“Young King Brady!” she gasped, faintly.

“Clara, I’ve run you down at last!”

She fairly groaned.

Her defeat was hard to bear.

“This is terrible!” she muttered.

Harry pointed at the diamonds in front of the astonished dealer.

“Ain’t those the smuggled diamonds?” he asked.

Before she could reply, Mr. Decker sprang to his feet, crying in alarm: 

“Good heavens!  Are these smuggled diamonds?”

“Yes,” replied Harry, with a nod.

“No wonder she wanted to sell them so cheap!”

“Mr. Decker, I am a Custom House officer.”

“Ah!”

“This girl is a smuggler.”

“I see!”

“We’ve been on her trail since she brought those gems from Holland to Canada, and thence over the border without paying duty on them.”

“The little wretch!”

“Are you a party to this deal?”

“No, indeed!” emphatically replied the dealer.  “I’m a victim.  She came in a while ago and said her father died, leaving a stock of diamonds to her as he had been an importer.  As she offered to sell them very cheap, I was selecting a lot to buy, when you came in.”

“I believe you, sir.”

“I am a respectable business man.”

“Oh, there can’t be any doubt of that.  This girl is developing into one of the most expert crooks in the country.  For her own good it’s a blessing that I’ve caught her before she gets any worse.”

“That’s a fact.”

“Kindly gather up those gems in a package for me.”

“Certainly.  I’m glad you arrived in time to save me from buying goods of this kind.  I have no desire to do any crooked business.”

He made a package of the diamonds.

Harry then turned his attention to Clara who was weeping bitterly and said to her in low tones: 

“There’s no use playing the baby act.  We’ve got your father, mother and the four spies.  You and the diamonds are the last of the bunch.”

“But I don’t want to go to prison,” she sobbed.

“I can’t help that.  You’ve broken the law and now you have got to take the consequence of your evildoing.”

“Can’t you let me go?”

“No.”

“I’ll give you all those diamonds if you do.”

“My dear girl, I’m going to take them anyway.”

“But I mean for keeps.  They’re worth $250,000.”

“I wouldn’t let you go for ten times that amount.”

“Very well,” she replied, despairingly, “take me.”

“If you’ll go along peacefully I won’t handcuff you and I’ll take you in a cab so people won’t be staring.”

“You are very kind.  I’ll do anything you ask.”

Harry took the diamonds from Mr. Decker and ranging himself alongside of the girl he led her down to the street.

A cab was procured and they drove away.

CHAPTER XVIII.