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 Lander's jewels are at my house, a whole teapotful of them!"

"Ah! You know the thief, then?"

"No, I don't; nor do I know what the deuce I'm to do with the loot! One thing you are to do is to return it."

"And be accused of the theft myself?"

"Oh, that won't need to follow. They have to be sent back somehow. I don't want my sister to be accused of cleptomania; the other thing is quite bad enough. The idea of a gorilla in a top hat and all that! It would make a pretty scandal if it was found out; I can fancy how people would talk. We have a great many friends, you know." He smiled cynically at the word.

"She is innocent, I presume, then?" said Astro. "But what about the gorilla?"

"There's no use in beating about the bush any longer," said Shaw. "Only, you see, I wanted to make sure of you before I trusted you with the secret. I'll go ahead with it, and if you call it a cock and bull story, I don't see that I can blame you. You see, it was this way: We were down at our country place at Lakeside,—a big, rambling old house with a veranda all round it and long French windows opening out on it. My sister's room has a little balcony; it's on the second floor. She had gone up-stairs to dress for dinner. I was in my own room, a little way down the hall, and my door was closed at the time. We had a lot of company down for the week-end; it was ten days ago."

"Who were there?"

"Oh, the count, of course, and his valet, and the Churches—you know, Simeon Church and his wife—