"He brought me the truth, anyway. I suspect his silence had already been
bought by Bullard, but that would be nothing to Marvel's conscience.
Well, he sold himself and certain papers to me. They proved that Bullard
deliberately ruined my brother for his own profit, and Lancaster
assisted, probably in ignorance."

"And--those two don't know that you know!" cried Caw. "Your pardon, sir,
but it's a bit--exciting."

"They do not know. They do not suspect. While they were here to-day they
could think of nothing but those diamonds. They are still thinking of
diamonds--of that I am sure; and for the next year they will think of
nothing else. And they were my trusted friends!"

"Do you mean the diamonds--there, in that box, sir?"

"Just so."

"They are of great value, no doubt."

"My diamonds are worth over half a million sterling."

Caw drew a long breath. "That box would be safer in the bank, sir," he
said respectfully, at last.

"I daresay. But it is going to remain in this drawer." Christopher
reached out, closed the lid, locked it, and handed the key to Caw.
"Listen! Immediately you have set the clock going, you will go down to
the shore and throw that key far into the loch. A duplicate key will be