W. A. Fraser

“ Jugganath Raj was wealthy. From being clerk in the Dewan’s office, he had risen to be Dewan himself. And when the ryots brought their families and begged him in the name of all their gods to be merciful, he spat at them and reviled them, and stripped the women of their jewels to pay the tithes. To the Europeans he was “Old Jug,” but to the poor natives of the lower class he was Sir P. Jugganath Sahib Gam, Dewan.”
It was of this man I had the ring; not that we were friends—no man was a friend of Jugganath Raj—and that was the strangest part of it. ”

“ I could see about the room quite distinctly, but this did not distract me, for I seemed to have a double vision. 1 was aware that Dr. Balasco was standing there, but only as a statue or a figure in a mirage. Presently living figures began to people the room; old Jugganath peered at me from over my shoulder, holding up the lost ring. I saw myself approach him as a bird approaches the serpent which has fascinated it. The ring seemed to have hypnotized me.
Then the figure of Valoyd appeared, with a reproachful expression on his face, but he made no movement toward the jewel. ”

“ The loss of the ring dwindled to small importance, compared to the other features of the case, for it had come to this—either Valoyd was guilty or I had deeply wronged an innocent man on account of an hallucination which might hint at an unbalanced reason. But from all the investigation not a single clue was discovered. The mystery of the ring grew deeper and more inexplicable as time passed on.
A marked man leads a miserable life. Continuous watching had its effect upon Valoyd, and either this or a sense of guilt weighed him down. ”