"Simply in this way. I put her to bed when she was half-asleep, and she knew I was in the room with her. When I left, she fell asleep, and as her slumber was fitful, as I am sure it was, seeing she came downstairs, she no doubt woke up at the sound of the window being opened, and saw a man getting out. You know how an hour's sleep passes as a moment when one wakes, so I've no doubt Meg thought she'd just closed her eyes, and opened them again to see me getting out of the window." "I understand," said Eugénie; "but who could it have been?" "I believe it was Villiers," observed Keith thoughtfully. "He was about the house on that night; he was in want of money, so no doubt when Caprice left him in the supper-room, he walked upstairs to the bedroom, stole the diamonds, and left by the window. He could easily do this, as every one was in the drawing-room. Then Naball found that diamond clasp in his possession, or, at least, in the possession of the Chinaman to whom he sold it." "But if he sold all those diamonds to old Lazarus, he must have got a good deal of money for them. Why did he not leave the country?" Keith sighed. "I'm sure I don't know. It seems all so mysterious," he said dismally. "What do you think should be done, Eugénie?" "I think I'll see Naball again, or some other detective, and sift the whole affair to the bottom." Keith looked at her with a pitying smile. "My dear child, that will cost a lot of money, and you have not--" Eugénie gave a laugh. She was not going to tell him just yet, so she gave an evasive answer. "I've got my salary," she said gaily. "Some of it was paid to me the other day. See!" And taking out her purse, she emptied it into his hand. "Oh! what a lot of money," said Keith smiling. "A five-pound note, three sovereigns, and two one-pound notes." "Which makes exactly ten pounds," remarked Eugénie, with a smile; "and I'm going to pay it all away to Naball, to get you out of this trouble." Stewart, kissed her, and smoothed out the notes one after the other. "It's no use, Eugénie," he said, offering her the notes back; "it will take more than that to help me; besides, you forget I have five hundred pounds in the bank." "Yes," she said, turning away her face; "five hundred." "And you'll have it--if--if I die." She turned to him, and threw her arms round his neck. "Oh, my darling! my darling!" she cried vehemently, "why do you say such things? You will not die. You will live to be happy and famous." "Famous!" he said bitterly, "no; I'm not famous yet, but notorious enough. There's only one chance of escape for me." "And that is?" "To trace those notes that were stolen--twenty five-pound notes like this," taking up the five-pound note. "But you haven't got the numbers." "No; but, as I told Naball, that boy wrote something on the back of one of them." Here Keith turned over the five-pound note; and then, giving a cry of surprise, sprang to his feet. "Eugénie, look, look!"