“I had also provided myself, while in Paris, with several pairs of crescents, the exact counterparts, in everything save value, of the costly ones in my possession.  I need not repeat the story of my success in getting money from Justin Cutler—­you already know it; but I was so elated over the fact that I immediately went on to Boston, where I won even a larger sum from Mrs. Vanderheck.”

“Yes; but how did you manage to change the jewels in that case, since you were with Mrs. Vanderheck from the time you left the expert until she paid you the money for them?” inquired Mr. Rider, who was deeply interested in this cunningly devised scheme.

“That was easily done,” Mrs. Montague returned.  “I had the case in my lap, and the duplicate crescents in my pocket.  It required very little ingenuity on my part to so engage Mrs. Vanderheck’s attention that I could abstract the real stones from the case and replace them with the others.  Regarding the Palmer affair,” she continued, with a glance of defiance at Ray, “it only required a few lines and touches to my face to apparently add several years to my age and change its expression; and, with my red hair and the change in my figure, my disguise was complete.”

“And the name,” interposed Ray, regarding her sternly; “you had a purpose in using that.”

“Certainly, and the invalid husband also,” she retorted, with a short, reckless laugh.  “I had a purpose, too, in calling the elder Mr. Palmer’s attention to the profusion of diamonds worn by Mrs. Vanderheck upon the evening of Mrs. Merrill’s reception.  You can understand why, perhaps,” she added, sarcastically, and turning to the detective.

He merely nodded in reply, but muttered under his breath, with a kind of admiration for her daring: 

“Clever—­clever, from the word ‘go.’”

“With a wig of white hair, a few additional wrinkles, and the sedate dress of a woman of sixty, I passed as Mrs. Walton, the mother of a lunatic son.  It was not such a very difficult matter after all,” she added, glancing vindictively at Ray:  “the chief requirement was plenty of assurance, or cheek, as you men would express it.  My only fear was that the diamonds would be missed before we were admitted to the doctor’s house.”

“When did you take that package from my pocket?” Ray demanded, with some curiosity.  “Was it when I leaned forward to assist you about your dress?”

The woman’s lips curled.

“And run the risk of being detected before leaving the carriage after all my trouble?  No, indeed,” she scornfully returned.  “My coup de grace was just after ringing Doctor Wesselhoff’s bell, while we stood together on the steps; the package was not large, though valuable, and it was but the work of a moment to transfer it from your pocket to mine, while you stood there with your arms full.”

Ray regarded her wonderingly.  She must have been very dextrous, he thought, and yet he remembered now that she had turned suddenly and brushed rather rudely against him.