The Red Thumb Mark | Page 4

how business is conducted in Mr.
Hornby's establishment. The samples of gold are handed over at the
docks to some accredited representative of the firm--generally either
Mr. Reuben or Mr. Walter--who has been despatched to meet the ship,
and conveyed either to the bank or to the works according to
circumstances. Of course every effort is made to have as little gold as
possible on the premises, and the bars are always removed to the bank
at the earliest opportunity; but it happens unavoidably that samples of
considerable value have often to remain on the premises all night, and
so the works are furnished with a large and powerful safe or strong
room for their reception. This safe is situated in the private office under
the eye of the principal, and, as an additional precaution, the caretaker,
who acts as night-watchman, occupies a room directly over the office,
and patrols the building periodically through the night.
"Now a very strange thing has occurred with regard to this safe. It
happens that one of Mr. Hornby's customers in South Africa is
interested in a diamond mine, and, although transactions in precious
stones form no part of the business of the house, he has, from time to
time, sent parcels of rough diamonds addressed to Mr. Hornby, to be

either deposited in the bank or handed on to the diamond brokers.
"A fortnight ago Mr. Hornby was advised that a parcel of stones had
been despatched by the Elmina Castle, and it appeared that the parcel
was an unusually large one and contained stones of exceptional size
and value. Under these circumstances Mr. Reuben was sent down to the
docks at an early hour in the hope the ship might arrive in time for the
stones to be lodged in the bank at once. Unfortunately, however, this
was not the case, and the diamonds had to be taken to the works and
locked up in the safe."
"Who placed them in the safe?" asked Thorndyke.
"Mr. Hornby himself, to whom Mr. Reuben delivered up the package
on his return from the docks." "Yes," said Thorndyke, "and what
happened next?"
"Well, on the following morning, when the safe was opened, the
diamonds had disappeared."
"Had the place been broken into?" asked Thorndyke.
"No. The place was all locked up as usual, and the caretaker, who had
made his accustomed rounds, had heard nothing, and the safe was,
outwardly, quite undisturbed. It had evidently been opened with keys
and locked again after the stones were removed."
"And in whose custody were the keys of the safe?" inquired
Thorndyke.
"Mr. Hornby usually kept the keys himself, but, on occasions, when he
was absent from the office, he handed them over to one of his
nephews--whichever happened to be in charge at the time. But on this
occasion the keys did not go out of his custody from the time when he
locked up the safe, after depositing the diamonds in it, to the time when
it was opened by him on the following morning."
"And was there anything that tended to throw suspicion upon anyone?"

asked Thorndyke.
"Why, yes," said Mr. Lawley, with an uncomfortable glance at his
client, "unfortunately there was. It seemed that the person who
abstracted the diamonds must have cut or scratched his thumb or finger
in some way, for there were two drops of blood on the bottom of the
safe and one or two bloody smears on a piece of paper, and, in addition,
a remarkably clear imprint of a thumb." "Also in blood?" asked
Thorndyke.
"Yes. The thumb had apparently been put down on one of the drops and
then, while still wet with blood, had been pressed on the paper in taking
hold of it or otherwise."
"Well, and what next?"
"Well," said the lawyer, fidgeting in his chair, "to make a long story
short, the thumb-print has been identified as that of Mr. Reuben
Hornby."
"Ha!" exclaimed Thorndyke. "The plot thickens with a vengeance. I
had better jot down a few notes before you proceed any further."
He took from a drawer a small paper-covered notebook, on the cover of
which he wrote "Reuben Hornby," and then, laying the book open on a
blotting-pad, which he rested on his knee, he made a few brief notes.
"Now," he said, when he had finished, "with reference to this
thumb-print. There is no doubt, I suppose, as to the identification?"
"None whatever," replied Mr. Lawley. "The Scotland Yard people, of
course, took possession of the paper, which was handed to the director
of the finger-print department for examination and comparison with
those in their collection. The report of the experts is that the
thumb-print does not agree with any of the thumb-prints of criminals in
their possession; that it is