se gems rarely beautiful?"

"Indeed I do! Their lustre is superb; their quality, their shape,
perfect!... Why, my dear, these are the most splendid pearls I have ever
seen--with one exception--the only pearls to equal them are those that
were stolen from me!... The loss of them has been a bitter grief ...
they came to me, you know, from my dear mother!... I never thought to
find pearls of such quality again...."

"You consider these to be of as pure a quality then, dear?"

Sonia Danidoff continued to examine the two pearls.

"It is really extraordinary," she cried suddenly. "Do you know, my dear,
there are certain peculiarities about their lustre,... yes ... I could
swear that these very pearls you are offering me are two of those stolen
from me!..."

Thomery appeared to have been impatiently awaiting these very words.

"You really, truly believe, Sonia, that they resemble the pearls stolen
from you that unlucky evening?"

"I repeat--they are identical!"

Thomery looked smilingly at Sonia.

"Well, then, my dear one, I do not think you are mistaken!... I have all
sorts of reasons for supposing that they really are two of your own
pearls you are now holding in your hand...." And, then and there,
Thomery told his fiancee all about the strange visit he had received the
evening before, as well as his hope that he would be able to recover
the stolen triple collar in its entirety.

"That intriguing dealer," said he finally, "must be a police
informer.... In any case, I am persuaded that, before long, she will
take me to some receiver or other who is in possession of your pearl
collar."

"Oh, tell me you are not going among such people, all alone?" cried
Sonia, with a note of sharp anxiety in her voice.

"But, why not?"

"If they are, as you think, thieves?"

"Well?"

"Well! Don't you see, my dear, that if you go to buy the pearls, they
will count on your bringing a large sum of money with you!... Why, it
would be a most imprudent thing to do!..."

Thomery shrugged his shoulders.

"Really, that's nonsense, Sonia! If these assassins meant to set a trap
for me, they have a thousand other means of doing so ... besides, it
would be remarkably daring of them to advise me to show you these
pearls, and draw my attention to the question of their being stolen
ones!... No, Sonia, this dealer is not the emissary of a band of robbers
and assassins: she is a police informer, who has taken precautions. I
run no dangero