THE DIAMOND TRAVELLER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 34, 29 May 1891, Page 23

THE DIAMOND TRAVELLER.

I was returning to Petersburg, after an absence of some weeks. As our train stopped at Twiss, a young man got in, who, while not particularly shy-looking, had the air of a big school-boy out for a holiday. In taking his place in the compartment, he first, with great care, put in the netting a leather valise, which evidently contained something precious, as be scarcely took his eyes off it during the first hour of the journey. You know how tediously monotonous a railway is — one quickly tires looking through the window of the coach at the straight line of road flying past in the midst of plains of a wearying sameness of aspect— and to relieve the tedium of the long, uneventful journey, the passengers naturally began to chat, and exchange opinions and confidences, prompted alike by ennui and curiosity ; and our young man would have found it a difficult matter to escape from his share of interrogate . His great anxiety lest any 'accident should happen to his valise waa so apparent to all, that one of the passengers remarked on it to him in a jocular way. He reddened a little and replied : " Itlis true, Ido feel anxious, for I am a traveller for a large jewellery establishment, and am held responsible for a large sum, the value of some diamonds in that valise, which I am charged to deliver in Moscow." This answer astonished me Jnot a little, I confess. The first principle? of prudence should have counselled him to conceal tie nature of these valuable articles. It seemed to me that he was decidedly a novice in his business thus to disclose belore so many strangers the fact ot his having a fortune in his possession. Ido not know why — for his explanation waa plausible— but I felt a distrust of him, and set myself to watch bid movements from that time. There was an affectation of too much calm in his manner, I thought. During the chatter and pleasantry common among fellowtravellers, when people talk without considering what they say, the conversation turned upon wonderful cases .of theft and diamond robberies, and, little by little, matinees were cited wherein the Bkill and rapidity of the thefts were marvellous. The young jeweller was advised to keep a sharp look-out for his diamonds. Waa not General Somaronoff recently a victim to the cleverness of a robber who actually abstracted a bundle of roubles from the inside pocket of his coat ? " Oh," said the young man, " I am not uneasy ; " I am used to this sort of thing " — a statement which I did not believe. I could not help feeling he was not accustomed to the charge of gems of such great value ; he bad the face of a child, with a child's soft, sweet » innocent expression, untamiliar with care or responsibility of any kind. On reaching Kiln, we all got out to s'retch our legs by a stroll on the platform, and the young juweller, evidently not wishing to make himself remarkable, followed our example, taking his valise in band as though unwilling to part with it for an instant. W As the passengura crowded towards the door, he was pushed violently forward by soineune in the tnrong. At the same moment the conductor appeared, and refused to allow us to leave the carriage. Tbe train was behind time, he said, and instead of the usual stoppage at Kiln, a halt of merely a minute's limit was made. While he spoke, the locomotive whistled for^the train to proceed. As we regained oar compartment in somewhat straggling order, the young jeweller uttered a cry of fright, which, notwithstanding all effort at control, was one of agony.

" I have been robbed I" be cried. It waitrne. Some bold orerator, who, from an adjoining compartment had overheard our conversation, and been allured by what he thus learned, had attempted, with success, the robbery of the jewels. They were gone — the thing was done. The young man still held in bis grasp the handles of the valise, which had been adroitly cat, ard in the presiore of the crowd he bad not felt the loss of weight. He gazed around with an indescribable expression of terror. His despair was truly pitiable, and it was as much through sincere sympathy for the unfortunate youth as the excitement of an incident thus breaking the tiresome journey that the passengers surrounded him with extreme interest and curiosity. The theft had been accomplished with surprising skill and rapidity, and each one had something to say on subject, " It is incredible." , " We had only time to leave our seats, and return to them again.'* " It seems like magic." One man declared that the conductor must be notified at once " No, no," stammered the young man. " Why not? " queried the other ; " here you are with valuable diamonds stolen from you, and you do not wish it to be known. No one left the train at Kiln, therefore it is impossible that the thief has disappeared. Your valise is still in one of the carriages, no donbt hidden beneath one of the seats." " No, no ; do nothing," implored the nnhappy youth. But the other did not stop to listen, he had already started to inform the conductor, and in a moment returned with that functionary, to whom he offered a string of suggestions as to the best means of recovering the lost jewels, The conductor hesitated to take action in the matter ; but, upon reaching the next station, secured the assistance of two police officers, whom he put in charge. " The baggage of the passengers shoald be searched," said the man who had constituted himself the leader in the affair, and so the officers ordered. At once a vigorous search began as the train rolled onward* The news spread quickly from the locomotive to the baggage- waggon, and everyone yielded with good grace to the examination. The young jeweller alone betrayed any uneasiness; his face became livid, and be swayed backwards and forwards as though on the verge of fainting. The search was unsuccessful, and the officers shook their heads in a doubtful manner. Suddenly our obliging neighbour, who had shown decided instincts as a detective, and who entered into the work with ardour caught eight of a passenger who, wrapped in a voluminous cloak, had seemed to sleep during the turmoil. Approaching him, he threw aside the cloak, and disclosed to view the missing valise. " Ah," said he, with a triumphant air, " I knew well it was not far off." The passenger thus disturbed did not, however, appear put out by the discovery. " Leave me alone," said he ; " tha vaase is mine." " Yours ? " cried the man ; " why, the handles are missing I You aie too cool, by far. What do you think of the impudence of your thief, my young sir 7" — turning to the jeweller, proud of the role he had so successfully played— " you recognise your valise, do you not ? " The poor young fellow lost his head. He should have thanked the man for his zeal, taken back his property, and thus terminated the affair ; but he obstinately replied : " No ; it is not mine." The thief breathed again, the perilous moment passed. " Yon see I " said be, with a superb disdain. But our amateur detective was not convinced — he would net give up the battle. " I recognise it myself," he cried; "I am net blind. For the matter of that, it is easily determined if this be the missing valise or not. We know that the one we seek contains diamonds — here will be incontestable proof. Hand me your key, sir we shall soon arrive at the truth of this matter. I cannot comprehend your doubts on the subject." But at this moment a terrible cry was heard. The young man rushed madly to the platform of the coach , and threw himself bead, long under the wheels of the train, which crushed him into a bleeding mass. As you will have divined, the young man who passed as a travelling jeweller was, in reality, an agent of the Nihilists, and the valise be guarded with so much cars and anxiety contained, not diamonds, but models of newly-invented explosives, which were to be tested for the first time by a committee in Moscow, whither he was t&king them. The wretches wbo had given him this abominable commission had evidently chosen a young student fresh from college. At the next station the valise was opened, and found to contain the infernal machine, which explained the resistance offered by the unfortunate youth to the discovery. He had, no doubt, come to the conclusion that all waa lost, In bis stupefaction, he did not consider

hat he con Id have prevented the opening of the valise by acknowledgdiog the property ; he possibly saw in a vision the finding; of it 8 contents. He feared arrest, aud tbat it would force him to break vows implicating others, and, bei:ig unable to cope with it, he rushed to his destruction. — Exchange.