The Lost Jewels

.Iniiio.s Blayne was a littlè oui of temper. For more than ;i fortnight he bad ansuceessfully devoted all the observaron and opportunity át his command t. discover the whereabouts of I. adv Merton's jewels, and of the manorwoman lio had stillen them. .lames Blayne was a promising young member of the detective forcé, óu the lookout for the lucky step thal sliould lift hiin above the leve! ni his compeers, and hen the Merton robbery was entrusted tu his care he thought he had got liis chance at last. Ii certainly was rather an Lnteresting case. Almut three weeks before the day mi which we record Mr. Blayne's loss of temper, pretty lady Merton, as might liave been gathered trom the newspaper, was spending a solitary evening n her home un Brookstreet. Sir Eobert was ilininj; with an oíd friend sume lit:le wayont of town,and not returning nuil morning, and my lady had intended o go tu the play with sume friends. Eut late in the afternoon she altered her plans, dispatched a note begging tobe ■xcused on account of a severe headache 'rom jpiningthe party, and with acurious eminine idea of comfort and indulgence oíd her niaid that she wnnld n,,t , lown stairs again, Imt would have some linner "un a tray" in her boudoir. At 10 o'clock she rang her bedroom ell, and saying that her head still iched badly i she should sro to bed. dismiesed her maid, requiring nothini more that night. Before leaving tin maid asked if slie should go to the jew , elers tlie next morning early, as hai beenarranged, to take there for repaii a diamond brooeh for her mistress "Yes," addiug, as her maid opened th ewel box to take out the brooch, "oh leave ittill the morning." The box was reloeked and the key waf put in its usual place in one of the dressing table drawers. The butler stateri that at 10:30 the house was shut up and every one went to bed. The next morning, Lady Mertou, finding her headache no bêtter, kept her room darkened until after 10 o'clock, when some tea was brought to her bv her maid. The latter then went to the jowel case for the broken brooch, and onding the box unlocked, with the key lyiug near, hastily opened it and cned out lier discovery of the robbery to her mistress. This was the story that in twenty-four hours was known to most newspaper laders in this country, and this was the Story that about three weeks later was trying Mr. James Blayne's temper. Again and again he reyeiewed the few beads of the rase. So .Mr. Blayne was a líttle out of temper witli hislaggingluck, andhedecided togel twoor three liay's leave, and then liavmg rested bis nddle a bit, to start afreshai readingit. Thushe found himsell on the afternoon of August 13- his request for leave of absence had been granted- -talking toa pretty neatlooking girl at a small, semi-detached villa on theoutskirts of a new and f ashionable watering place, Stonelay. "So you've been getting on pretty well, eh, ïïellie," he asked. "Oh, yes, Jem, very. Tlie air here seems to be quite setting me up, so I faney I had been working a bittoo hard, though 1 always said it was mother's nonsense. It's true it'srather dull here but then I oftcn go into Stonelay and and have a look at the smart visitors. So, even if Aunt Sarah is snappy at tunes, 1 don't mind. She's kind enough really." "8he couJdn't have gotten anyone else to brmg her here, so she oughl to be 1 bet the beastly water puts au edge on a temper like hers! Yes, Iexpect it's pretty dull alone with her. POr Nelly." "Oh, I don'tmind; aud we'vegot a ñe'w neighbor." "Old Mts. what's name, you told ino of, gone?" "No. She's got a new lodger- a man - - ' looking, rather. She brought hun m one day to tea, and we meet him aow and then on the road. But he ioesn't go out much." "Oh, hiding on some '0011111,18116""' Jsked Jem rather snappishly of the prettv dressmaker. "Nonsense, Jem, lie isn't hiding. He s drinking the water, he says, and he tas a very pretty sister." "Sister! Then they both lodge next door?" "No. Slie comes to see hiiii. 8he is a lady's maid staying at Stonelay. The pusband of the lady she is with is drinking the waters." "Ugh! lady's maid?" said Blayne spitefully, thinking of his recent trials Really, .Tem, I believe your failing to fix the stealing business on the poor lady s msid has made yon líate the lot! And talking of your jewel aílair, 1 find while you lose - " "Howdo you mean?" "Why, yesterday I found such a lovely button on the path just outside here. It was sparkling in the sun and I pieked ït up and brought it in. I went into old Mrs. Brown's to ask Mr. Martini (her lodger) ïf he knew anything about it but he was away for two days, she told me ; coming back to-night. Auntie says 1 11 have to make it known, perhaps advertise it if no one claims it, for this morningl showed it to Mr. Frazer the jeweler at Stonelay, and he said it was a very good button and uncommon, as the stones are beryls." "What?" "Dear me beryls? Are thev as extraordinary as all that?" "That depends. Show na the button, Nellie." "Here it is," she said taking it from tlie mantle shelf. "Twelve gold filigree buttons, jewelled with beryls," Blayne murmured to Inmself. "I should like to see your neighbor, Nellie, and his sister, the lady's maid " "Why, Jem, you don't think- Oh, I remember now, that description vou sent me of the lost jewels. But this can't be. She is such a dear little thinsr and so pretty." "Yes; what sort?" "Oh, middle height, dark hair, pretty eyes, nice figure ." "That'll do, Nellie. It would flt almost any one. I say who's that coming up the path to the house now?" "Why, that's Mr. Martin," said Nellie, as Blayne instinctively got behind the ïnuslin window curtain, from which post of vantage he could easily see without being seen : "he's good loóking, isn'the, Jem? Lookslike a gentleman, I rather." "Ye-es, just that last. I think I've got the measure." "And, oh, there is his sister just ' liindhimsee? Now, that's not your lady's maid, is it?" "That," exclaimed Blayne, with eyes aearly startiug through the lace of the purtain, "is that your lady's maid aád I dal mau's - sister?" "Yes," answerea Nellie, as her neighbor and his sister, nodding and ; smiling to her, entered the next house. "Does slic stay the night there?" iuquired Blayiie. ' "Oh, uo; ncver more than au hour. Her lady couldn't spare her. But whai is the matter with you, Jem, lauehins injerks like that?" 'Oh, Nothing. Isay, Nellie, is tliere a visitor's list in the paper here?" "Yes; but, Jem- now that wasn't your lady's maid, waait?" "N", dear; now - the paper. Blayne wandered steadily on through the list of "fashionable visitera" lili he carne to "Victoria hotel, SirRoberi and Lady Merton. Then he folded op the paper saying: "Well, Nellie, i 'II go nto si lay with you to-morrow tnorning to have a look at the fashions. Here is Aunt Sarah coming to see after us," as that respectable lady entered the room. "And there goesMr, Martin's vi.-itor," said Nellie, as a woman hastily cl the door of the next house anahurried :iu ay. "She must be late." "Rather," said Blayne. The next day the detective and his intended walked into Stonelay, and after a few minutes' private conversation with the manager of the Victoria, he astonished Nellie by insist ing on buying her different trash in the shops that commanded a view of the hotel. At length, on his ofTering her a pink glass mug decorated with the legend, "In s aüeetionate reuienibrance," in blue for3 get-me-nots, slie began protesting. 7 "All right, dear, we'll take it to Aimt Sarah," she said, with liis eyes fixed on a gentlemen who was mounting a horse that a groom had been leading up and - down in front of the hotel. ' As soou as the object of his attention had ruiden out of sight, Blayne said to 1 his eompanipn : : "Do you mind walking on home, Nellie? I have a little business at th& Victoria, which I must see to at once; then Til come on af ter vou with the - " "Jewelry?" "Yes, and the mug." Blayne walked into the hotel and sent a written message to Lady Merton, asking if she would see hiin at that soniewliat early huur, as lie had to catch the next train to town. He was shown iuto a sitting room where a pretty woman in a soft morning wrapper was lying on the sofa reading the paper. She" rose as he came in and he thaught of the lady's niaid, whose description would "fit "almost anyone." "Welf, Mr. Blayne," she said with a smile, "you come about the jewells, of conree?" "Yes. lliy lady, I do." "ThereJs no riews, I snppose?" "Your ladyship will be pleased to hear that there is newe." "Ali !" sheexclaimed starting, "what - what news?" "A small, a very sinall portion of your jewelry is in tny hands." "Indeed?" said Lady Merton more calmly, "are you sure it's mine?" "I think mv lady, tliat beryl buttons, such as yours," pausing to note her pallor, "are extremely rare." "Ali ! and " "And this button that I hold in my hand-" and he showed it as he spok'e - "was found in a small semi-detached villa at some little distance from this town during the absence of - the thief." He watched the blood rush to her face her throat, her brow, and thoughtfully looking elsewhere, said : "The rest of your jewels, my lady, must lie recovered by me or by - you." "Reallv," shestammered, "I- i'don't see " "Ibeg your pardon, my lady, but we waste time. I know that in a case Of this sort mv instructions would be to avoid the chance of scandal, and I look to you to help me with this for your own sake. You must return to "that house this morning with me." "I can't, I can't," she gasped, clingïng to the side of the sofa. "My lady you must !" answered the detective. "If you go with ine I shall nud only the jewels, but if I go alone I must find the thief. Xow, will you come and recover your property or Bhall T discover " Thanks t the exertiona of that able officer, James Blayne, Lady Merton is an exception to many leas fortunate ladiee m bayins recovered her jewels, "never again," ghe declares, "to lose them." Aiid the detective, now steadily advancing in liis profession, never forgets tliat anxiousand trying fortnight during which lie gave too little oonsideration to latchkeya and headaches.