LADY BARMOUTH'S JEWELS.
Jack had merely drawn a bow at a venture, but the shaft went home to
the feather. By instinct he seemed to divine the fact that the
stranger who knew so much of Anstruther's inner life might also know
as much as the man called Nostalgo, otherwise Seymour. This instinct
did not play Jack false, for he saw his companion stagger back as if
he had been shot. He fell into a chair, and plucked feebly at the arms
of it with his fingers.
"You are on dangerous ground indeed," he said hoarsely. "Have you a
wife depending on you, or one you love? If so, turn your back upon me
at once, and never see my face again."
It was a warning deep, thrilling, and impressive. But Jack merely
shook his head and smiled. He had no intention of turning back now.
"I know too much or too little," he said. "Mr. Seymour is by way of
being a friend of mine--in fact, I was the means of doing him a great
service the other night. But I see from the expression of your face
that you know all about that."
"Have you seen Seymour in the daylight, just as he is?" the stranger
asked eagerly. "You know what I mean."
"I know what you mean perfectly well," Jack replied. "I _have_ seen
Seymour just as he is. To make another shot, I have also seen Lord
Barmouth just as he is."
The stranger sat bolt upright in his chair, and regarded Jack with
grim satisfaction.
"This is good news indeed," he said. "I am pleased to find out that I
am betraying no secrets in my conversation with you. What I want you
to do is this--I want you to arrange a meeting between Seymour and
myself. It will be dangerous for me to leave the hotel at present, so
that you must arrange it in a way that Seymour can come here."
"If you will be good enough to tell me your name," Jack suggested. "It
is just possible----"
The stranger shook his head, and hoped that Jack would not deem him
guilty of being discourteous if he withheld his name for the present.
He took from a desk a small, curiously-designed ring, and passed it
across to Jack.
"I think you will find that all that is necessary," he explained. "If
you will take that ring and say that it came from the owner, I am
quite sure that Seymour will be willing to fall in with my wishes. And
now, I will bid you good-night, sir. It is good to know that we have a
man of your courage and intelligence on our side."
So saying, the stranger rose to his feet, and extended his long, slim
hand to Jack. He intimated that Jack might come and see him from time
to time, but that caution would be absolutely necessary.
"Ask for Jabez Smith," he said. "That is the name under which I am
known here. If you only knew how fortunate a thing it is that we have
met to-night! But Lord Barmouth and Seymour will be able to prove that
to you presently. Once more, good-night."
The door closed behind Jack; he heard the click of the lock, and found
himself alone in the corridor. He could see that there were still many
people smoking and chatting in the big lounge below. The great hall
door was not yet closed, so that it was possible for Jack to slip into
the street absolutely unnoticed. He felt restless and excited, and
absolutely devoid of any desire to rest. Sleep in the circumstances
would be out of the question. It was no use going home, there to toss
and fret all night. It was just possible, too, that Rigby had not yet
left the _Planet_ office, as it was barely one o'clock. Anyway, a walk
in the cool night air was bound to prove invigorating. It did not much
matter, however, whether Masefield saw Rigby or not. He could tell him
all this exciting history in the morning.
But Rigby was still in his office, waiting for a proof; after which he
declared he meant to go to the Press Club for supper. It was an
entertaining supper, for Jack's narrative was piquant enough, as he
had so much to tell. "Well, you have had a night of it," Rigby said
enviously. "Who are you that you should have all the luck like this?
Here have I been all the evening, doing nothing to earn the approval
of my proprietor, whilst you have been getting at the heart of the
mystery. I shall have to divide my fee with you, Jack."
For a long time they discussed the matter in all its bearings. What
seemed to interest Rigby more than anything else was the scheme
proposed by Anstruther to get Carrington out of his serious position.
He saw great possibilities now that the plan of the bank premises had
come into the possession of the man Seymour, especially as the
conspirators were unaware of this.
"We ought to be able to make a good thing out of this," he said
thoughtfully. "Of course, it will all have to be worked out very
carefully; but I should like to catch those fellows in the trap they
have laid for others. After all, it makes no difference to you how
Anstruther is got out of the way, so long as he receives a good dose
of penal servitude. That once being done, we shall be able to work
quite openly, and it is evident that your new friend Seymour can
expound the whole of the Nostalgo business. I shall get my special
article for the _Planet_, after all; but it will be more thanks to you
than to my own efforts."
"Well, you needn't tell Van Jens that," Jack laughed. "Give me the
outline of your scheme."
"I want to force Carrington's hand. I want him to understand how
desperate his situation is, so that he and Anstruther must take action
at once. Now, for instance, you tell me you heard Carrington say
to-night that his bank has a great amount of jewelry in its keeping.
Is that so?"
"They _had_ it in their keeping," Jack said, drily.
"Well, that is exactly what I mean," Rigby responded. "And Carrington
is in mortal terror lest some great lady should come along at any
moment and demand her gems. You will remember telling me that
Carrington was especially apprehensive over the great masked ball
which is coming off at Lady Barmouth's in two days' time. Do you
happen to know any of the titled women who are asked? If you could get
one of them to go round to Carrington's to-morrow and ask for her gems,
why----"
"I see exactly what you mean," Jack cried eagerly. "We should force
the hands of those two scoundrels, and compel them to do something
without delay. By so doing, also, we should upset the delicate schemes
of Anstruther--?"
"You have got it exactly," Rigby murmured. "Can you bring this about?
It should easily be done."
"I don't see very well how I can do it myself," Jack responded. "But
Claire knows a great many of these people, and I should think she
would not have the slightest difficulty in doing what we need. Anyway,
I'll go round and see her to-morrow morning, and tell her exactly what
has taken place. Is it all that time? Really, I must go to bed and try
and get some sleep. Good-night."
After all, youth will be served, even in the way of sleep; and Jack
was surprised to find, on waking next morning, that it was nearly ten
o'clock. It was nearly twelve before he knocked at the door of the
house in Panton Square and asked to see Claire. It was Serena who
answered the summons--Serena, gray and silent and subdued in the
morning light. All the same, she gave Jack one swift, furtive
glance before her eyes sought the floor again.
"I will go up to the drawing-room myself," Jack said. "So you are none
the worse for your last night's adventure, Serena? Come, you need not
look at me like that, and pretend not to understand. What were you
doing in Mr. Carrington's flat last night?"
A sound like a sob broke from Serena, but she answered nothing. "If
you only knew how profoundly sorry I am for you," Jack said softly.
"When the time comes, you will have to speak; and when the time comes
we shall deal with you as kindly as possible. Although you refuse to
speak now, you must not believe otherwise than that. We know
everything. We know, for instance, where you were last night, and we
have nothing to learn as to the deaf mute and the young man who has a
fancy to wear his moustache in the same form as the style affected by
the German Emperor."
Serena listened, with her eyes fixed mutely on Jack's face. It seemed
to him that she was bursting with anxiety to speak, but that some
strange force held her tongue and choked her utterance.
"Do not go too far." she said presently, in a strained, hard whisper.
"Not that I mean to threaten you. Believe me, I am all on your side;
but I dare not speak. You may call me coward if you like; you may say
that I have no nerve or courage; but if you had gone through the hell
that my life has been the last few years, you would wonder that I had
the strength of mind to look even the feeblest fellow creature in the
face."
Just at the moment when it seemed to Jack that Serena was likely to
take him into her confidence, she turned abruptly away, and
disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. Jack went slowly and
thoughtfully up-stairs to the drawing-room, where he found Claire with
her hat on ready to go out. It was clear that she had not expected
him, but her welcome was none the less warm for that.
"I am afraid I shall have to detain you a little time, dearest," Jack
said. "A great deal has happened since I saw you yesterday, and I
think you ought to know most of it. Sit down a moment, please." Claire
sat by her lover's side, and listened intently to the strange story
that he had to tell. It was clear from the expression of her blue eyes
that she was a little fearful for her lover. She clutched his arm
impulsively, and he responded to the touch. It was not difficult for
him to realize what was passing in her mind.
"You need not have any anxiety as far as I am concerned," he said.
"Very fortunately for us, those scoundrels have not the least idea
that we know so much of their movements. But what I came here
especially for this morning was to ask you if you knew anybody going
to Lady Barmouth's dance whose jewels are in the keeping of
Carrington's bank? I think I explained Rigby's point to you. Do you
know anybody who could help us?"
"I know one who could help you who is not very far off, dear old boy,"
Claire smiled. "You seem to have forgotten that I am rather an
important person in my small way. Did I never tell you of the jewels
that my grandmother left me?"
"I declare I had quite forgotten them," Jack said. "I never care to
associate you with money, especially as I have so little of my own.
Diamonds, weren't they?"
"Diamonds and sapphires," Claire explained. "They are really almost
unique in their way. I generally keep them, on the advice of my
guardian, with Mr. Carrington. Let us go round there now and ask for
the gems."
It was not exactly what Jack had meant, because it occurred to him
that Carrington might easily vamp some excuse so far as Claire was
concerned, and then get Anstruther to invent some reason why the
jewels were not forthcoming. Still, it might do, and there was no
reason why they should not try it.
"I was going really to see Lady Barmouth," Claire explained. "But I
can call in there as we return from the city. Let us have a hansom at
once."
The imposing offices of the City and Provincial Bank were reached at
length. There was nothing inside or outside the place to denote that
the concern was trembling to the verge of bankruptcy. Mr. Carrington
was not busy, a polite cashier informed them, and he would be pleased
to see Miss Helmsley at once. Jack followed in behind Claire, and he
could not but be impressed by the ease and assurance of Carrington's
manner. The latter did not show the slightest signs of agitation when
Claire explained her presence there.
"Certainly," he said. "You have come, of course, provided with your
guardian's signature. No? I am afraid we cannot dispense with that
formality. Send it on by messenger, and one of our own clerks shall
bring the jewels round. What a delightful morning it is! Good-bye."
Jack accepted his checkmate cheerfully enough. It was exceedingly
adroit and clever on Carrington's part, and some other method of
forcing his hand would have to be adopted. Jack was bowing himself
out, when some one else came sailing into the room; and, to his great
delight, Jack recognized Lady Barmouth. He divined at once what she
had come for and what her errand was.
"Good-morning, all of you." she cried, gaily. "Mr. Carrington, you
will not thank me for disturbing you this time of the day, but as I
happen to be passing this way I thought I would save trouble. Will you
be so good as to hand me over my jewels?"
Carrington made no answer. His face was pale as ashes.