My Strangest Case

nent New York detective, with whom I had an appointment, when my clerk entered to inform me

red. "Find out that,

turned after a moment's absence, "but she declines

o say to me? Well, Lawson won't be here for another ten minutes, so you may as well show her in." Then to myself I added-"Thi

e could not at most have been more than one-or two-and-twenty. She was tall and the possessor of a graceful figure, while one glance was sufficie

" I said. "This is an unexpec

so I resumed my

an, "you are the great

h modesty as I could assume at so short a n

o talk to you

she did not quite

e yesterday, and who has the misfortu

him, but I had never seen him myself until he arrived in England, a month ago with his companion, Mr. C

something of their great trouble yesterday. It seems wonde

friend" (she spoke with superb scorn), "the man who b

on me," I answered. "They were anxious that

ands upon the table and

ll you

eeling of reluctance I had experienced in the case. "I

now how I pity them! Surely if they could find this man his heart would be touched, and he w

d. Gentlemen of his description are not conspicuous for their pity, nor, as a rule, will they d

it. That is why I have called upon you this morning. I have come to plead with you, to implore you, if necessa

iss Kitwater," I said, with a smile. "Your uncle

were not quite certain wh

do this

int her. My profession is not one calculated to render a man's heart over tender, but I must confess that in this case I was by no means as adamant as was usual with me. As

afternoon," I said, "and when they do so, I think I may promise

hope you will forgive me for having called upon you as I have done, but, when I saw how disappointed they were after their interview

"If I take the case up, and believe me I am not at all sure t

el that you did it for the reason that you believe in the justice of their cause, not merel

ked. "Let us hope so. And now good-morning, Miss Kitwater. I trust your

then with a renewal of her thanks a

th, simply because a pretty girl had smiled upon me, and had asked me to do it. For I don't mind confessing that I had made up my mind to help Kitwater and Codd in their search for the villain Hayle. The Trust Company would have to look e

as certainly not one of them, for the clock upon the mantelpiece had scarcely finished striking the hour of four, when I heard footsteps in the office outside, and next moment they were shown into my own sanctum. Codd came first, l

rrangement we came to yesterday afternoon, we have come here to learn your decision wh

I answered. "I have made up my mind

ose con

another five hundred is to be added if I am successful in helping you to

had expected that you would charge more. Of course you understand that it may involve a chase round half the world before you c

ossessed these characteristics," I answered. "And I have

said. "And now, if I may ask the question, when will you be ready to begin yo

be gained by delay, and if, as you say, the man has now been in England two months, he may soon be thinking of getti

rned. "You have only to ask them

ve a description of this Mr. G

t, close-cropped beard; he carries himse

a photograph of him in y

er that when we reached Nampoung, the station on the frontier of Burmah, we had scarcely a rag upon our backs. Any goods and chattels we might once

s I had seen on the occasion of his

o the day of his death. Upwards of a quarter of a million of money he stole from us, and where is it now? Where is my sight, and where

e table and turned his

lf as I watched him, "He may be smitten on one cheek, but I scar

effect was magical. His fit of impotent rage died down as suddenly as it had sprung up, and imme

voice to that in which he had just spoken. "When I remember how we ha

t to be excused if you entertain a feeling of resentment for the man w

e you abo

which he robbed you. You told me they numbered ninety-three in all

uncut and of various sizes, ranging perhaps from ten to eighty carats. They were true rubies, not spinel

ledge of the value

a cunning man who would succeed in taking him in ab

probability, know where to pl

coming to England. But we have tried Hatton

point up. The size of the larger stones is so unusual that they would be certain to attract atten

relative in the world," Kitwater replie

ng the other's hand, tapped upon it with his

inued, and once more Kitwater translated, "She was a cripple, and lived in a small house of

ctly. I then made some inquiries as to the missing man's habits. So

oard the Jemadar for England under h

am," Kitwater replied. "We know that i

o pay him a visit next morning. It would be hard if I could not learn f

osing my note-book. "It would be as well perhaps for you to furnish me with yo

vicar of the parish for many years, and he left his daughter a small property in the neighbourhood. They tell me it is a

vy sigh and the

ted to take up the case. I feel certain you will ultimately be successful. I will le

I answered. "You may rely upon my doing my best to serve you. By t

start of

f such an intention. I know that she is heart and soul with us in our de

turned, for some rea

er, and then took from his pocket

you will find a hundred-pound note, which should be sufficient to cover any preliminary expenses. If you need more, perhaps you

would be an easy matter to guess whence the sum had come, and for a reason that I co

s I had anything to report. If I had only known then, that, at the very moment when they stepped in to the street, the man they wanted me to find for them, and whom they hated so desperately, was standing in a shop on the other side of the road, keeping a

im to keep an eye on a certain pseudo-French Marquis with whom I expected to have dealings at no distant date. He reported that the gentleman in question had broken the bank at Monte Carlo, had staked and lost all his w

hed his report and I had commented upon it. "Do you remember Paulus Scevanovitch, who was co

rly man, with a bushy beard, the top of his little finger on the

have an exact account of his movements during the next three weeks. The office will arrange your expense

" the man respon

ted the name of Mr. Edward Bayley, and in the left-hand bottom corner was the announcement that he

tleman in, Wa

entered the office. He seated himself in a chair the clerk placed

nd doubtless, if you are at all familiar with mines and mining, you are

eplied. "I have to work so hard for my money, that when I have got it I prefer to invest

ng me deliberately as he did so, "on rather a delicate subject. Before I explain what i

. "I venture to think that this room has heard more secrets than almost any other in Engla

inquiries about them prior to engaging their services, and it is also needless to say that we keep a sharp eye on them when they have entered our employ. Nevertheless, it is quite possible, all precautions notwithstanding, for an unscrupulous man to take advantage of us. As a matter of fact, that is what has happened, and what has also brought me to you. For some considerable time past we have had our suspicions that our manager at the mines has been in league w

ur to induce me to go out to the Argentine and make inquiries on you

e prepared to pay you very high terms for your services; in point of fact, almost what you may ask in reason. The matter, as you may suppose, is

fortunately, however, I fear there is a conside

onishment. "But surely that obstacle can be removed. Especially

t of the matter is, only yesterday I promised to undertake another piece of business which, while not being so remunerative,

ask at what time yesterday afternoon

le wonderment as to his reason for putting the question. For my

he observed. "This is certainly anothe

o?" I

nfortunately I was prevented at the last moment. Had I been able to get here, I might have forestalled your more su

ld be of any use to you, I could send you a trustworthy subordinate; one who would

, Mr. Fairfax, for a moment. If you are prepared to go, I, in my turn, on behalf of my Company, am prepared to offer you your expenses and a sum of five thousand po

arnest-in deadly earnest, so it seemed. Even a default

rosity of your Company; but, as I said before, if it is necessary for me to go at once, that is to

over," he continued, "and l

t a retainer from one party and then throw them over in order to favour another. That would not only be a dishonourable action on my par

he remarked, and took up his hat and umbrella. I c

ope your affairs in the Argentin

ly, and then left the of

my managing clerk, and then donned my hat and set off for the offi

hing of him. I inquired for the steamer, only to learn that she was now somewhere on her way between Singapore and Hong Kong. This was decidedly disappointing, but as most of the cases in which I have been ultimately successful have had unpromising beginnings, I did not take it too seriously to heart. Leaving the Shipping Office,

ered his snug little sanctum, which leads out of the main

ation," I replied, "and I thin

nd placed them on his somewhat fleshy nose. "What is the information you require? Has there been ano

in the way you mean. The fact of the matter is, I want to discover whether or not a large consignment o

ally placed upon the market," he observed, le

for," I said, and furnished him with the

eenth of last month, a gentleman called upon us here, who stated that he had lately returned from the Far East. He had had, so he declared, the good fortune to discover a valuable mine, the locality of

purchas

of their value, as we soon discovered, and he was also a good hand at a bargain. Wo

o see them immen

when he had unlocked it, took from it a wash-leather bag.

y of being set in the crown of an emperor. It is not often that we are enthusiastic in such matters, but i

ore of a similar kind in London?" I asked, a

derson and Soil, and three almost as large as th

r twenty-eight," I said, making a note of the fact as I s

arcely believe his ears. "Why, his mine must be a sourc

with a description of the man himself. I shall then be able to tell yo

lt, very sunburnt-which would be accounted for by his long residence in the East

wear a

refully trimmed, and, I think, waxed. Of

his n

ed to do so. He said that if his name became known it might lead to the discovery o

had you that the sto

sion for some time, and you may be sure have made the closest inquiries. Besides, there are few such stones in Europe, an

there was a percept

e man from his two partners, and all they want is to get hold of hi

ing to grow uneasy. And now is there any other way in which I

d. The question to be answered was, was the man I was after the same individual who had sold Jacob and Bulenthall the stones? The description given me varied in several particulars to that furnished me by Kitwater. My clien

sy and left the office. A fresh idea had occurred to me which I thought might lead t