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8YNOPSI8.
Th* «tory opens with a scream from
Dorothy March In the opera box of Mrs.
Mlssloner. a wealthy widow It Is oc-
casioned when Mrs. Mlssloner’s necklace
breaks, scattering the diamonds all over
the floor. Curtis Griswold and Hruxton
Hands, society men in love with Mrs. Mis-
■ioner, gather tip the gems. Griswold
Steps on what Is supposed to be the cele-
brated Maharanee and crushes It. A Hin-
doo declares It was not the genuine. An
expert later pronounces ail the stones
substitutes for the original. Detectives
Donnelly and Carson investigate. They
decide that the theft of the original gems
was accomplished by some one in the
housn. Miss Elinor Holcomb, confidential
companion of Mrs. Mlssloner, Is sus-
pected. One of the missing diamonds Is
round In her room. Mrs. Mlssloner pro-
tests that Elinor is innocent, but she is
taken to prison. Meantime, in an up-
town mansion, two Hindoos, who are in
America to recover the Maharanee, dis-
cuss the arrest. Detective Brits takes up
the case, lie evidently believes Elinor In-
nocent and asks the co-operation of Dr.
lAwrence Fitch, her fiance, In running
down the real criminal. He advises Elinor
not to seek ball. Britz Investigates affairs
at the Mlssloner home. He learns that
Mrs Mlssloner had the diamonds In Paris
with her Paris police inform him that
duplicates of the stones were made there
on the order of Elinor Holcomb. Britz
Interviews Miss March and learns who
of her friends can draw. Griswold shows
some proficiency as an artist. While walk-
ing, Britz is seized and thrown into an
automobile. He Is bound and druggod by
tils Hindoo captors.
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CHAPTER XII.
The Empty Apartment.
When Britz groped his way out of
the soundest sleep he had knowu in
many a year, it was in absolute ig-
norance of his whereabouts. He
gasped desperately several times be-
fore he returned to anything like his
normal breathing.
Mingled with the peculiar taste of
the smothering dark was a faint odor
unlike anything In the headquarters
man's experience.
It had a persistence all its own, and
■when he tried to persuade himself
his sensory nerves had played a trick
upon him, it wreathed into his nostrils
with unmistakable individuality.
Britz needed no effort to rise to tell
him he still was bound hand and foot,
and in the first instant of his full
awakening he realized the silken gag
Btill held his speech in thrall. He bit
l,he ball of silk savagely, and strained
’ his tdngue until the roots ached in en-
deavors to force the gag out of his
mouth. As well might he, helpless as
to hands and feet as he was, have
tried to shake off a gorilla's grip at
this throat. Yet the seeming hopeless-
ness of his plight did not disturb him
greatly. He had been in worse places,
tt was & question of patience, perse-
verance and pluck, and when it came
to virile qualities, the famous Central
office man wa6 abundantly and allit-
eratively equipped.
He tested his bonds—gently at first,
then vigorously, then with all his
strength.
He was not a Sandow, but he had
abundance of pliant and serviceable
Strength. After many minutes passed
In vain efforts to free himself, he re-
laxed his body and limbs for a short
but complete rest, meanwhile bending
his' mind to the task of determining
where he was. The result of his men-
tal endeavor was as fruitless as the
other. All he knew at the end of It
was that he lay on a bare floor in a
room which, from the sound of his
heels on the boards, he judged was
small. That thought suggested to him
a means of summoning help other
than vocal.
He began drumming on the boards
With his heels. It was tiring work,
for his ankles were held so close that,
with his feet beating in alternation,
he could not make much noise. To
make a sound likely to carry far, he
had to raise and lower his heels to-
gether—an achievement that sounds
iasy until one has tried doing It many
mee. With all his endurance he
‘hould not keep It up for many mlnu-
utes at a stretch. In the intervals he
trained his hearing for a response,
one came.
Brit* rolled over on his face. As
tils hands were tied behind his back,
is chin rested on the floor, and he
ad little leverage by which to lift
inself. Several times he tried to
se to his knees, only to slip
nd bruise his face on the hard floor.
ose mishaps were painful, but not
discouraging to a man of Britz’ reso-
luteness. Again and again he made
the attempt; again and again he
filled, but at last, with a mighty
heave that left him panting, he raised
himself by a catapult movement and
sat back on his heels, waiting to
catch his breath.
It was a harder task to get on his
feel He could not do It In the middle
of the floor. Slowly, carefully, he
worked his way on his knees to the
wall, against which he braced himself.
Then, bit by bit, he bent his feet for-
ward In a demilune until his weight
was on knees and toes. His progress
was as painful as it was slow, for the
silk scarf compelled his ankles to
bend In unison, If at all, and even
when be had bent his toes to the
requisite point It was a great strain
to keep them there.
The detective, after a brief pause
to gather his strength, set his shoul-
der against the wall and threw all his
C
Bit
No
force Into a single, vigorous push.
16    .....The movement almost threw him to
the floor again, but he recovered his
poise quickly and stood erect. For a
r' bums* -few moments he was content to reead
In the relaxation that was so welcome
after his long continuance In a
cramped and prostrate position. Then
a second’s forgetfulness, natural
enough to one accustomed to his free-
dom of movement, almost undid the
work of the last half hour. He tried
to step away from the wall, oblivious
to the scarf that bound his ankles,
and pitched forward heavily. He did
not fall to the floor, however, tor
something sharp and hard stopped
him. He found himself wedged be-
tween a metallic framework and the
wall. A venomous hiss and the con-
tact of his bound hands with hot
metal told him he had fallen on a
steam radiator, and as the hissing
sound increased he guessed the shock
had broken the little safety valve
close to the top of the curved pipes.
If the detective's position had been
perilous before it was extra hazard-
ous now. He was gripped In the jaws
formed by the radiator and the wall,
and neither hands nor feet at liberty,
It seemed next to Impossible for him
to free himself. He kicked and strug-
gled furiously, the hiss of the steam
constantly growing louder, and
In his endeavor to escape, he bent for-
ward until his face was scalded by the
rushing steam. The pain of that mis-
hap aided him, however, for the in-
voluntary recoil It caused culminated
In a final effort that loosed the grip
In which he was held and sent hint
staggering In a series of two-footed
hops along the wall.
Bracing his shoulders once more
against the wall, Britz began another
series of vigorous attempts to break
the silken scarves, or to slip out of
them. Exerting all his strength, he
strained alternately at wrist and
ankles, and ground between his teeth
the little ball of silk that blocked his
voice. But it was all to no purpose.
His enptors knew^helr trade, and the
clinging bonds, while yielding, did not
give at any point sufficiently to set the
sleuth at liberty. Suddenly a thought,
swift and keep as a saber flash, clove
Its way straight through his perplex-
ity. That which Imperiled his life
should give him liberty. He sidled
along the wall until he stood beside
the radiator at the end away from the
safety valve. Pressing against the
edge of the metal the scarf that held
his hands, he began swinging himself
from 6lde to side. The corrugrijd
edge of the ornamental Ironwork
served as a saw, and although more
than once the man gasped as clouds
of steam whirled about his head, In
fewer minutes than would seem prob-
able the metallic edge gnawed Its way
through the silk, and the kerchief
parted with abruptness that sent
Britz reeling back against the wall
and crashing headlong to the floor.
His hands were free! And as that
welcome realization followed the jar-
ring Impact of his head against an
angle of the baseboard, Lieutenant
Britz laughed softly as with busy fin-
gers he loosed the scarf about his
ankles, snatched the gag from his
mouth, and, with a single shake of his
shoulders that rippled the kinks out of
his cramped muscles, strode to the
window and flung up the sash. One
deep Intake of good, cold air, then half
a dozen more, and he felt as fit as If
he had not been close to a distressing
and altogether ignominious end. He
gripped the sill and leaned far out,
looking first downward, then all
around in quest of a landmark. There
were not many lights on that side of
the building, but a faint gleam in the
depths enabled him to judge that he
was about at the tenth story, and that
the building was in an unfrequented
uptown street. Withdrawing his head
he pressed the button of a pocket elec-
tric torch and explored the room.
From the style of its finish It evident-
ly was a section of an unoccupied
apartment in a new and rather pre-
tentious building, a room planned to
be cut off from the rest of the suite,
for it seemed to give directly on the
hall and was separated from Its neigh-
bor by a fireproof door of massive
steel. He seized the handle. It
turned readily, but the door did not
open. The same was true of the door
between the room and the hall. He
shook both doors with all his
strength, but they had been locked
too stoutly to yield. It was apparent
the kidnappers had made him a pris-
oner in full knowledge of the unlike-
lihood he would be released speedily.
That they had plotted his death was
not certain, but it was unmistakable
they had given themselves little, If
any, concern in that respect. Britz
thought of the possibilities of fire aa
he had lain bound on the floor, and an
unpleasant sensation passed over
him; but he hastened back to the
window and examined the outside of
the building with a view to escape in
that direction. He did not expect to
overtake his abductors quickly, nor
was he even of a mind to devote the
bulk of his time to that purpose. But
he regarded the capture of his recent
captors as an Important side enter-
prise to the solution of the great dia-
mond mystery, and habit made him
eager to begin working without delay.
There was a fire escape on the floor
whence he looked out—a thoroughly
modern contrivance with flat steps,
and a really serviceable handrail—but
It did cot run to the window at which
he stood. However, Britz had more
than one attribute of ths lynx, and tt
“A Speck of Diamond Dust Could Not Have Escaped Us.”
did not tax his agility greatly to
reach tho balcony while still gripping
the window frame securely, and, with
one quick movement, to swing him-
self over the ladder rail. It was the
work of a minute or two to run down
the easy steps to the first floor above
the street and, from that point, he
had only a short drop to the sidewalk.
Ho strolled In a casual way to the
front of the big apartment building,
which looked toward the Hudson, and
noting its location, quickened his pace,
walking south until he came to a cab
stand. He gave a chauffeur the num-
ber of the Swami's house, jumped into
a taxicab and continued his course In
a southerly direction, the driver In
obedience to his Instructions wheeling
east at Seventy-second street and
turning Into the park.
CHAPTER XIII.
Interviewing the Swaml.
While Britz was speeding south-
ward in the taxicab two men were in
the midst of animated discussion in
the Swami's room. They were the
scholar himself and his up-to-date
friend, Prince Kananda. The prince
had arrived in the gloom-enshrouded
house only a few minutes before. He
had uttered several short, sharp sen-
tences big with interest that had
stirred the Swaml from the repose
usual to the Oriental priest. It was
evident that. Kanauada expected a re-
sponsive remark from his friend, and
that the Swaml, feeling the obligation,
was weighing his words before utter-
ance.
“Nothing of the slightest interest to
us was found," said Kananda, evident-
ly In repetition. He had seen a skep-
tical expression spread over the
Swann s bronze face, and anticipated
an inquiry.
"The search was thorough?” asked
the scholar.
"My dear old chap," said the Prince,
“Is It likely we would go to such ex-
traordinary lengths without being
most painstaking In that respect? A
speck of diamond dust could not have
escaped us.”
A slow smite gleamed through the
mask that comprised the scholar’s
features. Mock deference colored Ills
manner as, taking the mouthpiece of
the Oriental pipe from between his
Ups and tossing the tube over to the
divan, he arose and paced the length
of the room.
“Far be It from thy servant, O
Prince,” he said with palpable sar-
casm, “to question the method pur-
sued by so Illustrious a personage;
but,” and he here returned to the easy
familiarity of their ordinary Inter-
course, “since the search was made so
thoroughly, since it was a climax to
a deed so venturesome that It might
have embroiled you even with buch
slow-witted persons as the policemen
of the Western world, would it not
have been well to have got the right
man?”
"You mean—?"
"I mean, your Royal Highness,"
said the priest with another touch of
Ironic homage, “that the man whom
the brilliant AH and his equally Intelli-
gent assistants seized so boldly in the
park, and then spirited away with a
skill hardly to be equaled by an In-
dian schoolboy, was not the person
whom it was worth your distinguished
while to search.”
The Prince was dumfounded. He
circled the table, fished in his pocket
for a cigarette, rolled *t abstractedly
between bis thumb and middle finger,
lighted It, and then watched the in
seutable features of Kim whom for so
many years he had called "master."
"Is It possible?” he exclaimed at
last. “And I gave my personal atten-
tion to the task, too! I Instructed All
explicitly, and I ordered him to see
that the men who aided him should
be among the shrewdest and most
praiseworthy of our followers. All
had tracked the man for days. He
said he was as familiar with his face
as with that of his own father. How
could they have been mistaken?”
“Easily enough,” said the Swaml.
“Tho men went into Mrs. Missioner's
home about the same time. There Is
a slight resemblance in their general
build, and—the wrong man came out!”
“Then we have lost twelve hours,”
said Kananda.
“You have lost more than that,"
said the priest, “—opportunity. These
Occidentals are singularly fraternal.
It is not probable that the man you
searched will let tho other go un-
warned."
The Prince tossed his cigarette Into
the Are, and with the springing glide
of a panther, and as silently, crossed
to the strjng of gongs that hung oppo-
site the divan, and struck them smart-
ly. Almost at the same Instant the
heavy portieres at the other end of the
room parted, and All's Immobile face
appeared between them. The servant
advanced with salaams that Increased
in profundity as he noted the storm
cloud on Kananda’s brow.
“Son of a pig, and fool of a thou-
sand fools!” cried the Prince, his eyes
blazing at the low-caste Hindoo.
“What misguided dotard told you that
you were fit to be intrusted with a
man's task. Your place is among the
women, and, even there, you would
require a guardian to see that you did
not exchange rupees for copper coins.”
All remiiined motionless, as one
about whom lightning has flashed, and
who feels his only chance of safety
lies in escaping the notice of the next
bolt. The Swarni signaled to Kanan-
da, and tho Prince, following the hab-
its of tho Occident, seated himself on
the divan in Oriental fashion, and
calmed himself with deep draughts
from the pipe that bubbled on a low
table. As he enioked, the severity
of his features relaxed a little, and at
length he recovered his composure so
far as to take pity on the exceedingly
uncomfortable All.
“Rise, dog!” he said, “and give us,
if you can, an explanation of the dis-
graceful bungling on this simple mis-
sion.”
What explanation the servant might
have mustered Is a problem. Uefore
he could collect his thoughts, the elec-
tric bell of the outer door burr-r-rd
sharply. Kananda, the stem of the
pipe In his hand, looked toward the
curtains expectantly, and the Swaml
signaled to All to answer the sum-
mons without. The servant glided,
ghost-11 ke, from the room, returning
shortly with the announcement that
a visitor desired audience with the
famed Oriental scholar. The Prince
disappeared between the portieres of
a small door opposite the main en-
trance of the room, the priest nodded
slowly to the servant, and the next
moment All ushed Into the presence
of the sage the man who had had the
temerity to let himself be attacked
In place of him the Easterners had de-
sired to search.
“I am a special reporter for The
Times,' ” said Britz. “I understand
you are a scholar of distinction In
your native land. I would like to have
a talk with you for a Sunday story.”
The Swami's face wreathed Into an
Interrogation point.
“My good friend," he said, "you
have come to the wrong person. I am
not In the least Interested In Action.
Scientific resenrch, with perhaps a
glimpse now nnd then of tho psychic,
limits my activity In literature.”
“You don’t understand,” said Britz.
"Newspaper men call everything a
‘story.’ I should have said an article
—an Interview, you know.”
"Well,” said the Oriental Indulgent-
ly, "It Is not ttie policy of the propa-
ganda to seek publicity through the
columns of the press; but, if 1 can
serve you In any way, command me."
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♦ 4]
\
"Well, you see, Swaml," said Britz,
"everything pertaining to that Illus-
trious laud of yours Is of Interest to
Americans; your religion, your poli-
tics, your customs, your women, your
Jewels, your boundless wealth. Every-
thing you can tell me about India Is
sure to Interest our readers "
"If 1 am to toll you everything
about India,” said the Swaml, “we
may us well make ourselves comfort-
able.”
Ha signed to All again, and, rising
with much dignity, he placed a chair
at the disposal of his visitor.
"Tho East ts a pretty big subject,”
said the Swaml, Hiid then he spent
many minutes sketching Oriental
wavs and thoughts for the entertain-
ment of his visitor. To follow him
would be to recapitulate the history
of lllndostan from centuries before
tho Hrltlsh Invasion. When lie had
finished, Britz knew enough about In-
dia to fill the pages of all the Sunday
papers of New York; but this was not
wbat the detective wanted.
"Your women evidently lead a pret-
ty secluded life,” he said, "but I sup-
pose they have their compensations—
their music, embroidery, delicacies,
gems—by the way, Swaml, Jewels fig-
ure largely In your religion, don’t
they?”
The same Inscrutable gleam again
flickered in the eyes of the scholar.
"It would be difficult to make you
understand in what way they do," he
answered. "In the ordinary commer-
cial sense, they do not. We of India
care less for the Intrinsic value of the
beautiful Jewels which you of the
West characterize as precious stones.
They are precious to us, but in a dif-
ferent way. We love them for their
loveliness—not merely for their bril-
liance and cost. To us, there is a
world of metaphysical meaning In the
lambent glow of a ruby, or tho Im-
prisoned rainbow of a diamond. An
emerald to us Is the spirit of the sea
—the spirit of the water itself; Just
as the pearl suggests that other world
on the floor of the deep. Jewels, as
we see them, are the crystallized ex-
pression of divine emotions. Diamonds
are the tears of Buddha—pearls so
many drops of wisdom from his lips,
and sapphires the heavenly aspira-
tions of his thoughts. What to the
Occident means profit, Uf us means
poetry.”
'‘Some of your JewelB are, I dare
say, a great deal more Important than
others; for example, the Kohlnoor.
Has that no larger value than the or'
dlnary stone in your eyes?”
"Only so far as it Is connected with
the traditions of our faith,” said the
Swaml. "Diamonds there are In In-
dia, one hundred of which would not
make a Kohlnoor, yet each a thou-
sand limes more precious to true be-
lievers. Wars have been fought,
races exterminated for gems less beau-
tiful than those which many of the
minor women of your public stage can
boast. They have a moaning Impos-
sible of comprehension to the "/’estern
mind.”
“And do Hindoos of your generation
set as much store by that sort of
thing as your ancestors did?" asked
Ilrltz.
"The faith of the East Is Immut-
able,” the Swaml replied. ’’Centuries
roll by, but we change not. Nations
have broken themselves to shreds in
efforts to shako the stability of our
land and people. What was true be-
fore your Prophet left the carpenter’s
bench Is true to-day.”
"Now, do you know,” said Britz, vi-
vaciously, "all this interests mo very
much, and will make a cracking good
story for ’The Times.’ Fancy a whole
people—how many millions did you
say?—so wrapped up In gems that
would not fill a showcase in a Malden
Lane jewelry shop, that they are will-
ing to sacrifice their very lives for
them!”
Britz threw all bis skill as a ques-
tioner into drawing from the Swaml
descriptions of the more famous Jew-
els of India, deftly keeping the line
of his Interrogations on the subject
of diamonds. The Hindoo, his entire
personality an eloquent expression of
the Indolence of the East, was alike
luxuriant in his narghileh and in rem-
iniscences of the sacred gems that had
adorned the temples of his faith from
Delhi to Benares. Slowly, dreamily,
mystically, stories came from his lips
of greed and piety, deeds of daring
and romance, statecraft and Intrigues,
until Britz became so Interested that
for a time even his trained, vigilant
mind lost sight of the purpose that
had animated all his actions since the
day he learned that the famous Mis-
sloner necklace was missing.
When the Easterner ended his string
of tales, many of them replicas In
miniature of the Arabian Nights, and
of still more thrilling Oriental legends,
the Headquarters man had an ex-
haustive knowledge of nil the great
diamonds In the history of lllndostan.
“Your marvelous gems are not
proof against Imitation?" he said In-
quiringly.
"The lesser of them are not," said
the Swaml. "Hut the Kohlnoor, tho
Light of Calcutta, the Dawn of the
World, and similar stones defy the
best efforts of your artificers. In them
nature has wrought masterpieces of
glory no human plagiarist can repro
duce.”    »,
"Not even In Paris?" Inquired the
visitor. "There is a good deal of talk
Just now, you know, about the theft of
a eoclety woman's diamonds. You
know she discovered that paste dia-
monds were substituted, and I under-
stand tho central Jewel was one
of exceptional size."
"Neither Paris, nor Venice, nor yet
Slamboul ran manufacture colorable
Imitations of such a stone," Insisted
the Swaml. "Imitations, that Is to
say, that would deceive anyone with
the crudest knowledge."
"But tho Mahuranee was undoubted-
ly copied,” pursued Ilrltz. “If you have
read the newspapers, you know It was
through the discovery of that fact that
Mrs Mlssloner learned her necklace
had been stolen.”
All tiie cordiality of the Swaml van-
ished. Ho seemed to wrap himself In
tho Impenetrable dignity of hlH caste,
nnd ho dismissed the subject with the
conclusive remark of hie race, “1 have
spoken.” In Bpito of the most adroit
efforts of his visitor, and despite Inter-
rogations direct and Indirect, he could
not he Induced to discuss the subject
again.
Ilrltz, somewhat baffled, Anally led
the conversation Into other channels
by bethinking himself of his role In
time to ask the Swaml the purpose
and probable length of Ills stay la
New York.
"I have no objection to telling you,"
answered the priest, "that I am here
to spread the propaganda, to turn the
lamp of tlie true faith upon the gloom
of your Western civilization.1’ He con-
tinued. “Yes, I am making prose-
lytes! I am conducting gatherings of
seekers after tho Light, aud I am in-
structing all who come to me with
open minds and honest hearts.”
Ilrltz picked up his hat and coat
with a reluctant air, and took leave of
the Oriental with not over-profuse ex-
pressions of gratitude for his recep-
tion. Tho scholar struck the gong,
the Hindoo servant appeared In the
farther doorway, and In a few seconds
the faint echoes of the visitor’s foot-
steps ended In the quiet closing of the
street door.
Kananda, with a carriage akin to
the swagger of the English Guards-
man, re-entered the room and looked
at the Swaml quizzically.
“You need not put yourself to the
trouble of looking through the Sunday
papers,” said the Swaml. "There will
be nothing about this Interview In
•The Times.’”
"No?" returned Kananda. “I heard
the reporter say he wanted the facts
for the next issue of his Sunday sup-
plement.”
"He Is not interested In supple-
ments,” replied the priest, "sequels
are bis specialty. When he Interests
himself In a story he begins at the
’continued’ line. He Is not a report-
er.”
The Prince looked at him Inquiring-
ly.    j
“Nor Is he the man All should have
searched,” continued the sage. "He la
—one of the cleverest detectives In
New York—Britz, of Headquarters!”
Britz, of Headquarters, did not
wasto any time In gloating over the
result of his Interview with the Brah-
min. In the first place, he did not con-
sider that he had scored anything
like a signal victory. He knew enough
of the subtleties of the Orient to be
aware that such grains of truth as
had come to him In the Swami's an-
swers had been merged Into a volum-
inous fabric of mendacity—well, call
it diplomacy—and that to winnow out
tho few facts vouchsafed to him was
a task for the cloistered seclusion of
his own room, supplemented by the
silent help of many books of refer-
ence. But he was ready to take It for
granted that the Brahmin had spoken
truly in regard to the difficulty of Im-
itating diamonds of great size. There
was no question the Maharanee had
been copied; how closely he could not
say, as he had unfortunately never
had a glimpse of the false stone. The
questions that gimleted their way Into
his brain were:    Where was the copy-
ing done; how was It done; and, of
course, correlatively, by whom was it
done?
It was a busy quarter of an hour
Detective-Lieutenant Britz passed in
his Mulberry Street office. Awaiting
him was a cablegram from Logan,
saying briefly he was trailing all the
workmen who had taken part in the
manufacture of the paste Missioner
necklace, and that none of them had
left Haris.
ITO KB CONTINUED.)
Queer Hotel Custom.
Hotel customs throughout the world
ere varied. A hotel In France Is on
wheels and turns so that any room can
be given sunlight. Regulations govern-
ing the length of bed sheets have been
made In certain states. Probably the
most unique custom prevails In Ternpe,
a town in the Salt River valley, Arizo-
na. Here tho proprietor refunda
the hotel charges to all his patrons on
any day the sun does not shine. At
first this seems benevolent, but look-
ing Into the matter we find that he hae
been called upon to remit to his gueste
only once In the last five years. Guar-
anteeing sunshine Is an original fea-
ture.