Rather! That was a smart bit of work of yours, Mr. Crewe, in laying
your hands on the woman who did it and getting back the diamond."

Crewe smiled in response.

"The Jew was very grateful, poor fellow. He died in the hospital after
the trial, so she was lucky to escape with twelve years. He left me a
diamond ring and a stamp album that had come into his possession."

"I should like to see it," said Rolfe eagerly. "It is more than likely
that there are some good specimens in it. The Jews are keen
collectors. If you let me have a look at it, I'll tell you what the
collection is worth."

"You can have it altogether," said Crewe. "I'll send my boy Joe round
with it in the morning."

"Oh, Mr. Crewe, it's very good of you," said Rolfe, with the covetousness
of the collector shining in his eyes.

"Nonsense! Why shouldn't you have it? But I didn't come round here solely
to talk about stamps, Rolfe. I came to have a little chat about the
Riversbrook case. How are you getting on with it?"

"Why, really," said Rolfe, "I've not done much with it since, since--"

"Since Birchill was acquitted, eh! But you are not letting it drop
altogether, are you? That would be a pity--such an interesting case.
Whom have you your eye on now as the right man?"

Rolfe, who thought he detected a suspicion of banter in Crewe's
remarks, evaded the latter question by answering the first part of
Crewe's inquiry.

"Why hardly that, Mr. Crewe. But the chief is not very keen on the case.
Birchill's acquittal was too much of a blow to him. He reckons that
nowadays juries are too soft-hearted to convict on a capital charge."

"It's just as well that they are too soft-hearted to convict the wrong
man," said Crewe.

"Yes; you told me from the first that we were on the wrong track," was
the reply. "I haven't forgotten that and the chief is not allowed to
forget it, either. All the men at the Yard know that you held the
opinion that we had got hold of the wrong man when we arrested Birchill,
and he has had to stand so much chaff in the office, that he's pretty raw
about it." Rolfe spoke in the detached tone of a junior who had no share
in his chief's mistakes or their attendant humiliation, and he added,
"That's once more that you've scored over Scotland Yard, Mr. Crewe, and
you ought to be proud of it." He glanced covertly at Crewe to see how he
took the flattery.

"So you've done very little about the case since Birchill was acquitted?"
was his