"Well, Naball," he said, in his strident voice, "what is the matter? Can't give you more than five minutes--time's money here. Yes, sir." "Five minutes will do," replied the detective, tapping his varnished boots with his cane. "It's about that robbery." "Oh, indeed!" Mr. Fenton laid down his pen, and, leaning back in his chair, prepared to listen. "Yes! I've been looking after Villiers." "Quite right," said the American. "That's the man I suspect--fixed up anything, eh?" "Not yet, but I was down Little Bourke Street last night in an opium den, to which Villiers goes, and I found this." Fenton took the diamond crescent, which Naball held out to him, and looked at it closely. "Humph!--set in silver--rather toney," he said; "well, is this part of the swag?" "That's what I want to find out," said Naball quickly. "You know the peculiar way in which Caprice has treated this robbery." "I know she's a fool," retorted Fenton politely. "She ought to go right along in this matter; but for some silly reason, she won't." "No; and that's why I've come to you. I'm going down to see her when I leave here, and it's likely she'll deny that this belongs to her. Now, I want your evidence to put against her denial. Is this the property of Caprice?" Fenton examined the jewel again and nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied, with a nasal drawl, "guess I gave her this." "I thought you'd recognise it," said Naball, replacing the jewel in his pocket; "so now I'll go and see her, in order to find out how Villiers got hold of it." "Stole it, I reckon?" "I'm not so sure of that," replied the detective coolly. "I don't believe Caprice cares two straws about Villiers being the husband of Madame Midas. If he stole the diamonds, she'd lag him as sure as fate; no, as I told you before, she's got a finger in this pie herself, and Villiers is helping her." "But the diamonds were stolen on that night," objected the American. "I know that--don't you remember you told me that Caprice had an interview in the supper room with Villiers? Well, I believe she went upstairs, took the diamonds, and gave them to Villiers to dispose of." "For what reason?" "That's what I'd like to find out," retorted Naball. "She evidently wanted a sum of money for something; now, are you aware that she wanted money?" "Why, she's always wanting money." "No doubt--but this must have been a specially large sum?" Fenton glanced keenly at Naball's impassive face, drummed impatiently with his fingers on the table, then evidently made up his mind. "Tell you what," he said rapidly, "she did want a large sum of money--fact is, a friend of hers got into a fix, and his wife went howling to her, so she said she would replace the money, and I've no doubt sold her diamonds to do so." "I thought it was something like that," said Naball coolly; "but why the deuce couldn't she sell her diamonds openly without all this row?"