hree such perfectly matched diamonds had we ten times their
price. Of course there is a possibility this letter may be a fake, but
somehow I've a feeling it is real. We'll consult Corrigan and see what
he says."

Mr. Burton reached for the telephone.

"Hello! Give me Plaza 77098.--Is Mr. Corrigan there?--Just going
out?--Catch him before he leaves, and tell him, please, that Mr. Burton
wishes to speak with him." A pause followed, in which Mr. Burton
nervously drummed on his desk. Then he leaned forward expectantly. "Mr.
Corrigan? This is Mr. Burton speaking. I've some news for you. My son
has this morning received from Chicago a letter purporting to come from
Stuart and giving the location of that ring.--Of course it may
be--What's that?--You are on your way up to this vicinity? That will be
very nice then.--Yes, eleven will suit us all right. Good-by."

"He is coming up, is he?"

"Yes. He happened to be coming, anyway. A queer thing--that letter. I
hardly know what to think about it."

"Nor I."

"I certainly never heard of a thief relenting and returning his spoils."

"I'm afraid he doesn't--usually," smiled Christopher.

"Then why do it this time?" mused Burton, Senior, pondering the mystery.

"You've got me, unless, as Stuart himself explains, he is in for a long
prison term and knows the diamonds won't do him any good."

"But he could leave them where they are and run the chance of finding
them when he gets out. If they are well concealed it is unlikely anybody
would discover them. I don't get it at all."

Scowling, Mr. Burton lapsed into a silence so forbidding that
Christopher dared not interrupt it, and accordingly the two sat without
speaking until Mr. Corrigan was announced.

It took not a moment to see the inspector was more than wontedly
excited.

"Where is this remarkable communication?" demanded he without
preliminary. "Humph! Looks as though it had been through the wars,
doesn't it! A scrap of paper some convict had concealed, most likely,
together with the stump of a pencil. Those fellows are pretty clever;
and Stuart probably got some chap whose sentence was up to mail it when
he went out. He would hardly risk sending information like this by
anybody except one of his own kind. And even then he would have to be
pretty certain his messenger could be trusted. It was taking a big
chance. Sometimes, however, there is honor among thieves."

"Do you think the letter is genuine?" inquired Mr. B