Tom was the first to go away, and his example was followed by all the servants, except Charles, who succeeded in getting his master back to his room and quieting him somewhat, though he kept talking to himself of diamonds, and Paris, and Gretchen, who, he said, should not he wronged.

’I am sorry, Harold, that this thing has happened.  I have no idea that you know anything of the matter.  I would as soon suspect my own son,’ Frank said to Harold, as he was leaving the house.

With this grain of comfort, the boy went slowly home, humiliated and cut to the heart with the indignity put upon him; while Jerry walked silently at his side, never speaking a word until they were nearly home, when she said, suddenly: 

’I know where the diamonds are, but I shan’t tell now while there is such a fuss;’ but Harold was too much absorbed in his own thoughts to pay much attention to the remark, although it recurred to him years after, when the diamonds came up to confront him again.

It did not take long for the whole town to know of Mrs. Tracy’s loss.  The papers were full of it.  The neighbors talked of it constantly, and two detectives were employed to work the matter up and discover the thief, if possible.  A thorough search was also made at the park house.  Every servant was examined and cross-examined, and all their trunks and boxes searched; every nook and corner and room was gone through in the most systematic order, even to Arthur’s apartments.  This last was merely done as a matter of form, and to let the indignant servant see that no partiality was shown, the polite officers explained to Arthur, who at first refused to let them in, but who finally opened the door himself, and bade them go where they liked.

Half hidden among the cushions of the sofa from which Arthur had arisen when he let the officers in and to which he returned again, was Jerry, her face pale to her lips and her eyes like the eyes of some haunted animal, when she saw the policemen cross the threshold.

After her return home the previous day she had been unusually taciturn and had taken no part in the conversation relative to the missing diamonds, but just before going to bed she said to Harold: 

’What will they do with the one who took the diamonds, if they find him?’

‘Send him to state prison,’ Harold answered.

‘And what do they do to them in state prison?’ Jerry continued.

’Cut their hair off; make them eat bread and water and mush, and sleep on a board, and work awful hard,’ was Harold’s reply, given at random and without the least suspicion why the question had been asked.

Jerry said no more, but the next morning she started for the park house, which she knew was to be searched, and going to Mr. Arthur’s room looked him wistfully in the face as she asked in a whisper: 

‘Are they found?’

‘Found!  What found?’ he said, as if all recollection of the missing jewels had passed entirely from his mind.