“_Mais oui!_ The warning letters, the Chinaman, the article in _Society Gossip_,

all sprang from the ingenious brain of Mr. Rolf!

 

The two diamonds, supposed to be so miraculously alike—bah! they did not exist.

There was only _one_ diamond, my friend! Originally in the Yardly collection,

for three years it has been in the possession of Mr. Rolf. He stole it this

morning with the assistance of a touch of grease paint at the corner of each

eye! Ah, I must see him on the film, he is indeed an artist, _celui-là_!

 

“But why should he steal his own diamond?” I asked, puzzled.

 

“For many reasons. To begin with, Lady Yardly was getting restive.”

 

“Lady Yardly?”

 

“You comprehend she was left much alone in California. Her husband was amusing

himself elsewhere. Mr. Rolf was handsome, he had an air about him of romance.

But _au fond_, he is very business-like, _ce monsieur_! He made love to Lady

Yardly, and then he blackmailed her. I taxed the lady with the truth the other

night, and she admitted it. She swore that she had only been indiscreet, and I

believe her. But, undoubtedly, Rolf had letters of hers that could be twisted to

bear a different interpretation. Terrified by the threat of a divorce, and the

prospect of being separated from her children, she agreed to all he wished. She

had no money of her own, and she was forced to permit him to substitute a paste