THE BLUE DIAMOND.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LII, Issue 8615, 12 June 1924, Page 7

THE BLUE DIAMOND.

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By L. T. BSEADE, '

PART 20.-CH AFTER- 21.—ContimMd

“It is past eleven o'clock, ma am, and you really ought to be in bed. Miss Nadine will thank me for putting you there when she returns.” 44 She has never been out after nine before !” said Mrs. Temple. “Is it really so late ? I wonder what can have happened. I hope she has not met with an accident, poor Nadine, poor dear Nadine.”

“You love her then, madam ?” ‘‘l love her, and I —Oh, I am not going to explain to you. tou have made no confidences to me. Yes, you may get me into bed.” Nancy gave a quick thought to the peculiar circumstances in which she now found herself.

“I cannot treat her like a great, grand lady,” she said to herself. “I never thought I would act as I am acting to-night. There is nothing for it but for me to think of her as Miss Lil over again. She’s been petted a sight too much ; but she : s weakly and she wants cossetting now. I must try and forget that she has been cruel to my young lady, and do my best to soothe her. But lor’ sakes ! I wouldn't be a fine lady for all the world. They are a poor lot,” When Nancy had got her mistress into bed she said in the sort of voice •which she would use to a spoilt child; “Now you must go to sleep.”

“I do feel rather drowsy.” “I'll put out the candles and put a screen before the fire.”

“Don’t go away, please, Price.” “Not I, -ma’am ; I’m going to sit by the file and think.”

“About that girl ?”

“I expect I shall, ma’am.”

“Well, think about anything you please. I wish I could sleep, I sleep so badly.”

“That’s because you ain’t natural, said Nancy, stoutly. “Not natural ! What do you mean ?”

“Ain’t you the mother of a beautiful little baby ? You ought to have him a-lying inside your arms ; you’d sleep fast enough then.” “I wonder if I should. But ladies in my position don’t have their little babies to sleep with them.” “So much the worse for the ladies,’ answered Nancy, stoutly. “I wouldn’t change with that sort lor nothing.”

"Well, I hope you’ll be a good mother yourself some day. You seem to he a fine sensible sort of girl.

“I ain’t nothing to boast of, madam.”

Nancy put out the lights, placed a screen before the fire, and sat down, herself, in a low chair. By the gentle breathing which came from the bed she knew that her mistress had really fallen asleep. She sat on, herself, and gazed into the flames. Her thoughts were with Lil, and she was wondering in a puzzled sort of way how she could get the clue which ■would eventually lead to the Blue Diamond being discovered.

“I'm making rare progress,” she said to herself, “but I ain’t got so pmch as the faintest notion where it is, and how that Nadine took it and where she has put it, than I did afpre I entered this house. And the days are going by, and my Miss Lil is getting worse, not better. It’s time for me to be stirring. What is keeping jNadine out all night ? Oh dear, what’s that ?” For a cry had come from the bed —a lend, distitsHul cij-

Mrs Temple sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“I have had a miserable dream,” she said. “Is that you, Price ?’* “Yes, ma’am ; I'm a-sittiug up with you.” “But where is Nadine ?”

“She ain’t home yet, madam.” “Very strange, very strange. I had a miserable dream about that stone. You have heard of course that I hav® lost the Blue Diamond ?” \

Nancy was discreetly silent, "She stole it !’* continued Mrs. Temple. "I trusted her, hut she did it. Oh, I w'on't sleep any more, my dreams are too {terrible. I shall get up. Price, did you ever suffer from bad dreams at night?"

“It mostly depends on what I have for supper," replied Nancy in a practical voice. "Now, then, lean back against me, Mrs. Temple ; lay your head on my breast. I am strong, and no harm shall hurt you when X am close to you."

"You really are a wonderful girl,” replied her mistress. "I am more than thankful you arc in the room. Then you don’t believe in bad dreams ?"

"Sakcs no !" answered Nancy. "I has no time.”

"It must be delightful to be so matter of-fact. Fancy a person who never needs to think of diamonds, and the happiness of one who is dead."

"But why should you think about 'em, madam ? If you have lost one you have plenty more." "Oh, that is true, but you don’t know what the one that was stolen was to me. It was stolen by one who I trusted, and it had a story—a story which means —oh, all my hap-

pincss. You spoke of your friend, Price ; the girl who is high up. I also had a friend, a girl in ray own class of life—my husband’s cousin ; and I showed her my great treasure and asked her to keep it for me, and she stoic it.”

“Did she ?” answered Nancy, slowly, “she must have been a rare mean sort. Did you hud it in her pocket,

madam ?”

4 'Oh, no, we have never seen it since. She stole it so cleverly that we could never get the slightest clue to its whereabouts from that hour. Yes, she was very clever.” “She must have been, ma’am—uncommonly . ’ ’

“And she seemed such an innocent little country creature,” continued Mrs. Temple. "I told her some of its story and begged her not to mention it to anyone, and I gave her the diamond to keep for me just for a few hours, and I never saw it any more. She pretended it was lost ; but of course she stole it.”

4 ‘lt seems hard on her to say that, ma’am, for perhaps she didn’t steal it.”

’’Don’t contradict me. No one else could have taken it—for no one else knew where she had hidden it. Besides, she was so frightened at her conduct that she ran away.” * 4 Ah ! did she now !” answered Nancy. ’‘That do look bad. I suppose that stone means a sight of money to you, ma’am.” “Oh, I don’t care anything at all about the money part. I am rich without it. Besides, the worst of all is to come. The diamond is not mine. It belongs to a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church at St. Petersburg.” ‘‘Do it ?” answered Nancy. She gave a pretended yawn. Mrs. Temple shivered slightly, “It’s almost as bad,” she said, “to lie awake and think of all the trouble :hat must come if that diamond is aever restored as it is to be asleep and dream of it.’.’

“Then I tell you what,’’ answered Nancy. “I will light the candles once more and stir up the fire, and you shall tell me the whole story. You must ease your mind, I can see that, and I am as true as steel. You can trust me, indeed you can.” So Beatrix, much overwrought, was glad to confide her grief to anyone. Nancy heard the story, which she already knew from another point of view—the point of view of one who fully believed that Lil was the thief. “It’s a queer tale,” she said, when Mrs. Temple ceased speaking, “and it seems to go right agen that poor young lady, Miss ]alias Lawford, but all the same you mark my words, madam, she’s as innocent as innocent can be. Maybe we’ll find another thief ; it’s my belief that wc will. Who knows but she’s in the house all the lime. Oh, we won’t mention no names. lam glad you have told me, and the thing is safe enough with me. You must go to sleep now, madam. There is your sleeping mixture on the toilet table,, and I will give you a dose.” (To be Continued.)