“Very good, sir,” said the man. “I’ll bring young Mr. Forshaw along to you in half a minute.” He was as good as his word. A young man bustled up, wiping his hands upon a duster. “Mr. Daventry?” queried Forshaw. Peter bowed! “You wished to have a look at something included in to-morrow’s sale? What is it exactly?” “It’s not an ‘it,’” responded Peter jocularly. And then with scant regard for the inclination of the verb “to be”—“it’s a ‘them.’” “More than _one_, sir?” “To be precise—three—the numbers are 37, 38 and 39 in your catalogue.” “Come this way.” He escorted Peter to the handrail from which he had so recently come. Then slipped underneath with ease and handed him the Collar and the Rosary. It was impossible for Peter to form any adequate idea of the value of either. His experience of jewels was very limited, and the Rosary appeared to him to possess little value apart from its historical association. However, for the sake of appearances he feigned to make a very careful study of each. “Aren’t your people afraid of having some of these things stolen?” he ventured to Forshaw. “We take certain precautions, Mr. Daventry,” was the answer. “Close watch is maintained all day and all night. Anybody attempting any ‘jiggery-pokery’ would get the surprise of his life.” Peter glanced at the two representatives of the Law. They lounged in a corner. Forshaw followed the direction of his eyes and smiled. “Exactly! And well armed too!” He replaced the Pearl Collar and the Rosary as Peter handed them across to him. Then lifted up the screen and handed it over. “I see that you advertise these three articles as having belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots,” remarked Peter. “That is so!” replied Forshaw. “They formed part of the late Lord Clavering’s collection. Had been in his family, I believe, for over two hundred years. No doubt whatever on that point,” he concluded decisively. Peter looked at the screen with some interest. It stood approximately from three and a half to four feet high he estimated—on a carved-wood pedestal. Upon the tapestry, which was covered with thick glass, he could see a number of brightly colored beads. They were, to all appearances, arranged in the form of letters. Peter inspected them carefully. Then quickly grasped their meaning. The beads formed words and the words were— “JESUS CHRIST, GOD AND SAVIOUR.” In the top left-hand corner of the tapestry was worked the Scots Queen’s Royal Lion and in the right could be discerned the “fleur-de-lis.” The corners at the bottom showed the Leopards and Lilies of England. “Of more ornament than use, I’m afraid, Mr. Daventry,” said Forshaw with a smile. “I agree.” He bent down to examine it more closely. “I expect some pretty brisk bidding for that on Friday! Just the kind of thing to appeal to a collector of antiques.” “I suppose so,” replied Peter. He handed it back to its temporary guardian.