ansaction,
because he packed them for shipment. Then he must have persuaded the
woman to accompany him across the Atlantic, with the design of stealing
the gems from Mr. Mitchel, as soon as he should take them from the
custom-house. This is seen from the fact that three days after the
shipment this man resigned his position, and from that time all trace of
both the man and the woman in Paris is lost."

"From which you deduce that they followed the jewels?" said Mr. Mitchel.

"Of course. The man and woman separated here to avoid suspicion. By a
trick the woman obtained possession of apartments in the very house
where your intended lived, whilst Molitaire stopped at the Hoffman,
which of course is very near your own hotel. As soon as you went to
Boston they followed and registered at the same hotel. You obtained the
jewels from the custom-house, and they entered your room and robbed you
during your absence. Your theory of the murderer's actions after the
jewels were recovered by you, is probably correct. He went back to hunt
for them, hoping that she had not placed them in the satchel, or rather
that she had taken them out of it, since you yourself placed them there.
I think there is no point left unexplained."

"Pardon me," said Mr. Thauret, "I think you are wrong. You have not to
my mind quite connected this man--what did you call him? Jean Molitaire,
was it not? Well, I do not see that you have traced his hand to the
crime."

"I think that I have," said Mr. Barnes.

"You do not make it clear to me," said Mr. Thauret, as coolly as though
discussing some question in which he had but a passing interest. "You
say that your Montalbon woman noticed this Molitaire when she sold her
diamonds. Later that both were missing from Paris. The woman turned up
in New York, but how do you prove that Molitaire did not go to--let us
say Russia?"

"No," said Mr. Barnes, "he did not go to Russia. Suppose that I should
tell you that I ferreted out the fact that this name Molitaire was but
an alias, and that the man's true name was Montalbon? Then when we
remember that the woman's name had been cut from all her garments is
that not significant?"

This speech made a mild sensation, but Mr. Thauret remained unmoved. He
replied calmly:

"All things are significant--how do you interpret this fact, supposing
that you could prove it?"

"This Molitaire was really the dead woman's husband. They quarrelled
many years ago, and she went to