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Show DIAMOND CUT . DIAMOND & Jane Bunker Copyright-The PobbsMerrlU Co. CHAPTER XII. Continued. 13 Which I thought I was considering; hut I didn't mean to let him see I thought so. Without waiting for any more compliments I finished, "You see, yon'd discovered you couldn't get in while I was In, so If you wished to get In, you had to come while I was out and I gave you the chance. Perfectly simple." "A mere decoy such as anybody might use," Billy tossed at him. "I hope you're convinced it was a mere decoy," said I, pointing to the letter let-ter In his hand. "You have convinced me," he replied re-plied bitterly, looking at his handcuffs. hand-cuffs. "Permit me to congratulate you, madame. You are ze first person man or woman in Europe or America who has caught De Ravenol in a trap. Madame, you are clever you are brave you are a so sagacious intellect. intel-lect. And now, madame, permit me to ask you, what are you going to do wis me?" It wasn't so much what he said as the way he said It that drove a sudden sud-den chill through my bones. I'd been asking myself that for several minutes; min-utes; but as monsieur put It, it was well like pulling up a fishing line when you think you've got a bite and finding you've got a piece of a forest in tow. I had to say something, however, and this was the thing that seemed called for: "Give you up to the police." Monsieur rose unsteadily to his feet and holding out his manacled hands to me and he was really impressive in spite of his being so rumpled and sloppy he slowly uttered : "Madame, before you call In ze police, I have someslng of great Importance to yourself your-self to communicate." He paused. I nodded. "ZOSE DIAMONDS WHICH HAVE BEEN STOLEN BELONG TO ZE EMPEROR EM-PEROR OF GERMANY." , With those words monsieur actually turned the tables on us ! It was at Once his statement of our mistake and our misfortune. Billy says he "saw warships carving Atlantic waves." I saw an army with banners. And behind be-hind all their immediate significance, stood an ironclad background that spelled determination. A minute before be-fore we had been dealing with a man; now we were dealing with a power. I am free to admit that neither Billy nor I doubted the truth of the statement state-ment once it was uttered there was an atmosphere about monsieur and his manacled hands that carried conviction convic-tion ; and while many details were still unexplained, his statement did explain the diamonds. Which was the main thing, for I'd always said they never belonged to any but a crowned head. There are some things in this world much too large for private parties to carry the responsibility of. And so completely was I captured by an adequately ade-quately explained ownership that I was almost ready to pull the diamonds from their hiding place at the bottom of the sideboard drawer and send them back per monsieur to the' Emperor William with my compliments, when Billy burst out, "Where's your proof?" in a way that struck me as irreverent, not to say rude. Monsieur repressed a sneer and replied re-plied that certain proofs would be forihcoming at the proper moment; and that meanwhile, throwing himself upon our mercy and to illuminate the mistake we'd made, he would tell us everything and would start with the legend of the so precious stones. Once upon a time, about the fourteenth four-teenth century, or so, there lived in one of the states comprising the now tTiited Fatherland, a very powerful grand duke or kinglet, with two grown suns; and in another neighboring province prov-ince the size of Greater New York lived another very powerful duke, who boasted a beautiful daughter. Those were the days when war was cheaper than peace. But since a war between these two kinglets would inevitably in-evitably lead to the total extermination extermina-tion of both parties and leave nothing to show for their prowess but heaps of lire-scorched stones and a few halfwitted half-witted peasants who had no right to be alive, anyway these wise kinglets bethought them that by uniting their forces and incidentally a son and a daughter they could together conquer the surrounding territory f-jr as much as ten square miles. Now, Oscar, the prospective bridegroom, bride-groom, was busily engaged in a dramatic dra-matic border war with a powerful duchy the size of Nantucket, so there was naught for it but to dispatch the handsome younger brother, Fritz, to plight his brother's troth by proxy. The dates were set, and all seemed moving along its appointed course, when post-haste comes a trusty messenger mes-senger and delivers himself of the tale he has ridden all day in bring Uit ftvi'ur bus been smitten tnrough the helmet, thereby losing a nose, an upper lip and a chin ; and was now in the throes of dissolution. Consternation reigned in the castle, broken by the sobs of the fair Elfreda, the shy glances of the bereaved brother broth-er who would become the heir apparent appar-ent and the wise silence of the old kinglet. It was not long before a decision was reached satisfactory to all persons per-sons except Oscar, lying in his tent comforting himself with thoughts of the grief of his beautiful betrothed, whom he had never set eyes on ; for the two young people, Fritz and Elfreda, El-freda, knowing that a marriage between be-tween the families was greatly to be desired, and warmed with a high sense of duty to the fast-departing Oscar nriti it may be, a natural shrinking on the part of the lady from the embraces of a husband minus an upper lip, a nose and a chin, and plus some sixty various and sundry other wounds and scars to boot hastened the ceremony and were united by the castle priest in the bonds of holy matrimony before the sun rose. Imagine the messenger's feelings on arriving at the castle and finding Oscar, Os-car, instead of lying at peace in the family chapel with solemn candles at his head and his heels, making a fast recovery by the aid of his devoted mother in spite of his nose and his dhin and his lip ! Still, the news of the unpremeditated marriage was a tonic all around especially es-pecially to the messenger. Oscar cut off his head and hung it out of the window win-dow to air and then promptly got well in a way that gave him grim satisfaction satisfac-tion and his mother considerable uneasiness un-easiness for her darling; and no sooner soon-er was Oscar able to sit his horse than he directed his attention and his army against her whom he was pleased to call "faithless" and the brother whom he designated as "an unholy bandit." Then did the fair lady call unto her her own private scribe and she indited a beautiful letter in her own hired handwriting, and in it she told the noble warrior that the mistake was hers as she saw by his gloriously scarred face and she took all the blame and offered herself and her blood as a sacrifice in the appeasing of his righteous wrath. Then she called h3r most faithful maid-of-all-work and said: "Lady-in-waiting, I deliver this into thy keeping. Now fetch me my golden goblet, lock the door and ask no questions." And with this attended to, Elfreda, stationing the lady-of-all-work in the proper attitude with the goblet in readiness to catch her heart's blood, plunged a dagger in her bosom and died. The faithful lady-in-waiting obediently obedi-ently caught the blood as it fell seven great drops. But, oil, miracle when she looked into the golden goblet what did she behold? Seven drops, unmixed as when they fell from the gaping wound of her beloved mistress seven glorious blood-red diamonds! But she was strictly honest. The letter and the diamonds, still In the golden goblet, were conveyed to Oscar at the appointed hour, and at sunset the two brothers united their tears above the bier of the beautiful Elfreda. El-freda. Such was the legendary origin of the most wonderful diamonds in the world a collection created by miracle; and thenceforth, In keeping with their mystic origin, they assumed a peculiar role in the history of nations, binding bargains and sealing treaties of peace. But now the later legends had endowed en-dowed the stones with occult powers which were imparted to their possessors posses-sors the renewal of youth, wealth, untold energy of mind and spirit. A century after the stones were taken to Venice and cut and their real glory was revealed to the world ; and at last they excited the envy of Bismarck Bis-marck and came into the possession of the emperor, grandfather to the present pres-ent William, thence to William the present. To this legend Billy and I had listened lis-tened with unblinking interest. Monsieur Mon-sieur told it in the sustained manner of one immured to secrets of state. It was he who broke the spell of our silence by asking me for a glass of water. I carried the water to him and turned away my eyes whi'e he held the glass with his two hands to his lips. "That's quite a yarn," observed Billy, blowing out a cloud. "'Yarn?'" questioned monsieur. "Story tale narrative," Billy explained. ex-plained. "Une histoire," on which monsieur brightened and declared : "CVst une veritable histoire." "True when it happened," translated Billy. "But what I don't see is. where you come in on the diamond deal." "I?" said monsieur, giving me a look that as'ii'd : "Is there anything I have not beautifully explained?" 'Tes you ; I don't seem yet to see where you belong In this veritable histoire," his-toire," returned Billy, looking about for an ash tray, but driving at his point "I don't see what part you play in it at all? Granted that the diamonds dia-monds belong to the Emperor William now, then, what are you doing with them?" "I?" again he looked at me. "I am trying to find zem for ze Emperor William." Wil-liam." "All right. But what are you doing with them in America?" Billy's tone was severe. "That is what you have lo answer." Billy looked the man straight in the eyes, defiantly, and I thought, for just the fraction of a second, that he quailed under the boyish honest stare. "Yes, sir," continued Billy, as monsieur mon-sieur did not immediately reply, "there's quite a gap between the emperor's em-peror's owning them and your having them. Very possibly I am lacking in imagination, but to be quite frank, I can't see the connection." It was to me monsieur appealed. "Ah, madame, what more can I say? I am. at your mercy " and he held out his manacled hands. I hardened under Billy's look at me and replied coolly: "I think you'd better bet-ter tell us how you came by the diamonds. dia-monds. I can't see the precise connection connec-tion between the Emperor William and yourself." Monsieur appeared to choke back a number of emotions and then declaimed, de-claimed, "Madame must pardon me, but zoze are secrets of state !" He did it really magnificently altogether al-together the great man, the confidant of kings, and that on top of the rest convinced me of his sincerity. Before Be-fore I could reply, Billy pulled my sleeve and demanded : "Where's an ash tray? I'm getting this stuff all over your best rug. Get me a plate or something out of the kitchen," and with his eyes he said : "Leave this man to me for a minute, will you?" I stepped into the kitchen and heard Billy say to monsieur in a low voice: "I see I don't need to point out to you the position you're placing yourself in by refusing an explanation as to how you came to have those diamonds in your possession. There's only one thing left for me to think." He paused and I thought, "Heavens ! Is he going to accuse monsieur?" And he did. "YOU STOLE THEM." I was rooted to the floor. The reply came like a shot "Monsieur!" and De Havenol leaped to his feet. The two 'ISfl . mm MSN fpfifi 1 "That's Quite a Ya-n," Observed Billy. men had given and taken a mortal blow for monsieur, in his single word, had returned as good as he got and they now measured each other. Billy broke the silence and recalled me with : "Say Where's that ash tray?" The scarlet that had leaped to monsieur's mon-sieur's checks faded as I entered the room. He stood. He towered. Y'et he spoke with humility. "It is not as De Ravenol I explain how it is I am seeking ze diamonds zat belong to ze Emperor William It is as ze emperor's messenger to ze court of Mexico. And yet it is as plain De Ravenol ze fazer of Claire whom you know zat I implore you to keep my confidence zat I give you now at ze peril of my life." He paused, and we both felt constrained con-strained to assure him we would keep his confidence, and he proceeded. "I have ondertook zis secret mission for which ze emperor have select me from all his friends as he have select me, I may call myself his friend and I have dedicate myself to it wis all my zeal. "Since Napoleon I, Europe has seen no like der Kaiser Wilhelm he is warrior war-rior and conqueror in his heart, even as zey were we have now ze concert of powers zat prevent to one man to own ze whole of Europe any more. "And ze emperor looks ahead for ze future of his people and he say: 'How do zey be fed in hundred years? Ze fields of all ze fazerhind ze science of all ze fazcrlands will not do it. But wis money, my people may buy zeir food as zey will beef and wheat from ze whole world. Wis industry manufactures manu-factures cotiinierce we have ze money. But zat our commerce does us some valuable good, we must make sonie alliances for zis purpose. England Eng-land have set her seal on India, her boot on Africa and her hand on Canada Can-ada ; but she have not touch ze Latin nations she owns not Mexico she controls not yet ze some-day Panama canal. Zere we have great strategic point for future development zat England Eng-land have not got hold of.' In Mexico, zen, ze Emperor William sees some bright future for ze fazerland. "Now ze madame president of Mexico Mex-ico is young; she have gnat beauty and she rule her venerable husband wis zat beauty as have women at all times. So once she have hear ze legend le-gend of ze seven blood-red diamonds. Above all ozzer sings in ze world she desire zoze diamonds and she have communicate her wish to der kaiser and he have seen in her wish some way to his own for ze fazerland. "To zis end be have arrange treaty wis Mexico which make Mexico a sister sis-ter state of ze great German alliance he have In mind. To zis end, also, he have commissioned me " The rest of what monsieur said just then was lost on me, for there had swooped on me a lightning stroke of understanding the whole nefarious scheme of Germany and the emperor lay bare to my inner eye. Mexico the Panama canal these were the strategic stra-tegic points of a world conquest such as history had never witnessed. Germany Ger-many In possession of Mexico, with half a million troops massed on our border why, she could flippantly tread on the lion's tail any day and go to war and say to us: "Help England and lose Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California." With half a million troops in Mexico, Germany could spank us into almost anything ! And Mexico, with her almost untouched un-touched resources; with her hot-blooded troops under'German discipline for twenty years for ten for five 1 But I could stop it ! For the lever that was to set the scheme in motion was thumb-tacked to the bottom of my sideboard drawer the seven blood-red diamonds ! Monsieur's voice had reached a sXop. My resolve was taken. "Never!" was the one impassioned word I uttered. Billy echoed it "Never!" His thoughts had flown with mine and had seen the impending calamity which we two, out of the world, could now prevent. pre-vent. Then, drawing himself to his full height, he gave forth our ultimatum ultima-tum to the nation at large: "You just go back and tell your Emperor William Wil-liam that he can never have Mexico or the Panama canal." CHAPTER XIII. Monsieur Appeals to Me. The effect of our words on monsietii was the last thing we could have foreseen. fore-seen. He had been standing all thit while. He sank heavily into his chair buried his face in his hands and wept ! Billy raised disgusted eyes tc the ceiling, inviting it to come down with a noise and end the unpleasing spectacle of a man crying tears' on a rug. Then catching my commiserating eye, Billy communicated his ideas on the subject with a little sneer of his lip a id a little shrug of his shoulder. The next instant, he had seized me by the arm and pulled me along the hall whispering: "While he's on the weep we can talk," and he thrust me inside the bedroom door, himself remaining on the sill with an eye to the dining L UOIli. Monsieur continued to weep possibly pos-sibly he thought we'd left him out of consideration for his emotion. "Say this is the very . deuce of n hole," Billy began in a rapid whisper, "the very devil of a hole. What we must do is to go to Washington tomorrow to-morrow " "But, Billy" "Well, tonight, then we can catch the midnight train and be there the first thing in the morning." "I won't. At least, not now. Dc please listen. I won't do anything till I've seen Mrs. Delario " "What the good of wasting time see ing her?" he interrupted. "Here's e case where hours count minvtes seconds, for all we know. How'll she help, anyway?" "That's not the question. She en trusted them to me so she's the ont to take them back to first and ther if she says " "Oh. 3'ou know what she'll say," he argued. "Women are always that way don't want any trouble. Now, you take the bull by the horns go tc Washington tonight." "No. I'm responsible to her." "How can you be; when she only found them where the girl must have put them? He'll confess that, too, when he gets over his weeps." "Oh, well, since you've got 'em, I suppose you'll do as you like for all of my advice," Billy said glumly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But il you'll take my advice, you'll not waste time over anything it's too serious." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |