He went to the chief's desk and rested his hands upon
it.
"You are a nice specimen for a chief of police, you are!" he began.
"And who the devil are _you_?" bawled the chief, his choler rising.
"I'll tell you who I am presently."
We all eyed him in wonder. What was going to happen now?
"Which of you gentlemen is Mr. Hamilton?" asked the new-comer gruffly.
Hamilton signified that he was the gentleman by that name.
"Some ladies at your ball have been robbed of their diamonds, I
understand?"
"About ten thousand dollars' worth."
"Look here, sir," cried the chief, standing up and balling his fist, "I
want you to explain yourself, and mighty quick. You can't come into my
presence in this manner."
"Bah! You have just permitted the cleverest rascal in the state to
slip through your butterfingers. _I_ am Haggerty."
The chief of police sat down suddenly.
VII
The consummate daring of it! Why, the rascal ought to have been in
command of an army. On the Board of Strategy he would have been
incomparable!
There followed a tableau that I shall not soon forget. We all stared
at the real Haggerty much after the fashion of Medusa's victims.
Presently the tension relaxed, and we all sighed.
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