“I never yet saw the man I feared,” remarked Burt, with quiet dignity. “As a boy Enoch Cook was a great boaster. How long was he in your employ?”
“Henry was with me two years.”
“I have missed Enoch from New York just about that length of time.”
“I hope the men are identical; it will make your work so much easier.”
“Did you promise Ajeeb to return the diamond?”
“No,” replied the explorer, with some hesitation.
“Why not?”
“I thought it better to deny ever having had the accursed gem in my possession.”
“Then,” said the detective, “you may have made a fatal mistake.”