out with the
needle into a little shallow pool, "it is not every lawyer who is
willing to shed his blood in the interests of his client."

He proceeded to make a dozen prints as before on two cards, writing a
number with his pencil opposite each print as he made it.

"We are now," said he, as he finally cleansed his client's thumb,
"furnished with the material for a preliminary investigation, and if you
will now give me your address, Mr. Hornby, we may consider our business
concluded for the present. I must apologise to you, Mr. Lawley, for
having detained you so long with these experiments."

The lawyer had, in fact, been viewing the proceedings with hardly
concealed impatience, and he now rose with evident relief that they
were at an end.

"I have been highly interested," he said mendaciously, "though I confess
I do not quite fathom your intentions. And, by the way, I should like to
have a few words with you on another matter, if Mr. Reuben would not
mind waiting for me in the square just a few minutes."

"Not at all," said Reuben, who was, I perceived, in no way deceived by
the lawyer's pretence. "Don't hurry on my account; my time is my own--at
present." He held out his hand to Thorndyke, who grasped it cordially.

"Good-bye, Mr. Hornby," said the latter. "Do not be unreasonably
sanguine, but at the same time, do not lose heart. Keep your wits about
you and let me know at once if anything occurs to you that may have a
bearing on the case."

The young man then took his leave, and, as the door closed after him,
Mr. Lawley turned towards Thorndyke.

"I thought I had better have a word with you alone," he said, "just to
hear what line you propose to take up, for I confess that your attitude
has puzzled me completely."

"What line would you propose?" asked Thorndyke.

"Well," said the lawyer, with a shrug of his shoulders, "the position
seems to be this: our young friend has stolen a parcel of diamonds and
has been found out; at least, that is how the matter presents itself to
me."

"That is not how it presents itself to me," said Thorndyke drily. "He
may have taken the diamonds or he may not. I have no means of judging
until I have sifted the evidence and acquired a few more facts. This I
hope to do in the course of the next day or two, and I suggest that we
postpone the consideration of our plan of campaign until I have seen
what line of defence it is possible to adopt."

"As you will," replied the la