Mr. Golden paused. He was conscious that this was a delicate matter. "When her Grace quitted our establishment she accidentally"--Mr. Golden emphasised the adverb; he even repeated it--"accidentally left behind some of her property in exchange for ours."
"Mr. Golden!" The Duke stared. "I don't understand you."
Mr. Golden then and there resolved to make the thing quite plain.
"I will be frank with your Grace. When the Duchess left our establishment this morning she took with her some twenty thousand pounds worth of diamonds--it may be more, we have only been able to give a cursory glance at the state of things--and left behind her paste imitations of those diamonds instead."
The Duke stood up. He trembled--probably with anger.
"Mr. Golden, am I--am I to understand that you are mad?"
"The case, your Grace, is as I stated. Is not the case as I state it, Mr. Ruby?"
Mr. Ruby took out his handkerchief to relieve his brow. His habit of showing excessive deference to the feelings and the whims of very great people was almost more than he could master.
"I--I'm afraid, Mr. Golden, that it is. Your--your Grace will understand that--that we should never have ventured to--to come here had we not been most--most unfortunately compelled."
"Pray make no apology, Mr. Ruby. Allow me to have a clear understanding with you, gentlemen. Do I understand that you charge the Duchess of Datchet--the Duchess of Datchet!"--the Duke echoed his own words, as though he were himself unable to believe in the enormity of such a thing--"with stealing jewels from your shop?"