stood face to face with Evelina, the lady's-maid. - -She stood there, tall and erect, pretty and tastefully dressed as usual. -When she recognized me, her pale face became still paler, and it seemed -to me she tottered a little. She only pressed her thin lips together -and looked calmly at me. - -"Are you here? I did not know the police were here." She looked at my -garb and smiled a little scornfully. - -At these words, Madame Reierson forced herself past her daughter and -surveyed me angrily. - -"Police, do you say? Does he belong to the police? Well, I might have -guessed it, since he sneaked in here and began to talk of the stolen -diamond and suchlike." - -I looked at the daughter, but her features were immovable. Either she -had nothing to do with the diamond robbery, or she had a stronger will -power than most people. - -"You forget, Madame Reierson," said I, "that it was you who began to -talk to me of the robbery at Mr. Frick's." - -Was I mistaken, or was it really so? It seemed to me that the young -girl's look was directed for a second or two at her mother with great -displeasure. - -"Well, if it was I who began the talk, it must have been because you -fooled me on to do it," said Madame Reierson, jumping up from her chair; -"else why did you come here? Perhaps you fancy we have stolen Frick's -diamond! Be so kind as to look for yourself, and see if it is to be -found in my house." - -The worthy dame began to pull out her chest of drawers, and to open her -cupboards, while her tongue went on with startling rapidity. - -"I hadn't thought of making any investigations in your house, my dear -madame," said I, trying to pacify her; "I came really to find out a -little about your lodger, the actor, Frederiksen." - -This time the daughter's self-control did not serve her; for some -seconds her face was overspread with a deep flush, and she went away and -looked out of the window. - -"Frederiksen is old enough to answer for himself," said Mrs. Reierson, -curtly. "He is not at home now, and I don't know when he is likely to -be." - -As I had nothing further to do there, I took my hat, nodded to the -woman, and left without ceremony. The young girl still stood at the -window, and did not turn round when I went out. Either she did not -notice it, or she did not wish to show her face. - -When I had descended to the next floor, I heard the sound of heavy steps -coming up. First of all a ruffled silk hat appeared on the stairs, -afterward a pale, dissipated-looking face, with clean-shaven cheeks, -luxuriant curly hair under the brim of the hat, a black frock coat of -faultless cut but with spotted silk revers, light trousers somewhat -frayed at the bottoms, and cracked patent-leather shoes with large bows. -The apparition stared at me stupidly and disappeared through the door -leading to his apartments. It was Ludwig Frederiksen, who had little or -no reputation as an actor, but was well known as a Don Juan, now -somewhat on the decline, but worshipped, nevertheless, by the fair sex, -not only of the better classes, but also of the demi-monde. - -He possessed the happy gift of being able to easily forget -unpleasantness, for at this moment he evidently did not recognize me, -while less than a month before we had had a not very pleasant -conversation at my office. - -The cause of this conversation was a respectful application from the -artist for a loan of some thousand of kroners, directed to one of the -merchants of the town. This document the merchant in question found -best to deliver into the hands of the police, although the bewitching -artist had offered to deposit, as security, several pink and perfumed -notes, billets-doux, from the merchant's own daughter to the owner of -the curly locks. - -"We shall probably have another interesting conversation," I thought, as -my eyes followed the form of the artist as he mounted upward and -disappeared; "but not now." - -The fact was that in the course of the last half hour, certain ideas, -which earlier had begun to dawn in my mind, now assumed a more solid -form, and fitted together, so that they formed a chain. - -I thought I had hold of one end of the chain, and I was determined to -fumble my way to the other end; or perhaps it would be better with a -resolute pull to try and grasp it without fumbling at all. - -The chain had, however, begun to link itself in this way, and when I -left Mrs. Reierson's parlour, I felt convinced that Evelina knew -something about the diamond, and very likely her mother also. - -As I had passed through the little kitchen my elbow knocked against a -dirty coffee-service which stood there,--a pot and two cups with -dried-up grounds at the bottom. This accident was sufficient to set -going a train of thoughts which, no doubt, had already been -unconsciously developing in my mind; but which would never have been -started into active life if Mrs. Reierson's objectionable coffee-cups -had not been standing there. - -They brought to my mind an expression in Evelina's explanation the other -day:-- - -"I went home to my mother as soon us I had served the coffee in the -museum." - -She had served the coffee in the museum; she had seen that the diamond -had been shown about; had seen Jurgens's imbecile greediness to become -possessed of it; she had heard him bid ten thousand kroners for it! -Later on she had passed the museum, when all were gone, and seeing the -door standing open, knew she had only to stretch out her hand to become -possessed of a large sum of money. - -Perhaps she had some use or another for the latter, of which I, as yet, -had no certain knowledge,--but of which I had a suspicion. - -If this train of thought was correct, then Mr. Jurgens had now the -diamond in his possession. - -The improbability that this worthy old man should have become the -receiver of stolen goods did not concern me. I knew that the mania for -collecting sweeps away all moral considerations like chaff before the -wind, especially when second childhood has already begun to obscure the -mind. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *LAWYER JURGENS* - - -My decision was taken. I would pay a visit to the lawyer without loss -of time. The difficulty lay in getting the old man to speak out the -truth, if he really was in possession of the black tortoise. - -I dared not use strong means; it was a weakly old man I had to do with, -but to get the better of him was not so easy. He was possessed of not a -little cunning, and his firmness, when it was a question of preserving -any of his treasures, was quite incredible; of this I was already aware. - -Mr. Jurgens knew me well. I had had to do with him twice before on -official business, when some one had tried to rob him. Besides, we had -met each other several times at Frick's, and finally, I had now and then -gone, like so many other interested people in the town, to see if he had -any remarkable increase in his line collection. - -Of course you know the Jurgens collection in the national museum? It -has a whole department to itself. Some time before his death he -presented all of it to the public. - -While I called at my lodgings to change clothes I laid my plan of -campaign. - -It was neither particularly subtle nor cunningly conceived--only a -common trick, as you will see; but, as you will also see, it was good -enough for the occasion. - -I rang at Mr. Jurgens's house in Munkedam Road. He lived on the first -floor. - -At the back lay a kitchen and servants' room, where his cook and -housekeeper lived; on the other side of the hall was a room which -belonged to the servant-man. Jurgens himself lived in a room looking -out on the street, and the remaining three rooms, which likewise looked -to the street, gave him ample space for his collection of antiquities -and other curiosities. - -By my advice, he had taken a lot of precautions to protect himself -against thieves. There were strong doors provided with patent locks, -iron bars before the windows, and some fire-proof iron safes as a place -of deposit for the most costly articles. - -The man-servant opened the door to me. The reason why the lawyer had a -man-servant was, as I have already mentioned, because his feet were -almost lame. He could just manage to get along from one room to -another, with much difficulty; but in the street he was obliged to be -wheeled in a chair. Otherwise the lawyer was a man of small -pretensions, and notwithstanding his large fortune, was very economical. -That is to say, in everything possible, except what concerned his -collection. In this respect he was, as already mentioned, irresponsibly -extravagant. - -The old lawyer got up with difficulty from his armchair and tottered -toward me. - -He shook me by the hand, fumbling a long gold chain, which he wore round -his neck, with the other hand, and himself began the conversation. - -His voice was a little shaky, and he seemed to be uneasy when he saw me; -but it was difficult to say if these symptoms were a natural consequence -of the man's age, or if he really had something to hide, and felt uneasy -at my appearance. - -"Well, really, Mr. Monk," he said, "it is a long time since I had the -honour of seeing you at my house. May I perhaps have the pleasure of -showing you some rare curiosities which I have lately acquired? You -have generally so little time that I believe you have really never seen -my collection properly." - -These words proved to me that if the old man had the diamond in his -possession, he had it in a safe hiding place, and of these there were -plenty. The old furniture was full of the most extraordinary corners, -secret places, drawers, and such-like. - -"Many thanks, Mr. Jurgens," I answered promptly, "but this time I am -here on official business, and have still less time than usual." - -"What a pity," grumbled the old fellow, letting himself fall back into -his chair, and taking a pinch of snuff with his shaky hands. "Any -snuff? No, young fellows nowadays don't take snuff; but take a seat, -Mr. Monk, take a seat!" - -"Thanks!" I brought a chair forward in front of the old man and leaned -toward him. "The fact is, that an audacious robbery has been committed; -an unusually costly article has been stolen, and the superintendent has -sent me to inquire about it." - -"You don't suppose I buy stolen goods, sir?" - -The lawyer's eyes blinked, and his hands and shrivelled fingers moved up -and down the watch chain. - -"No, of course not; but you know that it has happened once or twice -before, that stolen goods have been offered to you for sale, and that -you have been of inestimable value to us in giving the thief's -description; therefore--" - -"No, this time I cannot help you; no, not at all!" - -"But you haven't yet heard what it is." - -"No--but--but--I have not bought anything for a long time; nothing of -consequence, or anything that could be of interest to you." - -"That is tiresome--most tiresome! Our last hope is gone; if only the -bracelet is not sent abroad! It would then be very difficult to get." - -"Bracelet, you say; was it a bracelet, you said?" - -"Yes, it was a bracelet, an uncommonly costly bracelet, set with -precious stones, which disappeared from Adelina Patti's dressing-room in -the theatre yesterday. You know she is appearing here for a few days. -She had had it given her by the Emperor of Brazil." - -"Indeed! What a pity! But as I said, no one has tried to sell anything -of the kind to me lately." - -There was no doubt that the old fellow felt very much relieved. He took -hold of the bell rope and ordered his man-servant to bring in wine and -cigars. - -"Take a glass of wine with me, sir; both old and young need a good glass -of wine, and you'll not get better than this: I brought it myself from -Oporto in '47." - -We each drank a glass, and I must admit that the wine was good. - -The lawyer had hastily left the subject of the stolen gem, and had begun -upon several interesting reminiscences from the year 1820 or so. - -But it was not my plan to let him have his own way; I had opened my -trenches, and I wished to advance to the attack. - -"It is a nuisance," said I, "all these robberies of curiosities and -costly jewels, which have taken place in the town of late. No one knows -what bother they cause the police." - -"I can understand," said the lawyer, unwilling again to approach the -same theme; and he filled the glasses again with a shaking hand. - -"Yes," I continued, "every one who possesses such things should be just -as careful as old Frick of Drammen Road." - -On hearing old Frick's name, the old fellow almost jumped out of his -chair, but I continued mercilessly. - -"This last robbery at old Frick's is a laughable affair." I then burst -into long and hearty laughter, which evidently affected Jurgens's nerves -in the most unpleasant manner. - -"Haven't you heard about it? Well, as you know, old Frick possesses a -whole lot of curiosities, and many of them are of gold, silver, and -precious stones, and all are very valuable. People are always coming -there, some as guests of the house, and some to visit his collection. -Old Frick got tired of always having to watch them so carefully, and so -he had imitations made of all his most valuable objects,--gilt-brass -mounts instead of gold, and glass instead of precious stones. This is, -however, a great secret, so much so, that even his best friends think -they are the real things they see, while these are lying securely in the -cellar of the bank." - -"Eh, what do you say?" The old fellow stretched out his neck like a -vulture. - -"Yes, indeed--but listen: a few days ago the most costly of all his -curiosities disappeared; I fancy it was a black diamond in gold setting. -It was called the 'black tortoise.' We expect the thief has gone abroad -with his treasure. Ha! ha! just sixpenny worth of brass, and half a -crown's worth of cut glass!" - -I again burst into a peal of hearty laughter. The old man sank back, -but tried to raise himself, gasping for breath. I thought he was going -to have a fit, and in a minute I got his necktie undone, and rang for -the servant. - -We soon brought him round again; he was a tough old bit of humanity, -that I must admit. - -I knew now what I wanted to know; the lawyer had the diamond in one of -his hiding places. The difficulty was to get him to give it up without -being obliged to resort to unpleasant means. - -For this reason I took leave, as soon as I saw he had got over his -little attack, and without suggesting anything as to what the cause -might be. - -The servant followed me into the hall to open the door for me. - -Having reached the hall, I asked hastily, "Do you know who I am?" - -"Yes, sir, you are Inspector Monk," answered the man in surprise, and -somewhat tardily. - -"All right, let me then remain here in the hall, but open the door and -then shut it, so that your master can hear it and think I am gone." - -The man hesitated a little and looked doubtfully at me. - -"Quick! What I do, I do in the name of the law, but I have no time for -further explanations. Now then!" - -He did as I told him and went in again to his master. - -Everything happened as I had foreseen. The servant came out soon -afterward, sent away by his master, and disappeared at a sign from me -into his own room. - -I took off my shoes and opened the door stealthily to the lawyer's room. -As I had expected, he had gone into one of the other rooms, where he -kept his collection. - -Without making any noise I followed him. - -In the innermost room the old man stood before the open door of one of -his iron safes. His shaky hands were busy trying to adjust a pair of -spectacles with round glasses to his nose. - -I took my time, until he had taken out from a secret drawer an object -which he held close up to his eyes. The next minute my hand lay on his -shoulder, and immediately after the black tortoise was safe in my -pocket! - -I led the old fellow carefully across the room to a chair. He had never -uttered a word. - -He remained seated, gasping for breath with half-shut eyes, and his -withered hands dancing up and down in his lap. - -I made him drink a glass of wine, and after a little while he found his -speech again. - -"What right have you to sneak in upon me and take my property? The -diamond is mine--I have honestly bought it--" and he stretched out his -hands, as if to get it back. - -"The diamond is stolen property," I said, "and will be delivered by me -into the hands of the authorities. I am sorry I have been obliged to -play a trick upon you to get it from you; but I understood at once that -you wouldn't give it up of your own free will." - -"I have bought it and paid for it, and it is not stolen property; your -conduct will cost you dear, Mr. Monk." - -"No more talk about that, if you please, Mr. Jurgens," I said firmly. -"From whom did you buy the diamond?" - -"I bought the diamond from Miss Frick, and she got it from her uncle." - -The old man could not say another word, for my hands were round his -throat. Only for a moment, however. I remembered myself, and let go my -hold, but remained standing in front of him quivering with rage. - -"What is it you dare say about the young lady, about Sigrid, about my--I -mean about Mr. Frick's niece? Mr. Frick himself has given information -of the robbery, and now you say that Miss Frick has sold the diamond to -you; that is the same as saying that she has stolen it. You can thank -your stars that you are an old man, otherwise--" - -The old man stretched out his hand, as if to ring; but no bell was near. -His eyes wandered wildly. - -Then it stood clearly before me that I had nearly frightened the life -out of him, and I at once became calmer. - -"Be sensible, sir, and take the matter quietly. It was imprudent of you -to buy the diamond, but we all know, of course, that you did it in good -faith. But it will be necessary that you give a truthful account of how -you got it, and from whom. If not, it may become a disagreeable -business for you. That you can well understand." - -"I only understand that I have bought the diamond from a young lady and -given five thousand kroners for it. She did not ask for more," said the -old man, trembling, while his eyes began to look brighter. "When you -say it was not Miss Frick, perhaps, after all, it was not she; but then -it must have been the other young girl in the house. I believe they -call her Evelina. Yes, it was she, if you absolutely must know it." - -"Well, that is far more probable, sir," I said encouragingly, for I felt -a little ashamed of my violent conduct to the old man, "and you must -excuse me if I was a little rough with you." - -I rang myself for the servant, and with him as a witness, I gave the -lawyer a receipt for the tortoise, which I took with me, and left. - - * * * * * - -The superintendent was not a little surprised when I put the diamond -before him on the table; and when I had given my report, he -congratulated me at the result, and complimented me on the manner in -which I had conducted the affair. - -I found it unnecessary to mention Jurgens's wretched attempt to prove -that it was Miss Frick who had sold him the diamond. - -The superintendent did not lay much stress on the part Jurgens had -played in the matter. - -"The man must soon be pronounced incapable of managing his own affairs, -and be placed under proper control. He will, of course, be declared -irresponsible by the court, if the public prosecutor should proceed -against him." - -In this I fully concurred. Then I gave the superintendent a detailed -account of my visit to Mrs. Reierson, and of how the actor's name was -mentioned, and of my hurried meeting with the latter. - -"Do I understand you aright," said the superintendent, "that you have a -suspicion that the pretty maid and the fascinating actor are intimate?" - -"Yes, I have." - -"And you go still farther; in this, you seek the reason why the unhappy -girl has committed the robbery, isn't that so?" - -"Yes, indeed, I cannot deny that something of the sort was in my mind; -only it seemed strange to me that a girl like Evelina, who not only has -the best of characters from Miss Frick, as a good and honest girl, but -who, after all I have been able to ascertain, also possesses a certain -amount of character and love of truth, can have fallen in love with such -a man, or given herself into his power!" - -"Why, my dear Monk!" broke in the superintendent, with a smile, which -could have made those who did not know him take him for a heartless -cynic, "do you, after so many years in the police service, still nourish -illusions with regard to the fair sex?" - -"I have, of course, in my day seen a good deal of--" - -"Yes, you have seen a good deal; which shows you that the greatest Don -Juan is also the greatest liar, and that a man with a smooth face, who -can flatter and deceive, has greater power over the fair sex than any -honest man whatsoever. Isn't that so?" - -I was accustomed to my superior's humorous exaggerations, and could not -deny that my experiences as a detective in the police force to a -considerable degree went in the same direction. - -"Well," continued the superintendent, "when you have been in the police -force for a generation, you will certainly not have much respect for -women's ideals. But let us return to this affair about the diamond. -You shall at once have a warrant, and then you had better arrest the -young girl as soon as possible. The sooner it's done the greater the -prospect of getting back the money which she got from the lawyer." - -"Pardon me, sir," I answered, "Evelina is most probably at this moment -at Mr. Frick's house, and will remain there over night. It would be -very unpleasant for the Fricks if the arrest took place in the house. -Have you any objection to my waiting until to-morrow? Then she will -probably visit her mother, and we can avail ourselves of the opportunity -and make a domiciliary visit at the same time. If Mrs. Reierson is an -accomplice, we might succeed in taking her by surprise, and in getting -her to give up the money. I have an idea that it will be easier to take -her than the daughter by surprise." - -"But are you not afraid that one of them can make use of the time to get -the money out of the way, if it has not already been taken to some place -or other?" - -"On the contrary, I believe it will be of advantage to leave them in -peace to-night. I shall have them watched by some of my best men -meanwhile." - -"And the actor?" - -"He is already in good hands. Detective Kolstad has orders to follow -him like a shadow, and arrest him if he should attempt to leave the -town." - -"Well, that will do! Do as you think right, Monk. I begin to think you -are the better detective of us two. If you should meet old Frick -to-night, give him my compliments, and tell him I shall keep his diamond -until the case has been settled in court; but in the meantime it will be -in good hands." - -It was not with a light heart, however, that I walked along the Drammen -Road, after having given the constable the necessary orders. I knew -that the news I had to bring would greatly distress both old Frick and -Sigrid. - -After having proceeded some distance, it struck me that after all I had -nothing to do at Villa Ballarat that night. It ought not to be known in -the house that the diamond had been found--not so long as Evelina was -there. Old Frick and Sigrid would naturally ask me if I had any news, -and I should be obliged to tell a lie and keep back from them what had -happened. - -Although I was very anxious to see Sigrid, yet I was sensible enough to -turn back, and, after having had some supper at a cafe, I went home to -my lodgings. - -I telephoned to the police office, and asked if there was any news from -the constables who had to watch the three persons before mentioned. - -No, there was no news. Evelina was quite safe inside Villa Ballarat, -and the house was being watched. - -I lighted a cigar, and gave myself up to thinking over the day's events. -I had been successful in everything, and yet I felt far from satisfied; -it must have been due to a certain feeling of pity for poor Evelina, and -the concern it would occasion her master and mistress. Or--? - -If you believe in presentiment, or that great misfortunes--without our -being able to divine the cause--throw their shadows before, you will -have to attribute it to such a cause. But enough,--I felt unwell and -depressed, and when I had lain down it was a long time before I went to -sleep. - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - *THE ARREST* - - -"The actor has vanished, sir!" - -These were the words with which I was awakened at seven o'clock next -morning. - -Before the bed stood my trusty constable, Kolstad, with a face -considerably longer than usual. - -"What do you say? Have you let him slip through your fingers? That was -a--" - -"Yes; but who could possibly imagine that--" - -"All right, go into the next room a bit and get yourself a cup of -coffee; I shall make haste and get dressed, and then we can talk it -over." - -It was not long before I had finished dressing and was ready to continue -the discussion. - -My landlady had in the meanwhile tried to serve the worthy officer with -a good breakfast, but disappointment had evidently taken away his -appetite; it was impossible to get him to continue his meal after my -appearance. - -"It is just as well that I give my report at once, sir, and tell you how -shamefully I have been made a fool of. Yes; that such a pomatummed -lady-killer should befool me--I who have been in the service of the -police these twenty-seven years!" - -"Don't trouble yourself about that, Kolstad," I said reassuringly, for -the man was so excited that he apparently had some difficulty in -explaining himself; "we shall soon get hold of him, if we want him. I -am sure it is not your fault that he has disappeared temporarily: have -another cup of coffee, and let us hear about it." - -"No, thanks, no more coffee; but here is the report, sir. You remember -that it was yesterday, at dinner time, that I got orders to watch the -actor and arrest him if he should try and leave the town? Well, it was -not difficult to keep my eye on him for the first few hours, for he was -sitting in a room on the first floor of the Tivoli Restaurant, together -with eight or ten other actors and actresses. They had the best dinner -one could get and drank so much champagne that it was simply disgusting -to see all the empty bottles being taken out--I know the head waiter -there, you see, and went and spoke to him while the carousing was going -on. Frederiksen paid for it all." - -"You are sure it was he who paid?" - -"Yes, that I am; the head waiter showed me the bill: it was 142 kroners. -By that I knew, sir, that you, as usual, were on the right track. If -only I had not been so stupid, well--you must excuse me, sir, if I am a -little excited--it is the first time it has ever happened to me -that--but--" - -"Now, now, let us come to the point, my good Kolstad," I answered, with -assumed severity, as the best means of "bringing him to." - -It helped, for he pulled himself together, and from then on he did not -attempt to diverge from the dry style of an ordinary report. - -"Well, sir, I telephoned to the station for assistance, and got one of -our new men. We took it in turn to keep watch while the actors were -eating and drinking. After dinner they had coffee and all kinds of -liquors, and went on like that until six o'clock in the evening. Then -Frederiksen went home to No. 44 Russeloek Street, and there he remained -till nine o'clock. He must have slept during that time, for he looked -quite sober when he came out again, and he had been not a little muddled -when he got home after the carousal at the Tivoli. He had a large -hand-bag in his hand, but no other luggage. He wore the same clothes he -had had on in the afternoon." - -"Was the hand-bag new?" - -"Yes, it was brand new; and now you shall hear how sly the fellow was. - -"He went up to the cab-stand at the corner of Drammen Road, and there he -took a carriage. I and the young officer took another carriage and -drove after him. Whether he knew that any one was following him or not, -I can't say. We were obliged to keep a little behind, so that he should -not be suspicious. - -"He drove to the Victoria Hotel, and there we saw him go in at the door, -and the carriage drive away empty. Soon after I went in and asked the -porter what was the name of the gentleman who had just entered the -hotel, and what room he had obtained. The porter, who was a new man and -not one of my acquaintances, answered that the servant was just then -upstairs with the visitor's book, but that the new arrival had taken -room No. 47. He had not said anything about how long he intended to -remain, or anything of significance. - -"Now, for the time being, I felt entirely sure of my bird. After -telling him who I was, I got the porter to promise to telephone to me if -the stranger should be getting ready to leave; then I set my young -officer to watch outside, and went home to take a nap. - -"It was just about half-past ten when the porter rang up and said that -the gentleman in No. 47 had just ordered a carriage, as he was going by -the midnight train to Sweden. As you know, sir, the train goes eleven -five, so I had only just time to dress and go to the station; but I was, -of course, sure that the young officer would follow the actor so that we -could arrest him together. I got to the station seven minutes before -eleven; but there was no sign of the actor or the officer. - -"A minute before the train started, I went for the last time through all -the carriages and had a railway official with me. There was not a sign -of the actor! In the first class there sat only one personage. It was -Mr. D----, the ambassador from Paris, said the official. I went in and -looked at him--yes, quite right, it was he." - -"Do you know the ambassador, then?" - -"Yes, of course, I know him by sight; it is he who is so like Peer Gynt -on the stage,--not, perhaps, in the beginning of the piece, but in the -third and fourth acts." - -I couldn't help laughing. "There, you see, Kolstad! it's not an easy -thing to have to do with an actor. It was just by playing his old role -of Peer Gynt in the fourth act that the actor made a fool of you!" - -"Yes, of course it was; but who the devil could imagine--" - -"No, you are right there; but how was it that your assistant didn't -follow him from the hotel?" - -"Well, it happened like this. The constable saw a servant beckoning for -a carriage from the stand. He went up to the servant and asked who was -going away. It was Mr. D----, the ambassador, he answered, and when the -constable saw a fine old gentleman with grey whiskers step into the -carriage he suspected nothing, but continued to keep his watch outside, -as before." - -"That is all right, so far; but I can't understand that the man's -hand-bag did not betray him. Both you and your assistant knew it well. -Besides, it seems to me that the porter must have been astonished to see -a young, smooth-shaven man come into the hotel, and then leave it as a -'fine old gentleman,' as you say, 'with grey whiskers.'" - -"Yes; but I have not yet told you all, sir. You shall hear how clever -the rascal was. Inside the large hand-bag which he carried, he had -another suit, a false beard, and all his apparatus, besides a smaller -travelling bag to carry in the hand. It was in the carriage that he -transformed himself into an ambassador; the hood was well pulled down, -as it rained a little. The hotel porter had, therefore, only seen him -as the elderly gentleman the whole time; and we, who only saw him step -out of the carriage with his back toward us, several hundreds of yards -off, could have no idea that he had thus changed his appearance. It did -not enter into our minds to ask the porter about the appearance of the -man whom we had followed the whole time." - -"But the large hand-bag?" - -"Well, he let that remain in the carriage, and gave the coachman orders -to take it back to his lodgings early to-day. I got hold of the driver -at last, and heard how all had happened. He himself thought it was a -little strange that the man should disguise himself during the drive; -but as far as I could understand, he was a little tipsy on this -occasion, and as he got two kroners as a tip he presumed it was no -business of his. Now you know all, sir, and can see how cleverly I was -taken in by that vagabond of an actor; only--" - -I did not let him dilate further upon this subject, but sent him away. -I had heard enough. - -It will also be sufficient for this narrative, if I explain that the -actor, on the same day, after telegraphic instructions from us, was -arrested at Gothenburg, where he arrived next morning, and that he, when -arrested, was only in possession of a very small sum of money. He was -taken back to Christiania, and it was soon ascertained that he had been -or was engaged to Evelina. Also, that the day before his journey he had -been very flush with his money; but it was impossible to prove any -complicity in the theft, and he was set free in a few days, with the -warning not to leave town, as he would have to appear as witness at the -trial of Evelina Reierson. - - * * * * * - -In the meantime I must return to my account of what happened later on -that day, which began with the melancholy apparition of the disappointed -constable beside my bed. - -As I have already stated, it was my intention to have Evelina arrested -that day. There was no longer anything to wait for after the actor had -disappeared; and when I, in addition, received information from one of -my men that she had left Villa Ballarat to visit her mother, I decided -to avail myself of the opportunity. As before mentioned, I wished to -prevent the arrest taking place at old Frick's. - -I have no liking for this sort of work, but this time I decided to take -it in hand myself, for several reasons. - -It appeared to me, beyond all doubt, that Evelina's motive for the -robbery must be sought for in her relations to the actor. In any case, -I felt she deserved some pity, and I wished therefore to make the arrest -myself in order that it might be effected as gently and considerately as -possible. - -It occurred to me to be quite likely that the mother might be an -accomplice, or in any case be cognizant of the crime and the place where -Jurgens's money was to be found. To get hold of this was now my chief -aim, and I hoped to take the woman by surprise and get her to reveal it. - -It was not later than nine o'clock in the morning when I drove to -Russeloek Street with a policeman in plain clothes. - -We told the driver to wait outside the gate; the constable remained -behind in the yard, and I went up alone. - -I stopped outside Mrs. Reierson's door and listened. I heard voices -within, but very indistinctly. As I opened the door, I saw the first -room was empty; then I heard the voices still more plainly in the inner -room, although the door was shut. - -"You should have done as your mother told you, you unlucky child; then -we should have been able to take things as easy as any one--but--" - -It was Mrs. Reierson's shrill angry voice. It was interrupted by a -sound of suppressed sobbing, and then by a youthful voice rendered -hoarse by passion and sorrow. I stepped nearer to the door and -listened, although the task before me was most repulsive to my feelings. - -"Don't talk to me any more, mother! you know that what you wanted me to -do I could never have done, never in this world! and what I already have -done cannot now be undone--I have nothing more to do now but to put an -end to myself--if only I had the strength to--" - -Here the unhappy girl's words were interrupted by loud sobbing, and some -angry exclamations from her mother. - -Soon after the door was opened, and the ugly old woman appeared in the -doorway, while her daughter could be seen lying across the bed with her -head buried in the pillows. - -I have seldom felt so uncomfortable. - -The mother's shrill imprecations against the police in general, and me -in particular, passed me by unheeded. I only saw the young girl's -deadly pale face, as she lifted it to me, and the hopeless expression of -her eyes. - -She was gifted, however, with a strength of mind which few persons -possess. She got up hurriedly, stroked back her hair from her face, and -was the first to speak. - -Her voice was low, but wonderfully calm; every drop of blood seemed to -have fled from her lips. - -"You have come to arrest me, Mr. Monk, because I have stolen Mr. Frick's -diamond. Well, I have been expecting it both yesterday and to-day. -Yesterday I should probably have denied it, but to-day I don't! I have -stolen the diamond--let me be taken to prison and be sentenced as soon -as possible, only let it be done quickly." - -Her mother had become purple in the face on hearing what her daughter -said, and tried several times to interrupt her; but there was a dignity -in her daughter's words and bearing which stayed her. - -"Don't lose courage, Evelina," I said, and I hope my voice was -sympathetic. "There are probably extenuating circumstances which may -make your guilt less than it seems. If you are only frank, and confess -all, your punishment will be less,--perhaps even--" - -The young girl interrupted me. "Thank you very much for your kindness, -Mr. Monk. You are a good man; but I don't wish my punishment to be -lessened. I have told you I have stolen the diamond. More than that I -shall not say, even if you put me on the rack." - -"For God's sake don't talk like that, Evelina." - -Her mother could now control herself no longer, and began:-- - -"What are you saying, Evelina, you stupid fool! Just fancy!--That one -should hear one's own flesh and blood tell lies about herself and get -herself convicted! You can see very well, sir, that she is out of her -senses, and doesn't know what she is saying." - -"You had better look after yourself, Mrs. Reierson, and help us to get a -full confession and the money back. The diamond has been sold for five -thousand kroners, and perhaps you have got the money yourself." - -I shan't weary you by recalling the scene which followed; suffice it to -say that the mother raged like a fury, and denied knowing anything -whatever about the diamond or the money. The young girl did not utter a -single word from this moment until she was taken to the police station. -I let her mother accompany us in the carriage, to which she seemed to -have no objection. - -Before the examining magistrate the same scene was gone through. The -young girl confessed she was guilty of the robbery, but refused to give -any further explanation. She only asked that there might be no delay in -passing sentence upon her. The mother declared her daughter was mad, and -denied all knowledge of the matter. - -At the domiciliary visit to Mrs. Reierson's, no trace could be found of -the money. - -I informed Mr. Frick, by letter, that the diamond was found, and of -Evelina's arrest and confession; at the same time, I asked him for the -present not to mention the matter to Mr. Howell, who was expected back -about this time. - -Mr. Jurgens was declared by his relations incapable of looking after his -affairs, and the authorities decided to drop the proceedings against him -for having bought stolen goods. - -It was discovered that the money for the diamond had been paid in -thousand kroner notes. Next day a person had changed five of these in -one of the banks in the town. But the cashier had not taken any -particular notice of the appearance of the person. He declared it might -possibly be Frederiksen the actor, but he could not say anything -definitely about it. - -No trace of the remaining notes could be discovered. - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - *THE PHOTOGRAPH* - - -The next morning, as I was sitting in my office, writing a note to Mr. -Howell--it was on the day he was expected back--to request the favour of -an interview with him, the constable came in with a visiting card. A -gentleman desired to speak to me. I read:-- - -[Illustration: Visiting card of Mr. Reginald Howell] - -"Ask him to step in." - -Mr. Howell entered and shook my hand in his free-and-easy English -manner. - -"Glad to see you." - -"Welcome back again." - -He had quickly mastered Norwegian, and we always talked together in that -language. - -"I was just writing a note to you, Mr. Howell, to request the favour of -an interview with you; you have forestalled me, perhaps for the same -purpose." - -"I--suppose so," answered the Englishman, hesitating. "I should like to -say a few words to you in confidence, with regard to the robbery at Mr. -Frick's." - -He looked round as if to assure himself that we were alone. - -"You can speak freely: we are alone; I was wishing to ask you a few -questions about this same matter. You were, of course, in the house on -the day, right up to seven o'clock." - -"Quite right; but tell me, Mr. Monk, shall I be called as a witness in -this case?" - -"When the case comes before the court, there is every probability that -you will be called to give testimony." - -"But am I bound to appear and answer?" - -"Yes, you are! I hope you have no objection." - -There was something in the young man's manner which caused me to pay the -greatest attention to his words and behaviour. - -"But can the matter come before the court before you have found the -thief?" - -"As soon as we have got sufficient evidence against some person, that -person will be charged and brought before the court." - -"But before this happens it is not necessary for me to reply to any -questions about the affair?" - -"When the police, who are conducting the inquiries into the matter, ask -you, you should certainly answer. To refuse to answer would be -considered somewhat strange, and might even lead to unpleasantnesses for -you." - -"Many thanks for your information," answered Mr. Howell; he had got up -and was walking restlessly up and down the room. "It is not pleasant -for a man to contribute to the ruin of some wretched creature, but -perhaps it is impossible to avoid it." - -From the words which bad been exchanged between us, I felt sure the -young Englishman did not know of Evelina's arrest. As you remember, I -had requested old Frick and Sigrid not to speak to him about the affair. -I could also see that my answers to the questions he put to me had not -told him anything which he did not know before; he was not altogether so -ignorant about the matter. He must have put these questions to me as a -feint, for some purpose or another. I was almost certain that he knew -something of importance to the discovery of the robbery. - -I decided at once to inform him of Evelina's arrest but not of her -confession. It would, indeed, be strange if he did not betray how far -the knowledge he had of the matter did not point in the same direction. - -"Besides," I continued, "you need not be afraid that your evidence will -be of such fatal significance. We have already got the diamond back, and -the guilty party arrested. It is Evelina, Miss Frick's maid. -Circumstantial evidence is so strong that a confession is unnecessary." - -"Well," said Mr. Howell, quietly, "I can just as well tell you now what -I know, as later on. It was on the afternoon when the diamond -disappeared, after the old crank, Jurgens, had dined at Villa Ballarat. -Soon after we had had some coffee in the museum I went up to my room and -loaded some cartridges, for I was going to Osterdal for some shooting, -you know." - -"Yes; I know what took place in the house that afternoon. Please go -on." - -"Well, when I was ready with the cartridges, I went down into the garden -to smoke a cigar. The other people had gone to their rooms, I suppose, -for I did not see any of them. As I went by the museum it seemed to me -that the door wasn't shut, and when I touched it it slid right up. You -know it is a large iron door, but so well balanced and oiled that it -moves quite noiselessly. Well, I glanced into the museum, and there I -saw a lady standing before the cupboard on the opposite side of the -room, with her back toward me. With one hand she held up the iron lid, -and in the other she had an article which she seemed to have just taken -from the case, and which she was examining. It did not occur to me to -think it was anybody but Miss Frick; I thought I recognized the light -spring jacket with dark braid." - -I looked up suddenly and met Mr. Howell's gaze; his eyes did not impress -me pleasantly, and it appeared to me that their expression was dark and -cunning. - -"Continue," I said hurriedly, and, I believe, rather roughly. - -"Well, you know, Mr. Monk, that I am very fond of photography, and that -I always go about with a little snap-shot camera. You know it, of -course,--we have often had fun at Villa Ballarat photographing people -when they least expected it!" - -I nodded. - -"I had the apparatus with me, and so it struck me that I would -photograph Miss Frick as she stood there, without her knowing it. I -went hurriedly and softly inside the door, took the photograph, and went -out again without her seeing me. She stood quite still, as if she was -wondering what she should do with what she had in her hand." - -The Englishman paused, as if to give me an opportunity to speak. But as -I did not even look up, but went on drawing figures on the paper before -me, with as careless an expression as possible, he continued:-- - -"Later in the afternoon I took a carriage outside and drove to the -station. On the way I took some negatives to the photographer, amongst -them the picture of which I have just spoken, as there were some of them -that I wanted to get developed by the time I got back. On my return -from Osterdal I heard that the diamond had disappeared, and then I -remembered the photograph. I naturally said nothing about it to Mr. -Frick or his niece, but I called for the prints. Would you like to see -the one from the museum?" - -This was the second time that Sigrid's name had been mentioned in -connection with the disappearance of the diamond. It awoke the most -unpleasant feelings in me; but as I felt Mr. Howell's searching look -resting upon me, I assumed perfect calmness, and took what he handed me. - -It was quite a small photograph on thin prepared paper, and placed -between two glass plates held together by an india-rubber band. - -I took it with me to the window to examine it closely. - -It was, as before said, a small picture, only two or three inches high -and very narrow, but exceedingly clear. - -A young girl stood before the well-known cupboard in old Frick's museum. -Her position was exactly as Mr. Howell had described it. - -The one hand held the lid open, the other held an article which was -hidden by the shoulder; the head and neck were bent somewhat forward, -examining the object. - -It was a tall, fine figure in a light walking costume, trimmed with dark -braid. - -There was not much to be seen of the room. One saw part of the cupboard -on both sides, a chair, the arm of another chair, but nothing else. -Over the cupboard, at about the same height as the young girl, was a -shelf. Part of this shelf, on which could be seen several small curios, -was included in the picture. - -One glance was enough for me to be certain who the young girl was. - -I turned round to Mr. Howell. "It is Evelina, as I suspected." - -"Yes, of course; I am only astonished that I could have taken her for -Miss Frick when first I saw her. It must have been the costume which -deceived me. Miss Frick has worn it all the spring." - -"Yes, I know," I answered curtly. It was irritating always to have to -return to Sigrid in this manner. - -"Very well; on this occasion I also played the detective, Mr. Monk. I -have privately found out from the other servants that Miss Frick had, -that same afternoon, given the costume to Evelina. You see everything -is quite clear in that respect." - -"Will you allow the police to keep the photograph, Mr. Howell, and is -there anything else you can tell us about the matter?" My manner was, -perhaps, somewhat abrupt. - -"Wait a little," he answered; "I hope you understand now the reason for -the question which I put to you at the beginning of our conversation?" - -"Yes; you would rather not appear as a witness, as far as I could -understand." - -"Exactly; and, as you yourself say, the person in question is already -arrested, and the circumstantial evidence is so strong that my evidence -cannot be of much importance one way or other. This being the case, -would it not be possible for me to avoid appearing in court? and could -you not consider what I have said as confidential, so that I might take -the photograph and destroy it? Otherwise I shall appear very much in the -light of a spy or a thief-catcher, Mr. Monk. Also, it would be most -objectionable to me to have to testify against the unfortunate woman." - -"Your sentiments do you all honour, Mr. Howell; but I cannot, all the -same, prevent your being called as a witness. Neither can I, of course, -keep your photograph against your will; but I must mention it in my -report, and most earnestly request you to preserve it. What you have -said to me in my office, with respect to a matter concerning which -inquiries are now being conducted, I cannot, in my capacity as a police -official, consider confidential." - -"Well, Mr. Monk, I see it cannot be helped, and I ought, perhaps, to -have denied all knowledge of the matter. But you can, at any rate, bear -evidence that I appear most reluctantly; I would like both the unhappy -girl and the Frick family to understand this." - -"I can only confirm what you yourself say, Mr. Howell," I answered -stiffly, for I began to be more and more convinced that the man was -playing a part. "You will leave the photograph then in the hands of the -police?" I continued.. - -"Yes, I may just as well leave it; I cannot see that I can do any one -any good by not doing so. You police deal with people in your own -way,--we speak and do just as you want us to do." - -"Allow me one question, Mr. Howell,"--I had again taken the photograph -in my hand,--"this photograph is very small; it looks as though it had -been clipped at the sides. Was the photograph originally broader, and -did it include nothing more of the room?" - -"Yes, it was originally broader, but only the middle part was clear and -distinct. Either side of it was, for some reason or another, very -foggy, so I cut it off to get the picture to fit between the two glass -plates. I had, besides, no interest for anything but what you see -there. The young girl is, of course, the principal object of -interest,"--he sighed gently. - -"What time could it have been when you took the photograph?" - -"Well, that question I cannot answer very exactly. I thought, of course, -at the time, that I should never be asked about it, but--let me see--it -can't have been far off six o'clock, for it was not long after that I -left for the railway station, and that was somewhere about seven." - - * * * * * - -The next minute Mr. Howell was gone, and I sat beside my desk in deep -thought. - -The Englishman's visit had made an unpleasant impression upon me, and I -could not make out what his purpose in making it really was. - -The man wished to come forward as a witness--that I felt sure about. -All the rest was mere dissimulation; but for what purpose? What could -be his motives? - -It puzzled me at the time, and it puzzles me still! - - * * * * * - -During the whole of this long story, Monk had remained calm. He had -been speaking evenly and dispassionately, as if he had been reading a -police report. But now he changed in expression and manner. He began -to pace up and down the floor with contracted eyebrows, and I saw that -the perspiration stood on his brow. - - * * * * * - -You look astonished at me (he continued). After what you have heard, -does the whole affair seem clear to you? It will, perhaps, seem still -clearer when you have heard me for a few minutes longer: and you will -not be able to understand how it could become an enigma! Yes, an enigma -which I would give half or the whole of my life to solve!--But wait a -bit! When you have heard the rest of my story, you will join with me in -asking, "Who stole old Frick's diamond?" And you will likewise -understand that upon that question my fate has depended from that day to -this. But I shan't proceed any longer in that strain; I will continue -as impartially as I can. On that will, perhaps, depend how far you or -anybody else can help me--alone I can do nothing. I, who was so proud -of my own acuteness and ability to penetrate where others failed to see -a way!--No, don't interrupt me. We shall discuss it afterward, when I -have finished my story. - -I had got as far as Evelina's arrest and that Mr. Howell had called on -me with the photograph. So far, everything was in order. The accused -had confessed, and the stolen article had been brought to light. But it -had been impossible to discover where the five thousand kroners had -disappeared. - -Evelina refused positively to say a word beyond the confession, and as -we were not able to prove any complicity against the actor and Mrs. -Reierson, they were discharged. - -The state of affairs in Mr. Frick's house was anything but satisfactory. -Sigrid had been suffering from nervous headaches ever since a few days -before the robbery. Old Frick was in a rage, and spent the whole day in -swearing at the duplicity and untrustworthiness of mankind. I believe, -however, that sympathy for the wretched Evelina was the true cause of -his anger. The young girl's arrest had, in fact, brought gloom and -sadness into the house. Einar Frick was still absent on business. Mr. -Howell decided to go to Spitzbergen as soon as the case against Evelina -was settled. - -It vexed me that I could not trace the money, or obtain any proof of the -actor's complicity; and I took it for granted that the sly fellow had -succeeded in getting it safely put away in Gothenburg, before he was -arrested. - -But although we had a clever officer there, and got all possible -assistance from the Swedish police, we did not succeed in obtaining any -proofs, and as long as Evelina would not speak we could proceed no -further in the affair. - -Thus matters stood, and I think that all the actors in this drama were -only wishing that it would come to an end as soon as possible. - -Suddenly one day I received the most astonishing news--Evelina had -demanded to be brought before the examining magistrate, and had -retracted before him her confession in full. She had declared that when -she confessed she had not been herself, and that she was really innocent -and knew nothing of the robbery. She would not say anything further, -and refused to answer any questions. - -Of course, those who knew the ins and the outs of the case only shook -their heads at this unexpected development, and began to doubt her -reason. The doctors, however, who examined her, could not discover any -signs of a deranged mind. - -The proofs were otherwise very strong against her; and as there was no -prospect of any new evidence in the matter, the hearing of the case was -fixed for the first sitting of the court. - -I visited the young girl in prison and found her taciturn, depressed, -and pale; but she gave me the impression of being entirely normal. I -tried earnestly, and in a friendly way, to prevail upon her to adhere to -her confession and to give a full explanation; but she only smiled -sadly, and begged to be left alone. What could have caused her to -retract her confession? The more I pondered over this, the more sure I -became that this step must be due to some outside influence; that she -must have received some message or communication from without. She did -not wish to receive any visitors in her cell. Only the mother had -obtained permission to visit her once, and then the conversation had -been quite short, and had taken place in the presence of a constable. - -The mother had, on that occasion, until interrupted by the constable, -tried to continue her reproaches against her daughter, because she had -confessed something which she had not done. - -But her daughter had contemptuously turned away from her, and soon after -the mother was taken away without the robbery having been further -discussed between them. - -I felt sure that these reproaches from the mother, which the daughter -seemed to treat with disgust and contempt, had had no effect, and that -the explanation must be sought for elsewhere. - -By closely examining the jailer, he at last told me that he one day -surprised the young girl while she had a small piece of paper in her -hand, but that she immediately turned away and had probably put the -paper in her mouth and swallowed it. The man declared, however, that it -all happened so quickly that he could hardly be quite certain about the -matter, and Evelina, as usual when I spoke to her about it, took refuge -in an obstinate silence. - -My suspicion that Evelina acted on other people's advice was now -strengthened. How far this circumstance can have any influence upon -your opinion, when you have heard me out, I don't know. To me, all is -dark; but I shall try to tell my story in such a way, that nothing of -what I know shall be hidden from you. - -Fortunately, I have got on so far with it that I can now let others -speak for me--at least for a while. The next great event in my story is -the trial of Evelina, which took place about three weeks after her -arrest. - -The proceedings are to be found fully reported in all the papers at that -time, and you will get a more complete idea of the case by reading one -of these reports, than if I give you a verbal account. - - * * * * * - -Monk opened a drawer in his writing-table, and took out a locked -portfolio, from which he produced a large grey envelope. The envelope -proved to contain several cuttings from the _Morning News_, which Monk -laid before me. - -"But," I objected hurriedly, "I would much rather hear the account from -your own lips. Otherwise I should miss your impressions, which, to me, -have much more value than a newspaper reporter's idiotic and irrelevant -remarks. And even if he does report the bare facts, such a report -cannot possibly be as satisfactory as your own account." - -"There is a difference in newspaper reporters," was Monk's dry reply. -"As you will see, the _Morning News_ man has not only reported carefully -and judiciously, but his remarks are impartial, and show good sense and -power of observation." - -"That's all very well; but I depend, however, more upon your power of -observation." - -"In this case, you cannot do so. If a detective ever has made a great -fiasco, I did so on that occasion, as you yourself will learn. Don't -you understand that I am afraid that you are beginning to look at the -events with my eyes? I am afraid to lead you into the labyrinth in -which I, myself, am lost, and which I probably have myself built up!" - -It struck me that Monk's reasoning was correct, and I made no further -comment. - -"Only one question," I said; "have you any objection to Clara hearing -your story?" - -"No; on the contrary, it was my intention to ask you to tell her -everything, when we are finished. I hope for help from her; she is an -unusually intelligent woman, and besides, women have, in many respects, -much finer feelings,--instinct, or what you call it,--than we men." - -"Then I have a proposal to make to you. We shall not continue to-night, -but I shall tell Clara all that you have now told me. Clara and I will -read the newspaper account together, and then we will see you again." - -"I gladly accept your proposal," said Monk, a little hesitatingly; "but -if I could be allowed, I would ask you both to read the account in the -paper in my presence. Of course I have read it, not once, but ten -times, to myself, without any result; but now it has struck me that the -whole affair might appear to me in a new light, if I heard some one else -read an exact account of what happened on that fateful day." - -"Yes, with pleasure," I exclaimed. "I promise to do this, both on my -own and on Clara's behalf." - -Monk shook me by the hand, and asked if Clara and I would come up to him -one day, when I had told her all I had heard from him. - -"You shall see us here to-morrow," I answered quickly, and so we parted -that evening or, more correctly, that night. It was half-past one when -I reached my home. - -I had had a busy day, and the intense interest with which I had listened -to Monk's account had tired me. I only longed to get to sleep as -quickly as possible. But then happened what a more experienced man than -I might perhaps have foreseen. - -When I got home Clara was sitting up waiting for me. So I explained to -her, as casually as possible, that next day she should hear Monk's -remarkable story,--a story, the continuation of which we were to read -together; well--what further happened I cannot remember, but I am sure -it was past four that night before I got to sleep, and then Clara had -heard everything that the reader knows of Monk's history. - -"Pshaw! it isn't difficult to understand how the story will end! The -horrid Englishman naturally managed things so that Miss Frick should be -suspected of having stolen her uncle's diamond; and--" - -These were the last words I heard Clara utter as sleep overcame me. -"Yes, if there must be a villain in the drama, Clara must be right in -thinking that the Englishman must have played that role," I thought with -my last efforts, before my senses were entirely bedimmed. - - * * * * * - -The next day we all three were sitting in Monk's study. - -"We mustn't lose any time," said Clara, as she smartly cleared aside the -tea and cakes to which Monk's kindly landlady had treated us. -"Remember, Mr. Monk, that we now change roles. It is you who seek -advice and help, while Frederick and I represent the detective firm. -Well! we had got so far that the case was on for trial,--my husband has -told me everything,--and here are the newspaper accounts of the case, -which you want Frederick to read aloud, isn't that so? So set to work, -Frederick!" - - - - - *PART II* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *THE TRIAL* - - -In the _Morning News_ of June 2, 189-, appeared the following, under the -heading:-- - - - THE BLACK TORTOISE IN COURT - -The court to-day was filled to overflowing, and a large number were -unable to gain admittance. - -The disappearance of old Frick's diamond--we hope our respected -fellow-citizen will excuse our using the familiar name by which he is so -well known--has been eagerly discussed and commented upon by the -newspapers for the last few weeks. - -The case did not promise to become a particularly difficult or -complicated one, although it was known that the accused had retracted -her confession; but the stolen article was of such an unusual kind, and -of such great value, and the persons who were to appear in the case were -so well-known, that it was only to be expected that the proceedings -would attract as many people as the court would hold. One could hardly -imagine anything more sadly interesting than the pale and pretty girl -who stood charged before the court with the theft of the now famous -diamond. By her side sat her counsel, a young advocate who is already -known in legal circles as a most able and successful counsel for the -defence. - -Among the witnesses was the well-known figure of old Frick, and by his -side his niece, Miss Frick. Not far off stood Mr. Monk, acting chief of -the detective department, already a well-known and popular figure in our -town, as much appreciated for his acuteness and boldness as for his -tactful conduct when in the execution of his duty as a police official. - -The dark distinguished-looking man beside Miss Frick was the Englishman, -Mr. Howell, who, as everybody knows, has been compelled by a strange -coincidence to appear as a witness in the case, and who, it is said, -will give the most remarkable evidence ever heard in our courts of -justice. The Englishman did not appear particularly edified with his -task. From what I hear, it seems he has tried to escape giving -evidence. It is anything but a pleasant duty to give evidence against a -young woman when one feels that it will mean conviction for her. - - * * * * * - -The presiding judge of the court took his seat, the case for the -prosecution was stated, and the usual questions asked of the accused as -to her name, age, etc. - -She did not look up, but answered in a fairly audible voice. Then she -was asked whether she was guilty or not guilty. - -All waited anxiously for the answer. - -Her voice was this time so low that the judge had to lean toward her and -request her to speak more loudly. - -The silence was so intense that the answer, although scarcely more than -a whisper, was heard all over the court: "Not guilty." - -Had the public expected anything else? Perhaps--perhaps not.... - -The public prosecutor then began his charge:-- - -The crime with which the accused was charged was not of a particularly -complicated nature with regard to the question as to how, or by whom, -the theft had been committed. But it was a different matter with regard -to the motives and the circumstances under which it had taken place, and -he was willing to admit that in this respect little or no light had been -thrown upon the matter. An uncommon article, an object of great value, -in other words, the black diamond, which now lay on the judge's table, -was stolen on May 10 from Mr. Frick, who was now present in court as a -witness. The police were at once informed of the theft, and they -succeeded not only in recovering the stolen object, but also in -providing such information that the public prosecutor was able to prove -fully before the court, both how the theft had been perpetrated, by -whom, and how the thief had disposed of the stolen object. - -He would call witnesses to prove at what time the theft had been -committed, that the accused at that time had been at least half an hour -in the house, that she during that time had the opportunity of going -into the room where the diamond was kept, and at a time when the -cupboard was not locked. He could prove by a means which seldom fell to -the lot of the authorities, that the accused, in the time during which -the theft had taken place, had been into the room and even opened the -case where the diamond was kept. He could next prove that the accused -at an earlier hour of the same day had had an opportunity of hearing an -assurance from a rich man that he would pay a large sum of money to -become possessed of the diamond. She thus knew beforehand that she -could sell the stolen article without any difficulty. - -Finally, he could prove that the diamond was actually sold by the -accused on the same day to the man just mentioned. - -Thus far the chain of evidence was as complete as any could be, and in -order to substantiate the guilt of the accused it was of no consequence -that she had retracted her confession, and had hitherto refused to give -any explanation whatsoever; every experienced judge would know exactly -what value to put on circumstantial evidence of such a character. It was -just as good, if not surer, than a confession. - -What still had to be explained was, what had become of the money which -the accused had received for the diamond and what could be the -particular motives for this criminal act. - -Some information might possibly be obtained during the examination of -the witnesses; but if this was not the case, the prosecutor would be -obliged to maintain that the punishment be in accordance with the utmost -rigour of the Law. The public prosecutor would, therefore, conclude -with the request to the judge that he ask the accused most earnestly to -give a full explanation. If she still persisted in her refusal to give -this explanation, he must warn her that it would be with detriment to -her cause, and possibly to that of justice. - -It was so quiet in the court, when the public prosecutor sat down, that -one could hear a pin drop. - -The judge then turned and addressed the young girl. In calm, -considerate words he called her attention to the fact that she had the -right, in any case, to do as she pleased--either to speak or to keep -silent; and that no pressure would be brought to bear upon her, least of -all to make her confess. This much, however, he felt it his duty to tell -her, that she was certainly not acting in her own interests by -maintaining silence. If she were innocent, which he still hoped, then -her own explanations would only serve to show it: and if she were -guilty, they would enable the court to consider her case in the most -lenient manner possible. - -Every eye in the room was turned on the unhappy girl, but her face -remained as impassive as that of a statue; her lips were pressed -together, and her eyes cast down. - -Her counsel leaned toward her and whispered something in her ear. She -did not raise her eyes; her only answer was a slight inclination of the -head. - -"I must request," said the young advocate, "that my client's wish to -make no further statements shall be respected. She has decided to say -nothing; and I know that her resolution in this respect is not to be -shaken. Whether this decision is wise or no, and whether or no it is -taken by my advice, is not for the moment a subject for discussion. It -is enough to say that whatever appeals were directed toward her to state -what she knows of the case would, however well meant, only prolong the -proceedings." - -No sooner had the counsel sat down than a murmur went around the court, -giving expression to nearly all the different feelings which move the -human heart. Some feared that the accused would damage her own cause, -others admired her firmness, while many expressed astonishment at her -audacity. As all the papers have already published detailed accounts of -what happened at Villa Ballarat upon the day that the robbery was -committed, it will be sufficient to mention that the evidence of all the -witnesses only served to corroborate what the public already knew, -thanks to the unremitting zeal of the newspaper reporters. - -It also seemed as if the counsel for the defence understood that it -would be hopeless to upset that part of the evidence. - -He certainly tried to make it appear possible that some strange person -might have crept into the garden of the villa between five and half-past -seven in the afternoon; but this attempt was stranded, upon the -gardener's definite assurance that the gate had been locked the whole -time, and on the evidence of the chief of the detective police with -regard to the examination he had made of the railing and the ground -round the garden. - -The counsel for the defence was more fortunate in his attempt to obtain -evidence of good character and behaviour for the accused. Mr. Frick and -his niece were especially unremitting in their praise of the young girl. - -Miss Frick caused much excitement when, in answer to a question by the -counsel for the defence, she answered:-- - -"Evelina has for several years had all my trinkets and jewels in her -custody. Thanks to my uncle's generosity, I have more of those kinds of -things than I need, and it would have been very easy for her to take any -one of many of these, without fear of discovery. Her mere assertion -that something had been lost would have been enough.... No! she is -honesty itself! She could never steal my uncle's diamond, of that I am -convinced, however much appearances are against her!..." - -There was great sensation in court when Mr. Howell was called as -witness. Every one, of course, knew of the strange circumstances under -which he had been involved in the matter. - -He began by asking the judge if he might be excused from appearing as -witness. The judge asked him to give his reasons for this request. Mr. -Howell explained that he was a private gentleman and not a police spy. -It was quite by an accident he had come to play a role in this affair--a -role which did not please him. He had already given his explanation to -the police, and had hoped that would have been sufficient. - -The judge answered that none of these explanations could exempt him from -appearing as witness. One could not help respecting his feelings; but -since no lawful reasons could be given, they must request him to give -what evidence he could. - -Mr. Howell, who spoke the Norwegian language fluently, submitted to the -inevitable, and gave a short and clear account of how he came to -photograph the accused, so to speak, "in flagrante." - -The papers have already published an account of this scene, so that I -shall not repeat his evidence "_in extenso_." I shall only reproduce -the following of the examination. - -_Public prosecutor_: "What did you do with the film after you had taken -the photograph?" - -_Witness_: "I went to my room with it, took the films out of the -apparatus, and took them to the photographer's to be developed. I -called at the photographer's on my way to the railway station." - -_Public prosecutor_: "You maintain, then, that it is the accused whom -you have photographed, but without your being aware of it? Are you sure -it is the accused?" - -_Witness_: "Any one who has seen the accused a few times will see that -she is the person in the photograph." - -_Public prosecutor_ (taking an object from the judge's table): "Is this -the photograph in question, which you, yourself, delivered up to the -police?" - -_Witness_ (taking the photograph in his hand and carefully examining -it): "Yes, it is." - -The public prosecutor declared himself satisfied, and the counsel for -the defence began: "Now, are you quite sure that when you photographed -the accused you did not believe her to be some one else--for instance, -Miss Frick?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, I believe I have already explained myself sufficiently -clearly on that point." - -_Counsel for the defence_: "I cannot understand how you can now be so -sure that the picture represents my client, while you believed quite -otherwise when you had the living person before you. What is the reason -for this?" - -_Witness_: "I have before explained I was in a great hurry at the time. -I wanted to get away before the person should turn round--it was all -done in fun on my part. Besides, I thought I recognized Miss Frick's -jacket,--she had been in the habit of wearing a jacket trimmed with -braid. Later, I got to hear that Miss Frick that same day had given it -to her maid as a present, and on looking at the photo I became convinced -it was the maid." - -_Counsel for the defence_: "Good! Are you also quite sure that the -picture you now see here is the same as that you took on that occasion? -The film has been several days out of your keeping, and in other hands." - -The young Englishman seemed rather impatient at this examination. "If -the film has not been tampered with at the photographer's," he exclaimed -quickly, "it is the picture of what I saw in the museum. Whether it has -been tampered with or not, I see here before me the same person, in the -same position, and in the same room--others must now decide which is -most probable." - -He took up the picture again, examined it carefully, and handed it back -to the public prosecutor. - -"I have only wanted to show," said the counsel for the defence, quietly, -"that you yourself at one time have doubted the identity of the person -who stands in front of Miss Frick's cupboard in the photograph. I have -now only two other questions to ask you. - -"What was the time when you took the photograph?" - -_Witness_: "About six." - -_Counsel for the defence_: "Are you not able to give the time more -exactly? Might it not just as well have been half-past six?" - -_Witness_: "I cannot give the exact time. I didn't attach much -importance to the incident. When I had taken the photograph I went up to -my room, and was busy there for some time before I left. It was then -about seven, so from that I conclude that the photograph was taken about -six." - -_Counsel_: "Might it not have been a little over half-past six?" - -_Witness_: "No! I can be quite certain it was not over half-past six." - -_Counsel_: "Could you see that the person held the diamond in her hand? -In the photograph the object which she holds is hidden by her shoulder." - -_Witness_: "When first I caught sight of her, she held the diamond -somewhat higher, so that I was able to see it; afterward she lowered her -arm, and while in that position she was photographed." - -The counsel for the defence seemed to be satisfied. - -Then Mr. Rodin, the photographer, was called as witness. - -The well-known artist, whose pleasant manners have obtained for him so -many customers and friends, bowed to the judge and court, and, the usual -formalities having been observed, he answered quickly and decisively the -questions which the public prosecutor put to him. - -Public prosecutor: "Do you recognize this photograph? Has it been in -your hands before?" - -_Witness_: "Yes; this film, together with some others, was given me to -develop, by Mr. Howell, on the evening of the 10th of May, about seven -or half-past." - -Public prosecutor: "And are you sure that this photograph is an exact -reproduction of the negative?" - -_Witness_ (smiling): "The photograph cannot lie, sir! Even if I had -wished it, I could not have produced anything else than what was to be -seen in front of the apparatus at the moment it was opened to take the -photograph." - -The public prosecutor finished his examination, and the counsel for the -defence began his. - -_Counsel_: "Can you be certain that this photograph is the same one -which you developed several weeks ago for Mr. Howell? It has not been -in your possession since?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, sir, I am quite sure; you can see for yourself that my -initials are written on the back;--look, O.R. 10/5, H. 10. The first -are my initials, then follows the date it was received, then the initial -of Mr. Howell's name, from whom I received it, and lastly, the number in -the series. The roll which he brought me that day consisted of ten -films; this was number ten, the last photograph he had taken." - -_Counsel_: "You cannot, however, be quite certain that this is the same -picture which Mr. Howell brought you. During the work, some of your -people might have mixed Mr. Howell's pictures together with other -people's. Such a thing might happen, might it not?" - -_Witness_: "No, sir; I develop all Mr. Howell's films with my own hands. -He is very particular about them. As you will see, this picture is very -clear and distinct, and I flatter myself that all the pictures which -have passed through my hands are the same,--that is to say, when such an -expert snap-shot taker as Mr. Howell has taken them." - -_Counsel_: "Is there any reason, Mr. Rodin, why one could not photograph -first the room, then a person, and then transfer that person to the -first picture, so that a person appears in the room on the picture?" - -The public had remained unusually silent and attentive during the whole -of the proceedings; at this question the silence became still more -intense. Every one understood the counsel's object in putting this -question--that each one of his questions was an attempt to clutch at a -last straw in the interest of his client; but all understood also that -each straw slipped out of his hand, one by one. The same happened to -this question. The witness answered, without any hesitation, "It is -possible, sir; but every experienced photographer would tell you that -this has not been attempted in the present case." - -The young advocate looked disappointed. He made a motion like one who -washes his hands, and allowed the witness to step down. - -The photograph was sent round among the members of the jury and the -court, while the next witness was being called. It was the young chief -of the detective police, Charles Monk. The public hailed his appearance -with murmurs of approbation which must be just as much attributed to his -winning appearance as to the reputation he had already gained as a -police officer. His evidence was calm, clear, and concise, as befits a -policeman, and all listened with breathless attention to the account of -how the young chief had taken upon himself the role of detective, and -had not rested until Mr. Frick's diamond was in the hands of the police. -When Mr. Monk, in his evidence, came to speak of his visit to Jurgens, -and of the stratagem he had used to deceive the old man, many of the -spectators began to clap their hands and shout, Bravo! The judge's -authority for the moment had to be called into account to produce -silence. - -Although there was scarcely a person in the court who did not wish that -the young girl in the dock should be acquitted, so paradoxical is human -nature that the same people applauded the great skill with which the net -had been drawn around her. - -The last hope for the prisoner seemed to vanish at the evidence of the -detective. - -The counsel for the defence had not many questions to ask. He tried to -show that both on her arrest and upon Mr. Monk's first visit to her -mother's home, she had been in an irresponsible condition, and for that -purpose he had no doubt summoned her mother and her lover, the actor, to -give evidence. Although their evidence was a voluntary matter, owing to -the relation in which they stood to the accused, they both declared -themselves willing to tell what they knew. Their evidence did not, -however, throw any new light on the matter. Both were convinced of the -young girl's innocence, and asked the court not to believe her, even if -she should again confess. She had always been of a nervous temperament, -and often a little strange. - -Neither the loquacious woman with the ruddy complexion, nor the -pomatummed Don Juan, whose shady character is so well known in the town, -made a good impression; and the counsel for the defence concluded their -examination as soon as possible. The general impression was that he, -for the defence, had originally intended to prove that his client was -irresponsible, but that during the proceedings before the court he had -abandoned this line of defence. - - * * * * * - -I had proceeded thus far in my reading when I stopped and looked at my -friends. Clara was listening with her mouth open, and did not seem as -if she would tolerate any interruption. Monk sat silently in an -armchair in the darkest corner of the room. - -"Shall I continue?" I asked, "or will you allow me to ask a question?" - -"I would rather you read the newspaper account to the end, first," was -Monk's answer; and I heard by the tone of his voice that he was -unusually agitated. - -"Yes, go on reading, and let us hear what happens," said Clara, trying -to look over my shoulder. - -I read as follows:-- - -... The examination of the witnesses for the defence was concluded, and -the public prosecutor rose. His speech was short and pithy. - -He thought all must agree that the charge he had preferred against the -accused had been fully proved by the evidence given in court. - -With regard to the responsibility of the accused, he also believed that -this had been asserted beyond all doubt; the opinion of the medical men -was definite, and the evidence by which the defence had attempted to -weaken these were but of little value. He did not believe for a moment -the counsel for the defence would seriously question the responsibility -of the accused. That the feeling of having committed a great crime, and -of having to answer for it, might have caused the conduct of the accused -to appear strange, and to some degree self-contradictory, was only -natural. - -That the accused had retracted her first confession, and later on had -refused to give any explanation whatever in the court, might perhaps -surprise some, but it could in no way weaken the clear and distinct -proofs of her guilt. It was perhaps to be regretted that the police had -not succeeded in ascertaining where the money for the stolen object had -disappeared to, as this circumstance prevented any possible accomplices -being brought to justice. It was likewise to be regretted that motives -for the crime could not be sufficiently explained; but the accused was -no doubt herself principally to be blamed for this, through her -persistent silence. None of these circumstances ought, however, to have -any influence upon the answer of the jury to the question, "Guilty or -not guilty?" - -The counsel for the accused rose to begin his speech for the defence. -He seemed at first to be somewhat uncertain, but he soon decided upon -the line he would take. - -He did not want to conceal, he said, that he was in a very difficult -position, and the one who made his position most difficult of all was -his client. - -All had heard that the young girl who was charged with having stolen the -diamond, which was now lying upon the table in court, had at first -confessed, but had afterward retracted her confession, and otherwise -refused any information whatsoever in the matter. But what every one, -in all probability, did not know, was that she had maintained the same -silence with regard to him, her counsel and adviser. He had not -succeeded in getting a single word from her lips, except the assurance -that she would say nothing, would answer no questions, and would give no -information. "I thought it only right," continued the young advocate, -"to make this open declaration, in order that my inability to give -information which might be to the advantage of my client, should not be -misunderstood. You must not believe that I have received any -information from her, and that I have not found it to her advantage to -make use of it. - -"It appears to me, and I hope the gentlemen of the jury will agree with -me, that the unfortunate girl, paralyzed by the terrible blow of -suspicion which has fallen upon her, and feeling how terribly hopeless -her case is, through the strong appearances against her at almost every -step, has found it expedient to draw within herself and keep silence, -just as the hunted deer withdraws to its cave, even if death awaits it -there. No one has a right to construe my client's silence as a -confession, or the result of a consciousness of guilt. - -"The diamond was stolen in the interval between five and half-past seven -in the afternoon. Of these two hours and a half my client spent only -half an hour's time within the walls of Villa Ballarat, while many -persons were present there during the whole time. It has been proved, -says the public prosecutor, that no stranger could have gained admission -there during that time; but can we be so sure of that? An agile man can -easily climb over the railings--no one will deny that. The police -examined the ground round about, and no trace was found, may be said in -objection. But we know that expert criminals are often very dexterous -in destroying all traces after them; and no one will maintain that the -police are so infallible that a trace cannot have escaped them. - -"One need not be gifted with great acuteness in order to guess what is -passing through the minds of the gentlemen of the jury at this moment: -what can be the use of all this? The main proofs against the accused -still remain unassailable. But let us look into some of these proofs -which, according to the opinion of the public prosecutor, are so strong -that they are even more reliable than a confession. The old man who -bought the diamond has himself said that he bought it of the young girl -whom I defend, and there can be no doubt about this, although he has not -appeared in court as witness; we have the evidence of the head of the -detective department with regard to it, and that must be sufficient. -But--here is also a 'but,' just as there is a 'but' in all the so-called -infallible circumstantial evidence against the accused--is, then, the -word of an imbecile man in his second childhood to be fully depended -upon--a man who immediately afterward is declared incapable of managing -his own affairs; who is so infatuated with his mania that he, whose -honesty is otherwise not for a moment to be doubted after a long life of -spotless integrity, buys a diamond which he knows must have been stolen? -Shall the evidence of such a man decide the fate of a human being? And -besides, is this man's evidence quite impartial? We have heard, from -the account of the chief of the detectives, that the old man tried to -conceal the fact that he was in possession of the diamond; in his -imbecility he is, however, conscious that he has done something wrong, -and is, to a certain degree, cunning, and on his guard. What, then, is -more probable than that he, who sees that he has been discovered, is -wily enough to give an explanation which makes it probable that a -servant would have the disposal of the diamond at her command? Who -dares maintain that the old man spoke the truth on this occasion? It -is, however, just as much, if not more probable, that he resorted to -telling the first untruth that came into his head! - -"And what has become of the five thousand kroners, which he says he has -paid for the diamond? - -"It has not been possible to ascertain, says my opponent; but on the -whole he seems to lay little stress upon the circumstance. - -"It seems to me that this circumstance--that no trace whatever has been -discovered of the money--is quite an important one. We know that the -most able detectives have been engaged in tracing it--even the fiance of -my client was arrested in Copenhagen in consequence thereof; both she -and her mother have been watched most closely--but still no clue. Are -not these circumstances important? Is there not more than one proof -that the police have been on the wrong track, that the thief is not the -one who has been arrested, and that they have been investigating in a -direction where there was nothing to look for? - -"But it may be said that the principal proof still remains unshaken; the -accused has, by a remarkable coincidence, been photographed in the act -of committing the theft, that cannot be denied or explained away; yes--I -venture to maintain there is no proof of the guilt of the accused in -this. I admit that most probably it is the young girl who has been -photographed on this film. The hat and the jacket which she wears were -given to her by Miss Frick about six o'clock in the afternoon of the -same day: this we know from the evidence; likewise that she wore the -same clothes when she called on her mother between half-past six and -seven. I admit there is a probability which approaches to certainty, -that it is my client who, in the photograph here, is standing in front -of Mr. Frick's cupboard in the so-called museum. One can also see that -she is holding some object in her hand. Yes, I even go so far as to -admit that she is most likely looking at the black diamond. But from -this moment my conclusions cease to coincide with those of the public -prosecutor. - -"Why should it follow that she also took the diamond with her? - -"What if my client, on passing through the garden and seeing the door -open to the museum, goes inside, and out of curiosity has a look at the -black diamond about which there has been so much talk among the people -of the house while she was serving the coffee in the afternoon, and then -puts it back again and passes out through the garden, on her way to her -mother? What if she, later on, after hearing of the robbery, -understands that she has been imprudent, and then does a still more -imprudent thing by trying to conceal her visit to the museum, and -finally, when almost crushed under the shame and fear of being arrested, -acts as she afterward did? - -"I ask any person of common sense, is there anything more improbable -than that this young girl, who has always shown the most exemplary -honesty, should commit this daring theft without any special motive? -This young girl, who was not in need, and who in her master's house had -found a home almost as if she were one of the family--this young girl -who knew that if she were in want of money for any special object her -young mistress would not deny her it, even if it were a considerable -sum! - -"Is this more probable than that her presence in the museum was due to -an accidental circumstance of no significance, and that the theft has -afterward been committed by some one else?" - -The counsel for the defence was here interrupted in a manner which was -no doubt flattering to him; from the audience came the sound of more -than one hearty _Bravo!_ while a hoarse voice, full of sincere -conviction, exclaimed, "Ah! he's about right there." - -Silence was soon obtained, and the counsel concluded his speech thus: -"It is an old experience of the court that the chain of evidence which -seems strongest, and in which the links seem to fit exactly into each -other, is in reality most often the weakest. I will ask the jury to bear -this in mind. And I believe that I have at least shown you that in the -chain of the public prosecutor which seemed to fit so beautifully there -is not one link which can be called faultless." - -The counsel resumed his seat, and the public made an attempt to applaud -him, but the judge quickly imposed silence, and the public prosecutor -rose to reply. - -He had followed the speech of the counsel for the defence with interest -and approval, the latter no doubt arising from the same cause which had -dictated the applause of the public--that is to say, admiration of the -counsel's ability to make something out of nothing, or of an -inconvenient subject. At this point the public prosecutor nodded in a -friendly way across to the counsel for the defence, who smiled in -return. - -He found, on the whole, his chain of evidence so little weakened by what -the defence had brought forward, that he did not think it necessary to -go through it again. He had such great confidence in the intelligence -of the jury that he would take it for granted they would have remarked, -without his pointing it out to them, that where he had produced facts, -or probabilities which almost amounted to facts, the counsel for the -defence had only set up possibilities, and even improbable -possibilities--with this, he would leave the matter in the hands of the -jury. - -The counsel for the defence then proceeded to make his final speech. - -The public prosecutor had himself admitted that there were possibilities -that the theft had not been committed in the way the prosecution had -asserted. It would be the duty of the jury to decide as to the -probability or improbability of the possibilities. He would conclude by -saying that when to these possibilities was added the stainless life of -his client, and the good character she bore from all quarters--no one -had brought forward anything to the contrary--as well as the -circumstance that no one had been able to show any particular motive for -the young girl's suddenly committing a criminal act; and finally, that -it had not been possible, in spite of the most energetic exertions of -the police, to show that his client had been in possession of, or -disposed of the money which was to have been the reward of the crime of -which she was accused--then he did not doubt that the conscientious jury -would not pronounce the fateful "Yes" to the question "Guilty?" - -The counsel sat down, but no applause was heard this time from the -public. All seemed to be convinced that his exertions had been in vain. - -The time approached when the jurymen had to retire. All seemed to feel -that their deliberations would be short, and the result an unanimous -verdict of guilty. - -Of what avail could be the eloquence or the cunning subterfuges of a -counsel, against proofs and facts as clear as those which the public -prosecutor had produced? - -The judge asked the accused if she had anything to say. Her counsel -leaned toward her, and appeared to be urging something earnestly upon -her; but she only shook her head, as before, and the young man sat down -with an air of resignation. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *THE PHOTOGRAPH CANNOT LIE* - - -The public prosecutor had begun to read the questions which were to be -laid before the jury, when he was interrupted by a noise from the back -of the court. Many of the public rose from their seats in order to see -better. - -What could be the matter? - -A messenger of the court had forced his way through the crowd to the -counsel for the defence, and handed him a letter, saying a few words, -which those nearest to him could hear. The messenger said, "You must -read it at once, sir; it has to do with the case now before the court." - -The counsel tore open the envelope, read, passed his hand across his -forehead, and read the letter again. - -He crushed the paper in his hand, stepped quickly forward, and as the -public prosecutor had not resumed his reading, he addressed himself to -the judge, saying, "I must ask that an hour's postponement be granted to -my client; in that time I believe I can bring before you, gentlemen, -evidence which will throw a new light upon the case." - - * * * * * - -An hour passed by, perhaps a little more, and the court was again -sitting. The room was, if possible, even more crowded than before; no -one had been willing to give up his seat, and there were new arrivals. - -The silence which reigned showed the excitement that possessed -everybody. - -The counsel for the defence asked to be allowed to examine the chief of -the detective staff once more. - -The young officer stepped forward, and took his place in the witness box -in his usual quiet manner, although astonishment was plainly written on -his face. - -_The counsel_: "You have already told us that when you paid a visit to -Mr. Jurgens and so skilfully got him to give up the diamond, he then -told you that he had bought it from the accused, Evelina Reierson. -Isn't that so?" - -"Yes." - -_Counsel_: "Did he seem to be in any doubt as to whom he had bought the -diamond from?" - -The detective blushed at this question, but his answer was as -unconstrained and calm as before. - -"No, he gave me the impression that he was sure it was the accused." - -_Counsel_: "Did he name any one else who could possibly have sold him -the diamond?" - -"At first he began, with some confused nonsense, to excuse himself, but -it was of no significance to the case." - -_Counsel_: "I must ask you, however, to give the name or the names which -Mr. Jurgens mentioned in connection with the diamond." - -One could see that the officer was angry at the importunate examination, -and that he had to exert himself to the utmost, in order to answer -calmly. - -"Mr. Jurgens seemed at first to be somewhat frightened at the -consequences of his transaction, and in order to excuse himself, he -began with some nonsense about having bought the diamond from--from a -person who is nearly related to Mr. Frick, and who was supposed to have -received the diamond from him as a present." - -_Counsel_: "What did you do to get him to speak the truth?" - -The detective hesitated a moment, and grew redder still in the face. At -last he answered firmly and distinctly:-- - -"He first mentioned Miss Frick as having sold him the diamond, and that -she had said she had got it as a present from her uncle. This was as -much as to say that the young lady, for whom I have--have the greatest -respect, is a thief and a liar, as information of the robbery was given -to the police by her uncle; and I then forgot myself for the moment and -seized hold of the old man--but of course only for a moment!" - -_Counsel_: "It was after you let go of him that he gave the name of -Evelina Reierson?" - -"Yes; but as you will understand--" - -_Counsel_ (interrupting): "I have for the present nothing further to ask -you." - -"Well, I never heard such--" exclaimed a powerful voice. It was old -Frick who rose, red as a turkey cock in the face; the judge himself had -to call him to order. - -Mr. Monk still stood in the same place, biting his lips. Miss Frick -stared at him with an astonished expression. As yet she suspected -nothing. - -But the attention of the public was soon engrossed by a new witness whom -the counsel for the defence brought forward. He was a tall, -squarely-built man, with broad round shoulders, and black hair and -beard; he was dressed in shiny, threadbare black clothes. - -The examination was begun by the judge. The witness seemed quite -unwilling to be examined. - -"Your name?" - -"Abraham Abrahamson." - -"How old are you?" - -"Fifty-three years old." - -"What is your calling?" - -"Pawnbroker and commission agent." - -"Where do you live?" - -"Bishop Street, No. 75." - -"Do you know anything about the case which is before the jury to-day?" - -"I have read about it in the papers." - -"Have you had anything to do with any of the persons in the case, or -have you in any other way obtained any information which may be of -importance in this matter?" - -"I know several persons here by sight"--the witness looked round the -court with his sharp, dark eyes--"but I did not believe I could give any -information which could be of use to the court, until I was sent for -half an hour ago." - -The judge concluded, and left the further examination to the counsel for -the defence. - -_Counsel_: "Do you know this young girl, Evelina Reierson?" - -_Witness_: "She has been once or twice to my place, on business." - -_Counsel_: "On what sort of business?" - -_Witness_ (unwillingly): "To pawn a few small things." - -_Counsel_: "What sort of small things?" - -_Witness_: "As far as I can remember, they were some rings and a pair of -earrings." - -Suddenly Miss Frick's voice was heard--not loud, but clear and -distinct:-- - -"The rings and earrings she got from me. They were presents, and she -could do as she liked with them." - -The judge enjoined the young lady in a friendly but decided tone not to -speak until she was questioned, and the young lady sat down, blushing. - -_Counsel_: "Had you a visit from the young girl on the 10th of May -last?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, most likely." - -_Counsel_: "Most likely? Be good enough to explain yourself more -clearly; or does it mean that you remember nothing about that day?" - -_Witness_: "Well, yes, I can well enough explain what I mean. I have -nothing to hide--the law and the police I have always esteemed and -respected"--here an ironical voice was heard exclaiming:-- - -"You are about right there, Abrahamson!" which was followed by loud -laughter. - -The witness, with a scornful glance at the corner where the interruption -came from, continued: "No, I have nothing to hide. On the 10th of May a -lady came to me and asked if I would lend her some money on some -jewelry,--a lot of rings, brooches, and bracelets with precious stones -in them. She had a veil over her face; but I thought I recognized the -young girl whom you call Evelina Reierson." - -_Counsel_: "Was it not, then, the young girl who sits here?" - -_Witness_: "I don't know." - -_Counsel_: "Don't know?" - -_Witness_: "If you will give me time, you shall hear. I said at once -that I could not accept such valuable things, unless she could show she -was authorized to pawn them. Then she answered that if we came to an -understanding, she would prove she was the owner of the jewelry. I -looked at the things, and said that if everything was all right, I could -lend her two thousand kroners on them. She knew that the things were -worth five thousand kroners, she said, and if I could give her four -thousand, I could buy them of her. I must have time to examine them, I -explained. But she would not let me. She seemed on the point of -crying, and asked me for God's sake to give her four thousand kroners -immediately; she would willingly give me a few more valuable things -later on, or pay me something back. Then I thought the matter looked -rather suspicious, and did not like to have anything more to do with -her, so she left." - -_Counsel_: "Didn't you try to find out if it was the girl, Evelina -Reierson, or not?" - -_Witness_ (after hesitating awhile before answering): "Yes, I did; for I -am a law-abiding man, who likes to give the police a helping hand." - -_Counsel_: "Yes, we know that, but what did you do?" - -_Witness_: "I sent a boy in my office after her. He sat up behind the -carriage--for she had come in a hired carriage which waited outside--and -he saw her go into a house in Drammen Road." - -_Counsel_: "Was it Mr. Frick's house?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, so the boy said." - -_Counsel_: "But you took it as a proof that it really was Evelina -Reierson?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, but I am not sure that it was she, after all, for she -had a veil on, and then I don't know Evelina Reierson so very well." - -_Counsel_: "How was the lady dressed?" - -_Witness_: "She had on a green hat with a feather in it, and a jacket -braided in front and at the back." - -_Counsel_: "Do you remember this distinctly?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, I am not so unaccustomed to using my eyes, and I -thought it best to notice her dress, in case the police should ask me -about the matter, later on." - -_Counsel_: "What time was it when the lady visited you?" - -_Witness_: "It must have been twenty minutes past five when she came, -for she was with me a quarter of an hour, and when she left it was -twenty-five minutes to six." - -_Counsel_: "Was it also with regard to the possibility of inquiries from -the police that you looked at the clock when the lady left you?" - -_Witness_: "Yes." - -_Counsel_: "You are quite certain about the time, then?" - -_Witness_: "Yes, quite certain; I conferred with my clerk." - -The case had proceeded thus far when a great commotion in the court -caused the examination to be interrupted. It is superfluous to remark -that the two last witnesses had made a deep impression upon all who were -present at the hearing of this remarkable case, and the excitement among -the audience rose as the examination progressed. - -The pawnbroker's last words fell in complete silence, but only to be -followed by murmurings and noise. - -The alarm threatened to throw the court into confusion, when suddenly a -cry was heard, "She is fainting!" A large crowd had gathered round Miss -Frick, and old Frick was seen in the middle of it, gesticulating wildly, -while the young girl leant back on the seat with a handkerchief over her -face. Mr. Monk forced his way up to her, and with the consent of the -judge conducted her out of the court. - -The judge then proceeded to call for order. It did not take him long, -for the threat to have the court cleared had immediate effect. No one -wished to lose the last act of the drama. - -The counsel for the defence did not wish to examine the pawnbroker any -further. The public prosecutor had, in the meantime, nothing to comment -upon, and the young counsel was called upon to proceed. - -He began with thanking the court for giving him the postponement he had -asked for,--a postponement which had enabled him not only to obtain -valuable evidence, but which had also given him positive means of -proving his client's innocence of the robbery of the diamond. He -continued:-- - -"If any one believes that my purpose in calling the witness Abrahamson, -and in putting new questions to the chief of the detective force, was to -throw the guilt of the robbery upon another, he is mistaken. It is -certainly unavoidable that at the same time my client's innocence is -brought to light, so at the same time the attention is led into another -direction, and the ministers of justice have perhaps already found a new -object in their search after the guilty person. But that is a matter -which does not concern me. It only goes to prove that the young girl -whose defence has been intrusted to me is innocent--that the -circumstantial evidence which appeared so strong against her, on the -contrary speaks in her favour when seen in the right light. - -"The object of my last examination of the chief detective and the -witness Abrahamson was only to show that mistakes can be made, and in -this case have been made with regard to the identity of the accused. -Mr. Jurgens said at first it was another person who had sold the diamond -to him, and it was only after the chief detective had treated the old -man in, let us call it, a less polite manner, that he mentioned the name -of the accused. The witness Abrahamson believed he received a visit -from the accused on the same day the diamond was stolen. It appeared, -however, that the lady whom he supposed was his client was dressed in -clothes which she only became possessed of later in the day. We have -Miss Frick's sworn evidence to the effect that she herself wore the -braided costume between five and six o'clock, and only made a present of -these clothes to the accused at about six o'clock. - -"It is, as I have already said, not my object to accuse any other -person, and I will give up the inquiry as to whether it was Miss Frick -herself who visited the pawnbroker that day; my object is only to show -that if Mr. Jurgens has mistaken another woman for my client, Evelina -Reierson, it is not at any rate the first time that day that she was the -object of a mistaken identity. - -"What I have now adduced ought in itself to be sufficient to change the -opinion of the jury, if they have hitherto considered my client to be -guilty. But I am in the fortunate position of being able to prove that -what has hitherto appeared to be the most weighty evidence against my -client is, on the contrary, the clearest proof of her innocence. I refer -here to the circumstance that the witness, Mr. Howell, has declared that -he, at the time when the theft must have been committed, had seen the -accused in front of the cupboard where the diamond was kept, and that he -had even photographed her in this position. The photograph, in which -all will recognize my client, is now here in court. When I say that I -can prove that this circumstantial evidence is false, I mean that here, -also, we have a case of mistaken identity, and I can prove that the -person who is photographed here (he took the photograph in his hand) is -not, and cannot be, the accused. The proof is a simple one, although I -must confess that only an accident has enabled me to produce it. (The -young counsel here pulled out a large magnifying glass from his pocket, -and handed it, together with the photograph, to the judge.) Will the -court, and the gentlemen of the jury, and I would ask my colleague, the -public prosecutor, to do the same, look at the photograph through the -magnifying glass? You will then, gentlemen, see that the person who has -been photographed wears a ring on the ring finger of the left hand. - -"Will you next examine the hand of the accused? When she was a little -girl, she broke the ring finger of her left hand in a fall. The bone -did not set properly, so that there is now a protuberance, which -prevents her from wearing a ring on that finger." - -The counsel then raised the young girl's hand so that all could see it, -to which she quietly submitted, but without lifting her eyes from the -floor and without a change of expression on her waxen face. - -"All will be able to convince themselves of the truth of this. I do not -think that any declaration from a medical authority is necessary. And, -gentlemen, let the magnifying glass show you yet another thing. You -will at once see on the left of the lady's head an object on the shelf -above. It is the little ivory elephant with the clock, of which mention -has already been made in the course of evidence. The glass, gentlemen, -will enable you not only to see the clock in the forehead of the -elephant, but also to plainly discover the position of the hands. What -time do the hands show? They show the time to be twenty minutes to six. - -"Where was my client at that time? On this point we have full -information from the evidence before us. She had not returned by this -time. She only came in through the garden gate at five minutes to six. -And she could not, under any circumstance, be dressed at twenty minutes -to six in the jacket which she only received from Miss Frick at six -o'clock, or shortly afterward! - -"Gentlemen, when you have assured yourselves as to the correctness of -what I have told you, you will perhaps remember what the witness, Mr. -Rodin, the able photographer, said in court:-- - -"'The photograph cannot lie!' - -"With the permission of the court, I will postpone any further remarks -till the jury have convinced themselves that everything is as I have -stated." - - * * * * * - -For the first minute or so neither the judge's voice nor his hammer was -of any avail; he had to submit to the loud applause which the public -bestowed upon the young counsel, who bowed and smiled like an actor who -is called before the curtain. - - * * * * * - -But the space of a newspaper is limited, and I must conclude my report -as quickly as possible. - -The examination of the photograph took some time, as the judge and the -jury had personally to assure themselves as to what the photograph could -tell. To all appearances, they seemed to be satisfied with their -investigations under the magnifying glass. - -Mr. Rodin and another well-known photographer, both of whom had been -summoned as experts, declared with the greatest confidence that the -evidence of the photograph could be relied upon, and when a medical -witness declared that no ring of the usual dimension could be worn on -the finger of the accused, the affair was settled. - -The jury disappeared, only to return at once, and the voice of the -foreman rang out clearly when he pronounced the words "Not guilty" to -the question, "Guilty or not guilty?" - - * * * * * - -Thus ends the account of the proceedings in one of our modern judicial -dramas. No one can doubt that we shall hear of an epilogue which will -probably result in a tragedy. - -Last night we received information that as soon as the proceedings in -court were over, Miss Sigrid Frick was arrested, and charged with the -theft of her uncle's diamond. - - * * * * * - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *IN THE DARK* - - -I put the newspaper cutting on the table, and looked at my listeners. -Clara sat with her chin resting on her folded hands, and her elbows on -the table, staring straight in front of her. Monk, who had again -retired to the darkest corner of the room, now came forward. He was -very pale, but his voice was calm as he said:-- - -"Now I will continue. You must pardon me, if the rest of my story seems -dry and businesslike, but it is the only way I can persuade myself to -speak of it at all. There is, however, not much more to tell." - -"Yes, but tell me, Monk,--was Sigrid--Miss Frick, I should say--" - -It was Clara who spoke. She got up eagerly and went across to Monk. - -"No, excuse me, Mrs. Viller, allow me to continue--in any case, for a -little while. You have promised to hear me, in order, if possible, to -advise and help me, so you must bear with my whim and not interrupt me -just now. Later, I will answer anything that you want to ask me." - -Well, there are several things that happened in court, which the -reporter did not mention; though I do not think that his report, -together with what I have told you, has left you in the dark with regard -to anything that could be of any help in the clearing up of the mystery -in which the diamond robbery at old Frick's ended. - -There is only one thing which I must mention, since the reporter of the -_Morning News_ did not include it. When the judge summed up, he took -the opportunity to censure the conduct of the police in the case. He -referred, he said, to the detective's conduct with regard to lawyer -Jurgens. He was certainly convinced that it had never been his -intention to exercise pressure on the old man, but that he had in a -passion laid hands on him, a circumstance which, at the turn events had -taken in the case, appeared in a very unfavourable light. The detective -had also committed another error in not mentioning the incident when he -gave evidence in court. The judge felt himself obliged to declare that -this conduct might have aided the condemnation of an innocent person. - -Any one can understand in what a painful situation I found myself. The -worst of it was, that I was obliged to admit that the judge was -right,--painfully right. Also, the way in which I had conducted the -case had contributed, to a great extent, in throwing a terrible -suspicion upon the one who was the dearest to me in the world. So far, -I did not as yet foresee the result of the turn which the affair had -taken, and which in itself was so surprising, that one hardly had time -to reflect before the judgment was given. - -I went home immediately, and tried to think over my position; but even -then I saw only darkness around me. So I pulled myself together and -went to the chief superintendent's office. He still sat there, although -it was rather late in the evening. He was very serious. - -"I have already been informed of what has taken place in court," he -said; "and it pains me greatly to hear what has happened. My purpose in -speaking of this, is to spare you giving any account of it. Wait! I -have one thing to tell you before you answer--one thing which you ought -to know as soon as possible. I have given orders for the arrest of Miss -Frick." - -I had expected that some such thing must happen, and I succeeded in -assuming an indifference which was anything but what I felt. - -"I knew this must happen, sir," I answered, "and I have no doubt what I -ought to do; I have come to ask you to accept my resignation in the -police service. My written application I have not as yet made out, but -you shall have it to-morrow. I ask you to consider it as already in your -hands." - -The superintendent looked at me in a friendly way, pressed my hand, and -said:-- - -"I am sorry, more sorry than you can imagine; but I neither can, nor -will, ask you to take back your resignation. What you have now said was -just what I was prepared to hear from you." - -"Have you heard, sir, everything that took place in the court to-day?" - -"Yes, I have obtained a verbatim report from the officer who was present -the whole time." - -"And what is your opinion?" - -"My opinion? I understand you do not refer any longer to yourself; you -are thinking of the young girl whom I have been obliged to -arrest,--well, what shall I say to you? If I say that no one but Miss -Frick could have taken the diamond, then you will be angry with me; and -if I say the contrary, you will think I am speaking against my -conviction--isn't that so?" - -He was right, and I remained silent. - -As I moved to go, the superintendent took my hand again. - -"You have met with a great misfortune, Monk,--a little carelessness on -your part, a bagatelle which, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, -would have resulted in nothing, has, by force of circumstances, driven -you from a post which you have filled with much energy and ability. And -if I am not mistaken, a greater misfortune has befallen, or, in any case -is likely to befall, one whom you hold dear. With regard to the first, -you are a man of energy, and it is hardly necessary to ask you not to -lose courage; you have done nothing wrong, and the world is wide and -generally repays one for one's labour. As for the latter, I have also -some advice. Wait patiently! I read plainly in your face what you -intend doing--you will use all your strength and energy in trying to -prove this lady's innocence, against whom everything now seems to tell, -and it is far from my intention to dissuade you in this--perhaps you -will succeed. This much, experience has taught me,--that nothing is -impossible. But should you not succeed--and who can tell? do not make -the mistake of ruining your life for the sake of a woman--kinder to -yourself and to her to break and have done with, it at once, before it -shall be too late. Remember, too, that what is, is inevitable, and that -one cannot build a house of bricks which are already crumbled to dust; -break with it, the earlier the better--before it is too late--and do not -attempt to produce the impossible from a thing which has already proved -to be dust. If I can ever help you, now or later, then come to me -without hesitancy." - -These were my superior's friendly and fatherly words. In the years -which have passed by I have only spoken with him once since then upon -this matter. - - * * * * * - -I was at that time twenty-seven years old, and when the next day dawned, -my courage and energy had returned. - -The superintendent was right when he had read in my face the -determination to leave no stone unturned, in order to prove the -innocence of my fiancee--for she was still my fiancee. But I was not to -proceed far in the matter before I discovered that my position at the -time--for I was no longer at the head of a large detective department of -the police--made my work both difficult and unremunerative. It seemed -as if an inexorable fate had decided that the drama, as it had begun, -should be played out to the end, and that no human intervention would be -tolerated. - -"Didn't you see Sigrid at once?" asks Clara, suddenly. - -"No, it was impossible; I'll tell you just how matters stood: the very -next day all the papers in the town began to speak of the conduct of the -police as it was called. Some even hinted that I should be prosecuted, -as my concealment of the truth had almost led to an innocent person -being convicted. This, however, soon passed over, as my resignation was -accepted without delay. But the result was that in many places I was -received with distrust, and that the superintendent, with whom I had -corresponded about the matter, dared on no account to give me permission -to see the young girl who was under arrest." - -I have here some notes from my diary, following from that time on; let -me read them to you. It is not my habit to keep a diary; that kind of -self-confession has never been to my taste, but at that time I did it -from purely professional reasons--in order to have notes to help me in -my work. - -Monk pulled out a small thick note-book and began to turn over the -leaves. - -"Oh no, don't," said Clara, at the sight of it; "put away the book. I -would rather you told it to us instead." - -Monk could not help smiling. "I shall not use the book for long, Mrs. -Viller; but I think it is best to get to the end of the story--the -sooner the better. And it will save me much time if I may be allowed to -read a few pages." So Clara gave her permission and Monk read:-- - -"_June_ 23.--Not possible to obtain permission to see Sigrid.--Tried, -therefore, to see old Frick. Ill! couldn't see me--I don't believe much -in that illness. In the afternoon went to see Evelina's counsel, and -asked him about the letter which had been delivered to him in court at -the time when he asked for postponement. He refused again to give me -any information about the letter or its contents; he was bound to -secrecy, he said. I think very much hangs on this letter; some one must -have given the lawyer weapons to use, not only in defence of Evelina, -but against Sigrid. Who can it be? What can the motive be, and what is -the object?" - -I then spoke to the court attendant. He had received the letter from a -commissionaire, with injunctions to deliver it to the counsel for the -defence, without delay. I shall try to find the commissionaire, but -that will perhaps take some days--in the meantime, time flies. - -_June_ 25.--Now I have spent two days in looking for the commissionaire. -I began with No. 1, and only when I had got up to 87 did I find the -right man. He had had the letter from a little newspaper boy outside -the grand cafe. At last I got hold of the little newspaper boy. He had -received it from a "gentleman," but whether the gentleman was old or -young, fair or dark, he could not remember--in fact, nothing--and there -I stand! - -I tried again to see old Frick. He said he was not at home, but in the -afternoon he sent me the following letter:-- - - -HONOURED SIR,--I had better at once inform you that I do not consider we -two can any longer have any pleasure in each other's acquaintance. -Neither Einar nor Sigrid Frick will ever again set foot in my house, and -your name will never be mentioned here. - -Your part, Mr. Monk, in the latter month's events, I am not so sure -about, and I do not intend to trouble myself about it any further. - -It is sufficient for me to know that you have assisted in the attempt to -conceal the criminal conduct of my brother's children. That there may -be circumstances which render your conduct excusable, I know well -enough; but at any rate, I do not see why we should meet or see each -other again. - -Yours truly, - BARTHOLOMEW FRICK. - - -Monk looked up from his notes. "Since then I have never spoken to old -Frick." - -"But you surely tried to get some explanation from him?" - -"I tried, yes; but it was easier said than done. Since that time he has -scarcely spoken with any one, least of all with me. He is as obstinate -as an old goat. But let me proceed, for the sooner I get to the end of -these miserable reminiscences the better." - -_June_ 28.--I spent the day in keeping my eye on the actor, Evelina, and -her mother--a difficult task now, since I have to manage without my -trusted constable, and exclusively rely upon myself or some wretched -hireling. Evelina never goes out; she is said to be ill. Her mother -enjoys greatly the role of martyr on her daughter's behalf. She is said -to have received a considerable sum of money from old Frick. The actor -continues his gay life. He seems to have a little money, but nothing -extraordinary. - -I have spoken with Mr. Howell. He behaves and speaks like a gentleman, -but ... I have no belief in him. He expressed the greatest regret in -having been mixed up in the case. Nothing could have persuaded him that -it was not Evelina he had photographed in front of the cupboard with the -diamond in her hand. (Yes, but what does that help, when the hands of -the clock and the dress tell another story.) He was going to England in -a few days he said, whatever the police might say or do. He would not -appear in court; but they had, of course, his evidence from the last -proceedings. - -I asked what old Frick had to say against his nephew Einar. Mr. Howell -said he could not understand; he had in vain tried to bring the old -fellow round. Mr. Howell apparently speaks very openly; but I have -learned nothing new from him. Does he know nothing? or does he conceal -something? - -_July_ 5.---A whole week gone, and I have done nothing! The time draws -near when the case will come again before the court, and every one seems -to be of the opinion--though it is dreadful to have to write it -down--that Sigrid will be found guilty. - -I have written twice to Einar Frick in Hamburg, but have not received -any reply, although by telegraphing to his hotel, I have found out that -he has been there and has received my letters. - -It seems as if I am beating my head against a stone wall. - -I have been to the pawnbroker, Abrahamson. At first I only saw a -humpbacked clerk, who stared at me with a derisive smile, but afterward -Abrahamson himself appeared. He said he had told everything he knew in -court, and had no time to talk with me. It is very different now from -the time when I was chief of the detective force! - -The day before yesterday an important thing happened. The actor -Frederiksen left by the night train for Copenhagen. I couldn't keep him -back, and the police wouldn't stop him; and now I suspect that with him -has disappeared one of the few possible chances of getting the robbery -cleared up. - -_July_ 6.--All the morning papers announce to-day in big type the news -that Evelina Reierson has committed suicide; she has hanged herself in -her own room in her mother's house. All agree that she committed -suicide while insane. After her arrest she had several times betrayed -signs of insanity, which at last resulted in this deplorable act--so say -the reports. All the papers speak in regretful terms of the event, and -the _Truthseeker_ and several other papers are untiring in expatiating -upon the responsibilities which the "real culprit" and the police must -take upon themselves for what has happened. - -I hardly understand how I, in the long run, am going to hold out, -powerless as I am to do anything. - -_July_ 7.--I went to-day to Mrs. Reierson's to see if I could possibly -find out if the dead girl had left behind her any message or confession. -As I had expected, however, I was received by the worthy dame with a -shower of curses and abuse. It was impossible to do anything in that -quarter. - -Old Frick seems entirely overwhelmed by his niece's guilt, and does not -allow her name to be mentioned. He has, however, engaged the best -lawyer in Christiania as her counsel. Will that be of any use? - -_July_ 9.--Only three days before the court meets, and not a step more -forward! Yes, I have done something. I have spoken with the lawyer who -will take up Sigrid's case. He confided to me that Sigrid had informed -him that it was really she who had visited the pawnbroker that -afternoon, to get him to lend her money on her trinkets; but she refused -to explain how she wanted to use the money. The lawyer had impressed -upon her that it was absolutely necessary that she should explain -herself on that point, but the young girl was obdurate. - -What can this mean? - -What use could Sigrid have for four thousand kroners? and why couldn't -she explain what she wanted them for? This has given me much food for -reflection. - -In the meantime, I asked the lawyer if he had taken note of the fact -that the pawnbroker's time by the clock had made it impossible that Miss -Frick could be back at Villa Ballarat at the time when the photograph -was taken. According to the pawnbroker's account, she drove from there -twenty-five minutes to six, and the clock in the photograph showed it to -be twenty minutes to six. The way from Bishop Road to Villa Ballarat -cannot be covered in five minutes. - -The lawyer promised to prove this--but what could Sigrid want with four -thousand kroners? What could she have to hide? - - -Monk closed his note-book. - -Yes, thus far go my notes, and the rest is quickly told. - -Three days afterward the case came before the court. I was myself -called as witness, but my recollections of that day are very indistinct. -I felt as if I were walking in my sleep or in the throes of a dreadful -dream. If I had been the accused I should have acted calmly and with -presence of mind, I am sure. But I was not accused, though guilty of -having been the cause of bringing the young girl whom I loved more than -my life before a court of justice, and having her accused of having -committed a despicable theft from her benefactor. It was some time -afterward that I, through reading the accounts in the paper, got some -idea of what had taken place that day in the court. - -Nearly all the witnesses who appeared against Evelina were also summoned -on this occasion. The evidence threw no new light on the case, so I do -not think it necessary to go more than is absolutely necessary into the -events of that terrible day. - -When I gave my explanation of my visit to Mr. Jurgens, the public -attempted to assail me with terms of abuse and derision. The judge soon -called them to order, but I was subjected to the most offensive glances -while I told the story of my own folly. - -Sigrid did not attempt to hide her visit to the pawnbroker, but refused -to explain for what purpose she required the money. On the other hand, -she absolutely denied having set foot in the museum between five and -half-past seven. - -The public prosecutor in his address especially laid stress upon the -following:-- - -The accused had herself admitted that she, on the day of the robbery, -had taken most unusual steps to become possessed of a large sum of -money, but that she had not succeeded in this at the pawnbroker's. It -was clear that it was of the greatest importance for her to obtain at -least four thousand kroners that day, and that all other ways out of the -difficulty seemed to be closed against her. - -She was one of the few who could, without creating suspicion, go in and -out of the museum where the diamond was kept. - -Then there was the photograph taken by Mr. Howell of her standing with -the diamond in her hand at twenty minutes to six that afternoon. That -the photograph represented Miss Frick, although she denied having -visited the museum during that time, there was no longer any doubt, -after an examination with the magnifying glass. - -Finally, there was the evidence of the late chief detective, that Mr. -Jurgens at the beginning had declared he had bought the diamond of the -accused. Only later had the old man, frightened by the detective's -improper behaviour, changed his statement. - -These were, in brief, the chief points in the public prosecutor's -address, and it is not necessary to add that after the evidence and his -speech, there was scarcely a person in the court who doubted but that -Miss Frick was guilty. - -The counsel for the accused had no other defence than the point which I -mentioned in my diary; but this he turned to account beyond all -expectation. It appeared that the time when Miss Frick left the -pawnbroker's could be substantiated to the minute, by the circumstance -that the pawnbroker on this occasion had looked at his watch and asked -his clerk if the time was not twenty-five minutes to six. The clerk had -then leant out of the window, looked at the clock in the church tower, -and answered in the affirmative. - -The counsel had also examined the driver who had driven Miss Frick,--I -have perhaps forgotten to tell you that meanwhile I had been able to -trace this person,--and he could clearly remember that on this occasion -he had driven at his usual pace, neither more quickly nor more slowly. - -The counsel had, as experiments, taken several drives with the same -horse and carriage, and had found that the distance was never made in -less than fifteen minutes, when driving at the usual pace, and at a more -rapid pace not less than ten minutes. - -He had thereby shown, he said, that if Miss Frick was the lady who had -left the pawnbroker's at twenty-five minutes to six--which was now an -established fact--it could not be she who had been photographed with the -diamond in her hand at twenty minutes to six! That the little clock in -the elephant's head was right to the minute, had been proved by Mr. -Frick's evidence. - -The public prosecutor, in the reply, stated that it was a well-known -fact that there was often a difference of several minutes in the clocks -of the town. - -The counsel maintained that such a great difference as would be -necessary in such a case, at least ten minutes, was scarcely possible. -Altogether, he utilized this circumstance to the utmost, and made his -final appeal to the jury so impressive that when the jury retired, there -was great uncertainty as to the result. - -Here Mr. Monk opened his memorandum book and produced a newspaper -cutting, from which he read the conclusion of the counsel's address:-- - -"It would be foolish of me to maintain that I have proven that my client -is not guilty of the theft of which she is accused. But I have the -right to ask: Is there any one who believes that the public prosecutor -has proved her guilt? I have, at any rate, shown that in order that the -assertion of the prosecution may hold good, the young lady must have -been in two places at the same time. If she had been at the -pawnbroker's at the time when all the evidence went to show she was -there, then she cannot be the person who was photographed by Mr. Howell -with the stolen diamond in her hand. - -"I admit that there is weighty circumstantial evidence against the young -lady; but have I not also shown that there is also weighty -circumstantial evidence in contradiction? All will agree that this is -an unusual case. This robbery, which has now been twice before the -court, in the form of two different charges against two different -persons, will remain a mystery, whatever the verdict of the jury may be -to-day. - -"I venture to say, that whatever your judgment may be to-day, we shall -to-morrow hear that half of the public approve of it, and the other half -disapprove. - -"The theft is, and will remain, a mystery. - -"Any one who was present at the former trial, will remember that when -the case was nearly concluded, in fact, just before the jury retired, -there was scarcely a person in court who was not convinced that the case -was as clear as any could be, and that the conscience of the jurymen -would not be troubled in any way by pronouncing a verdict of 'Guilty.' -But an hour or two afterward all were agreed that they might with just -as easy a mind pronounce a verdict of 'Not guilty.' Might not the same -thing happen to-day? - -"I am not so fortunate, it is true, as my colleague, who was the counsel -for the defence on the first occasion. I have not, at any rate, -succeeded in producing evidence which would compel the prosecution to -drop the case,--but I have at least succeeded in showing that if the -public prosecutor is correct in his statements, then my client must be a -super-natural being!" - -The counsel concluded with a passionate appeal to the jury on behalf of -his client, and sat down. - -"The jury consulted for three hours," continued Monk, and when they at -last returned into court, their answer to the question of "Guilty or not -guilty" was: "No! Not guilty." - -A sigh of relief escaped simultaneously from Clara and myself, and Monk -looked up with a strange melancholy smile. - -"Yes, I understand. I felt just as you now feel when the verdict was -made known. The first impression was one of infinite joy and relief; -but it was not to last long. The verdict was received by the public -with deep silence; and when Sigrid was liberated, and about to leave the -court, she was received with hooting and hissing by the large crowd -which in an incredibly short time had collected outside. Stones were -thrown after her carriage, and it was with the greatest difficulty that -the police got her safely away." - -"How terrible!" said Clara. "How could any one have the heart to -torture the poor girl any further. Did they believe then that she was -guilty?" - -"Guilty!" exclaimed Monk, with another melancholy smile. "I don't -believe there were ten people in Christiania the next day who were not -convinced that Sigrid Frick had stolen her uncle's diamond, and that -there were dark pages in her life which were the cause of her being in -need of money. Then, besides this, she was looked upon as the cause of -Evelina's suicide." - -The next day the papers contained accounts of what had happened the day -before in the court, and the trial was the general topic of -conversation. No one seemed to doubt that Miss Frick was guilty. The -suicide of Evelina had especially tended to inflame the minds of the -public. Most people were convinced that the cause of the suicide was, -as I have already mentioned, the treatment to which she had been exposed -while being accused of a crime of which she was innocent. - -In one paper appeared a furious leader with the heading: "Is there one -law for the rich, and another for the poor?" It dwelt at some length -upon the position of the poor young girl in the service of the rich -young lady. How the rich lady had stolen the diamond in order to use -the money for--well, I will not repeat the words;--how the poor girl was -arrested by the police, driven out of her wits, and eventually to -suicide. How the police, who apparently seemed to be on a friendly -footing with the rich lady, tried to screen her guilt, and how riches -had eventually succeeded in getting the wealthy criminal acquitted. - -The result of this article was that a large mob proceeded next day to -Frick's villa, in the belief that Sigrid was still there, and broke all -the windows, hooting and hissing all the time. - -Old Frick naturally became furious, and, armed with his revolver and his -sabre, he single-handed attacked the mob which surrounded the house. - -He was no doubt under the impression that he was followed by a force -consisting of the coachman and the gardener; but these cautious warriors -did not follow him further than the gate. - -Fortunately, old Frick had forgotten to load his revolver, so no great -mischief was done. He was at once surrounded and forced up against his -railings. He managed, however, to use his sword, if not with dexterity, -at least with such fury that it took some time before any one ventured -to come near him. - -He had succeeded in wounding several half-tipsy roughs, who attempted to -close with him, when finally an ingenious young cattle driver caught up -a garden seat and rushed at him, using this as a shield. Old Frick's -sword got jammed in the seat; he was disarmed, and struck on the head -with an empty bottle, and thrown to the ground. Some mounted police at -last appeared on the scene, charged the crowd, and saved the old man, -after which the mob dispersed quietly. - -The blow which old Frick received on his head resulted in concussion of -the brain. For several days he lingered between life and death, and -has, since that time, owing to paralysis in his legs, not been able to -leave his chair without assistance. - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *MONK'S EXAMINATION* - - -I haven't much more to tell you now, (continued Monk). A few days -afterward, Sigrid left to join her brother in Hamburg, whence they both -sailed for America, and I have not seen either of them since. With -regard to the life I have led these last few years, you, Frederick, know -about as much as I do myself. If I have not left the country, it was -because an irresistible impulse forced me to haunt the place where my -happiness and my expectations had been overthrown, and to try again and -again to clear up the mystery which had destroyed the happiness of so -many. - -My profession of private detective has provided me with sufficient -means, both in finances and other respects, to continue my -attempts--attempts which up to now have unfortunately brought no results -whatever. - -At first I had many difficulties to contend against, before I could -attain to the position I now occupy. The part I played in the diamond -case had made me unpopular with the public, and all my friends advised -me to leave the country. - -Still, the public does not remain of the same opinion from one day to -another. The feeling against me gradually subsided. I fancy people had -an idea that a hard and entirely undeserved fate had befallen me and -others concerned in this matter. I was fortunate in being able to clear -up one or two mysterious affairs, and now, in short, I can no longer -complain of want of sympathy from the public. - -I have nothing more to add than that I still consider it the object of -my life to unravel this mysterious affair. I have not followed the -superintendent's advice, and I intend continuing as I have begun, if -necessary, to the end of my days. All the people who have played a part -in the events which I have told you of, I keep well under my -surveillance, either personally, or through my agents. Sometimes I feel -as if I could give up everything in despair, for, as I have told you, up -till now I have no result to show. Then again my common sense and my -experience--not my presentiments--tell me that the solution must come in -time, perhaps before I expect it. - - -"But why have you decided so suddenly to go to America?" This time it -was I who spoke. - -"Some days ago," he replied, "I received the notice of Einar Frick's -death. I shall once again speak to Sigrid. I have certain things to -ask her about; perhaps she will now answer me." - -We were all silent. Monk went over to the bookcase and began to put -some books to rights which were disarranged on the shelf. - -Clara got up and crossed over to him, but he did not turn round, -although he must have heard her steps. He did not even look when she -laid her hand on his shoulder. - -"But even now, you have not told us everything!" - -"Yes, everything that can be of interest to others." - -"No, you are wrong, Monk," said my wife, in a friendly tone, not -removing her hand from his shoulder. "Did you not ask us to help you?" - -"Yes, I did." - -"Well, and however strange it may seem, yet I believe that one of these -little mice can this time help the lion. But you must first tell us -everything. When Miss Frick left, why didn't you go with her? Perhaps -you thought then that she had stolen the diamond?" - -"No, I didn't--but--well, how can I explain myself; you will not -understand me--I believe in her, and yet there are moments when--" - -"You men are a miserable lot of creatures when it comes to a question of -trust," said Clara, with unction. "You, Monk, and very likely you, -Frederick, would do the same. You do not hesitate to assure a woman -that you respect and love her above everything in the world; but if only -there comes a wretched photograph, or some accidental coincidence, then -you believe the same woman to be capable of committing the lowest and -most degrading of crimes. Yes, I speak not so much with regard to the -robbery, as that she, if she were guilty, allowed another to suffer in -her place! Let me tell you what passed between you and Sigrid, and then -you shall tell me if I am right?" - -Monk only nodded, with his face half turned away, and my wife continued -in a severe tone:-- - -"You went to Sigrid and assured her that you believed in her innocence, -in spite of all, and you proposed that you should get married at once -and go abroad!" - -Monk nodded again. - -"But she answered that she read doubt at the bottom of your heart, and -that it was better that you should both part; isn't that so?" - -"Yes," answered Monk, turning round to us--he was dreadfully pale--"I -tried hard to get her to tell me why she had attempted that day to get -money at the pawnbroker's. If it could clear the matter and prove my -innocence, she said, then she would do it; but as the affair stands, it -would not serve any purpose, and only bring disgrace upon another. - -"'It was to get your brother out of some difficulty,' I urged. - -"'It is of no use talking about it,' she said. 'It will not take away -the doubt from your heart. Even if you fancy it gone, it will come -again and again; and do you think we can get away from people's talk and -malice? No, the world is too small for that! And if we got married, and -had children, could we be sure that they would never get to know of -their mother's past? I have also a duty to fulfil to my brother; and in -that you could not take part. To you he would always be the one who had -poisoned our life.' - -"Such were her words, as near as possible. I felt I had only empty and -meaningless words to say in reply to them, and so we parted." - -"There, didn't I tell you so!" exclaimed Clara. "It is your own doubt -which is the cause of your weakness. That is the reason you have not -been able to penetrate the darkness." - -"I think you are wrong there, Mrs. Viller," answered Monk, gently, "but -the work has been too much for my strength. I fancy it would have been -too much for any man. Mention anything I ought to have done, and I -think I can answer you that it has already been tried." - -"Don't be angry," were Clara's next words, and this time they were as -gentle as Monk's own. "I know you have as much feeling as you have -common sense, and perhaps more feeling than most people; but with you -men, reason always comes off victorious in the end. You cannot alter -your natures, I suppose. Now we must see how we can help Monk, -Frederick, as he can't help himself; isn't that so?" - -"Yes," I answered as cheerfully as I possibly could; "it would be -strange if we three, when we have put our heads together, should not be -able to clear up the mystery. You have here what you hitherto have -lacked, Monk--the experience of an expert in many branches, as -represented by me, and a woman's intuition and instinct, as represented -by Clara. But as a preliminary, Monk will have to be examined. Have -you anything to ask Monk, Clara? You shall be the first, then my turn -comes." - -"Yes, I must begin," answered Clara, looking in a very friendly manner -at Monk, as if to appease him if she had wounded him with her remarks. -"Tell me, was not the Englishman, Howell, as he was called, in love with -Sigrid? Didn't he pay his attentions to her, and wasn't he rejected?" - -Monk began to smile. "I fancy he did try a little at first, but he soon -saw that I had forestalled him, and so, with a good grace I'll admit, he -left the field clear. If he had made any definite advances, I think -Sigrid would have told me." - -"Are you quite sure about that?" answered Clara, with an air of -superiority. "One is not of course father confessor to one's fiancee. -But can you tell me any other reason why he should hate both of you?" - -"Are you sure he hated us?" - -"Yes, I am quite sure about it; he is the cause of the whole mischief. -The photograph was of course nothing but humbug." - -Monk smiled resignedly. "The photograph was only too genuine." - -"And then there was that wretched actor," continued Clara; "he left, I -understand, just before Evelina committed suicide. Have you heard -anything of him since? It was of course on his account that the young -girl killed herself. I believe he first of all got her to steal the -diamond, and then left her. That was the reason of the poor girl -committing suicide." - -"I also thought of that," was Monk's answer, "and I had him watched -after he left Christiania. He went first to Gothenburg and later to -Copenhagen. But it is not probable that the money which Jurgens paid -for the diamond has at any time been in his hands. He lived the whole -time from hand to mouth, and often in the greatest misery." - -"Are you quite certain of this?" I asked. "If the actor didn't get the -money, all my theories are upset." - -"Yes, isn't that so?" said Monk, smiling again, in the same resigned -way. "And you would have had the same experience, not only in one, but -in ten points of the case, if you had weighed them and turned them over -in your head as long as I have done." - -"But there must be one theory which is right," I exclaimed. "Some one -must have stolen the diamond!" - -"Yes, that's the dreadful part of it all!" groaned Monk. "There is only -one theory which can be applied to all that has happened in this -dreadful affair, and that is--" here his voice sank almost to a -whisper,--"and that is, that--that Sigrid took the diamond to help her -brother, was photographed by Mr. Howell, and then sold the diamond to -Mr. Jurgens. No, don't say what you want to say, Mrs. Viller. Rather -bear in mind that it is my fixed determination, in a few days to go to -America, and again offer Sigrid my hand. Can I better show my faith in -her?" - -Clara did not answer. - -"Where is the actor now?" I asked. - -"He died in delirium tremens, in a public hospital in Denmark. I had an -agent there for some time, who tried to get something out of him, but it -was of no use. The agent was under the impression that the actor knew -nothing of the diamond robbery,--nothing of any importance to us, at -least." - -"And Mrs. Reierson--have you tried her?" - -"By all possible means, through a third person. She will not see me. If -I show myself to her, she swears and curses me for having brought about -her daughter's death. Old Frick gives her a yearly pension; but as she -has completely given herself over to drink, it does not last very long, -and between each quarterly payment she lives in the greatest -destitution." - -"And Mr. Howell?" - -"I have not lost sight of him, although it is often difficult enough to -keep an eye on him. He leads the life of so many rich Englishmen. He -spends the season in London, the autumn in the country, and the rest of -the year in travelling. He has a yacht, and has several times visited -Norway in the summer. He has, however, been only three or four times in -Christiania all these years, and then only for a short time. He has on -these occasions stayed at Villa Ballarat with old Frick. My agent in -England informs me that he is well known as a gambler and as a man who -spends more money than he can afford. He has for many years paid -frequent visits to a country house in Yorkshire,--Ashton -Hall,--belonging to a rich gentleman, Mr. Ashton. They say it will end -in his marrying the gentleman's eldest daughter, a lady who is no longer -young. The reason for this long courtship no one can explain. They -think he'll not swallow the bitter pill until he is obliged. Here, -people believe that he will inherit old Frick's money. Very likely that -is the reason he goes on courting so long. Very likely, too, the old -man's death might put him on his legs again, and save him from marrying -the lady in Yorkshire." - -"You seem no longer to like the Englishman!" - -"I have never liked him particularly, and, as I have told you earlier, -his conduct frequently appeared to me to be suspicious. Yet I cannot -very well account for the reason of my distrust for him. I have an idea -that he played a part in the drama, which I do not comprehend. I -believe your wife's instinct tells her the same." - -"_Instinct!_" repeated Clara, witheringly. "We women must always hear, -when we in some way or other hit upon a right solution, that it is our -instinct which has come to our aid--never a word is said about logical -deduction! Look here, Mr. Monk. What I mean to say is, that I am sure -that Mr. Howell tampered with the photograph in order to ruin Sigrid. -This result I arrive at from the following reasoning. If the photograph -is to be relied upon, Sigrid must have had the diamond in her hand that -day; but she denied this absolutely. No, don't try to avoid it, Monk! -You are afraid to tell me that now I am illogical--isn't that what you -call it?--like all women, and so you won't even look at me. But I -haven't finished yet. Suppose Sigrid could and would tell a lie, what -could have been easier for her than to admit she had that afternoon been -into the museum, had taken out the diamond and looked at it for a -moment, and then put it back in its place again? No one could have said -a word against this explanation as to how the photograph was taken. No! -Sigrid was not a fool; and you must admit that if she wanted to tell a -lie, she would not do it in such a foolish way. Admit that I am right, -Monk! All probabilities go to prove that Sigrid spoke the truth. She -had not set foot in Mr. Frick's museum that day between five and -half-past seven, and--the photograph was tampered with." - -Monk could not help smiling; but it was the same smile--the hopeless -smile with which the giant who has in vain attempted to lift a burden -watches the dwarf endeavouring to lift it for him. - -He went across to a small iron safe in the corner of the room, and came -back at once with a little object which he laid on the table before us. -It was a small photograph placed between glass plates, which were held -together by india-rubber bands. - -"This is the photograph." - -Both Clara and I stretched out our hands at the same moment, and Monk -laid it on the table between us, together with an oblong magnifying -glass of unusual size. - -"Now you can look at it for yourselves. What cannot be seen with the -naked eye can be easily discerned through the magnifying glass." - -Clara and I used it in turn. - -"I have to thank my old friend, the chief superintendent, that I am in -possession of the photograph," continued Monk. - -"At my earnest request he gave it up to me, but not till two years after -the trial. He made me promise, however, that I should keep it in a -fire-proof safe, and take the greatest care of it. Heavens! it was -hardly necessary to request me to do that." - -The photograph answered to the brief description which Monk had already -given of it. It was three or four inches in height, but very narrow, so -much so that little was to be seen but the girlish figure in front of -the open cupboard with the shelves. These shelves were filled with all -sorts of curiosities, which appeared most distinctly on the plate. On -the whole, the photograph was unusually clear and distinct. - -"Look at the girl's left hand," said Monk. - -I held the magnifying glass over the photograph. "Yes, I see, she has a -ring on the ring finger." - -"Yes; and the finger is quite normal--not at all deformed." - -"No, it is quite well shaped." - -"You see the little elephant on the shelf over the cupboard, and the -clock in its forehead? What time does it show?" - -"Let me see! It is twenty-one minutes to six. The figures are not easy -to distinguish, but the position of the hands is plain enough." - -"Yes, although the elephant is scarcely three inches high, that and the -other small things on the shelf over the cupboard are the masterpieces -of an ivory carver in Naples. Do you see, for example, a little copy of -Venus de Milo at the side of it?" - -"Yes, I see it. But tell me, Monk, who does the girl in the photograph -resemble, Miss Frick or Evelina?" - -"Oh, Evelina! I was, of course, accustomed to see Sigrid in that -costume--the braided jacket and the little hat with the bird's wing on -it--so at first glance I might have doubted; but after a more careful -inspection I should never have hesitated in saying that it was -Evelina,--she and no one else, if only this question of the finger -hadn't cropped up." - -"The photograph was examined, wasn't it?" - -"If any photograph in this world has been examined, this is the one. As -you may remember, the photographer Rodin and another expert gave their -opinion upon it at the first trial. Later on it was examined at the -physical laboratory of the university. All were of one mind in saying -that no attempt had been made either to tamper with or to make any -alteration in it,--neither by retouching nor by any other means." - -While I continued to converse with Monk, Clara took possession of the -picture. I handed her the magnifying glass, but she pushed it aside, -and continued studying the photograph without once looking up. - -"You must be quite tired," I said to Monk, "with all our questioning, -but if it will not be too tedious to you to answer me, I should like to -examine you a little." - -"On the contrary, I would prefer nothing better than listening to your -remarks. What I wish is to get out of this vicious circle in which my -thoughts have run during the last six years." - -"Have you any guarantee that this photograph was taken that -afternoon--the 10th of May--between five and half-past seven?" - -"Yes, only too positive proof; but the report in the _Morning News_ is -perhaps not sufficiently clear. The facts are these: The snap-shot -apparatus used by Mr. Howell had a roll of prepared paper sufficient to -take ten photographs. I suppose you have seen these apparatus. For -every new picture you want to take you turn a little screw outside, -which is connected with the roller, until a new number appears on the -indicator. When all the paper on the roll has been used, it is taken -out, in order to get the pictures developed, and a new roll is inserted. -On the back of this photograph you will find number ten printed. Number -nine, which was also produced in court, was a group which Mr. Howell had -taken in the museum before Jurgens left. The next, that is to say, -number ten, must therefore have been taken in the interval before the -roll was handed over to the photographer,--in other words, between five -and seven o'clock. You will at once see that even if Mr. Howell had -wanted to deceive us, it would not have been possible." - -"Yes, I fear, it is only too true. I have now nothing else to ask, -except whether the hands of the watch in the elephant's forehead might -not have been moved backward, or forward, by some one, either -accidentally or purposely?" - -"You ask the same question which I have been asking myself for many -years. What we do know is that the watch was right at five o'clock, and -again at half-past seven. It is impossible that it could have been -altered in the meantime. It appears that the glass which covers the -dial is not movable. If the watch has to be regulated, the whole of the -clockwork must be exposed by removing a small metal plate under the -stomach of the elephant. On examining the elephant, two days after -Evelina's acquittal, it was found that there were no marks whatever to -be found in the thin layer of dust which had settled in the joint -between the ivory and this plate." - -"But then we have the question of the time to settle," I said. "It -proves that Miss Frick could not have returned from the pawnbroker at -the time which the watch in the photograph shows. As far as I -understand you, it was this circumstance alone which saved her at the -trial." - -"I'll tell you exactly what I think. It was that fact which saved her -as far as it gave the jury a pretext to answer 'No' to the question -whether she was guilty or not--or, more correctly, an excuse for not -answering 'Yes' to it. I do not believe there was a person in the court -who, in their heart of hearts, did not believe that Sigrid was guilty. -But her counsel very cleverly laid stress on the obscurity which -enveloped the whole matter, and the possibility that they might give an -unjust verdict and that the truth afterward might transpire. They, or, -more correctly, five of them, chose, therefore, so the rumour goes, and -I think it is correct, to answer 'No,' as the discrepancy with regard to -the time gave them the opportunity to do. You understand what I mean?" - -"Yes, I understand; but what is your personal opinion with regard to the -discrepancy in the time?" - -"Well, for my own part, I cannot deny that those who believed in -Sigrid's guilt were right in saying: Supposing that the driver had -driven rather more quickly than ordinarily, then the discrepancy in the -time would not be greater than five minutes. It might easily happen that -this difference in the time was due to the fact that the clocks in the -different parts of the town did not tally." - -"May I take the photograph home with me?" - -It was Clara who interrupted us. She had sat staring hard at the -picture, and now she stood before Monk with it hidden in her hand. - -Monk reflected a moment. - -"If you will promise me to keep it in Frederick's safe when you have not -got it in your hand." - -"I promise everything," was Clara's answer; "and among other things, -that the photograph has been tampered with!!!" - -There was such conviction in my wife's voice that Monk's cheeks flushed -with excitement. This time I saw nothing of the hopeless smile. He did -not have a chance of replying, however, for Clara began hurriedly to put -on her hat and cape. - -"Come now, Frederick, it is past three in the morning, and to-morrow we -have still another day's work." - -"Goodnight, Monk." - -"Goodnight." - -"Stop a minute; two things I must ask you before we go. Where does Mrs. -Reierson live?" - -"She lives in her old den in Russeloek Street, No. 44." - -"Where could one find the clothes which Evelina had on that day when the -robbery was committed? I mean the hat and jacket which she wears in the -photograph." - -"Very probably Mrs. Reierson still has them, if she hasn't sold them. -They were produced in court, but were later on naturally given back to -the unhappy girl's mother. But why do you ask about them? You know, of -course, that--" - -"That is my business for the present; good night, once more." - -The last conversation was carried on between Clara and Monk. I listened -to them in astonishment. What in all the world did Clara mean by these -questions? - -As we wandered homeward in the moonlight, with Clara on my arm, I tried -to find out what her purpose had been with regard to her last questions -to Monk. - -"You surely don't intend to visit Mrs. Reierson?" - -"I don't intend to tell you," was the reply; "but even if I do, what -harm is there in that?" - -"No, of course there's no harm; but according to Monk's description, -there was nothing very prepossessing about Mrs. Reierson six years ago, -and in the course of these years she is not likely to have changed for -the better." - -"Don't let us talk about it any more. Remember I have been to less -prepossessing houses before in my life, on mysterious errands. Do you -remember that time when I paid my fruitless visit to the pawnbroker, -and, in my despair, had to go to Monk?" - -"Yes, you were lucky that time," I answered gayly. "If you hadn't gone -that day to Monk, you would never have met me, and then perhaps you -would never have been married." - -"Of course I do not want to keep any secrets from you, either big or -small," said Clara. "It is my intention to go to Mrs. Reierson -to-morrow morning. But you shall not go with me; first, because I -consider it will serve my purpose better if I go alone. Men are such -blunderers, you know. She is naturally suspicious about men, and would -perhaps recognize you as a friend of Monk's, and secondly, I am very -anxious to carry out my little plan all by myself. Fancy, if I can help -him, as he once helped me,--wouldn't that be a triumph!" - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTER IN THE BOOK. - CLARA ACTS THE DETECTIVE* - - -"It's time to get up, sir. Missus said as 'ow I must get you up by -half-past nine." - -I looked up in astonishment. In the doorway stood our red-faced country -servant girl nodding good-humouredly at me. - -"Where is your mistress gone?" - -"Missus went out at half-past eight, and said as 'ow I must wake you up -and have the breakfast ready by ten o'clock." - -There was no mistaking this order, so I hurried up, a little ashamed at -having slept so long. - -No sooner was I dressed, than there was a ring at the front doorbell, -and in stepped Monk with a very serious face. - -He was not one of those who are much affected by one or even two nights -of sleeplessness, but to-day he looked unusually tired and weary. - -"I'm afraid you haven't had a good night. It was dreadfully late when -we left you; we shouldn't have kept you up so long!" - -"It was rather I who kept both of you up so late. But where is your wife -gone?" - -"Clara went out at half-past eight, the girl says; but she is sure to be -home soon. Why do you ask?" - -"She telephoned to me a quarter of an hour ago. She told me to come here -at once, as she had something of importance to tell me." - -"She must have telephoned from some place in town," I answered, somewhat -surprised. - -"Your wife made some very sensible remarks about the photograph, -yesterday," said Monk, hesitatingly. "Has she said anything more on the -subject?" - -"Hullo, Monk," I answered, laughing; "so you've come to consult Clara -Viller, the private detective!" - -Monk hadn't time to answer, for in came the very person we spoke of. -Her cheeks were rosy with the sharp morning air. In her hand she -carried an untidy, badly packed, brown paper parcel. - -"Please excuse me, Mr. Monk, for keeping you waiting; but I was obliged -to call in at the charcuterie establishment and get something tasty for -Frederick's breakfast. Such a gourmand as he is! For you, I have got -something else. But take a seat at the table and have a cup of coffee; -I will just run and slip off my things--I shan't be gone a minute." - -She vanished from the room just as suddenly as she had appeared. - -Monk and I sat down at the breakfast table, and Clara soon joined us. -Both she and I did good justice to the viands, but Monk only played with -his knife and fork. - -When we were finished, Clara asked me for the key to the safe in my -office. - -She returned with the photograph and the magnifying glass, and laid them -beside Monk on the table. Monk and I looked at her in astonishment. She -also placed the brown paper parcel near. - -"Yesterday I promised to show you that the photograph had been tampered -with. I could have done it at the time, but I was anxious to refute all -the objections which I knew you and Frederick would bring forward, and -that is why I waited until to-day. The matter is soon settled; the lady -who stands in the photograph has on a little hat with a feather in it. -On which side is the feather?" - -Monk glanced at the photograph. "On the right side!" - -"Yes, quite so; now do you think that any lady wears feathers on the -right side of her hat?" - -"No,--now I come to think of it, ladies usually wear feathers on the -left side of their hats," Monk said, looking uncertainly at us both. - -"_Usually_, do you say? Not at all! No lady ever wears feathers on the -right side." - -"There may be something in what you say, Mrs. Viller," Monk's voice was -still somewhat uncertain; "but this is of course only the little wing of -a woodcock, and Evelina--Miss Frick--I mean the lady in the -photograph--might for once have placed it on the other side." - -"Not to mention," I added, "that the lady in a hurry might have put on -the hat the wrong way." - -"That is exactly the argument I expected!" shouted Clara, triumphantly. -"That's just the way men argue; but see here! Here is the selfsame hat -which Evelina and Sigrid wore that day the diamond was stolen. Now you -can see for yourselves!" - -She tore the paper off the parcel and drew out a little green felt hat -with a brown wing in it, and showed it to Monk. - -Monk jumped up and clutched the hat greedily. His hands trembled with -excitement. - -"I have bought it from Mrs. Reierson to-day," continued Clara. "I -pretended that a rich English lady was collecting curiosities from -celebrated trials. As it was fortunately rather far on in the quarter, I -could see that Mrs. Reierson was apparently in great need of money. She -was even sober." - -Monk sat with the hat in his hand, staring at it; I went up to him. - -"The feather is sewn fast," he muttered, "and there are no signs that it -has ever been fixed on the other side." - -"But what if she had put on the hat the wrong way?" - -Clara laughed heartily. - -"Here, you shall see for yourselves!" She snatched the hat out of -Monk's hand and set it on her own head. - -I collapsed. - -The feather slanted backward as it did in the photograph when the hat -was put on properly. But if it was turned back to front, as Clara now -had it, it slanted forward in a ridiculous manner. - -There could be no mistake--the photograph had been tampered with! - -"Are you both convinced?" exclaimed Clara. - -"Yes," I answered, "it is all fraud and trickery." - -"This is a very strange affair," said Monk, and began again to examine -the hat which Clara had put in front of him. - -In the meantime I took the photograph and the magnifying glass and began -again to examine it. Perhaps there's something else to discover, I -thought to myself. - -Suddenly I laid down the magnifying glass and leant back in my chair, -roaring with laughter. The other two thought, no doubt, that I had gone -mad. - -"That's a bit too much!" I exclaimed. "The person who has got up this -photograph must have been audacity or ignorance personified; just -imagine that such a thing as this hasn't been found out before! Look at -Venus de Milo! ha, ha, ha, ... ha! Do you know the Venus de Milo, Monk?" - -"Do you mean the little copy in ivory which stands in Frick's museum, -and which has come out in the photograph you have there?" Monk's voice -was gentle enough; but I saw by his face that he was full of excitement -and expectation. - -"Let me see!" Clara rushed forward and snatched the photograph and the -magnifying glass out of my hand. - -"What is the matter, then, with this Venus? As far as I can see by the -photograph the little ivory copy must be quite a work of art, but I -can't see anything remarkable about it." - -"No, because she has got no hat or clothes on her. But look here--" I -turned round to Monk--"how many arms has Venus de Milo?" - -"Only half an arm on the right side, and none on the left." - -"But this one has half an arm on the left side and nothing on the right. -I can't understand it," remarked Clara. She had kept hold of the -picture, but now passed it on to Monk, and looked at me sceptically. - -"There, you can see!" I said triumphantly. "When a woman has fixed a -feather on the wrong side of her hat, you can detect it at once; but -when a woman has her only arm placed on the left side, instead of the -right, then you don't notice it. But what is the matter with Monk?" - -He had been looking at the picture for a moment through the magnifying -glass, when he suddenly let both fall and jumped up from his seat. He -placed one hand over his eyes, and kept it there for some time. Then he -let it fall and stared into space, muttering: "What a fool and an idiot -I have been! I pretend to be a detective! I am blind--completely blind! -I tried to judge others, and yet have not been able to see before my own -nose! I am not worth the dust I eat!" - -"Hold hard!" I shouted, laughing, "you don't seem to eat much dust; you -live plainly, we may say, but well. I suppose you mean the dust beneath -your feet." - -To my astonishment, Monk still remained standing and staring into space, -while he repeated:-- - -"The dust beneath my feet." - -I often think of that scene, and how strangely we may act when the brain -is really at work. Monk afterward told me that he hadn't the faintest -idea what words he had uttered at the time, but that during the few -seconds which elapsed, the whole story of the affair which had taken up -so many years of his life again passed through his brain--not in its old -guise, but in quite a new form; in a new light, which helped him to see -clearly through the veil of mystery which had hitherto enveloped the -thing. - -But suffice it to say that Monk soon became himself again, or, better -still, an improved edition of the depressed and resigned man we had seen -for the last few days. His eyes sparkled and his lips trembled with -joyous emotion, as he stood before Clara and me, and alternately shook -our hands. - -"All is clear now! I can prove that Sigrid is innocent. It is as clear -as the day; and I can also prove who the scoundrel is"--here a dark -shadow overspread his face--"who is the author of all this wretched -treachery." - -"But how?" - -"It is soon explained," answered Monk. "Tell me, why was it that -Evelina was acquitted? Because it was proved that she could not be the -person who appeared in the photograph--do you remember?" - -"Yes, of course! First of all, because the person in the photograph has -a ring on the third finger of the left hand, while Evelina, on account -of an injury to her finger when a child, could not get a ring on this -finger." - -"Yes, quite right; and then?" - -"Then the photograph showed the time to be twenty-one minutes to six; -and at the time, it was proved that Evelina was at her mother's." - -"Quite so; but in the photograph, as you and your wife have shown me, a -feather appears on the right side of the hat, although it should appear -on the left, and the Venus de Milo has an arm on the side where there -should be none--but no arm where there ought to be one. If, then, the -person in the photograph in the same way has also her left arm where her -right should be, and vice versa, then the great point raised by the -prosecution falls to the ground. Isn't that so? It is her right-hand -finger which bears the ring." - -"Yes, you are right; but the time? The clock in the elephant's -forehead?" - -Instead of answering, Monk went over to a little alarm clock which stood -on the writing table. - -He first set to work to move the hands, carefully shielding the dial -from us; then he signed to us to follow him, and he led the way over to -a long mirror at the other end of the room. He placed Clara and me in -front of the mirror, he himself standing behind us, holding up the -clock. - -"Look in the mirror now, and tell me what the time is." - -"Twenty-one minutes to six," answered Clara and I at the same moment. - -"Now turn round and look at the clock--well, what do you say now? It is -twenty-one minutes past six, isn't it?" - -It was now Clara's and my turn to make our deductions. "You mean, then, -that the picture is altogether a fraud? It is just as if everything had -been turned about, so that left becomes right and right becomes wrong." - -"I mean," answered Monk, briskly, "that the photograph itself is all -right, and the person who is in the photograph is Evelina Reierson. At -the moment when she was photographed, she wore a feather on the left -side of her hat, in her left hand she held the diamond, and on the right -hand she wore a ring. The time was twenty-one minutes past six." - -"But how--?" - -"I'll soon tell you. The whole secret lies in the fact that _the -photograph was taken from a reflection in a mirror!_" - -"In a mirror?" - -"Yes, in a mirror." - -"You are right! That explains all!" - -"Yes, all; and even a little more which, perhaps, you have not thought -of. Thank heaven the scales have fallen from my eyes, and I can see -once more!" - -"This is no time for Biblical language, my dear Monk; let us hear what -you mean by 'even a little more.'" - -"You are right! Well, we have got so far that we know the picture has -been taken in a mirror; but in what mirror?" - -"Well, that is for you to find out; both Clara and I have done our -duty." - -"You certainly have; and I shall manage the rest--at least I hope so. -On the wall just opposite the cupboard in the museum--the one which -appears here in the photograph--there is, right enough, a mirror, a -tolerably large one, and it is in that mirror that the photograph was -taken." - -"But then, the person who took it must have stood right beside Evelina, -and he could not very well have avoided being included in the -photograph." It was Clara who made this remark. - -"You are quite right, Mrs. Viller; but he stood so much to one side that -he did not come within the frame of the mirror. To prevent the frame -from showing in the photograph, he has clipped it on both sides. That -is why the picture is so narrow." - -"This is all very well," I felt compelled to remark, "but there is one -thing which upsets the whole of your fine theory. Is it at all likely -that Evelina would allow any one to stand beside her and photograph her -in the mirror, while she was about to steal a diamond, or, more -correctly, would she choose the moment to steal the diamond while she -was being photographed?" - -"Yes, it was just that point which I found to be the most difficult, a -little while ago, when I was building up my theory, so to speak; but I -have happily solved that question, and the solution opens up a still -larger vista to us." - -"When you were building up your theory, you say? Do you mean those -seconds a little while ago, when you stood with staring eyes, and -muttering something about eating dust?" - -"It is possible that I behaved rather strangely," laughed Monk; "and I -haven't an idea how long I was away from this world. But even if it was -for only a few seconds, they were, at any rate, more than sufficient to -reveal to me what had really taken place behind the scenes, and which I, -until now, have been quite deceived about. Just listen! If you -remember my description of the little house in Frick's garden, of which -the museum was a part, you will remember that from the museum there is a -door leading to the fire-proof room. This door is just at the side of -the cupboard which we have referred to so often. The only way in which -one could, by aid of the mirror, photograph a person without being -noticed in front of the cupboard, would be by standing inside the -fire-proof room, leaving the door of the museum ajar." - -"Do you mean that the Englishman had been inside old Frick's fire-proof -room? The door of that surely wouldn't be open?" - -"No, it is a strong iron door of which old Frick had the key; but for a -clever man, whose time was his own, it would not be a difficult matter -to procure a false key. You remember that Howell had had the entree to -the museum whenever he liked, for many months." - -"But what business had the Englishman in there? He must have been a -great scoundrel; and there is no reason why he should not help himself -to what he could find. But perhaps there was not much cash there, and -besides, you have not said anything about old Frick being robbed of -any." - -"You are right. I cannot yet quite see what he wanted in old Frick's -fire-proof room. But one thing you can be certain of, and that is, that -he was there for no good. In some way or other we must get old Frick's -permission to visit the room, as you call it. I fancy that is where we -shall find the key to the mystery. But how shall we be able to see him? -He won't receive me, and I am afraid he will have heard of our -friendship, and so refuse to see you, Frederick." - -"I shall manage to see old Frick," said Clara, "and get you admitted, as -well. But I am ashamed of you, Monk! Have you quite forgotten Sigrid?" - -"Forgotten Sigrid!" answered Monk, blushing like a peony. - -"Yes, forgotten her, I say. What was the exact time by the clock when -the photograph was taken in the mirror?" - -"It must have been twenty minutes past six." - -"And the whole of the time between six and seven Sigrid sat with her -uncle, drinking tea with him. Wasn't that so?" - -"Yes." - -"Then her innocence is proved, whether the Englishman had been inside -old Frick's fire-proof room, or not. Why don't you telegraph to Sigrid -at once? Why haven't you done so half an hour ago? Rather than marry a -detective, I would see myself--" - -Monk tried to answer this terrible volley, but was scornfully sent about -his business. - -So it was arranged that Clara should go to old Frick, and as soon as -Monk and I had telegraphed to New York, we were to go to Villa Ballarat -and wait outside till Clara gave a signal that the siege was raised. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *OLD FRICK AGAIN* - - -As Monk had told us, old Frick had been for many years lame, and a -prisoner to his invalid chair. - -Imagine, then, Monk's and my surprise when we, on entering Villa -Ballarat, after having been sent for from our post outside, found the -master of the house standing in the middle of the room, and Clara -sitting smiling in a chair. - -It is not necessary to describe the meeting between him and Clara, -although my wife, at the time, gave a full account of it. - -Suffice it to say that she boldly entered the lion's den and, without -much ceremony, began upbraiding old Frick with his hard treatment of his -brother's children. - -"If your nephew has erred," she said, "he was young at the time, and in -bad company--that I can vouch for." She was thinking, no doubt, of Mr. -Howell. "As far as your niece is concerned, you have judged her, as the -whole world has judged her, on suspicion, without taking into -consideration her character." - -Old Frick had got red in the face at these words, and his arms and legs -had begun twitching violently. - -Clara was a little afraid the old man would have a fit, but remembering -the old saying, "Joy does not kill," she continued, quite undisturbed: -"Something has, however, happened, which you have not deserved, Mr. -Frick. Monk and two friends, my husband and myself, have discovered, as -we shall prove, that she has had nothing whatever to do with the -disappearance of the diamond; it is the scoundrel Mr. Howell who is at -the bottom of it all. In fact, in a short time you may have your niece -back again, and for the remainder of your life you'll have an -opportunity of making amends for your mistake." - -There is no doubt Clara was most successful in her appeal; for instead -of old Frick having a fit, he suddenly rose from his chair, stumbled -across to Clara, and in a trembling voice asked her for a fuller -explanation. The excitement had cured his lameness; and though he never -entirely regained the full use of his legs, yet from that moment he was, -at any rate, able to move about by himself. - -I shall not dwell on the meeting between old Frick and Monk and myself. -Many minutes had not elapsed before we seemed to have known each other -for many years. He had gained a respect for Clara which, I think, will -last to the end of his life. - -Only the most necessary explanations were given,--happily Monk was a man -who expressed himself briefly and clearly,--and so it was decided to -adjourn to the museum in the garden. Old Frick took with him a large -bunch of keys which lay on the table beside his invalid chair, at which -he now cast a scornful glance, as well as at the servant who came -forward to wheel his master. There was no necessity for more witnesses, -so the servant, greatly to his surprise, was dismissed, and with Frick -leaning upon Monk's and my arm, we set out for the museum. - -It was with very mixed feelings that Clara and I saw the scene of the -events which had for three days entirely engrossed our thoughts. I do -not doubt that Monk and old Frick were just as much affected, even if -their feelings were of quite another kind. - -We entered the pavilion in the garden and proceeded through the museum. -Everything was in exactly the same state, old Frick and Monk said, as it -was six years before. - -Old Frick pulled out a key and opened the door into the fire-proof room. - -As if by a tacit understanding Clara went across and stood in front of -the cupboard in which the black tortoise glistened--which was opened by -old Frick--while we others went into the room and pulled the door almost -to, after us. There, sure enough, through the opening, our gaze -involuntarily fell on the large mirror just opposite, and in the glass -we saw the reflection of the cupboard and the shelf above it, with the -little elephant and the Venus de Milo, and Clara's figure with her back -to us. - -"Confound it all!" shouted old Frick, "it is just as Monk says. The -rascal has been standing in here and photographing her!" - -Clara said she must also see it; she went into the room, while I took -her place. - -But Monk did not allow us to lose any more time. - -"Have you missed anything from the fire-proof room, Mr. Frick?" he -asked. "The Englishman must have had some reason for providing himself -with a key to fit it." - -"No," answered old Frick, after having considered a moment, "I keep -nothing in here but documents and papers, which only concern me. Money -I always kept in the iron safe in the office." - -"There are two iron safes here," said Monk. - -"Yes," answered old Frick, "in the larger safe I keep family papers, -etc., which are of no value to any one. In the small one over -there--which is of course nothing but an iron box, but is provided with -an unusually ingenious lock--I keep my will, and a list of what I -possess." - -The large safe was opened, and a lamp was brought in from the museum. -The safe, with its contents, was carefully examined, but nothing unusual -could be discovered. - -"Now comes the turn of the box," said Monk. "Will you help me to bring -it out into the museum, Frederick?" - -Although the whole thing was not more than sixteen or twenty inches -square, it was so massive that we had to use all our strength to move it -out into the daylight. - -It was a handsome steel box, the four sides and the lid being ornamented -with chased arabesques. - -Old Frick brought out a key of unusual shape. - -"Wait a bit, Mr. Frick," said Monk, holding up his arm; "when was the -last time this box was opened?" - -"Six years ago," said Frick, slowly, "when I altered my will--God be -praised that I can alter it yet once again!" - -"Did Mr. Howell know anything about the will?" - -"Yes, of course. I made him my heir to all which does not go to -charities, and legacies, and suchlike. It is about L30,000. At first I -had divided it equally between Sigrid, Einar, and him, but -then--then--well I don't think it necessary to explain the rest; but -then came this business, and I struck Sigrid's and Einar's names out." - -"And he knew where you kept it?" - -"Yes; a day or two before he left, I read it to him, here in the museum, -and put it in the box, while he was looking." - -Monk was all the time examining the box most carefully, and some time -passed before he spoke. - -"I thought as much!" he exclaimed, with his old genial smile. "Look -here!" - -We stooped down to see the better. He had turned the box over so that -the side which had stood against the wall in the fire-proof room was -uppermost. A number of artistically interwoven spirals were chased in -the steel. With a penknife he scraped away the rust and dirt from one -of them,--it was about five or six inches in diameter. A number of -small, round spots could then be seen. He took a pin, placed its point -on one of the spots, and pressed it, when, to our great surprise, the -needle appeared to sink into the steel. - -"Is there a hammer here?" He looked around, and his eye rested on an old -axe from the bronze age. "That will do." - -A strong blow in the centre of the circle--and to our great astonishment -the round steel dial disappeared into the box. - -"Well, hang it all!" shouted old Frick; "but how in all the world--?" - -"It is simple enough, but none the less ingeniously done," answered -Monk, dryly. "Mr. Howell couldn't manage the lock, and so he bored a -number of small holes in one of the spirals, and afterward, with a -watch-saw, he sawed through the space between them. He has shown -himself to be a clever craftsman--that can't be denied. When he had -done what he wanted to do with the contents, he replaced the piece, -filled the holes with putty, and smeared them over with rust and dirt." - -"Then he must have stolen the deeds!" said old Frick, pressing forward -and putting his big fist through the hole in the box. "No; here are -both the envelopes, at any rate!" - -He managed, though perhaps with some difficulty, in dragging out two -envelopes--one was very thick, the other somewhat thinner. - -"No, here is the will," he muttered, pointing to the thin packet, "and -here are the deeds. Both with my seal unbroken." - -"A seal is easily broken and put right again," answered Monk; "but tell -me one thing before we examine the packets. Has any one else except Mr. -Howell seen the will and list of your possessions?" - -"No," exclaimed old Frick, with decision; "lawyers have only been sent -into the world by the devil, to do mischief. I wouldn't have anything -to do with them. I went to the sheriff and got him to draw up the -formula for me, and then I wrote the will myself. Howell knew that, as -well, confound him! That such a father should have such a son!" he -muttered, in quite another tone of voice. - -"Well, let us open the packets, then," said Monk; "we shall perhaps find -more traces of Mr. Howell's fingers." - -The small packet was opened, and we all leant over to look at the will. - -It was drawn in the usual legal form, and told briefly that Frick -bequeathed his curiosities and collections to the state, all his movable -property--ready money, bank shares, etc., etc.,--to Mr. Reginald Howell; -house property, mortgages, etc., to the university, the Royal Society -for Science, and other institutions. - -Everything was fully specified, and the sums either given exact, or -reference was made to a list appended. - -"Well, everything here seems all right; it is exactly as I wrote it -myself. The coachman and gardener have signed as witnesses. I gave -them each five thousand kroners cash, to avoid including them among the -legatees." - -"Are you quite sure, Mr. Frick?" said Monk, as he leant over the paper. -"Here is a figure which looks as if it had been erased." - -"Let me see! Yes--what the devil is this? My house, property, shares, -etc.," he read, "which, according to the list, amount to about 1,000,000 -kroners,--but, bless me! I possess nearer 1,900,000, which is nearly -the double, and that was what I wrote--" - -"There you are! We shall get at it, little by little," said Monk, with -his most genial smile. I hadn't seen him in such a good humour for a -long time. - -"But I don't understand," grumbled old Frick. "What motive can he have -in making me out to be poorer than I am? He doesn't get the 900,000 -kroners which have been erased!" - -"Let us look at the list and the mortgages," answered Monk, just as -genially. "We shall be sure to find the solution." - -The other envelope was opened. - -I read out the list, and old Frick opened the mortgages and deeds in the -order I read:-- - -"No. 177 Drammen Road, 'deed.'" - -"Yes, here it is." - -"Karl Johans Street, 77, 'deed.'" - -"Yes, that's all right." - -Etc., etc. - -"Mortgages to the amount of 27,000 kroners, in the farm Hoff, in -Hedemarken." - -"Yes, here it is." - -And so we went on. - -"It was a long business," I said; "but we've come to the end at last." - -"End!" shouted old Frick. "But it hasn't come to an end! The plum is -always at the bottom, and a fine plum it is too!" - -"What do you mean? There's nothing more on the list." - -Old Frick fumbled about in the empty envelope. - -"And nothing more here, either! He has stolen the mortgage deed in -Ashton Abbey, and--" Old Frick tore the list out of my hand. "Just -look here! Confound him! If he hasn't cut off the bottom part of the -list, so that the last item is missing! But bless me, if I can -understand what satisfaction he can get out of this mortgage." - -"Nor I," I muttered; "mortgages are not papers payable to bearer, so any -one can make them into ready money. You need only write to England to -get a new copy of the mortgage." - -"Monk knows very well what it all means," exclaimed Clara; "he is only -raising our curiosity. If I had known that you would so soon begin with -your superior detective ways, I wouldn't have helped you so quickly with -the photograph,--that you may be quite sure about." - -She glanced with comic exasperation at Monk, who, in return, only smiled -pleasantly. - -"I must admit that at this moment all is clear to me; but the last knot -has only been unloosened two minutes ago. Tell me, Mr. Frick, what -mortgage is it that you now speak of, and what was the amount of it?" - -"Don't you remember," answered Frick, testily, "I once told you of an -old rascal, Davis by name, and how I was lucky enough at last to get at -him and make him pay me my share of the money which he had stolen?" - -"Yes, of course I remember." - -"Yes; and I, also." - -"And I, also." - -Old Frick looked at Clara and me in astonishment. - -"I have told them all about the affair," remarked Monk. "Let us just -hear some more about Mr. Davis." - -"Well, there isn't much more to say about it. He was to pay me L50,000, -but he had no ready money, as he had invested all his funds in a large -estate, and was quite willing to take a mortgage on it. It suited me -just as well as ready money, for the estate was worth more than double -that. This is the mortgage which has been stolen and cut off the list." - -"Well, then, the total sum of 1,000,000 kroners would be right, instead -of 1,900,000 kroners," said Monk; "for L50,000 is just 900,000 kroners." - -"Yes, that is true; but he can't do much with it. As Mr. Viller says, he -can't sell the mortgage without my signature." - -"Did any one know you were in possession of that mortgage?" asked Monk. - -"No, no one in this country: those rascally lawyers I have always kept -at a distance, and no one has had a chance of meddling with my papers." - -"No one except Mr. Howell," was Monk's dry reply. "But listen here, my -friends! I will put a question to you. But excuse me, Mr. Frick, if I -first ask you to answer me. If all this had not happened to-day, do you -think you would ever have opened these envelopes again?" - -"No," said old Frick, decidedly; "when my last hours approached, I might -perhaps have had the iron box opened to see that the envelopes were -there and the seals in order, but nothing more. I should have been -satisfied that all was as it should be." - -"Very well. Now let me put my question to you two. If Mr. Frick had -died without having discovered the theft of this mortgage, no one, of -course, would have known of the existence of such a mortgage, and the -owner of Ashton Abbey would not be obliged to pay any interest. -Wouldn't that be a clear saving for Davis, or his heirs, of about L2500 -a year?" - -"By Jove, so it would!" exclaimed old Frick; "but why young Howell -should help Davis to L2500 a year, I cannot understand. He may be a big -rascal,--that I now can very easily see, although his father was the -best man under the sun,--but he isn't exactly stupid." - -"All the same, he resembles his father in that--" - -"Stop!" I cried. "Now I can see it all. Ashton Abbey! Ashton Abbey! -Now I understand! Young Howell must be the son of old Davis!" - -"Yes, that is also my opinion," answered Monk, not at all offended that -I had taken the word out of his mouth. "He must have travelled from -Australia with the real young Howell. All must have lost their lives -except young Davis, who must have possessed himself of young Howell's -papers, and later on, played his role in the old world. That, I think, -explains all." - -"Yes, he is the son of old Davis, there's no mistake about that!" -exclaimed Frick in great spirits. "Upon my soul it was the best -discovery of all, for now I need not mourn that my old friend had such a -son. But what was it you said about Ashton Hall? It is the -neighbouring estate to Ashton Abbey. Once they were both one estate." - -"Monk told us earlier to-day that his agent had informed him that Mr. -Howell, or rather Davis junior, often visited that estate. It was, of -course, in order to confer with his worthy father, old Davis. I suppose -that was what set you on the track, Monk." - -"Just so!" - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *THE YACHT "DEERHOUND"* - - -Monk kept his word. The following Friday he sailed for America; but our -hope that he would soon return was not fulfilled. - -When he arrived in New York he found Sigrid laid up with a dangerous -illness. Sorrow, and over-exertion in nursing her brother, had -completely prostrated her. I believe Monk's telegram, which we sent -directly the discovery about the photograph was made, saved her life. - -She had made great progress toward recovery by the time Monk arrived, -but she was still exceedingly weak. - -It was a month afterward before they were able to get married; but the -crossing over the Atlantic was not to be thought of during the stormy -winter months. - -At last, in the beginning of May, we heard from them. They had sailed. -And fourteen days afterward we welcomed them in Christiania. - -The lady we saw on Monk's arm on the steamer's deck was remarkably -pretty, and looked exceedingly happy; although sorrow and trouble had -imparted a sad and serious expression to her face, which is never likely -to leave it. - -Before the gangway could be properly adjusted, Clara had jumped on board -and taken her in her arms, a proceeding which seemed to both to be the -most natural thing in the world, although they had never seen each other -before. - -Old Frick hobbled restlessly about on the quay, like a large dog which -has done something wrong, and is not quite sure whether it will be -forgiven or no. - -He could not speak a word when his niece clasped her arm round his neck -and sprinkled his white hair with joyous tears. But his eloquence was -the greater, when we were all gathered in the evening at Villa Ballarat. -It was there that the newly married couple were to stay for the present. - - * * * * * - -About a week after their return home, Monk came to me with a face more -serious than usual. "I have still a duty to fulfil in the matter of the -black tortoise," he said. "You won't come with me to Stavanger -to-morrow, I suppose? I hope to meet Mr. Howell there, or more -correctly speaking, Mr. Davis, junior." - -"Monk, Monk!" I exclaimed threateningly. "Is the detective on the -warpath again? Will you desert your wife already?" - -Monk blushed slightly. - -"No, this time it is not the detective. But it is my duty to justice -and to my wife to get at the bottom of the diamond affair. Remember -that more than half of what we believe we have discovered is only the -fruits of guesswork and putting two and two together."' - -"You are right. I shall come with you. May I ask how you intend to -proceed in the matter against the Englishman? There are not, I suppose, -sufficient proofs to get a warrant of arrest?" - -"No, I am afraid not; and I haven't got my plans quite ready yet. But I -fancy we must content ourselves with compelling him to give us a -complete proof of Sigrid's innocence, and letting him off from any -further unpleasantness. It is hard; but Sigrid is now very nervous, and -shudders at the thought of appearing before the court, and all that kind -of thing, you know." - -"Well, let us start to-morrow evening on the west coast steamer. I -shall be ready. But are you sure to meet him there?" - -"Yes, my agent in London writes that he has already sailed from England -in his yacht _Deerhound_, and is bound for the Ryfylke fjord to fish for -salmon, but in Stavanger he'll await a party which will arrive here by -the mail steamer in a few days." - - * * * * * - -It was on a morning in the beginning of June that the steamer glided -into Stavanger harbour. We had had rain and southerly wind the whole -way, and the night outside Jaedren had been anything but pleasant, -although neither Monk nor I suffered from seasickness. - -Toward the morning, the wind sprung around to the north, and drove rain, -fog, and clouds in front of it, out into the North Sea. The sun shone -on the small rippling billows, which merrily splashed against the -gaudily painted coasting vessels and warehouses in the harbour. - -Among the ships in the harbour, there were two which attracted our -attention. One was a pretty English cutter--her blue flag flying at her -stern. She had only one mast, although her tonnage must have been about -fifty; but the lofty lower mast and the big boom betrayed that she, on -this one mast, could carry a sail, the mainsheet of which would be no -easy matter to haul in, when the wind had filled it. She seemed to have -a numerous crew in proportion to her size--for six or eight men were -seen busily engaged in hoisting the wet sails to be dried. She was -riding by one of her anchors, and had boats hanging on their davits; -while only a small jolly-boat was lying at her stern. - -The other ship was painted light grey, and had a large yellow funnel. -The Norwegian naval flag waved at the stern, and on the bow could be -seen the name, "Viking." - -"We are in luck!" exclaimed Monk. "There is the gunboat, _Viking_. The -commander on board is Captain Holst; you know him, of course, Trygive -Holst?" - -"Yes, I know him; but how can he help? Surely you don't want to get him -to sink the Englishman?" - -"Not exactly that; but none the less he will be of use to us." - -Monk had again taken the lead. I had sunk down into my modest role of -historian, and allowed him to have his way. - -Our first business, after leaving the steamer, was to visit the gunboat -and pay our respects to the officers. - -Monk went below into the captain's cabin, where they spent a quarter of -an hour together. - -I knew they were good friends of old, and I could very well understand -he wished to be alone with his friend and inform him of the turn events -had taken. - -Then we went on land, and gave ourselves good time to visit the -remarkable cathedral and one or two other places of interest. - -"Shall we visit Mr. Howell now?" I asked. - -"Yes, but not before twelve o'clock," was Monk's reply. - -"Why not?" - -"Isn't it a fact that you love a bit of excitement?" - -"Yes, but--" - -"Then you had better not ask any further questions, and you will -probably have plenty of it." - -At last it was twelve o'clock, and a one-eyed, weather-beaten boatman -rowed us out to the yacht. Abaft the mast stood a tall, handsome man, -with a heavy black mustache. - -Monk was the first to go on board. He went right up to the owner of the -yacht--for it was he. I followed behind. - -Mr. Howell---we must still call him so--did not appear particularly -pleased at the visit. He stepped back involuntarily, and his face -became dark, but only for a moment; then he smiled and exclaimed in good -Norwegian:-- - -"What a surprise! Have I at last the pleasure of seeing you, after so -many years, Mr. Monk?" - -"Yes, the world contains many surprises, Mr. Howell," was Monk's dry -reply, while he did not appear to notice the hand which the Englishman -stretched out to him. "Allow me to present an engineer friend, Mr. -Frederick Viller, Mr. Howell." - -The Englishman bowed stiffly, and gave me a searching look. "Engineer?" -he repeated inquiringly. In his own mind he no doubt added, "Probably a -police official." - -"Yes, an engineer. Here in Norway we must all be something, we cannot -only be gentlemen." - -The Englishman did not seem to appreciate Monk's humour. He frowned, -and made no reply. - -"We have a few words to say to you," said Monk, quietly; "will it be -convenient to take us down to your cabin?" He cast a glance full of -significance at the two sailors who were busy near us. - -The Englishman seemed to consider for a moment. He looked out over the -sea and up at the rigging; then he put a little silver whistle to his -mouth, and a man who appeared to be the steward appeared. - -"Show these gentlemen down into the saloon--I am coming directly. I -have just a word or two to say to the captain. He has to keep a lookout -for the English steamer, and to fetch my party on board here." - -His expression appeared to me to be somewhat strained and peculiar, and -I cast a questioning glance at Monk; but as he seemed to be quite -unconcerned, I had nothing else to do but to follow him and the steward -below. - -We went first along a corridor with two cabins on each side, then -through a small saloon, which took up the whole width of the yacht, and -then into a smaller one with a cabin on each side. The place was -lighted by a skylight of opaque glass. - -This was apparently the owner's private cabin. The size of the yacht did -not admit of any large dimensions, but the cabin was luxuriously fitted, -and four or five people could sit down in it very comfortably. - -The owner of the yacht came down soon after; his face wore a friendly -smile. - -"May I offer you anything to drink, gentlemen? Shall I get my steward to -make you a cocktail? I can assure you, he is a master of the art. Or -would you prefer a glass of champagne?" - -We refused any refreshments, and the Englishman smiled resignedly. - -"We shall not keep you long," began Monk, looking the Englishman in the -face. "It will rest with yourself whether the proceedings are long or -short." - -"You have, perhaps, come to bring me a greeting from dear old Mr. Frick, -his charming niece, or the gay Einar?" - -"Yes, I have come with greetings from them all, but--" - -"Have a cigar?" The Englishman rose, took a box from a shelf, and -handed it to us. "Not even a cigar? Then you will, at any rate, allow -me to light one. Tell me, you who are Norwegians, and who understand -the weather here, do you think we shall have good weather for the next -few days? I and my friends think of going to the Ryfylke fjord, and--" - -"It will be all the worse for yourself if you waste time," said Monk, in -a sharp and threatening voice. "You had better listen to what I have to -say, and answer quickly." - -"Ho, ho! Have you come on board to threaten me? You, Mr. Viller, who -seem to be a gentleman, ought to tell your friend that he should not -make himself unpleasant to an Englishman on board his own yacht." - -I wisely left it to Monk to answer for himself, and only glanced -contemptuously at him; the thought of what he had done filled me with -disgust. I would rather have taken him by the neck and given him a good -thrashing. - -"You can't get away from us, Mr. Howell," continued Monk, undisturbed. -"We are come to settle an account with you, and we don't intend to leave -here before it is done." - -A peculiar smile passed over Howell's face at Monk's last words. - -"Go on, then," he said. "I must, at any rate, know what it is all -about. I don't know that I have any business with Mr. Monk, the private -detective,--for you are, I understand, no longer in the service of the -police." - -"What I am or am not has nothing to do with the case. You remember the -diamond robbery at Mr. Frick's, in Christiania, six years ago? Well, by -a shameful deception, you succeeded in throwing suspicion on Miss Frick. -She is now my wife--" - -The Englishman interrupted with a long, low whistle. Monk's face -crimsoned, and for the moment I thought he would have thrown himself -upon the rascal; but he continued quietly: "No, it is not necessary for -you to fumble about in your drawer for the revolver. I am not so stupid -as to give you an opportunity of shooting me in self-defence. It would -suit you too well." - -The Englishman uttered a horrible oath, and we heard a heavy object fall -back into the drawer. - -"Go on with your business, then," he shouted; "but I shall teach you -what it costs to insult me on board my own yacht. Do you hear? Go on!" - -I got the impression that his noisy anger was to a great extent assumed, -and while Monk continued, he seemed to be listening to something quite -different. - -"We demand of you," said Monk, "that you give a full account of the -deception which was practised on the occasion which I refer to and that -you enable me to prove my wife's innocence." - -"Yes, I'll give you a full account,--you may take your oath on that, you -wretched police spy, trying to threaten a gentleman! You haven't yet -mentioned how much money you intend to blackmail me for." - -He got up and struck the table so that the cigar boxes and ash trays -jumped about. - -"Why do you make all this noise?" - -"Noise? May I not do what I like on board my own yacht? Wait a bit, -and you'll see something which will perhaps astonish you." - -The Englishman laughed triumphantly, and got up. - -I also got up. I had a suspicion that our host, if I may call him so, -was evilly disposed toward us. I had for some time felt that the ship -was in motion; first, I thought it was the effect of the small waves -which the passing steamers caused; but the last few minutes made it -clear to me that the yacht was steadily leaning over on one side, and -when both the Englishman and I got up, we could clearly hear the -rippling sound that water makes when it is being forced aside by a ship -in motion. "What do you think now, gentlemen?" The Englishman threw -open the door to the cabin on the starboard side, opened the port-hole, -and pointed out. - -It was as I had suspected. The yacht had got under way, and was sailing -out of the harbour to eastward, between the islands, as the wind did not -admit of steering in a northerly direction. We were already about a -quarter of a mile away from the anchorage. - -"On our next tack we shall clear Tungendess," continued Mr. Howell, "and -then you know for yourselves how far it is out to sea." - -I looked at Monk, and I must confess my heart beat quicker than usual; -but Monk smiled back in a manner which plainly said that nothing -unexpected had happened. - -Presently a great whining sound cut through the air and forced its way -through the open porthole in the cabin. Monk, with a friendly nod to -the Englishman, asked:-- - -"What do you think that is?" - -"It is the grey gunboat, which is trying her steam whistle; but I -promise we shall not be long troubled by her infernal noise; the wind -freshens." - -The Englishman threw himself comfortably into a chair. - -"This won't do any longer, Mr. Howell," said Monk, and this time his -voice was again sharp and stern. "I suspected you would try and play us -this trick, and so make your position worse, and so I allowed you to try -it." - -"What the devil do you mean?" - -"Be silent, and listen to me. It is time we came to the serious part of -the business. The noise we heard comes, as you say, from the gunboat, -and it was the signal which to me means that at this moment she is -getting under way and making for this yacht. When she is alongside us, -she will, by persuasion or force, compel you to turn back to Stavanger -harbour. With this wind the yacht makes five or six knots, while the -gunboat makes sixteen; so you can calculate for yourself how long it -will take before she is alongside us." - -It was a study to watch the Englishman's face as Monk spoke; it became -pale and green with anger and disappointment. But he still tried to -hold the position. - -"Do you mean to tell me that a Norwegian gunboat dares stop an English -yacht which has done nothing unlawful? It will cost the captain his -position, if no more; you know that, as well as I do." - -"This morning, at nine o'clock," answered Monk, quietly, "I was on board -the gunboat, and after having stated my case, the captain gave orders to -fire up. At twelve the steam would be up, and until then I postponed my -visit to your yacht. I informed the captain that I had business on -board here, but that it was not improbable we might be exposed to -violent treatment. It was arranged that if we did not leave the yacht -within two hours, the captain was to send a boat and fetch us; and if -the yacht weighed anchor without our having left, the gunboat was to -follow and compel the yacht to return. Do you think the captain, will -hesitate at stopping the yacht, when he knows that two Norwegian -subjects are retained on board by force? Give orders to tack about, and -let the yacht again anchor, and the gunboat will not trouble us. That's -the only way in which you can avoid a scandal. Do you understand me?" - -The Englishman did not at first answer a word, but he made a wry face. -After a short pause he violently pulled a bell rope, which hung beside -his chair, and the captain of the yacht entered, with his gold-braided -cap in hand. - -"Let her tack about again and anchor where she was lying, Captain -Watkins. These gentlemen have forgotten something: we must put off our -little cruise till to-morrow." - -"I am glad to see you have come back to your senses, Mr. Howell; you -know your attempt to carry me and my friend away has made your case -still worse. I will openly admit that I have no warrant of arrest -against you, but the result of this little escapade will be that neither -the captain of the gunboat nor the police will hesitate in detaining you -here until such a warrant can be obtained from Christiania." - -"What do you demand of me?" - -"I have told you once before--a clear and concise account of all you -know about the diamond robbery in Mr. Frick's house six years ago." - -There was again a pause for some seconds. The Englishman then threw his -cigar on the floor with an oath. "You can put the questions, and I will -answer. But it must be also understood that you take no proceedings -against me for any part in the case." - -"It is very wise of you to make that condition. You have deceived the -court, and committed perjury. It would cost you many years of your -liberty if the arm of the law reached you. But we undertake not to -proceed against you, if you will provide us with proof that Miss Frick, -as she was then, had nothing to do with the robbery." - -"Very well, I am willing. Ask, and I will reply." - -"Who was it you photographed in the museum in front of the cupboard with -the black diamond in her hand? I mean the photograph which you later on -handed over to the court." - -"It was the maid,--Evelina Reierson; wasn't that her name?" - -"And you saw that she took the diamond and went away with it?" - -"Yes." - -"Was it quite accidentally that you happened to take the photograph? It -was taken from the reflection in a mirror, was it not?" - -"Yes, it was taken in a mirror. I came quite by accident into the -museum, and she was so taken up with examining the diamond, that she did -not notice my presence until I had already photographed her. I knew she -was doing something wrong, and thought there would be no harm in -photographing her." - -"Why did you turn toward the glass, instead of taking the photograph -direct? You stood behind her, did you not?" - -"Well, yes," said the Englishman, looking suspiciously at Monk, whose -face was immovable. "Yes, I did. It was by mere chance I turned my -apparatus toward the glass." - -"How did the diabolical idea enter your head to make use of the -photograph as evidence against Miss Frick?" - -"Diabolical or not diabolical, she had offended me, no matter how, and I -revenged myself. I had never taken a photograph in a mirror before, and -so I examined the picture with the magnifying glass. You know how -interested I am in snap-shots." - -"Oh, yes; and then you observed all that about the clock--the right and -left hands, and all the rest of it?" - -"Exactly; it occurred to me that it might turn out unpleasant enough for -Miss Frick. So I waited till the case came before the court, and then I -sent a note to the counsel for the defence, which told him how he could -get his client off." - -"How did you know Miss Frick had been to the pawnbroker's? Speak out; -for the sooner this is over, the better." - -"Well, I knew young Frick had got into difficulties--the young greenhorn -would insist on playing high with me and my friends--and I knew, too, -that he had written his uncle's name on a bill for four thousand -kroners." - -"And you did not help him? It would have been an easy matter for you." - -"That's nothing to do with the matter. The sooner we are finished, the -better. Wasn't that what you said? Well, he wrote from Hamburg to his -sister, and begged her to pay in the four thousand kroners to a -well-known bill-discounter. That is why she tried to raise money on her -jewels. That failed, and so the bill-discounter applied to old Frick, -who, without saying a word, paid the bill. He guessed at once that his -nephew had forged his name." - -"How did you get to know all this?" - -"Well, that's nothing to do with the matter. It is enough for you to -know that I had my interests to look after, and that one always finds -helpers when one has got money." - -"And then what about your relation with Evelina? How do you explain -that?" - -"To hell with you and your questions! Is it necessary for you to know -any more? Well, never mind! I got to know of her relations with the -actor; I surprised them once in the garden at Ballarat. After the -arrest I sent her a letter wherein I professed deep sympathy with her -case, and told her if she would deny everything and keep silent I would -do my best to get her acquitted so that she could marry her lover. - -"It was, then, to get money for him that she stole the diamond?" - -"The actor, as you may guess, had seduced her, but refused to marry her -unless she would provide money so that they could leave the country. He -made a fool of her twice. I fancy, however, it was more for the sake of -giving the child a father, than anything else, that made her so anxious -to marry that fellow." - -"He got the five thousand kroners, then? What did he do with them?" - -"He succeeded in depositing them with a friend in Gothenburg, before he -was arrested; but when he came there again his friend had vanished. In -any case, he wrote to that effect, when he afterward tried to get money -out of me. I told him, of course, to go to the devil." - -"Will you write down what you have told us, and put your name to it? -Remember, we must have a positive proof of my wife's innocence. That was -the condition upon which we were to let you go, without mixing up the -police in the matter." - -We heard the noise and trample of feet on the deck, and the rattling of -the chain cable when the anchor fell. - -We were again in Stavanger harbour. Soon after a grating sound, was -heard alongside the yacht, and the sound of many oars which were -shipped. - -"There is the boat from the gunboat," exclaimed Monk. "You have not -much time for considering." - -"You shall have the proof. I have something which is just as good as a -written declaration." - -"Wait a bit," said Monk, quickly. "I must go up on deck and tell the -boat to wait. If the quartermaster does not see we are safe, he will no -doubt search the yacht. If I know my good friend, Captain Holst, -rightly, he must have already given some such order." - -Monk went up on deck. - -"Your friend, the detective, seems to think he is a devil of a fellow, -since he has got the better of me this time," grumbled the Englishman, -when we were alone; "but we shall meet again sometime, perhaps, when we -are more equally placed, and then I shall pay him out." - -"Monk knows well enough how to take care of himself," I answered -reluctantly. I felt disgusted with the cold-blooded scoundrel. "You -ought rather to hope you will never see him again." - -The subject of our conversation appeared again at this moment. - -"Now, Mr. Howell, where is the proof you speak of? You will no doubt -agree that the sooner this interview comes to an end, the better." - -The Englishman opened a cupboard, rummaged awhile in a drawer, and came -back to the table with something which looked like a folded letter in -his hand. - -"Everything may be of use in time--that is the reason I did not burn it. -Here is a letter from Evelina, written the same day she hanged herself. -It will be more than sufficient for you. But it's understood that no -difficulty will be placed in my way to leave, if I give up the letter?" - -"You have our word of honour that no information will be given to the -police, and that nothing shall hinder your departure if you furnish us -with sufficient proofs of my wife's innocence." - -The Englishman threw the letter across the table. Monk opened it and -read it aloud:-- - - -DEAR MR. HOWELL,--You are the only one who has shown any kindness to me -in my misfortune, but all your kindness is wasted on a creature who is -doomed to destruction. You warned me, long ago, against the wretch whom -I believed in so blindly, but more than that was necessary to open my -eyes. - -He first persuaded me to steal in order to find the means for our -marriage, and then he deserted me with the fruits of my crime. All the -same, I was glad of your offer to get me acquitted, and thus enable me -to marry the man I loved, not so much for my own sake, as for-- - -Then he deceived me again. I know that yesterday he left the country, -and at the same time I learnt that my benefactress, Miss Frick, is -accused of the crime which I have committed. - -I know of course you will not let her suffer--you, who are her friend, -and that of her family. But how can you prove her innocence without -revealing that you deceived the court in order to help me, a poor girl -whom you pitied? - -I do not understand much of this kind of thing; but I see that my life -is useless, and that there is one way in which I can prove Miss Frick's -innocence without being imprisoned myself. - -When you get to hear I am no longer alive, then cut off the lowest slip -of this letter and send it to the authorities. I cannot rely on my -mother. She has a suspicion it was I who took the diamond, and worries -me every day to tell her what has become of the money. - - -At the bottom was written in large, but irregular letters:-- - - -_I and no one else stole Mr. Frick's diamond, and sold it to Mr. Jurgens -for five thousand kroners. I, and no one else, shall suffer for my -crime!_ - -EVELINA REIERSON. - -June, 18--. - - -I could not control myself any longer. "You are the greatest scoundrel -that ever walked in shoes, Mr. Howell, or Davis, or whatever you call -yourself!" I shouted, and rushed at him. I believe I should have -knocked him down, if Monk had not quickly intervened. - -It was hardly necessary, however, to strike him, for at my words he -staggered back, as if stupefied, and leant against the wall. - -Monk was the first to speak. - -"You may thank my friend you have been warned, Mr. Davis; otherwise it -had been my intention to let you find out for yourself that your -forgeries and frauds have been discovered." - -The Englishman was deadly pale. He opened a cupboard with trembling -hands, took out a bottle, and poured himself out a large glass of -cognac. - -"Have you anything more to say to him? If not, let us go; I can no -longer stand the sight of the scoundrel." - -"All right," answered Monk, and we went quickly up the cabin stairs and -into the long-boat which awaited us. - -"You weren't going to tell him, then, that all his rascality had been -discovered?" - -"No, I wanted him to fall into the hands of the English police. But now -he'll take good care not to put his foot on English soil any more." - -"You ought to have warned me beforehand." - -"It is not worth bothering about. For the rest of his life he will be a -wretched exile, without money and without friends; I know he has already -ruined his father, old Davis. He possesses nothing now but his yacht. -It was by the skin of his teeth that he got away from his creditors in -England this time." - - * * * * * - -Some months later, the following paragraph appeared in the paper:-- - - - ANOTHER VICTIM TO THE DEMON OF GAMBLING - -The well-known yacht _Deerhound_, which last year won the queen's cup at -the Cowes regatta, has just arrived at Monaco. The owner, a certain Mr. -Howell, sold the yacht, as he had lost all his money at the tables. He -afterward continued to play, with the result that this morning he was -found in the park with a bullet-hole in his head and a discharged pistol -in his hand. - - * * * * * - -It was full summer, and the fruit trees stood white with blossoms, in -the garden of Villa Ballarat. - -A party of five people sat in the cool shade of the museum, while the -warm summer air blew in at the open door. - -"The hand of justice reached him sooner than we had expected," said I, -when Monk had read these lines aloud. - -"Peace be with his bones!" said old Frick, with unction. "Old Davis was -a big scoundrel; but upon my soul, I think the son was worse." - -"But what are you going to do now?" said Clara. "Cannot the matter be -taken up again? I think it would be a great shame if the world did not -get to know of all that has taken place; especially those who at the -time threw stones at Sigrid." - -"No one was found guilty," said Monk; "and I do not believe we could get -the matter taken up again, except--" Here Monk glanced at his wife. - -"All the people whose opinion I value," answered Mrs. Monk, softly, -"know my story as well as I know it myself, and I shudder at the thought -of appearing again in court." - -"I have an idea," I exclaimed, "which solves the difficulty. I will -write a novel about old Frick's diamond! The whole town will read it, -of course. 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