s connection with the stolen diamond being made public, and after
considerable deliberation, convinced himself that the feat was
impossible. He was interrupted by a slight scuffling noise in the shop,
and the cat came bolting into the room, and, after running round the
table, went out at the door and fled upstairs. The assistant came into
the room.

"What are you worrying the thing for?" demanded his master.

"I'm not worrying it," said the assistant in an aggrieved voice. "It's
been moving about up and down the shop, and then it suddenly started
like that. It's got a fit, I suppose."

He went back to the shop, and the Jew sat in his chair half ashamed of
his nervous credulity, listening to the animal, which was rushing about
in the rooms upstairs.

"Go and see what's the matter with the thing, Bob," he cried.

The assistant obeyed, returning hastily in a minute or two, and closing
the door behind him.

"Well, what's the matter?" demanded his master.

"The brute's gone mad," said the assistant, whose face was white. "It's
flying about upstairs like a wild thing. Mind it don't get in, it's as
bad as a mad dog."

"Oh, rubbish," said the Jew. "Cats are often like that."

"Well, I've never seen one like it before," said the other, "and, what's
more, I'm not going to see that again."

The animal came downstairs, scuffling along the passage, hit the door
with its head, and then dashed upstairs again.

"It must have been poisoned, or else it's mad," said the assistant.
"What's it been eating, I wonder?"

The pawnbroker made no reply. The suggestion of poisoning was a welcome
one. It was preferable to the sinister hintings of the brown man. But
even if it had been poisoned it was a very singular coincidence, unless
indeed the Burmese had himself poisoned it He tried to think whether
it could have been possible for his visitor to have administered poison
undetected.

"It's quiet now," said the assistant, and he opened the door a little
way.

"It's all right," said the pawnbroker, half ashamed of his fears, "get
back to the shop."

The assistant complied, and the Jew, after sitting down a little while
to persuade himself that he really had no particular interest in the
matter, rose and went slowly upstairs. The staircase was badly lighted,
and half way up he stumbled on something soft.

He gave a hasty exclamation and, stooping down, saw that he had trodden
on the dead cat.

CHAPTER IV.

At ten o'cl