e not to act precipitately. Whatever you do,
don't arrest anybody."

"But," said the other, somewhat mollified by Brett's earnestness, "half
a dozen people may be arrested at any moment."

"Pray tell me how?"

"Descriptions of the stolen diamonds and of the suspected persons are in
every police office in Great Britain and in most Continental centres by
this time. Passengers by all steamers are most carefully scrutinised.
Every pawnbroker and diamond merchant in the country is on the look-out,
and, generally speaking, it will be odd if somebody does not drop into
the net before many hours have passed."

"It will, indeed," murmured Brett; "and no doubt the somebody in
question will experience a certain amount of inconvenience before he
proves to you that he had nothing whatever to do with the matter. Now,
don't answer me, Winter, but ponder seriously over this question: Do you
really think that the intelligence which planned and successfully
carried through an operation of such magnitude will be trapped by
plain-clothes constables watching the gangways of steamships, or by any
pawnbroker who has ever lent half the value of a pledge?"

Almost impatiently the barrister waved the subject out of the hansom,
and the detective had sense enough to leave him alone during the few
remaining minutes before the vehicle pulled up near the Albert Gate
mansion.

Brett stopped the driver some little distance short of the house itself,
as he did not wish to attract the attention of a knot of curious
sightseers in the street. He asked Winter to precede him and make known
the fact that he was coming, so that there would be no delay at the
door. This the detective readily agreed to, and Brett rapidly took in
the main external features of the house which had become the scene of
such a remarkable tragedy.

It was a palatial structure, built on the sombre lines of the Early
Victorian period. Miss Talbot's brief description of the measures taken
to protect its occupants from interference was fully borne out by its
aspect. There was no access to the basement; the main entrance was
situated at the side; all the ground-floor and first-storey windows
facing into the street were fitted with immovable wooden venetians.
Presumably those on the Park side were similarly secured, whilst the
back wall abutted on to that of another mansion, equally large and
strongly built, tenanted by a well-known peer.

Truly, it required a genius almost unrival