With Links of Steel, Or, The Peril of the Unknown

enner,

private office-that way, sir. The door to the right

unless he has just returned. I

Wait a moment

back to face Mr. Garside, with an in

o I understand?"

ior partner of the firm of Rufus Venner & Co., a large retail jewelry house in N

red, and proved to be the initiatory step of one of the

f the store were several handsome private carriages, with stiff-backed, motionless coachmen, in bottle-green liver

curtains, which lent a soft, amber light to the deep interior, an

g-counter on each side, back of which were numerous clerks, s

e glass; while at either side of this inclosure was a smaller room, entire

n entered and inquired for Mr. Venner. As he turned from the clerk who had

lls me that Mr. Venner is out just now.

ir, I

reverting to the caller. "Is there anything that I can

young man, drawing a small cloth-covered package from his breast pocket. "Here are the ten diamonds for which

jeweler, and a large importer

ance took on an expre

ured, inquiringly. "I was not aware that Venner

d the stones here as soon as convenient," replied the messenger. "Mr. Hafferma

our name,

afferman for nearly five years. I think you

Mr. Boyden," sugges

he store, and spoke through the o

orning?" he inquired, addressing the several clerks at work i

seated at a typewriter nea

out half an hour ago, sir," she replied.

; "yet I wonder that I had heard nothing about it. J

irst been questioned. "I saw him go out just before

middle of the store again, w

rom Mr. Venner?" he again inquired. "How

en readily answered. "The order was

who delivered the order?

" said Boyden, now beginning to smile at Garside's manifest caution over receiving the diamonds. "Surely, sir, no harm can

answered. "I wished only to avoid the needless trouble o

es, sir, I saw Mr. Venner yesterday at our store, ex

onal charge. Yes, yes, Mr. Boyden, leave them, certainly. Here, Joseph, place the package in one of the vault drawers, and hand it to Mr. Venner when he returns. S

d smiling. "I appreciate your caution, sir. If there proves to have been any

ving turned to hand the parcel to his clerk back

uaintance of yours, Mayna

een with Hafferman

Venner should have made no mention to me of this

, sir,

wer of the huge steel vault back of the counter, and

e front of the store, and prese

ident of the diamonds was almost f

ng fellow, with pale blue eyes, a sallow complexion, slightly pock-marked. He was of medium

ed, he tendered one of Thomas Hafferman's business car

een delivered to Tiffany & Co. Mr. Hafferman read the order without his spectacles, and it's rather a good joke on him, for he thought it w

arly right. "I knew well enough that Venner had not sent out any order without men

with a conventional laugh. "If you please, I'll leave them there on my wa

e time lost," interrupted Garside, joining in the

ou pl

here by Boyden. They were sent to us by mistake. I

afferman's. Many thanks. Sorry t

ompanying Mr. Raymond toward the street d

ith the package of diamonds in his hand. "But now the pleasure

g himself in the midday stream of people t

s had crept into the mind of Mr. Garside, the seni

topping him near the office door. "What diamo

hoed Venner, with

ing at some stone

water, a little larger and more perfectly matched than any we have

of the past half hour, when, to his consternation and dism

he cried. "Nothing of the sort, Philip. The

gs! B

r. Venner, excitedly. "By Heaven,

mond was an impostor,

t-wa

d into his private office and seized his desk telephone, qui

his excited partner, who presently dropped the telephone and leaped to his feet, crying loudly,

have been duped-swindled-robbed of four thousand doll

It's enough that we have lost the stones, so at least keep your head. Waste not

g down an oath of wrathful contempt. "I'll have none of your police-no

uf

r to me," Venner harshly interrupted. "

tely out of the office and into the store proper,

Lose not a moment! Don't wait to ask questions, you blockhead! Away w

his coat and hat, and was

nary criminal cases that ever fell within the broad e