dead men behind, they would not draw the line at a
fifth. The clear inference is that your brother is alive, but under
restraint."

"I can see that it is possible he was alive until some time after the
tragedy at Albert Gate. But--but--what connection can Jack have with the
theft of diamonds worth millions? These people used him as their tool in
some manner. Why should they spare him when success had crowned their
efforts?"

"We are conversing in riddles. Will you explain?"

"You know that my brother is an assistant Under-Secretary in the Foreign
Office?"

"Yes."

"Well, early in September, his chief placed him in charge of a special
undertaking. The Sultan had decided to have a large number of rough
diamonds cut and polished by the best European experts. They were all
magnificent gems, exceedingly valuable it seems, being rare both in size
and purity; but one of them was larger than any known diamond. Jack told
me it was quite as big as a good-sized hen's egg. Both it and the
others, he said, had the appearance of lumps of alum; but the experts
said that the smaller stones were worth more than a million sterling,
whilst the price of the large one could not be fixed. No one but an
Emperor or Sultan would buy it. His Excellency Mehemet Ali Pasha was the
especial envoy charged with this mission, and he brought credentials to
the Foreign Office asking for facilities to be given for its execution.
He and the two secretaries who accompanied him have been killed."

"Yes?" said Brett, whose eyes were fixed intently on the hearthrug.

"Jack was given the special duty of looking after Mehemet Ali and his
companions during their residence in London. It was his business to
afford them every assistance in his power, to procure them police
protection, obtain for them the best advice attainable in the diamond
trade, and generally place at their disposal all the resources which the
British Government itself could command if it undertook such a curious
task. He had been with them about a month--not hourly engaged, you
understand, as once the preliminary arrangements were made, he had
little further trouble--but he used to call there every morning and
afternoon to see if he could render any assistance. Matters had
progressed so favourably until the day before yesterday, that in another
month he hoped to see the last of them. He was always saying that he
would be glad when the business was ended, as he did not like to be
offici