a message from the bureau asking our
presence there. It was the Lausch robbery that 'required our
presence,' so the message read, and Dave had returned an answer
promising our presence at the earliest moment of leisure.

We did not feel so deeply interested in the Lausch robbery then as in
some other matters, but when we had dismissed our boy shadower we went
at once to the bureau.

There was considerable excitement at the office, and with good reason.
Some of Monsieur Lausch's jewels had been returned, and in a most
novel manner.

Early in the morning a guard had appeared with the treasure in his
hand, and a singular story upon his lips.

Last night, he had said, while crossing the north-east end of the
Wooded Island, at quite a late hour, he had encountered a man and
woman searching for a lost purse. They were quite certain it had been
lost on the island, and he being then on duty and 'unable to delay,'
told them that he would search for it next day, and passed on. Early
in the morning he had entered upon the search at the place where he
had met the two, and, finding no trace of the lost purse, had turned
his search into a stroll about the island. He was quite familiar with
the place, having done guard duty there, and going close to the
water's edge, at a point where a favourite view was to be had, he
observed that one of the skiffs that were moored here and there about
the island was gone. Going closer, he saw that it had been roughly
torn from its moorings, and the soft soil showed that several people
had left traces of their presence. It was in stooping closer, to look
at these footprints, that he had noticed a bit of string trailing
across the grass just beyond; and taking hold of this, he found a
weight upon it, which proved to be a little chamois-skin bag
containing some uncut gems. He had at once reported this find to his
superior officer, being an honest guard, and was ordered to come with
it to the bureau.

There was no room for doubt or mistake. The chamois bag contained a
portion of the jewels stolen from the pavilion of Monsieur Lausch.
There were some half-dozen of the dew-drop sparklers taken with the
silver-leaf tray, one large topaz and two of the smaller ones, and
there were also two solitaire rings which were not of the Lausch
collection.

The bag containing these had been securely tied to a stout cord,
nearly a yard in length, and fastened, doubtless, about the body of
some person so secur