"I reckon not, sir."
"Still, you"d better make sure. Run your hand in at each end as far as you can reach."
"There"s nothing there, sir. A beam goes along where those nails are."
"You are sure there is no other opening?"
"Certain of it."
"Nevertheless, I"ll have a look myself."
"To be sure, Mr. Corrigan," the officer replied, stepping aside.
Carefully the chief stooped down and explored the chasm with his hand.
"You"re right, Tim; there is nothing more," a.s.serted he. "We have everything we came after, I guess."
"I am glad to hear that," put in the French woman with returning confidence. "Mr. Carlton will, I am sure, be pleased that you found what he sent you for. But what a strange place for him to store his property!
Things of value, no doubt, which he treasured and feared might be lost.
Have you any idea when he will be back? Perhaps if you would give me his address I might write him a letter--that is, if you think--" She halted timidly.
For the fraction of a second Corrigan was silent as if he winced at performing the duty before him.
"I am afraid, madam," responded he at last, "that Mr. Carlton will not return; nor, I fear, will you wish him back when you know the circ.u.mstances under which he has disappeared. Suffice it to say we come vested with authority to take possession of his personal effects. After to-day there will be no need for you to reserve his room."
"You mean he is not to return at all--_never_?" asked the woman in an awe-stricken voice.
Corrigan nodded.
Weakly the woman dropped into a chair, a sudden light of pained understanding breaking over her face.
"You mean Mr. Carlton--"
"That was not his real name," interrupted the officer. "He went under several names. Stuart is the one the police know him by. He was a professional diamond thief."
"No, no! I cannot believe it," protested the loyal little creature stoutly. "Why, he was all kindness to us. When my husband was ill he nursed him for a whole week, day and night. He gave toys to the children, did errands, and often brought us fruit or candy. Are you sure there is no mistake? Certainly we should know if he were a bad man."
"Alas, my good woman, the proofs we hold in our hands are so convincing as to leave not the slightest possibility for error. There were, you see, two Carltons--the kind, friendly gentleman you knew; and the clever, experienced criminal with whom the police were acquainted. Most of us are a combination of various selves. This man had two sharply contrasting individualities and unfortunately it was the baser of them that dominated. He has a long prison record behind him."
"_Ciel!_" The woman clasped her hands in horror. "But why?" exclaimed she. "He did not need to steal. He always had plenty of money."
"That was how he got it."
For a while she seemed too stunned to say more; then she whispered:
"And where is he now?"
"Serving a prison sentence for a crime in Chicago."
"It is terrible--terrible! Oh, my husband will be sad to hear this; and my sister too. Poor fellow! I can scarcely believe it. Suppose the neighbors were to hear we had been housing a burglar--they would not speak to us."
"No one will know unless you yourself tell them," the inspector answered.
"Ah, you may be sure I shall not do that," was the instant response.
"Not even my children will I tell. They were fond of Mr. Carlton."
"Let them remain so. It can do no harm. In fact, no doubt the man they loved merited their affection," answered the inspector. "I wish he had been just that and nothing else."
"And so do I--with all my heart!"
In the meantime, while Corrigan had been occupied with Stuart"s landlady two bluecoats had been ransacking the closet and searching the contents of a trunk that stood in the room. Here they had brought to light a bag of tools and a variety of garments, hats, and wigs evidently used as disguises.
As they now displayed these trophies before the eyes of the bewildered French woman, the last vestige of hope she had cherished vanished and she burst into tears.
"Alas, alas!" sobbed she. "He was a bad man. I am convinced of it now.
And yet I cannot believe he was entirely bad."
"No one is all bad--thank Heaven," the chief responded, as he gathered together the things that had been found, sent his men below, and having said farewell, closed the door upon the weeping French woman. Then, as he and Christopher went soberly downstairs, he added:
"Poor woman--she was all cut up. Everybody who goes wrong breaks somebody"s heart. He"s bound to. The destinies of all of us are so entangled with other persons that there is no such thing as living only to ourselves. Consider, for example, how many individuals this Stuart came in contact with--your father, yourself, Hollings, Rhinehart, and these unlucky French people. He might as well have touched those lives for good as for evil. And we are only a small part of the men and women he has run up against during his existence. When I think of that, it turns me pretty sober. The influence each of us exerts reaches a so much wider circle than we realize that it certainly behooves us to make the power we hold as strong for good as we are able, doesn"t it?"
Christopher nodded gravely. Little more was said until the Burton and Norcross store was reached, where, parting from their blue-uniformed companions, Christopher and the inspector ascended to the firm"s private offices. Here on the desk of the senior partner Corrigan proceeded to unwrap and display the treasure he had recovered. There was a sparkling diamond pendant, two or three broaches, a sapphire-studded bracelet, and the much-lamented and long-sought-for ring.
"You can identify it, can you, Mr. Burton?" questioned the officer, as he pa.s.sed it over for examination.
"Anywhere on earth, I believe," replied the jeweler. "The setting has not even been disturbed. Nevertheless, to make certainty more sure, let us send for Hollings and for Rhinehart, our expert."
"By all means."
Mr. Burton touched a bell and gave the order and while waiting for it to be obeyed sat regarding the heap of flashing baubles lying before him.
"Somebody beside ourselves will rejoice to see their property coming back," mused he. "I wonder who these other things belong to. That pendant is a very fine one."
"Without looking up the description I am fairly certain the pendant is one lost by a guest at the Biltmore. We have been on the hunt for it some time. The other jewels may also belong to the same party. Quite a list of missing articles was given us. I have it down at headquarters."
"Well, if the owners are as much gratified to see their diamonds returning as we are--"
The opening of the door cut short further comment and Hollings and Mr.
Rhinehart came into the room. It was evident from their manner they had no inkling as to why they had been summoned and the former employee, fearful of another disaster, was pallid with apprehension.
"Ever see this ring before, Hollings?" questioned Mr. Burton, whirling round in his swivel chair and extending the jewel.
"My soul, sir! You don"t mean--" He stopped, speechless.
"What do you say, Mr. Rhinehart?"
"It certainly looks like our property," declared the more cautious clerk. "If it is, the identification letters BNC will be found scratched inside the band of the ring. Have you a gla.s.s there?"
"Mr. Rhinehart isn"t going to commit himself without a microscope,"