THE DIAMOND BRACELET AGAIN.
"Mr. Linton," continued Kiss, "followed the woman who was so anxious to
enter into relations--evidently not new ones--with that abominable
scoundrel Jeremiah Pamflett, and who had exhibited such vexation at his
sudden disappearance; he learnt her address, but could not discover her
name. Inquiring of people who lived in the same house, he was informed
by some that they knew nothing whatever of her, and was told by others
to mind his own business. But, as I said, chance befriended us; not two
hours ago we saw the woman and Jeremiah together. We had failed in
tracking him down; she had succeeded. And of all the corners in this
Babylon where should Jeremiah have taken up his new lodgings but in
South Lambeth, three doors from the house in which Linton lives! That is
not the only piece of luck which chance has thrown in our way. The
landlady of the house in which he rents rooms is a friend of Mrs.
Linton. This good lady, who is as deeply concerned in the terrible
course of events as we are, is now in that house--on the watch. Jeremiah
Pamflett and his mother will not escape us again so easily. So much for
the side issue--what I may call the under-plot. Now for the important
discovery. When we saw Jeremiah and the woman together--he looking very
much disturbed and she very determined and vicious--I desired Linton to
keep in the background. Without flattery, I may say I am a better actor
than he is, and, besides, I was more completely disguised. My object was
to discover what these two were talking about. So I followed them close
enough to hear scraps of their conversation, but not close enough to
draw suspicious observation upon myself. The first thing I heard that
caused me surprise was a name--Captain Ablewhite. It was the woman who
gave utterance to it, and accompanying her mention of the name were some
words by no means complimentary to its owner. 'He's a damned scoundrel,'
said the woman to Jeremiah, as I casually passed them, 'and you're
another!' Now a high-minded, honest man would have fired up at this.
Jeremiah Pamflett did not; he was as meek as a turnip. They passed on
out of hearing; but I did not lose sight of them. 'Captain Ablewhite!'
thought I, 'Captain Ablewhite! How is it that the name seems so familiar
to me?' Does it sound familiar to you, sir?"
"In a vague way, yes," replied Garden; "but I cannot immediately place
it. I am not personally acquainted with any one of that name."
"Nor I, sir; but that did not prevent it bothering me. I took another
favourable opportunity of getting close to the woman and Jeremiah. She
was talking away at a rapid rate, he saying hardly a word; but I
happened to catch a wicked look in his eyes once as he looked down on
her. It was more than wicked, it was devilish; and I could not help
thinking that it was a good job they were not walking in a dark place
with no people about. If ever murder was expressed in a man's face, it
was expressed in the face of Jeremiah Pamflett as he cast that look at
his companion. 'Half the money you and Ablewhite got for the diamond
bracelet'--don't miss a word of this, sir; I am repeating what the
woman said to Jeremiah--'was to come to my share, and a few sovereigns
is all I have managed to screw out of him. The false villain has thrown
me over for another woman, and has given me the slip; but I'll take care
you don't serve me the same. I have found out your new quarters--you
live at No. 12, Surrey Street.' That, sir, is three doors from Linton's
lodgings--he lives at No. 15. You will understand that it would have
been the height of imprudence for me to have remained near this precious
pair for more than a few moments at a time, but what I had already heard
opened my eyes. It came upon me like a flash of lightning. Captain
Ablewhite and a diamond bracelet! Why, that story was in all the papers
a little while ago, and created a regular stir. Linton is making use of
it now in a new drama he is writing. Real life, sir; facts with which
the public is familiar--that's the sort of thing for the stage. You
remember the story, of course?"
"I remember it well," said Garden, cool and collected as ever. "Go on,
Mr. Kiss; something may come of this."
"Something _will_ come of it, sir," said Kiss, his voice growing more
excited. "You haven't got the essence of what I heard; I shall astonish
you presently. You remember what a laugh there was when Mr. Quinlan's
statement was published in the papers. Mr. Quinlan was the husband of
the lady from whom the diamond bracelet had been stolen, and the
information he gave to the police and the reporters was that the
bracelet that had been stolen was one he had had made in imitation of
the genuine article, and that the stones the thieves had got hold of
were false. 'The Biters Bit'--that was the heading in the newspapers."
"I remember it all perfectly."
"Listen now to what I learnt from the stray bits of conversation I
picked up as I followed Jeremiah and the woman. She was Mrs. Quinlan's
maid; the man waiting outside the Langham Hotel was Jeremiah Pamflett.
She gave him the bracelet. Afterward he met Captain Ablewhite, but what
passed between them, of course, cannot be known. The woman knows,
however, that the bracelet was taken to Miser Farebrother, and that it
was he who advanced money on it, Jeremiah being the go-between. I did
not hear all this as I am relating it, but I put it together out of
what I managed to pick up, and I will stake my life that it is near
enough to the truth for us or any one to work upon. That, however, does
not bring down the curtain; you have yet to hear the climax. Linton
could not have worked it up more dramatically. The last words that
reached my ears were these: 'You fool!' said the woman to Jeremiah. 'The
bracelet you received from me was the genuine one. The stones were real,
and are worth forty thousand pounds, and I mean to have my share of the
plunder.' The moment she said this, Jeremiah, in a kind of frenzy,
clapped his hand on her mouth and dragged her away. A cab was passing,
and he hailed it, and hustled the woman in, giving some directions to
the driver. The next moment they were gone. If there had been another
cab in view I would have followed them, but unfortunately there wasn't
one in the street. The first thing I did after that was to run with
Linton to his lodgings, and the first thing Mrs. Linton said to us was
that Mrs. Pamflett and her son had taken the two rooms that had been to
let at No. 12. 'Are you acquainted with the landlady?' I asked, and Mrs.
Linton answered that she and the landlady of No. 12 were friends. 'Go
and bring her here at once,' I said; and no sooner said than done. It
took but a few minutes to get the landlady on our side; it was Mrs.
Linton who did that. It would not have been safe for me or Linton to go
to No. 12 to watch; Jeremiah Pamflett knows us, and at close quarters
might see through any disguise we might assume; but neither he nor Mrs.
Pamflett has ever seen Mrs. Linton, so we appointed her sentinel. The
next best thing we thought we could do was to come straight here and
make Mr. Cornwall acquainted with our discovery. The question is, what
is to be done? We might go to the police--"
Garden held up his hand, and Kiss did not finish the sentence.
"That would be the worst thing we could do," he said. "What you have
discovered must at present be mentioned to no other person but
ourselves. The task upon which we are engaged is that of saving an
innocent young lady's life; all else is of small importance. How was the
woman dressed?"
"Very quietly, in black."
"Does she resemble Miss Farebrother in build?"
"Not at all. She is shorter and stouter."
"Did you hear anything definite as to the length of time she has been in
London?"
"Nothing; but judging in a general way, I should say she has only
recently returned from foreign parts with the idea of obtaining from
Jeremiah Pamflett a share of the proceeds of the robbery."
"A share of the money he received from Miser Farebrother for the
bracelet that was stolen? Yes, that is a natural conclusion." The young
lawyer rose from his seat and went to a corner of the room where a great
pile of newspapers lay. "Mr. Cornwall keeps a file of the _Times_ for
reference; it will help us." He searched through the papers, and soon
found the one he wanted. He smiled quietly as he looked down the
columns. "It is as I suspected. The account of the robbery of the
diamond bracelet was first published on the day preceding that upon
which Miser Farebrother was murdered." They all started at this. And the
young lawyer proceeded: "Let us build up a theory. Jeremiah Pamflett
takes a diamond bracelet of great value to his master, and upon the
strength of his representations Miser Farebrother advances a sum of
money upon it--believing the stones to be genuine. On the day before his
death a newspaper falls into his hands, and he learns from it that he
has been tricked--that the bracelet has been stolen, and that the
diamonds are false. We know that the one passion of his life is
money--it is his idol, his god. We have it in evidence that on that day,
in the afternoon, doubtless, after he made this discovery, he sent a
telegram to Jeremiah Pamflett in London, requesting his manager's
attendance at Parksides. Miser Farebrother was not in the habit of
wasting money upon telegrams; hence his sending of this message was
prompted by some particular motive--say the demand from Jeremiah
Pamflett for the restitution of the money of which he has been
defrauded. Before this scoundrel leaves London for Parksides he also has
learnt that a trick has been played upon him by Captain Ablewhite and
the woman who has tracked him down. At Parksides a stormy scene takes
place between the miser and his scoundrel manager. The miser threatens
criminal proceedings, but perhaps gives the scoundrel time to refund
the money he has advanced. They part with feelings of bitter rage
towards each other. What course is now open to Jeremiah Pamflett? Has he
the money to refund? Unlikely. Can he borrow it? Quite as unlikely. I
bear in mind what I gathered from you, Fred, respecting the bill for
three hundred pounds which Mr. Lethbridge accepted. You arranged for the
payment of that bill with a betting man, who had received it from
Jeremiah Pamflett. Natural inference: that the scoundrel Jeremiah had
been backing horses, and losing. If necessary, we will look that betting
man up. Not seeing his way to refund the money which has been advanced
on the bracelet, nothing but exposure and disgrace lies before Jeremiah
Pamflett. How to avoid impending ruin? How to avoid a felon's fate?
Miser Farebrother lives practically alone in the house at Parksides,
waited upon by the house-keeper, Jeremiah's mother. These two are bound
to each other by mutual interests. Who so likely to profit by Miser
Farebrother's death as Jeremiah Pamflett? Unhappily, on that night Miss
Farebrother goes down to Parksides on her heavenly mission of love. But,
before she makes her appearance there, the murder of her father is
resolved upon. There is no independent evidence that Jeremiah returned
to London and reached his office by eleven o'clock. We have only his
word for it. Had Miss Farebrother not visited Parksides on that night,
suspicion would have fallen upon the Pamfletts, and the hour of the
scoundrel's return to London would have been a vital point. I put aside
the account given by Mrs. Pamflett of the visit of a strange man to
Miser Farebrother. It may or may not be true. Equally it may or may not
be a concocted story, invented beforehand for safety. Here comes in Tom
Barley's evidence as to his seeing in the grounds a female in a blue
dress. The honest fellow spoke the truth; he saw what he was compelled
to swear to. Miss Farebrother wore such a dress. But why should she
avoid him? He was her tried and faithful friend. Convinced as we are of
her innocence, there is no reason for her avoidance. Here lies the
mystery; if we can solve it Miss Farebrother is safe. And solve it we
will----My God!"
They had listened to him in profound admiration. Entranced by his
masterly analysis, it seemed to Fred as if they had only to go to the
prison in which Phoebe was immured and demand her release. But when
he uttered the words "My God!" and started to his feet and paced the
room in a state of excitement, which, for a few moments was
uncontrollable, their feelings of admiration changed to astonishment,
and they gazed at him in amazement.
"What is it, Dick?" cried Fred. "What is it?"
He seized Garden's hands, and would have held him still; but Garden
threw him off, and continued to pace the room.
"Don't speak to me for a moment!" he cried. "What I have suddenly
thought of is so wild that I cannot reveal it. But if it is a true
inspiration, it means salvation! Ask me nothing, for I shall not answer
you. It is for you to answer me. It has occurred to me that Mrs.
Pamflett and Mrs. Lethbridge are about the same height and figure."
"Good God!" cried Fred. "What do you mean?"
"Answer my question, Fred," said Garden, "as you value Miss
Farebrother's life. The women--one a devil, the other an angel--are
about the same height and figure?"
"Yes, they are."
"And from a short distance--say thirty or forty yards--might possibly be
mistaken for each other?"
"Yes, it is possible."
"Thank you." He had succeeded in mastering his agitation, and now to all
appearance was calm. "Meanwhile," he said, sitting at the table and
beginning to write, "what has become of the diamond bracelet?"
The question was uttered in a musing tone, as though he were asking it
of himself. He continued to write for four or five minutes, and having
completed his task, he read what he had written, folded the paper and
put it in his pocket. Then he turned to Kiss and Mr. Linton.
"You have nothing more to say?"
"Nothing."
"You delight in dramatic surprises?" he said, addressing Linton, with a
radiant look.
"If they are new to the stage," replied the bewildered dramatic author,
"they are invaluable."
"I may supply you with one. It is just on the cards." He now addressed
Kiss as well as Mr. Linton. "Our interview is at an end. What I wish
you to do is to so arrange matters that we can at any moment lay hands
upon Mrs. Pamflett, her son, and the woman who is implicated in the
theft of the diamond bracelet. Do you think you can manage it?"
"I will answer for that."
"When you came here to-night," he said, earnestly, "you reproached
yourself for being the cause of an innocent girl being sentenced to
death for a murder she did not commit. You went back, as it were, to
first causes. It is likely--almost certain, indeed, so much depends upon
chance--that if you had not come, the inspiration which may mean
salvation would not have descended upon me. To you, therefore, if all
ends as I fervently pray it may, will belong the credit of directing
justice aright. Humanly administered, it is sometimes fallible."
"Mr. Garden," said Kiss, in a voice no less earnest than that of the
young lawyer, "I have not the slightest idea of your meaning, but you
have won my esteem, and I honour you with all my heart and soul."
"I thank you," said the young lawyer, with dignity and courtesy; "what
you kindly accord to me is worth the winning. Good-night."
When Kiss and Mr. Linton were gone, Garden said to Fred: "I am deeply,
truly in earnest. For a little while leave the direction of this affair
entirely in my hands. Give me your promise."
"I give it, Dick, old fellow, cheerfully."
"I am going now to the office of a newspaper, the editor of which I am
acquainted with. I shall take a cab there and back. Unless some urgent
necessity arises, do not leave the rooms till I return."
* * * * *
The next morning, in the columns of one daily London newspaper, the
following interesting item found a place:
"Our readers will remember the incident of the abstraction of a
wonderful diamond bracelet from the jewel-case of a lady of fabulous
wealth. This bracelet was valued at sixty thousand pounds. A singular
and somewhat humorous turn was given to this robbery by the wealthy
husband of the owner, who, when public attention was directed to the
matter, stated that the ornament stolen was one he had had made in exact
imitation of the original, and that the stones of which the thieves had
obtained possession were false. Information has reached us that this was
not the case, and that the missing bracelet is the genuine one. If this
be true, the daring robbers made a rare haul, of which, as nothing
whatever has been heard of them, they have by this time reaped the
advantage. The task of disposing of these diamonds singly in the markets
of the world could not have been very difficult, their identification
being almost impossible. In the interests of justice it is to be
regretted that the truth was not made public in the first instance;
supposing the thieves to have been moderately prudent, it is now too
late to repair the error."
This paragraph was copied in subsequent editions of hundreds of London
and provincial newspapers.