«The great ruby robbery

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She was sure she had the rubies on when
she came home to Hampstead, because Sir Justin O'Byrne, who came back with her
in his sister's carriage, had noticed them the last thing, and had told her to
take care of them.

At mention of that name the detective smiled meaningly. (A meaning smile is
stock-in-trade to a detective.) "Oh, Sir Justin O'Byrne!" he repeated, with
quiet self-constraint. "He came back with you in the carriage, then? And did he
sit the same side with you?"

Lady Maclure grew indignant (that was Mr. Gregory's cue). "Really, sir," she
said angrily, "if you're going to suspect gentlemen in Sir Justin's position, we
shall none of us be safe from you."

"The law," Mr. Gregory replied, with an air of profound deference, "is no
respecter of persons."

"But it ought to be of characters," Lady Maclure cried warmly. "What's the good
of having a blameless character, I should like to know, if — if — "

"If it doesn't allow you to commit a robbery with impunity?" the detective
interposed, finishing her sentence his own way. "Well, well, that's true. That's
perfectly true — but Sir Justin's character, you see, can hardly be called
blameless."

"He's a gentleman," Persis cried, with flashing eyes, turning round upon the
officer; "and he's quite incapable of such a mean and despicable crime as you
dare to suspect him of."

"Oh, I see," the officer answered, like one to whom a welcome ray of light
breaks suddenly through a great darkness. "Sir Justin's a friend of yours! Did
he come into the porch with you?"

"He did," Persis answered, flushing crimson; "and if you have the insolence to
bring a charge against him — "

"Calm yourself, madam," the detective replied coolly. "I do nothing of the sort
— at this stage of the proceedings. It's possible there may have been no robbery
in the case at all. We must keep our minds open for the present to every
possible alternative. It's — it's a delicate matter to hint at; but before we go
any further — do you think, perhaps, Sir Justin may have carried the rubies away
by mistake, entangled in his clothes? — say, for example, his coat-sleeve?"

It was a loophole of escape; but Persis didn't jump at it.

"He had never the opportunity," she answered, with a flash. "And I know quite
well they were there on my neck when he left me, for the last thing he said to
me was, looking up at this very window: 'That balcony's awfully convenient for a
burglary. Mind you take good care of the Remanet rubies.' And I remembered what
he'd said when I took them off last night; and that's what makes me so sure I
really had them."

"And you slept with the window open!" the detective went on, still smiling to
himself. "Well, here we have all the materials, to be sure, for a first-class
mystery!"

IV.