clearly the maze of events.

"That," cried Kennedy, rising quickly, "is what is known as the
telescribe--a new invention of Edison that records on a specially
prepared phonograph cylinder all that is said--both ways--over a
telephone wire. Come!"

Ten minutes later, in a cab that had been waiting at the door, we pulled
up at the Vanderveer.

Without a word, leaving Judson Seabury and his wife in the waiting cab,
Craig sprang out, followed by me, as he signaled.

There was Sherburne, brazen and insolent, in the cafe as we entered,
from a rear door, and came upon him before he knew it, our friend,
Dunn, whom we had met in the lobby, hovering concealed outside, ready to
come to our assistance.

In a moment Kennedy was at Sherburne's elbow, pinching it in the manner
familiar to international crooks.

"Will you tell me what your precise business is in this hotel?" shot out
Craig before Sherburne could recover from his surprise.

Sherburne flushed and flared--then became pale with rage.

"None of your damned insolence!" he ground out, then paused, cutting the
next remark short as he gritted, "What do you mean? Shall I send a wax
impression of that key--"

Kennedy had quickly flashed the cylinder of the telescribe before his
eyes and instinctively Sherburne seemed to realize that with all his
care in using typewriters and telephones, some kind of record of his
extortion had been obtained.

For a moment he crumpled up. Then Kennedy seized him by the elbow,
dragging him toward a side door opposite that at which our cab was
standing.

"I mean," he muttered, "that I have the goods on you at last and you'll
get the limit for blackmail through this little wax cylinder if you so
much as show your face in New York again. I don't care where you go, but
it must be by the first train. Understand?"

A moment later we returned to the cab, where it had pulled up in the
shadow, away from the carriage entrance.

"You--you'll forgive me--for my--unjust suspicions--Agatha?" we heard a
voice from the depths of the cab say.

Kennedy pulled me back in time not to interrupt a muffled "Yes."

Craig coughed.

As he reached a hand in through the cab door to bid good-night to the
reunited couple, I saw Mrs. Seabury start, then turn and drop into her
handbag the key which Kennedy had extracted from Sherburne's pocket in
the _melee_ and now conveyed back to her in the handshake.

CHAPTER VII

THE DIAMOND QUEEN

"Meet _S