howed an inclination to speak.

"Look here, Davidge!" he said. "You know very well why you're here--you're
here to hear the real truth about the Herapath murder! Mrs. Engledew told
you that this afternoon, when she called on you at Scotland Yard. Now the
only two people who know the real truth are myself and my friend there--Mr.
Dimambro."

Selwood and Cox-Raythwaite, who until then had remained in ignorance of the
little foreigner's identity, started and looked at him with interest. So
this was the missing witness! But Davidge remained cool and unimpressed.

"Ah, just so!" he said. "Foreign gentleman, no doubt. And you and Mr.
Dimambro are the only persons who know the real truth about that little
affair, eh, Mr. Burchill. Very good, so as----"

"As Mr. Dimambro doesn't speak English very well----" began Burchill.

"I speak it--you understand--enough to say a good many words--but not so
good as him," observed Mr. Dimambro, waving a fat hand. "He say it for
me--for both of us, eh?"

"To be sure, sir, to be sure," said Davidge. "Mr. Burchill is gifted
that way, of course. Well, Mr. Burchill, and what might this story be,
now? Deeply interesting, I'll be bound."

Burchill pulled a chair to the table, opposite Selwood and the
Professor. He put the tips of his fingers together and assumed an
explanatory manner.

"I shall have to begin at the beginning," he said. "You'll all please to
follow me closely. Now, to commence--Mrs. Engledew permits me to speak for
her as well as for Mr. Dimambro. The fact is, I can put the circumstances
of the whole affair into a consecutive manner. And I will preface what I
have to say by making a statement respecting a fact in the life of the late
Mr. Herapath which will, I believe, be substantiated by Mr. Selwood, my
successor as secretary to the deceased gentleman. Mr. Herapath, in addition
to being an authority on the building of up-to-date flats, was also more or
less of an expert in precious stones. He not only bought and sold in these
things, but he gave advice to his friends in matters relating to them. Mr.
Selwood has, I am sure, had experience of that fact?"

"To a certain extent--yes," agreed Selwood. "But I had not been long
enough in Mr. Herapath's employ to know how much he went in for that sort
of thing."

"That is immaterial," continued Burchill. "We establish the fact that
he did. Now we come to the first chapter of our story. This lady, Mrs.
Engledew, a tenant of this