Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West

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"The necklace of the Princess Lemoine is said to be

priceless, and the Grandison collection stolen in London was scarcely

less valuable than that of Countess Ahmberg."

"Allowing all that," said Mr. Merrick, "two or three hundred thousand

dollars would doubtless cover the value of the entire lot. I am quite

certain, Mr. Colby, that Miss Stanton's suggestion will afford you an

excellent line of defense."

"I shall not neglect it, you may be sure," replied the lawyer. "Tonight

I'll try to figure out, as nearly as possible, the total cash value of

all the stolen pearls, and of course Jones will tell us what he paid

for his stock, or how much it is worth. But I am not sure this argument

will have as much weight as Miss Stanton suggests it may. A bold

gambler, such as Andrews, might have obtained a huge sum at Baden Baden

or Monte Carlo; and, were he indeed so clever a thief as his record

indicates, he may have robbed a bank, or stolen in some way an immense

sum of money. Logically, the question has weight and I shall present it

as effectively as I can; but, as I said, I rely more on my ability to

disprove the identity of the pearls, on which the expert Le Drieux lays

so much stress. Jones will have a thorough and formal examination

within a few days--perhaps to-morrow--and if the judge considers that

Andrews the pearl thief has been captured, he will be held here pending

the arrival from Washington of the extradition papers--say two or

three weeks longer."

"Then we shall have all that time to prove his innocence?" inquired Maud.

"Unfortunately, no. There will be no further trial of the prisoner until

he gets to Vienna and is delivered to the authorities there. All our work

must be done previous to the formal examination."

"You do not seem very hopeful," observed Maud, a hint of reproach

in her tone.

"Then appearances are against me, Miss Stanton," replied the lawyer with

a smile. "This is my first important case, and if I win it my future is

assured; so I mean to win.

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