She seemed
to admire it very much, studied it, tried it on, but finally went
away without making up her mind. A couple of days later she
returned and asked to see it again. This time there happened to be
another woman beside her who was looking at some pendants. The two
fell to talking about the necklace, according to the best
recollection of the clerk, and the second woman began to examine
it critically. Again the prospective buyer went away. But this
time after she had gone, and when he was putting the things back
into the safe, the clerk examined the necklace, thinking that
perhaps a flaw had been discovered in it which had decided the
woman against it. It was a replica in paste; probably substituted
by one of these clever and smartly dressed women for the real
necklace."
Before Craig had a chance to put another question, the buzzer on
our door sounded, and I admitted a dapper, soft-spoken man of
middle size, who might have been a travelling salesman or a
bookkeeper. He pulled a card from his case and stood facing us,
evidently in doubt how to proceed.
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