But the murderer, whoever he was, was not content with the false stones; he had secured L5,000 worth of pure diamonds! The story of the paste jewels was not repeated, and nobody seemed to have found any significance in it.

At this late hour Nicholas Crips discovered so much meaning in it that he went out into the wide Domain to be alone among the trees to think it over.

His thoughts came back always to the crucial point.
"I got the paste brilliants," he muttered.

"She got the real diamonds.
She had them about her when I entered.

She knew of the carbons, and she stalled me off with them.