"I think the Ranee did not look to the security of those slim gold links a day too soon, Sir Mawson," he said. "It is too much to ask a man to risk his whole fortune on the tenacity of a bit of age-worn wire as you have done, and if I were in your shoes I'd tell the old girl's _major domo_ when he comes for the necklace, to get it repaired somewhere else--and be dashed to him." "Good! Wouldn't I, in a twinkling, if I could only lay hands on the wretched thing again. But I haven't it, as you know." "Quite true. But you are going to have it--presently. I know where it is!" "Mr. Cleek!" "Gently, gently, my friends. Don't go quite off your heads with excitement. I repeat, I know where it is. I have found it and----Mr. Narkom! Look sharp! A chair for Lady Leake--she's tottering. Steady, steady, your ladyship; it will only complicate matters to lose a grip on yourself now; and you have kept up so brave a front all through, it would be a pity to break down at the end." "I am not breaking down. I am quite all right. Please go on, Mr. Cleek--please do. I can stand anything better than this. Are you sure you have found it? Are you _sure?_" "Absolutely. I have had a nice little talk with old Jennifer, and a very satisfactory visit to Master Bevis Leake's interesting 'pirates' cave' and----Gently, gently, Sir Mawson; gently, all of you. Don't jump to conclusions too quickly. No, your ladyship, I did not find the necklace in that cave, and for the simple reason that it is not and never has been there--in short, neither your son Bevis nor the servant, Jennifer, has the least idea in the world _where_ it is. I have, however, and if in return for handing it over to him, Sir Mawson will give me his promise to take that boy, Henry, back and give him another chance, he shall have it in his hands ten seconds afterward." "I promise! I promise! I promise!" broke in Sir Mawson, almost shouting in his excitement. "I give you my word, Mr. Cleek, I give you my solemn oath." "Right you are," said Cleek in reply. Then he twitched forward a chair, stepped on the seat of it, reached up into the midst of the chandelier's glittering cut-glass lustres, snapped something out from their sparkling festoons, and added serenely, "Favour for favour: there you are, then!" as he dropped the Ladder of Light into Sir Mawson's hands. And all in a moment, what with Lady Leake laughing and crying at one and the same time, her liege lord acting pretty much as if he had suddenly gone off his head, and Mr. Maverick Narkom chiming in and asserting several times over that he'd be jiggered, there was the dickens and all to pay in the way of excitement. "Up in the chandelier!" exclaimed Lady Leake when matters had settled down a bit. "Up there, where it might have remained unnoticed for months, so like is it to the strings of lustres. But how? But when? Oh, Mr. Cleek, who in the world put it there? And why?"