“And I am very sorry you did not get them,” said Annie, eagerly. “If he comes back, secure the diamonds at his price. We will buy them from you, and will give you a liberal commission for your trouble. The man who has been here was the principal witness against an innocent man, who is now in prison. It is our mission to bring the guilt home to the right party, in the person of the son of the diamond merchant, who professed to have been robbed by a Mr. Riddell. If we can prove him to be possessed of the property, we can prove the innocence of Mr. Riddell. You will help us, will you not?”
“I will do my best, madam. You will find me discreet and silent, and I hope to be able to help in the good work.”
“And, meanwhile, here is a banker’s reference,” said Mr. Cory. “And you may rely upon finding us profoundly grateful if you help us to solve this painful mystery.”
“Is the accused gentleman a relative of yours?” asked the jeweller, hesitatingly, as if afraid that he was taking too much liberty.
“He is my daughter’s fiancé.”
“Ah, now I understand your earnestness in the matter. But how about the seafaring man?”
“I expect it is the captain of the ‘Merry Maid,’ the steamer in which Hugh Stavanger sailed. If he also had diamonds to dispose of, we may conclude that they are part of the stolen property, and that it is as important to find him as it is to find the original thief.”
“He said the ship was sailing next day, so you won’t find him in Malta.”
“No; but we can follow. But, in any case, don’t let Stavanger slip through your fingers if he turns up here again.”
A few more preliminaries were settled with the friendly jeweller, and then, prior to going to their hotel for dinner, our amateur detectives went to see the balloon ascent, which was to take place at six o’clock. There was a tolerable muster in the enclosure, and considerable local interest seemed to be shown in the event. The aeronaut was a man of great experience, and had an assistant in whom he had every confidence. The conversation with the jeweller had taken up so much time that our two friends only arrived a few minutes before the order to “leave go” was given, and had not seen many of the preparations. Besides the aeronaut and his assistants, the car was to contain two passengers, both of whom had paid ten pounds for the privilege, and neither of whom had ever been up in a balloon before. Some of the onlookers were betting upon the results, and there was considerable diversity of opinion as to where the descent would take place.