at he told her.

"Later, after the robbery, I remembered that I had informed this young
chap of my secret hiding-place, and when I saw him again I questioned
him about it. He was greatly distressed, and said he had never seen the
importance of the secret. He remembered he had told several people of
it, and among others the Princess Zichy. In that way I found out that it
was she who had robbed me, and I know that from the moment I left London
she was following me and that she knew then that the diamonds were
concealed in my cigar-case.

"My train for Nice left Paris at ten in the morning. When I travel at
night I generally tell the _chef de gare_ that I am a Queen's Messenger,
and he gives me a compartment to myself, but in the daytime I take
whatever offers. On this morning I had found an empty compartment, and
I had tipped the guard to keep every one else out, not from any fear of
losing the diamonds, but because I wanted to smoke. He had locked the
door, and as the last bell had rung I supposed I was to travel alone, so
I began to arrange my traps and make myself comfortable. The diamonds
in the cigar-case were in the inside pocket of my waistcoat, and as they
made a bulky package, I took them out, intending to put them in my hand
bag. It is a small satchel like a bookmaker's, or those hand bags that
couriers carry. I wear it slung from a strap across my shoulder, and, no
matter whether I am sitting or walking, it never leaves me.

"I took the cigar-case which held the necklace from my inside pocket
and the case which held the cigars out of the satchel, and while I was
searching through it for a box of matches I laid the two cases beside me
on the seat.

"At that moment the train started, but at the same instant there was a
rattle at the lock of the compartment, and a couple of porters lifted
and shoved a woman through the door, and hurled her rugs and umbrellas
in after her.

"Instinctively I reached for the diamonds. I shoved them quickly into
the satchel and, pushing them far down to the bottom of the bag, snapped
the spring lock. Then I put the cigars in the pocket of my coat, but
with the thought that now that I had a woman as a travelling companion I
would probably not be allowed to enjoy them.

"One of her pieces of luggage had fallen at my feet, and a roll of rugs
had landed at my side. I thought if I hid the fact that the lady was
not welcome, and at once endeavored to be civil, she might permit me
to