my hands on the man, but it was the jewels that I was afraid of losing."

"Just so," Quest remarked. "And now, French, will you be here, please, at
midnight with three men, armed."

"Here?" the Inspector repeated.

Quest nodded.

"Our friend," he said, "is going to be mad enough to walk into hell, even,
when he finds out what he thinks has happened."

"It wasn't any of Jimmy's lot?" the Inspector asked.

Sanford Quest shook his head.

"French," he said, "keep mum, but it was the elderly family retainer,
Macdougal. I felt restless about him. He has lost the girl--he was married
to her, by-the-bye--and the jewels. No fear of his slipping away. I shall
have him here at the time I told you."

"You've a way of your own of doing these things, Mr. Quest," the Inspector
admitted grudgingly.

"Mostly luck," Quest replied. "Take a cigar, and so long, Inspector. They
want me to talk to Chicago on another little piece of business."

* * * * *

It was a few minutes before midnight when Quest parted the curtains of a