_New York, July 6th, Midnight._
I have just returned from a celebration up at Lorina's house.
Everybody made a clean get-away last night, and the diamonds are safe
in Lorina's desk, so the gang made merry. The newspaper stories of the
affair caused us the greatest amusement. The police, as you have seen,
are very wide of the mark. Of us all, only Frank has fallen under
suspicion. It appears that I was right in my guess as to his identity.
The affair will ruin him socially, though it is not likely to lead to
his arrest. I can't say that I feel sorry for the youth. Of all the
parts in this sordid drama, Frank, the decoy played the most
contemptible.
In the general loosening of tongues to-night I have some rather
interesting matter to report. When I arrived at the house all the gang
except Lorina were in the dining-room. Spencer, the negro, told me she
was up in the office, so I went up-stairs to make my report. The
office door was open a crack, and as I was about to knock I heard
Lorina's voice within. She was talking over the telephone. The first
sound of her voice froze me where I stood in astonishment. The tone
was that of a woman distracted by love and longing. Think of it,
Lorina!
I heard her say: "I'll do anything you tell me. But I want to see you.
I must see you sometimes, dearie. What is the use of all this working
and worrying, what am I doing it for if you never even let me see you?
I can't stand it. I can't go on. I _won't_ stand it!"
Do you wonder that I was amazed?
There was a silence, and she went on in a broken, humbled tone: "No--I
didn't mean that. I will obey you. You always know best. But don't
be so hard on me. Please, dearie, _please_----!"
At this point Foxy came running up-stairs. I was caught rather
awkwardly.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I came up-stairs to report to Mrs. Mansfield," I said, "but I don't
like to disturb her. She seems to be having a private conversation."
He listened at the door for a moment, then pulled me away.
"Beat it!" said he. "She's talking to the boss. She'd kill us if she
found us here."
One other thing that I had heard Lorina say was: "Then I'll keep the
coal here, until I hear from you again."
"Coal" or "white coal" is their slang for diamonds, so I suppose she
meant the necklace.
I returned down-stairs full of speculations regarding this wonderful
and mysterious "boss." What kind of man must he be, thus to bring the
imperious Lorina who commands us like slaves, to her knees?
Frank was not present at the party in the dining-room. He is not a
regular member of the gang. Besides Foxy, Jumbo, Jim the chauffeur and
myself, there were several of the younger fellows, but not Blondy, I am
glad to say, for I should not like to see that nice boy drinking.
Lorina appeared only once or twice and then but for a moment. The
lady's gaiety was forced. However, she was liberal in her hospitality.
Champagne flowed like water.
Jumbo got very drunk and even Foxy drank enough to make him indiscreet.
It was then that interesting ancient history was retold. It would
astonish you to see Foxy at such moments. There is nothing about him
of the dull, prosy bore that he ordinarily affects.
Jumbo was toasting him with maudlin praise. "Drink to Foxy, fellows!"
he cried. "There's the lad that brings home the bacon! The slickest,
smoothest article of them all!"
Foxy took it as no more than his due.
"Say, Foxy," asked another admirer, "what was the hardest trick you
ever turned?"
Naturally I have to let others ask these questions. Curiosity on my
part would be prejudicial to my health. I am on the _qui vive_ for the
replies, though.
"Oh, six months ago, when I lifted an actress' pearls," drawled Foxy.
Fancy how I pricked up my ears.
"Tell us about it," said the same youngster.
All the young ones sit at Foxy's feet, you understand.
Foxy was nothing loath. "Elegant pearls," he said reminiscently, "blue
pearls, they called them, though I couldn't see the blue. But fine and
choice! It was a long operation. I had to take a job acting in her
company a couple of months beforehand. You see she kept the real
pearls in a safety deposit box, and wore a phony string, which added to
our difficulties. First I had to persuade her to wear the real pearls
one night."
"How did you do that?" somebody asked.
"I egged on the leading man to make a bet with her that he could tell
the real from the phony."
"Was he in with you?"
"No, indeed. Innocent as a lamb. He didn't know that I put the idea
in his mind."
"Foxy is a wonder to manage!" put in Jumbo.
"After the bet was made, we had the actress trailed every day until she
went to the bank and got out her pearls. Then we knew she would wear
them that night. She wore them in the first act. In the second she
had on a nurse's costume, and had to leave them off. My next job was
to get her maid out of the dressing-room during the second act. I
managed this by having it gossiped around the company that the star was
going to introduce some new business that night, and so the maid went
out to look on, see? So I went in her dressing-room----"
"How did you get in?" asked some one.
"Walked in straight as if I had a good right to. There was no other
way. I frisked the room, but could only find one string of pearls.
You see, I counted on two, the phony and the real. I couldn't tell
which was which. I had arranged to have a fellow who was in with us, a
pearl expert call on me between the acts. I saw him at the stage door,
and showed him the string I had. He said they were phony. So I had to
do it all over.
"During the third act, however, luck was with me. The actress' maid
not having seen anything new in the second act left the dressing-room
of her own accord to watch the scene. I went in again. This time I
found the real thing in a pocket of the petticoat she had worn in the
second act. I left the phony string in its place.
"And they never got on to you!" said his admirer.
"Nah! That was where Enderby came in. He fixed the crime on the young
leading man and broke up the show. Lord! I laughed. It let me out,
too. I was sick of the fool business of acting every night. It wasn't
till lately that Enderby got it in his head that he'd made a mistake.
It's too late now. The pearls have been sold and the swag divided."
Jumbo took a hand in the tale at this point. "Let me tell you the joke
about selling the pearls," said he. "Me and slim Foley set up an
elegant office on Maiden Lane, with stenographers and office boys and
all, everything swell. We were brokers in precious stones, see? We
sent out decoy letters to the leading man Foxy mentioned, and I'm blest
if we didn't sell him the string of pearls back again. Then he gave
them to the actress, the fool, and she fired him and bust up the
company."
"But I don't understand," said the young fellow, "what did you want to
sell them to him for? Risky business I should say."
"Don't ask me," said Jumbo with a shrug. "Orders from higher up."
This suggests a new line of thought, doesn't it?
During one of Lorina's brief visits to the dining-room, she was pleased
to commend me for my work last night. She asked me to come to her
down-town office to-morrow afternoon as soon as I finished work. I
enclose the card she gave me with her address.* Subtle irony, eh?
* The card enclosed by Mr. Dunsany read:
THE EARNEST WORKERS PUBLISHING CO.,
No. -- Fifth Avenue, New York.
Mrs. Lorina Mansfield, Manager.
To-morrow night I'll report on what happens there.