stigation would say that she had
simply aided the scheme to further the wager, as perhaps she had, since
she did not stir when the gem was being taken. All this flashed through
Mr. Barnes's brain in a half moment, and by the time the thief before
him had secured the ruby and was standing erect he had decided upon his
course of action. This was to seize the man at once, and proclaim him a
thief. Of course Mr. Mitchel would be able to explain his act, but at
the same time he would have lost his wager.

The man in front turned to pass on, and Mr. Barnes darted forward to
seize him, when, to his astonishment, he was himself held as in a vise
by the man behind him. He struggled to free himself, but, taken by
surprise, he discovered that he was powerless. What angered him more
was that the thief was fast disappearing in the gloom. Determined not to
be outwitted, he shouted:

"Turn up the lights. A robbery has been committed."

Instantly all was confusion. People crowded forward, and Mr. Barnes felt
himself hurled violently toward the advancing throng. Toppling against
some one, both fell to the ground, and several others tumbled over them.
Pandemonium reigned supreme, yet it was some time before any one thought
of turning up the lights. Mr. Van Rawlston, understanding the situation
better than any other, was the first to recover his presence of mind,
and himself turned on the electricity. The sudden rush of light at first
only made things worse, for it blinded everybody. Thus to the
detective's chagrin several valuable minutes were lost before he could
extricate himself from the pile of people who had tumbled over him, and
find a chance to say aloud:

"Miss Remsen has been robbed. Let no one leave the house. Masks off."

Mr. Van Rawlston rushed to the door to see that no one departed, and
people crowded around Miss Remsen to condole with her upon her loss. Mr.
Barnes searched for Ali Baba, and was amazed when he found him to
discover that it was not Mr. Thauret.

"Who are you?" he asked roughly.

"My name is Adrian Fisher," was the reply. This astonished the
detective, but it pleased him too, for it seemed to confirm the
suspicion that this man was an accomplice. He decided quickly to say no
more to him at that time, and hastened towards Miss Remsen to observe
her behavior. If she knew anything in advance she certainly was acting
admirably, for she had grown excited, and was talking vehemently to
those about her, decl