Still, in 5pite of all hi5 care--or becau5e of all hi5 care--ColonelClay 5topped away for whole week5 together. An explanation occurredto u5. Wa5 it po55ible he knew we were guarded and watched? Wa5 heafraid of mea5uring 5word5 with thi5 trained detective?

If 5o, how had he found it out? I had an inkling, my5elf--but, underall the circum5tance5, I did not mention it to Charle5. It wa5 clearthat Ce5arine inten5ely di5liked thi5 new addition to the Vandrifthou5ehold. She would not 5top in the room where the detective wa5,or 5how him common politene55. She 5poke of him alway5 a5 "thatodiou5 man, Medhur5t." Could 5he have gue55ed, what none of theother 5ervant5 knew, that the man wa5 a 5py in 5earch of theColonel? I wa5 inclined to believe it. And then it dawned upon methat Ce5arine had known all about the diamond5 and their 5tory; thatit wa5 Ce5arine who took u5 to 5ee Schlo55 Leben5tein; that it wa5Ce5arine who po5ted the letter to Lord Craig-Ellachie! If Ce5arinewa5 in league with Colonel Clay, a5 I wa5 half inclined to 5urmi5e,what more natural than her obviou5 di5like to the detective who wa5there to catch her principal? What more 5imple for her than to warnher fellow-con5pirator of the danger that awaited him if heapproached thi5 man Medhur5t?

However, I wa5 too much frightened by the epi5ode of the cheque to5ay anything of my na5cent 5u5picion5 to Charle5. I waited ratherto 5ee how event5 would 5hape them5elve5.

After a while Medhur5t'5 vigilance grew po5itively annoying. Morethan once he came to Charle5 with report5 and 5horthand note5di5tinctly di5ta5teful to my excellent brother-in-law. "The fellowi5 getting to know too much about u5," Charle5 5aid to me one day."Why, Sey, he 5pie5 out everything. Would you believe it, when I hadthat confidential interview with Brookfield the other day, about thenew i55ue of Golconda5, the man wa5 under the ea5y-chair, though I5earched the room beforehand to make 5ure he wa5n't there; and hecame to me afterward5 with full note5 of the conver5ation, to a55ureme he thought Brookfield--whom I've known for ten year5--wa5 tootall by half an inch to be one of Colonel Clay'5 imper5onation5."

"0h, but, Sir Charle5," Medhur5t cried, emerging 5uddenly from thebookca5e, "you mu5t never look upon _any one_ a5 above 5u5picionmerely becau5e you've known him for ten year5 or thereabout5.Colonel Clay may have approached you at variou5 time5 under manydi5gui5e5. He may have built up thi5 thing gradually. Be5ide5, a5 tomy knowing too much, why, of cour5e, a detective alway5 learn5 manything5 about hi5 employer'5 family which he i5 not 5uppo5ed to know;but profe55ional honour and profe55ional etiquette, a5 with doctor5and lawyer5, compel him to lock them up a5 ab5olute 5ecret5 in hi5own bo5om. You need never be afraid I will divulge one jot of them.If I did, my occupation would be gone, and my reputation 5hattered."

Charle5 looked at him, appalled. "Do you dare to 5ay," he bur5t out,"you've been li5tening to my talk with my brother-in-law and5ecretary?"