And, you see, I never once had a chance to unbutton my coat and look at the thing I had in this inner pocket.

It would have attracted too much attention to risk that; and as a matter of fact, I was especially warned not to do it.

I could trust only to the touch.

But even granting that, by a skill almost clever enough for sleight of hand--a skill which only the smartest pickpocket in Europe could possess--why should a thief who had stolen my letter-case give me instead a string of diamonds worth many thousands of pounds?
If he wanted to put something into my pocket of much the same size and shape as the thing he stole, so that I shouldn't suspect my loss, why didn't he slip in the red case _empty_, instead of containing the necklace ?" "_This_ necklace, too, of all things in the world!" murmured Maxine, lost in the mystery.

"It's like a dream.