The Argosy, Vol. LII

# "The Fate of the Hara Diamond"

This serial novel, appearing in Chapter XXX, follows Captain Ducie as he searches a Russian aristocrat's estate (Bon Repos) for the hidden location of a valuable diamond. Ducie has already been shown the diamond and a secret cavern by his host, Platzoff, but cannot recall the entrance. With two days remaining before his scheduled departure, Ducie gains an unexpected three-week reprieve when Platzoff requests his company for a London journey. During one evening, while Platzoff lies unconscious after smoking, Ducie steals Platzoff's master key and conducts a thorough search of the library, examining bookshelves, the fireplace, and floorboards. Finding nothing, he discovers a previously overlooked corridor behind a brown curtain, containing four locked side doors and a heavily secured end door. The narrative ends as Ducie begins exploring these mysterious chambers.