usly together, and
when we parted company, two hours later, all the necessary arrangements had
been made for Mr. Robinstein to begin at once with Markoo--the following
day, in fact.

Four nights later Holmes turned up at my apartment.

"Well," said I, "have you come to report progress?"

"Yes," he said. "The reward will arrive on time, but it's been the de'il's
own job. Pretty, aren't they!" he added, taking a small package wrapped in
tissue-paper out of his pocket, and disclosing its contents.

"Gee-rusalem, what beauties!" I cried, as my eyes fell on two such diamonds
as I had never before seen. They sparkled on the paper like bits of
sunshine, and that their value was quite $100,000 it did not take one like
myself, who knew little of gems, to see at a glance. "You have found them,
have you?"

"Found what?" asked Raffles Holmes.

"The missing pendants," said I.

"Well--not exactly," said Raffles Holmes. "I think I'm on the track of them,
though. There's an old chap who works beside me down at Gaffany's who spends
so much of his time drinking ice-water that I'm getting to be suspicious of
him."

I roared with laughter.

"The ice-water habit is evidence of a criminal nature, eh?" I queried.

"Not per se," said Holmes, gravely, "but in conjunctibus--if my Latin is
weak, please correct me--it is a very suspicious habit. When I see a man
drink ten glasses of water in two hours it indicates to my mind that there
is something in the water-cooler that takes his mind off his business. It is
not likely to be either the ice or the water, on the doctrine of
probabilities. Hence it must be something else. I caught him yesterday with
his hand in it."

"His hand? In the water-cooler?" I demanded.

"Yes," said Holmes. "He said he was fishing around for a little piece of ice
to cool his head, which ached, but I think differently. He got as pale as a
ghost when I started in to fish for a piece for myself because my head ached
too. I think he took the diamonds and has hid them there, but I'm not sure
yet, and in my business I can't afford to make mistakes. If my suspicions
are correct, he is merely awaiting his opportunity to fish them out and
light out with them."

"Then these," I said, "are--are they paste?"

"No, indeed, they're the real thing," said Raffles Holmes, holding up one of
the gems to the light, where it fairly coruscated with brilliance. "These
are the other two of the original quartet."

"Great Heavens