here loaded on barges, and those barges
hauled up a small stream to the little town of Coaldale, all
consigned to a Mr. Hugo Kellner.

"It took Friday, all day Saturday, and a great part of to-day to
learn all this. This afternoon I went to see Mr. Kellner. I found
him murdered." He stated it merely as an inconvenient incident. "In
the room with the body were Mr. Birnes, Chief Arkwright of the New
York police, and another New York detective. I had glanced at the
story of Red Haney and the diamonds in the morning papers, and from
what I knew, and from Mr. Birnes' presence, I surmised something of
the truth. I was instantly placed under arrest for murder--the murder
of this man I had never seen--the _real_ diamond master, the man who
achieved it all."

He was silent for a moment, as if from infinite weariness.

" . . . Mr. Wynne came, and a Miss Kellner, granddaughter of the dead
man. . . . He saw me, and understood . . . between us we contrived
that I should be taken away as the murderer, and so prevent an
immediate search of the house. . . . I made no denial. . . . I
permitted myself to be taken . . . some mistake as to identity. . . .
I proved an alibi by the shipping men in Hoboken . . . the diamonds
are there, untold millions of dollars' worth of them . . . the
diamond master is dead!"

Mr. Latham had been listening, as if dazed, to the hurried, somewhat
disconnected, narrative; Mr. Schultze, keener to comprehend all that
the story meant, was silent for a moment.

"Den if all dose men know all he has told us, Laadham," he remarked
finally, "our diamonds are nod worth any more as potatoes _alretty_."

"But they _don't_ know," Mr. Czenki burst out fiercely. "Don't you
understand? Haney, or somebody, killed Mr. Kellner and stole some
uncut diamonds--you must have seen the newspaper account of it to-day.
The New York police traced Haney's course to Coaldale and to that
house. But all _they_ know is that sixty thousand dollars' worth of
uncut stones were stolen. There was not even a suggestion to them of
the millions and millions of dollars' worth that were manufactured.
Don't you understand? I permitted myself to be accused and arrested,
knowing I could establish an alibi, in order to lead them away from
there and gain time, at least, to give Mr. Wynne an opportunity of
hiding the other diamonds, if they were there. He understood what I
was trying to do, and fell in with the plan. He knew that _I_ kne