LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7713, 16 January 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

LADY INGLEDEW'S DIAMONDS. A neat brougham rattled down the quiet street in which my oltice is situated, and a minute or two later a card was put into my hand bearing a countess's coronet, and the name Lady Ingledew. I I'qsc and bowed ari a tall woman, with a superb carriage and an ailthat was at once dignified and condescending, entered the room. " You got my note, Mr Quillett ? " sihe asked, as she Seated herself- in an easy-chair, then added quickly, " I thought it more satisfactory to have a personal interview with you. We relumed to London only lust night, (and I - think you had better addrests my letUers to our town I house, 20 Clarence Gate ; anil if we I should go out. of town Ihey will be 'forwarded." j I took a noie of these in&tructions and then 1 selected her ladyship's letter, conspicuous by the thick pa--Per, coloured crest, and bold handI writing, among the other letters in' |my basket, and spread it out before me. "You had better tell me all you know of the matter, Lady Ing!edew," I said, in my best professional manner t - ' When did you first miss your diamonds ? " Properly speaking, I didn't miss thenr. My maid told me herself—confessed in a letter what she had done. About three months ago, when I knew I should not want to wear the brilliants- again for the season, 1 sent my mat!*] " *-j Pardon mo—her name is " Celeste Charpenticr, and I had first-rate references with her—but that doesn't matter now. Well, I sent her to a place where I was jtold they cleaned and re-set diamonds at a moderate rate—Scruby •and Benjamin, of Button Garden—to be re-set." You gave her a note, I suppose?" Certainly. She took them and came back saying that it would take two months at l'east to make the new settings. " ] " They sent a receipt for the stones of coui-se ? ! I confess I did not think of tfrat." .. w h „; that is a L , under ordinary circumstan!Ces, 1 should not have wanted the diamonds until after our return to jEngland we went to Baden-Baden at | the end of the season—but there was jto be a court function, at which I I thought I had better wear my diamonds if they were ready. " I told Celeste to writo to the firm in Hattan Gardwij. asking them to send taem out to ine if they were ready to wear. " I thought the girl looked queer when I said this, but she only said, ; my lady,' and went on brushing my bair as cool as possible. Next morning when I rang my bell the girl" was gone ! She had had the grace to leave a note behind her, confessing that she had never given the jewellers my letter requesting then to re-siet the but had sold them-, pretending that they were her own, for ,fiiteen hundred pounds. They were j worth eight or nine thousand pounds ! " | 'i' I suppose you gave information |to the police at once ? " j '* No, we did. not'. Perhaps we I were wrong, but we were told that jthe offence had not been committed ■in IfVe Grand Duchy, it would involve a great deal of trouble to proWjii;te~Tier and have her sent over for trial, even if she could be caught, which seemed very unlikely/ seeing ithat she had had about twelve hours' start|. " I thought it would have been better to inform the police, but the Earl was rather against it. He thought it would be too much o-f a 'iiore, and—l think he was sorry for the girli. You see, he didn't feel the loss of the diamonds Mke I did " "Exactly. But fit is unfortunate that you did not prosecute the girt Will it throw any obstacle in the way of my recovering the diamonds ? -' asked her ladyship, quickly* '' I wouldn't go so far as to fay that," I replied ; " but undoubtedly it would strengthen our case considerably if the girl had been arrestIt would have shown more conclusively the bona fides of our claim —but really I apprehend no opposition on that score. My chief fear is that the jewellers wall be able to say that they bought tlvem in what is rai'.ed ' Market Overt,'- or open market, which in London means any open shop." "Do you anticipate that it will take long—to get them back ?'' asked Lady Ingledew, a shade of anxiety crossing her face as she spoke. - It all depends on whether v the firm of Scruby and Benjamim are sensible men,. and whether they employ honest solicitors. The case is one in which a 'dishonest', or not very scurpulous, solicitor might lead his clients into a prolonged litigation." '* Well, you will qo your 'best for OTe, Mr Quiljett ? •- You may be quite sure of that. I will write to Messrs Scruby and Benjamin at once. And I suppose I have your permission to report the loss to the police ? "• Lady Ingledew sat for a moment Considering. ; "I hardly think I should like to do that before speaking to the Earl. He seemed to dread having to prosecute one of the household. I think he holds rather old-fashioned partriarchal views on the subject, and he seems always rather glad when anyone gets off-. Very absurd, isn't it ? At any rate, I had 'ijetter consult him before going to the police about it. But you will get the diamonds back as soon as you possibly can ? I again assuro3 my latest client—l£or this was the first time I had hud the honour of acting for any of the Ingleidew family—that the utmost expedition should be observed, and bowed her out of the office. I need hardly say that I wrote that very afternoon to Messrs Scruby and Bejijaiuin, pointing out that Lady Ingledew's right to recover her diamonds was uncontestabie, and hinting that the very small sum (£1,500) they had paid for stones worth at least £B,OOO would render it less difficult for them to bear the loss of the jewels. This was a hint that ,the difference between the real value and the sale price was so marked, that it looked as if the jewellers had acted ' in the Capacity of rcciovers of stolen goods, and might think themselves ' lucky -if they escaped with the loss cut their £1],500 without being prosecuted for their share of the transaction. | On the following day I spent liailf an hour in the place I seldom visit i —the Library of the Law Institu- : tion. I wished to refresh my memory on the subject of Sales in Market Overt. I hatl looked up the cases, and had risen to come away, when I was accosted by a young solicitor whom I knew very well by sight, named Wright. As soon as he saw me, lie came up to me and sa'id : i i ' Just tell mc what, you think of this case, Quillett 1 . A lady comes inlo a jewell'er's shop to sell some diamonds.. It iis a Rind of double | siioß, tho _ part at the back beiijp. divided liy a partition three feet high', with" glass—plain glass-above it. : The sale took place on l-lie back shop. Now, suppose the lady's husband comes along and says a •' These things are mine, my wii'e had no right to sell them,' or suppose the.v were family heirlooms, and she hail no power to dispose of them, could the jeweller who bought them in the back shop keep them against all comers, as having bought tJiem in rttarkey overt ? I lia'd no doubt that my friend had been consulted by Messrs Scruby and Benjamin, ami I thought it' was only right to tell him/at once that I was aclin-g for Lady Ingledew. " Oh|. indeed!."- said he. "Is it fair to ask you whether there is any opposition to the sale on the part of the family ? " " Opposition ! T should think there was ! I wrote last night to your clients d -mamling the jewels back." " You mean Lady Ingledew's diamonds ? -" Exactly.' l Well, whatever the light or ihe pavtlies may be, I think it is very shabby of your people to repudiate Lady Ingtcdew's action in the matter.2l " Buf Lady Ingledew never sold them ! "• ■' I beg your pardon. i-'V.e came li'-rseif. and drove a very far.'] bargain, I can tell you. It is a question vhether six thousand Cve hundred is IMOre " lan aic worth."But I tell you Lady Ingleiiew never Stent to seijl fer jewels.. It