Grant Allen 
An African Millionaire 

The gentleman thief known as Colonel Clay cons the same South African Millionaire, Sir Charles Vandrift again and again in a series of clever short stories. It is immensely satisfying to read how the pompous Vandrift and his equally demanding wife are tricked out of their money through their own greed, vanity and suspicion. Clay is a master of disguise and with his female partner, Madame Picardet, they follow the Vandrifts across Europe and America selling them their own diamonds or a stranger’s castle.