The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 46 (2/2)

”'Yes, thief!' I roared, shaking hi There cannot be anyAnd you knohere they are Must I call you a liar as well as a thief? Did I not see you trying to tear off another piece?'

”'You have called er I shall not say another word about this business, since you have chosen to insultand make my oay in the world'

”'You shall leave it in the hands of the police!' I cried half-e 'I shall have thisfrom ht was in his nature 'If you choose to call the police, let the police find what they can'

”By this time the whole house was astir, for I had raised er Mary was the first to rush into ht of the coronet and of Arthur's face, she read the whole story and, with a screaround I sent the house-ation into their hands at once When the inspector and a constable entered the house, Arthur, who had stood sullenly with his are him with theft I answered that it had ceased to be a private matter, but had become a public one, since the ruined coronet was national property I was deter

”'At least,' said he, 'you will not have e as well as ht leave the house for five et away, or perhaps that youthe dreadful position in which I was placed, I implored him to rereater than I was at stake; and that he threatened to raise a scandal which would convulse the nation He ht avert it all if he would but tellstones

”'You ht in the act, and no confession could uilt more heinous

If you butus where the beryls are, all shall be forgiven and forgotten'

”'Keep your forgiveness for those who ask for it,' he answered, turning away from me with a sneer I saw that he was too hardened for any words of mine to influence him There was but one way for it I called in the inspector and gave him into custody A search was made at once not only of his person but of his room and of every portion of the house where he could possibly have concealed the gems; but no trace of them could be found, nor would the wretched boy open hishe was reh all the police formalities, have hurried round to you to i the matter

The police have openly confessed that they can at present o to any expense which you think necessary I have already offered a reward of 1000 pounds My God, what shall I do! I have lost ht Oh, what shall I do!”

He put a hand on either side of his head and rocked hirief has got beyond words

Sherlock Holmes sat silent for some few minutes, with his brows knitted and his eyes fixed upon the fire

”Do you receive much company?” he asked

”None save my partner with his fae Burnwell has been several tio out much in society?”

”Arthur does Mary and I stay at home We neither of us care for it”

”That is unusual in a young girl”

”She is of a quiet nature Besides, she is not so very young She is four-and-twenty”

”This matter, from what you say, seems to have been a shock to her also”

”Terrible! She is even more affected than I”

”You have neither of you any doubt as to your son's guilt?”