g, sir. It can do no good, and might do harm. He
is armed, and you are not; and he would not be over-scrupulous if he
were pushed. Besides, what can you accuse him of? Intent to rob? For he
did not do it. If you have lost anything, remember, you have found it
again. If you caught him a hundred times, you have no hold on him. I
know him of old."

"You?"

"Yes; I have known him by sight long enough. He is not a new hand by any
means--nor she either, as to that, poor thing."

"But what on earth brought him here?"

"He was waiting for news of her in London, most likely, and he knew she
would have the jewels on her, and came down when he got wind of the
accident."

"Knew she would have the jewels! Then do you mean to say there was
collusion between the two?"

The inspector glanced furtively at Ralph, but he had never stirred, or
raised his head since he had laid it down on his clinched hands.

"They are both well known to the police," he said at last, "and I think
it probable there was collusion between them, considering they were _man
and wife_."

CONCLUSION.

I am told that I ought to write something in the way of a conclusion to
this account of the Danvers jewels, as if the end of the last chapter
were not conclusion enough. Charles, who has just read it, says
especially that his character requires what he calls "an elegant
finish," and suggests that a slight indication of a young and lovely
heiress in connection with himself would give pleasure to the thoughtful
reader. But I do not mean at the last moment to depart from the exact
truth, and dabble in fiction just to make a suitable conclusion. If I
must write something more, I must beg that it will be kept in mind that
if further details concerning the robbery are now added against my own
judgment, they will rest on Charles's authority--not mine--as anything I
afterwards heard was only through Charles, whose information I never
consider reliable in the least degree.

* * * * *

It was not till three months later that I saw him again, on a wet April
afternoon. I was still living in London with Jane when he came to see
me, having just returned from a long tour abroad with Ralph.

Sir George, he said, was quite well again, but the coolness between
himself and his father had dropped almost to freezing-point since it had
come to light that he had been innocent after all. His father could not
forgive his son for putting h