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diff --git a/43674.txt b/43674.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 916caf4..0000000 --- a/43674.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8297 +0,0 @@ - THE CARDINAL MOTH - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Cardinal Moth -Author: Fred M. White -Release Date: September 08, 2013 [EBook #43674] -Reposted: September 15, 2013 [error corrections] -Reposted: July 24, 2015 [error corrections] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CARDINAL MOTH *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - -[Illustration: "'The Cardinal Moth,' Frobisher said, hoarsely." (Chapter -I.)] - - - - - THE CARDINAL - MOTH - - - BY - - FRED M. WHITE - - Author of "The Crimson Blind," "The Weight of the Crown," - "The Corner House," etc., etc. - - - - WARD, LOCK, & CO., LIMITED - LONDON AND MELBOURNE - 1905 - - - - - Made and Printed in Great Britain by - WARD, LOCK & Co., LIMITED, LONDON. - - - - - *CONTENTS.* - -CHAPTER - -I.--FLOWERS OF BLOOD -II.--ANGELA -III.--CROSSED SWORDS -IV.--A DUSKY POTENTATE -V.--AN INTERRUPTED FEAST -VI.--BIT OF THE ROPE -VII.--A GRIP OF STEEL -VIII.--THE WEAKER VESSEL -IX.--A WORD TO THE WISE -X.--A WORD TO THE WISE. -XI.--BORROWED PLUMES -XII.--A MODEL HUSBAND -XIII.--THE QUEEN OF THE RUBIES -XIV.--"UNEASY LIES THE HEAD----" -XV.--HUNT THE SLIPPER -XVI.--DIPLOMACY -XVII.--A FRIEND IN NEED -XVIII.--A DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE -XIX.--WHAT DID SHE MEAN? -XX.--CHECK TO FROBISHER -XXI.--DENVERS LEARNS SOMETHING -XXII.--STRANDS OF THE ROPE -XXIII.--A LUNCH AT THE BELGRAVE -XXIV.--A WOMAN'S WAY -XXV.--A STRIKING LIKENESS -XXVI.--A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR -XXVII.--MRS. BENSTEIN INTERVENES -XXVIII.--NEMESIS -XXIX.--THE TIGHTENED CORD - - - - - *THE CARDINAL MOTH* - - - - *CHAPTER I.* - - *FLOWERS OF BLOOD.* - - -The purple darkness seemed to be filled with a nebulous suggestion of -things beautiful; long trails and ropes of blossoms hung like stars -reflected in a lake of blue. As the eye grew accustomed to the gloom -these blooms seemed to expand and beautify. There was a great orange -globe floating on a violet mist, a patch of pink swam against an opaque -window-pane like a flight of butterflies. Outside the throaty roar of -Piccadilly could be distinctly heard; inside was misty silence and the -coaxed and pampered atmosphere of the Orient. Then a long, slim hand--a -hand with jewels on it--was extended, and the whole vast dome was bathed -in brilliant light. - -For once the electric globes had lost their garish pertinacity. There -were scores of lamps there, but every one of them was laced with -dripping flowers and foliage till their softness was like that of a -misty moon behind the tree-tops. And the blossoms hung -everywhere--thousands upon thousands of them, red, blue, orange, creamy -white, fantastic in shape and variegated in hue, with a diabolical -suggestiveness about them that orchids alone possess. Up in the roof, -out of a faint cloud of steam, other blossoms of purple and azure -peeped. - -Complimented upon the amazing beauty of his orchid-house, Sir Clement -Frobisher cynically remarked that the folly had cost him from first to -last over a hundred thousand pounds. He passed for a man with no single -generous impulse or feeling of emotion; a love of flowers was the only -weakness that Providence had vouchsafed to him, and he held it cheap at -the money. You could rob Sir Clement Frobisher or cheat him or lie to -him, and he would continue to ask you to dinner, if you were a -sufficiently amusing or particularly rascally fellow, but if you -casually picked one of his priceless Cypripediums----! - -He sat there in his bath of brilliant blossoms, smoking a clay pipe and -sipping some peculiarly thin and aggressive Rhine wine from a long, -thin-stemmed Bohemian glass. He had a fancy for that atrocious grape -juice and common ship's tobacco from a reeking clay. Otherwise he was -immaculate, and his velvet dinner-jacket was probably the best-cut -garment of its kind in London. - -A small man, just over fifty, with a dome-like head absolutely devoid of -hair, and shiny like a billiard-ball, a ridiculously small nose -suggestive of the bill of a love-bird, a clean-shaven, humorous mouth -with a certain hard cruelty about it, a figure slight, but enormously -powerful. For the rest, Sir Clement was that rare bird amongst -high-born species--a man, poor originally, who had become rich. He was -popularly supposed to have been kicked out of the diplomatic service -after a brilliant operation connected with certain Turkish Bonds. The -scandal was an old one, and might have had no basis in fact, but the -same _Times_ that conveyed to an interested public the fact of Sir -Clement Frobisher's retirement from the _corps diplomatique_, announced -that the baronet in question had purchased the lease of 947, Piccadilly, -for the sum of ninety-five thousand pounds. And for seven years Society -refused to admit the existence of anybody called Sir Clement Frobisher. - -But the man had his title, his family, and his million or so well -invested. Also he had an amazing audacity, and a moral courage beyond -belief. Also he married a lady whose social claims could not be -contested. Clement Frobisher went back to the fold again at a great -dinner given at Yorkshire House. There it was that Earl Beauregard, a -one-time chief of Frobisher's, roundly declared that, take him all in -all, Count Whyzed was the most finished and abandoned scoundrel in -Europe. Did not Frobisher think so? To which Frobisher replied that he -considered the decision to be a personal slight to himself, who had -worked so hard for that same distinction. Beauregard laughed, and the -rest of the party followed suit, and Frobisher did much as he liked, -ever after. - -He was looking just a little bored now, and was debating whether he -should go to bed, though it was not long after eleven o'clock, and that -in the creamy month of the London season. Down below somewhere an -electric bell was purring impatiently. The butler, an Armenian with a -fez on his black, sleek head, looked in and inquired if Sir Clement -would see anybody. - -"If it's a typical acquaintance, certainly not, Hafid," Frobisher said, -sleepily. "If it happens to be one of my picturesque rascals, send all -the other servants to bed. But it's sure to be some commonplace, -respectable caller." - -Hafid bowed and withdrew. Down below the bell was purring again. A -door opened somewhere, letting in the strident roar of the streets like -a dirge, then the din shut down again as if a lid had been clapped on -it. From the dim shadow of the hall a figure emerged bearing a long -white paper cone, handled with the care and attention one would bestow -on a sick child. - -"Paul Lopez to see you," Hafid said. - -"Lopez!" Frobisher cried. "See how my virtue is rewarded. It is the -return for all the boredom I have endured lately. Respectability reeks -in my nostrils. I have been longing for a scoundrel--not necessarily a -star of the first magnitude, a rival to myself. Ho, ho, Lopez!" - -The newcomer nodded and smiled. A small, dark man with restless eyes, -and hands that were never still. There was something catlike, sinuous, -about him, and in those restless eyes a look of profound, placid, -monumental contempt for Frobisher. - -"You did not expect to see me?" he said. - -"No," Frobisher chuckled. "I began to fear that you had been hanged, -friend Paul. Do you recollect the last time we were together? It -was----" - -The voice trailed off with a muttered suggestion of wickedness beyond -words. Frobisher lay back in his chair with the tangled ropes of -blossoms about his sleek head; a great purple orchid with a living -orange eye broke from the cluster and hung as if listening. Lopez -looked round the bewildering beauty of it all with an artistic respect -for his surroundings. - -"The devil has looked after his dear friend carefully," he said, with -the same calm contempt. Frobisher indicated it all with a comprehensive -hand. "Now you are jealous," he said. "Hafid, the other servants are -gone to bed? Good! Then you may sit in the library till I require you. -What have you got there, Paul?" - -"I have a flower, an orchid. It is at your disposal, at a price." - -"At a price, of course. What are you asking for it?" - -Paul Lopez made no reply. He proceeded to remove the paper from the -long cone, and disclosed a lank, withered-looking stem with faded buds -apparently hanging thereto by attenuated threads. It might have been -nothing better than a dead clematis thrown by a gardener on the -dust-heap. The root, or what passed for it, was simply attached to a -slap of virgin cork by a couple of rusty nails. Frobisher watched Lopez -with half-closed eyes. - -"Of course, I am going to be disappointed," he said. "How often have I -gone hunting the eagle and found it to be a tit? The rare sensation of -a new blossom has been denied me for years. Is it possible that my pets -are going to have a new and lovely sister?" - -He caressed the purple bloom over his head tenderly. Lopez drew from -his pocket a great tangle of Manilla rope, yards of it, which he -proceeded to loop along one side of the orchid-house. Upon this he -twisted his faded stem, drawing it out until, with the dusty laterals, -there were some forty feet of it. - -"Where is your steam-pipe?" he asked. - -Frobisher indicated the steam-cock languidly. Ever and again the nozzle -worked automatically, half filling the orchid-house with the grateful -steam which was as life to the gorgeous flowers. Lopez turned the cock -full on; there was a hiss, a white cloud that fairly enveloped his -recent work. - -"Now you shall see what you shall see," he said in his calm, cool voice. -"Oh, my friend, you will be with your arms about my neck presently!" - -Already the masses of flowers were glistening with moisture. It filled -up the strands of the loose Manilla rope, and drew it up tight as a -fiddle-string. Through the dim cloud Frobisher could see the dry stalks -literally bursting into life. - -"Aaron's rod," murmured Frobisher. "Do you know that for Aaron's rod, -properly verified, and in good working order, I would give quite a lot -of money?" - -"You would cut it up for firewood to possess what I shall show you -presently," said Lopez. "See here." - -He turned off the steam-cock and the thin, vapoury cloud rapidly -dispelled. And then behold a miracle! The twisted, withered stalk was -a shining, joyous green, from it burst a long glistening cluster of -great white flowers, pink fringed, and with just a touch of the deep -green sea in them. They ran along the stem like the foam on a summer -beach. And from them, suspended on stems so slender as to be -practically invisible to the eye, was a perfect fluttering cloud of -smaller blossoms of the deepest cardinal red. Even in that still -atmosphere they floated and trembled for all the world like a -palpitating cloud of butterflies hovering over a cluster of lilies. -Anything more chaste, more weird, and at the same time more -bewilderingly beautiful, it would be impossible to imagine. - -Frobisher jumped to his feet with a hoarse cry of delight. Little beads -of perspiration stood on his sleek head. The man was quivering from -head to foot with intense excitement. With hesitating forefinger he -touched the taut Manilla rope and it hummed like a harp-string, each -strand drawn rigid with the moisture. And all the moths there leapt -with a new, hovering life. - -"The Cardinal Moth," Frobisher said hoarsely. "Hafid, it is the Cardinal -Moth!" - -Hafid came, from the darkness of the study with a cry something like -Frobisher's, but it was a cry of terror. His brown face had turned to a -ghastly, decayed green, those lovely flowers might have been a nest of -cobras from the terror of his eye. - -"Chop it up, destroy it, burn it!" he yelled. "Put it in the fire and -scatter the ashes to the four winds. Trample on it, master; crush the -flower to pieces. He is mad, he has forgotten that dreadful night in -Stamboul!" - -"Would you mind taking that tankard of iced water and pouring it over -Hafid's head?" said Frobisher. "You silly, superstitious fool! The -Stamboul affair was a mere coincidence. And so there was another -Cardinal Moth besides my unfortunate plant all the time! Oh, the -beauty, the gem, the auk amongst orchids! Where, where did you get it -from?" - -"It came from quite a small collection near London." - -"The greedy ruffian! Fancy the man having a Cardinal Moth and keeping -it to himself like that! The one I lost was a mere weed compared to -this. Name your price, Paul, and if it is too high, Hafid and I will -murder you between us and swear that you were a burglar shot in -self-defence." - -Lopez laughed noiselessly--a strange, unpleasant laugh. - -"You would do it without the slightest hesitation," he said. "But the -orchid is quite safe with you, seeing that the owner is dead, and that -his secret was all his own. And the price is a small one." - -"Ah, you are modest, friend Paul! Name it." - -"You are merely to tell a lie and to stick to it. I am in trouble, in -danger. And I hold that hanging is the worst use you can put a man to. -If anything happens, I came here last night at ten o'clock. I stayed -till nearly midnight. Hafid must remember the circumstances also." - -"Hafid," Frobisher said slowly, "will forget or remember anything that I -ask him to." - -Hafid nodded with his eyes still fixed in fascinated horror on the -palpitating, quivering, crimson floating over its bed of snow. He heard -and understood, but only by instinct. - -"I was at home all the evening, and her ladyship is away," said -Frobisher. "I was expecting a mere commonplace rascal--not an artist -like yourself, Paul--and the others had gone to bed. And you were here -for the time you said. Is not that so, Hafid?" - -"Oh, by the soul of my father, yes!" Hafid said in a frozen voice. -"Take it and burn it, and scatter it. What my lord says is the truth. -Take it and burn it, and scatter it." - -"He'll be all right in the morning," Frobisher said. "Lopez, take the -big steps and festoon that lovely new daughter of mine across the roof. -You can fasten it to those hooks. To-morrow I will have an extra steam -valve for her ladyship. Let me see--if she gets her bath of steam every -night regularly she will require no more. Aphrodite, beautiful, your -bath shall be remembered." - -He kissed his fingers gaily to the trembling flowers now hooked across -the roof. Already the loose Manilla rope was drying and hanging in -baggy folds that made a more artistic foil for the quivering red moths. -It was only when the steaming process was going on that the thin, strong -ropes drew it up humming and taut as harp-strings. - -"Ah, that is like a new planet in a blue sky!" Frobisher cried. "Lopez, -I am obliged to you. Come again when I am less excited and I will -suitably reward you. To-night I am _tete montee_--I am not responsible -for my actions. And the lie shall be told for you, a veritable -_chef-d'oeuvre_ amongst lies. Sit down, and the best shall not be good -enough for you." - -"I must go," Lopez said in the same even tones. "I have private business -elsewhere. I drink nothing and I smoke nothing till business is -finished. Good-night, prince of rascals, and fair dreams to you." - -Lopez passed leisurely into the black throat of the library, Hafid -following. Frobisher nodded and chuckled, not in the least displeased. -He had not been so excited for years. The sight of those blossoms -filled him with unspeakable pleasure. For their sakes he would have -committed murder without the slightest hesitation. He had eyes for -nothing else, ears deaf to everything. He heeded not the purr of the -hall bell again, he was lost to his surroundings until Hafid shook him -soundly. - -"Count Lefroy to see you, and Mr. Manfred," he said. "I told them you -were engaged, but they said that perhaps----" - -Frobisher dropped into his chair with the air of a man satiated with a -plethora of good things. - -"Now what have I done to deserve all this beatitude!" he cried. "An -unique find and a brother collector to triumph over, to watch, to prick -with the needle of jealousy. But stop, I must worship alone to-night. -Say that I shall particularly desire to see them at luncheon to-morrow." - - - - - *CHAPTER II.* - - *ANGELA.* - - -Frobisher sat the following morning in the orchid-house chuckling to -himself and waiting the advent of his two guests to luncheon. Heaven -alone could follow the twists and turns of that cunning brain. -Frobisher was working out one of his most brilliant schemes now. He took -infinite pains to obtain by underground passages the things he might -have obtained openly and easily. But there was the delight of puzzling -other people. - -He looked up presently, conscious of a presence beyond his own. In the -dark Frobisher could always tell if anybody came into the room. He -crooked his wicked head sideways with the air of a connoisseur, and in -sooth there was good cause for his admiration. Here was something equal -at least to his most beautiful and cherished orchids, a tall, graceful -girl with shining brown hair, and eyes of the deepest, purest blue. Her -complexion was like old ivory, and as pure, the nose a little short, -perhaps, but the sweet mouth was full of strength and character. - -"I came for the flowers that you promised me, Sir Clement," she said. - -"Call me uncle and you shall have the conservatory," Frobisher grinned. -"I am your uncle by marriage, you know, and your guardian by law. -Angela, you are looking lovely. With the exception of a peasant woman I -once met in Marenna, you are the most beautiful creature I ever saw." - -Angela Lyne listened with absolute indifference. She was accustomed to -be studied like this by Sir Clement Frobisher, whom she loathed and -detested from the bottom of her heart. But Lady Frobisher was her aunt, -and Frobisher her guardian for the next year, until she came of age, in -fact. - -"Give me the flowers," she said. "I am late as it is. I have sent my -things on, for I shall dine with Lady Marchgrave after the concert, and -come home alone. Hafid will let me in." - -"Better take a latchkey," Frobisher suggested. "There! Let me pin them -in for you. I'll show you an orchid when you have time to examine it -that will move even you to admiration. But not now; she is too superb a -creature for passing admiration. Now I think you will do." - -There was no question of Frobisher's taste or his feeling for arranging -flowers. The blossoms looked superb and yet so natural as they lay on -Angela's breast--white orchids shot with sulphur. They were the theme of -admiration an hour later at Lady Marchgrave's charity concert; they -gleamed again on Angela's corsage as she sat in the Grosvenor Square -drawing-room at dinner. Five-and-twenty people sat round the long table -with its shaded lights and feathery flowers. There were distinguished -guests present, for Lady Marchgrave was by way of being intellectual, -but Angela had eyes for one man only. He had come a little late, and -had slipped quietly into a chair at the bottom of the table--a tall man -with a strong face, not exactly handsome, but full of power. The -clean-shaven lips were very firm, but when the newcomer smiled his face -looked singularly young and sweet. Angela's dinner partner followed her -glance with his eyes. - -"If it isn't that beast Denvers," he muttered. "I thought he had been -murdered in the wilds of Armenia or some such desirable spot. You ought -to be glad, Angela." - -"I am glad, Mr. Arnott," Angela said coldly. "Permit me to remind you -again that I particularly dislike being called by my Christian name; at -least, at present." - -The little man with the hooked nose and the shifting, moist eye, put -down his champagne glass savagely. For some deep, mysterious reason, -Sir Clement favoured George Arnott's designs upon Angela, and if nothing -interfered he was pretty sure to get his own way in the end. At present -Angela was coldly disdainful; she little dreamt of the power and cunning -of the man she was thwarting. She turned her head away, absently -waiting for Lady Marchgrave's signal. There was a flutter and rustle of -silken and lace draperies presently, and the chatter of high-bred voices -floating from the hall. A good many people had already assembled in the -suite of rooms beyond, for Lady Marchgrave's receptions were popular as -well as fashionable. Angela wandered on until she came to the balcony -overlooking the square. She leant over thoughtfully--her mind had gone -back to such a night a year or so before. - -"Mine is a crescent star to-night," a quiet voice behind her said. "I -seemed to divine by instinct where you were. Angela, dear Angela, it is -good to be with you again." - -The girl's face flushed, her blue eyes were full of tenderness. Most -people called her cold, but nobody could bring that accusation against -her now. Her two hands went out to Harold Denvers, and he held them -both. For a long while the brown eyes looked into the heavenly blue -ones. - -"Still the same?" Denvers asked. "Nobody has taken what should be my -place, Angela?" - -"Nobody has taken it, and nobody is ever likely to," Angela smiled. -"There is supposed to be nothing between us; you refused to bind me, and -you did not write or give me your address, but my heart is yours and you -know it. And if you changed I should never believe in anything again." - -"If I should change! Dear heart, is it likely? If you only knew what I -felt when I caught sight of you to-night. My queen, my beautiful, white -queen! If I could only claim you before all the world!" - -Angela bent her head back behind the screen of a fluttering, silken -curtain and kissed the speaker. He held her in his arms just for one -blissful moment. - -"It seems just the same," he said, "as if the clock had been put back a -year, to that night when Sir Clement found us out. The son of the man -whom he had ruined and his rich and lovely ward! There was a dramatic -scene for you! But he only grinned in that diabolical way of his, and -shortly after that mission to Armenia was offered to me. I never -guessed then who procured it for me, but I know now as well as I know -that Sir Clement never intended me to come back." - -"Harold! Do you really mean to say that--that----" - -"You hesitate, of course. It is not a pretty thing to say. Life is -cheap out there, and if I was killed, what matter? Let us talk of other -and more pleasant things." - -"Of your travels and adventures, for instance. Did you find any -wonderful flowers, like you did, for instance, in Borneo, Harold? Where -did you get that lovely orchid from?" - -A single blossom flamed on the silk lapel of Denvers' coat--a whitish -bloom with a cloud of little flowers hovering over it like moths. It -was the Cardinal Moth again. - -"Unique, is it not?" Harold said. "Thereby hangs a strange, romantic -tale which would take too long to tell at present. What would Sir -Clement give for it?" - -"Let me have it before I go," asked Angela, eagerly. "I should like to -show it to Sir Clement. He has some wonderful flower that he wants me to -see, but I feel pretty sure that he has nothing like that. I shall -decline to say where I got the bloom from." - -Denvers removed the exquisite bloom with its nodding scarlet moths and -dexterously attached it to Angela's own orchids. The thing might have -been growing there. - -"It seems strange to see that bloom on your innocent breast," Harold -said. "It makes me feel quite creepy when I look at it. If you only -knew the sin and misery and shame and crime that surrounds the Cardinal -Moth you would hesitate to wear it." - -Angela smiled; she did not possess the imaginative vein. - -"You shall tell me that another time," she said. "Meanwhile you seem to -have dropped from the clouds.... Are your plans more promising for the -future?" - -"A little nebulous for the present," Denvers admitted, "though the next -expedition, which is not connected with Sir Clement Frobisher, promises -well for the future. There is a lot to be done, however, and I am -likely to be in London for the next three weeks or so. And you?" - -"We are here for the season, of course. My aunt is staying at Chaffers -Court till Friday, hence the fact that I am here alone. If you are very -good you shall take me as far as Piccadilly in a taxi. I must see a -good deal of you, Hal, for I have been very lonely." - -There was a pathetic little droop in Angela's voice. Harold drew her a -little closer. - -"I wish I could take you out of it, darling," he said. "For your sake, -we must try and make the next venture a success. If we can only start -the company fairly, I shall be able to reckon on a thousand a year. Do -you think you could manage on that, Angela?" - -"Yes, or on a great deal less," Angela smiled. "I could be happy with -you anywhere. And you must not forget that I shall have a large fortune -of my own some day." - -Other people were drifting towards the cool air of the balcony now, -George Arnott amongst the number. It was getting late, and Angela was -tired. She whispered Harold to procure her a cab, and that she would -say good-night to Lady Marchgrave and join him presently. The cab came, -and so did the lights of Piccadilly all too soon. Denvers lingered on -the steps just for a moment. He was going down to a big country house -on Saturday for the week-end. Would Angela come if he could procure her -an invitation? Angela's eyes replied for her. She was in the house at -length by the aid of her latchkey. The dining-room door opened for a -moment; there was a rattle of conversation and the smell of Egyptian -cigarettes. Evidently Sir Clement was giving one of his famous -impromptu dinner-parties. Angela took the spray of orchids from her -breast and passed hurriedly in the direction of the orchid-house. The -bloom would keep best there, she thought. - -As she passed along the corridor the figure of a man preceded her. The -stranger crept along, looking furtively to the right and the left. From -his every gesture he was doing wrong here. Then he darted for the -orchid-house and Angela followed directly she had recovered herself. -She would corner the man in the conservatory and demand his business. -In the conservatory Angela looked about her. The man had vanished. - -He had utterly gone--he was nowhere to be seen. Angela rubbed her eyes -in amazement. There was no other way out of the conservatory. She -stood therewith the Cardinal Moth in her hand, aware now that she was -looking into the scared face of Hafid. - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," he said in a dazed kind of way. -"Take it and burn it at once. Dear lady, will you go to bed? Take it -and burn it--my head is all hot and confused. Dear lady, do not stay -here, the place is accursed. By the Prophet, I wish I had never been -born." - - - - - *CHAPTER III.* - - *CROSSED SWORDS.* - - -Hafid came into the library and pulled to the big bronze gates of the -orchid-house like the portals of a floral paradise. There were flowers -here: stephanotis climbing round the carved mantel, ropes of orchids -dangling from the electroliers, in one corner a mass of maiden-hair fern -draped the wall. Even the pictures in their Florentine frames were -roped with blossoms. - -Frobisher glanced beyond the carved and twisted gates with a peculiar -smile after Angela had departed. His luncheon guests were late. He -looked more like a mischievous bird than usual. There was an air of -pleased anticipation about him as of a man who is going to witness a -brilliant comedy. - -There came to him a tall man with a heavy moustache and an unmistakable -military swagger. If Frobisher resembled a parrot, Lefroy was most -unmistakably a hawk. He passed in society generally as a cavalry -officer high in favour of his Majesty the Shan of Ganistan; more than -one brilliant expedition against the hill-tribes had been led by him. -But some of the hill-men could have told another tale. - -"Well, Lefroy," Frobisher exclaimed, genially. "This is a pleasure, a -greater pleasure than you are aware of. Mr. Manfred, take a seat." - -Lefroy's secretary bowed and sank into a deep chair. His face was -absolutely devoid of emotion, a blank wall of whiteness with two eyes as -expressionless as shuttered windows. Most people were disposed to -regard Manfred as an absolute fool. The hill-men at the back of -Ganistan muttered in their beards that he was, if possible, worse than -his master. - -Lefroy reached for a cigar, lighted it, and looked around him. The -white-faced Manfred seemed to have lapsed into a kind of waking sleep. A -more utter indifference to his surroundings it would be hard to imagine. -Yet he was a kind of intellectual camera. He had never been in -Frobisher's library before. But a year hence he could have entered it -in the dark and found his way to any part of the room with absolute -certainty. - -"I came to see you over that central Koordstan Railway business," Lefroy -said. - -"Precisely," Frobisher smiled. "I might have guessed it. As an -Englishman--though you have so picturesque a name--you are anxious that -England should receive the concessions. In fact, you have already -promised it to our Government." - -Lefroy made a motion as who should move a piece on a chess-board. - -"That is one to you," he said. "Yes, you are quite right. Whereas -you?" - -"Whereas I am interested on behalf of the Russian Government. I tried -our people here two years ago, but they refused to have anything to do -with me." - -"Refused to trust you, in point of fact." - -Frobisher laughed noiselessly. The wrinkled cunning of his face and the -noble expanse of his forehead looked strange together. - -"Quite right," he said. "They refused to trust me. Any man who knows -my record would be a fool to do so. But in that instance I was -perfectly loyal, because it was my interest to be so. Still I bowed -with chastened resignation and--immediately offered my services to -Russia. Then you slipped in and spoilt my little game." - -"There is half a million hanging to the thing, my dear fellow." - -"Well, well! But you have not won yet. You can do nothing till you -have won the Shan of Koordstan to your side. Whichever way he throws -his influence the concession goes. And He of Koordstan and myself are -very friendly. He dines here to-night." - -Lefroy started slightly. He glanced at Frobisher keenly under his -shaggy brows. The latter lay back smoking his filthy clay with dreamy -ecstasy. - -"Yes," he went on, "He dines here to-night to see my orchids. My dear -fellow, if you and Manfred will join us, I shall be delighted." - -Lefroy muttered something that sounded like acceptance. Manfred came -out of his waking dream, nodded, and slipped back into conscious -unconsciousness again. - -"That picturesque and slightly drunken young rascal has a passion for -orchids," said Frobisher. "It is the one redeeming point in his -character. But you know that, of course. You haven't forgotten the -great coup so nearly made with the Cardinal Moth." - -"The plant that was burnt at Ochiri," Lefroy said uneasily. - -"The same. What a wax the old man was in, to be sure! Ah, my dear -Lefroy, we shall never, never see a Cardinal Moth again!" - -"If I could," Lefroy said hoarsely. "Your chances with the Shan of -Koordstan wouldn't be worth a rap. With that orchid I could buy the man -body and soul. And the plant that was stolen from us at Turin is dead -long ago. It must be, such a find as that couldn't possibly have been -kept quiet." - -"I'll bet you a thousand pounds that orchid is alive," Frobisher said -dryly. - -Lefroy sat up straight as a ramrod. The waxed ends of his big moustache -quivered. He turned to Manfred, anxiety, anger, passion, blazing like a -brief torch in his eyes. Manfred seemed to divine rather than know that -he was under that black battery, and shook his head. - -"I fail to see the point of the joke," Lefroy said. - -Frobisher signed to Hafid to throw back the gates. Lefroy was on his -feet by this time. He breathed like one who has run fast and far. -Manfred followed him with the air of a man who is utterly without hope -or expectation. - -"There!" Frobisher cried with a flourish of his hand. "What is that you -see beyond the third tier of ropes? Ah, my beauty, here comes another -lover for you!" - -Lefroy's black eyes were turned up towards the high dome of the -orchid-house. Other tangled ropes and loops of blossoms met his gaze -and held it as he glanced in the direction indicated by Frobisher. And -there, high up above them all he could see the long, foamy, pink mass of -blooms with the red moths dancing and hovering about them like things of -life. - -"The Cardinal Moth," he screamed. "Manfred, Manfred, curse you!" - -He wheeled suddenly round in a whirl of delirious passion, and struck -Manfred a violent blow in the mouth. The secretary staggered back, a -thin stream of blood spurted from his split lip. But he said nothing, -manifested no feeling or emotion of any kind. With a handkerchief he -staunched the flow with the automatic action of a marionette. - -"The Cardinal Moth," Frobisher said as genially as if nothing had -happened. "The gem has but recently come into my possession. It will -be a pleasant surprise for our friend the Shan to-night." - -Just for an instant it looked as if Lefroy were about to transfer his -spleen from Manfred to his host. But Frobisher had been told enough -already. The cowardly blow said as plainly as words could speak that -Frobisher had obtained the very treasure that Lefroy was after. He -imagined that his secretary had played him false. And, moreover, he -knew that Frobisher knew this. - -"You've got it," he said. He seemed to have a difficulty in swallowing -something. "But you could not bring yourself to part with it. You -couldn't do it." - -"My good Lefroy, every man has his price, even you and I. My beloved -Moth may not be a very good trap, but I shall find it a wonderfully -efficient bait." - -"I dare say," Lefroy returned moodily. "Can I examine the flower -closer?" - -"Certainly. Hafid, bring the extending steps this way. Be careful of -those ropes and tangles. An active man like you could climb up the stays -and bracket to the roof." - -Lefroy was a long time examining the flower. He was torn by envy and -admiration. When he came down again his face was pale and his hands -trembled. - -"The real thing," he said, "the real, palpitating, beautiful thing. But -there is blood upon it." - -"Born in blood and watered with the stream of life. No, I am not going -to tell you where I got it from. And now, my dear Lefroy, what will you -take for your Koordstan concessions?" - -Lefroy said nothing, but there was a gleam in his downcast eyes. Then -presently he broke into a laugh that jarred on the decorous silence of -the place. - -"The game is yours," he said. "White to play and mate in three moves. -Still there may be a way out. And, on the other hand, you must be very -sure of your game to show me that. Lord, I'd give twopence to have you -alone in a dark corner!" - -He rose abruptly, turned on his heel, and made for the door, followed by -the white automaton with the bleeding lip. He could hear Frobisher's -diabolical chuckle as the big bronze gates closed behind him. It was -perhaps the most silent meal ever partaken of at Frobisher's. He was -glad at length to see the last of his luncheon guests. - -Once in the streets Lefroy's manner changed. He looked uneasy and -downcast. - -"I'm sorry I hit you, Manfred," he said. "But when I caught sight of -that infernal plant I felt sure that you had sold me. But even you -couldn't have carried the thing off quite so coolly as that. And -yet--and yet there can't be two Cardinal Moths in existence." - -"There are not," Manfred said impatiently. "That is the same one I hoped -to have had in my possession to-night. Didn't Frobisher say it had -recently fallen into his hands?" - -"I recollect that now. Manfred, I'm done. And yet I regarded it as a -certainty." - -"You were a great fool to strike me just now," said Manfred, -thoughtfully, and without resentment. "Why? Because the blow told -Frobisher that he had gained possession of the very thing you were -after. It was as good as telling him that you thought I had betrayed -you. To-night when the Shan dines----" - -Lefroy grasped Manfred's arm with crushing force. - -"He isn't going to dine with Frobisher to-night," he whispered. "We -shall dine there, but his Majesty will be unfortunately detained owing -to sudden indisposition. In other words, he will be too drunk to leave -his hotel. Let's go into your lodgings and have a brandy and soda. I've -got a plan ready. There is just a chance yet that I may succeed." - -Manfred let himself into a house just off Brook Street. In a modest -room upstairs, a box of cigars, some spirits, together with a silver jug -of water, and a box of sparklets were put out. On the round table lay -an early edition of an evening paper that Manfred opened somewhat -eagerly for him. He glanced over a late advertisement in the personal -column and shook his head. - -"It is as I thought," he said. "See here. 'The butterflies have gone -away and cannot be found. My poor friend has broken his neck and I have -gone on a journey'--That is addressed to me, Lefroy. It is a message -from my man that somebody has stolen the Cardinal Moth, and that my -man's confederate has met with a fatal accident. Also it seems likely -that there will be a fuss over the business, so that my correspondent -has gone somewhere out of the way. We will look for some account of the -tragedy presently; it is sure to be in this paper. Now tell me what you -propose to do." - -Lefroy poured a brandy and soda down his throat without a single -movement of his larynx. - -"I'm in a devil of a mess," he said frankly. "I made certain of getting -the Cardinal Moth." - -"So did I. But that is a detail. Go on." - -"I wanted money badly. The concession seemed to be as good as mine. -With the Moth as a bribe for the Shan it would have been all Lombard -Street to a green gooseberry. So I lodged the charter with a notorious -money-lending Jew in Fenchurch Street, and got twenty thousand pounds on -account." - -"My dear Lefroy, you hadn't got the concession to lodge!" - -"No, but I had the man's letters, and I had the draft contract. So I -forged the Charter, hoping to exchange it for a more broad and liberal -one later on, and there you are!" - -"And where will you be if you stay in the country forty-eight hours -longer?" - -"I understand," Lefroy said grimly. "But there is a chance yet. The -Shan does not go to Frobisher's dinner this evening and we do. You are -suddenly indisposed and sit out. At a given signal I make a diversion. -Then you hurry into that orchid-house and steal the flower." - -"The thing is absolutely impossible, my dear fellow!" - -"Not at all. There is a much smaller Moth growing side by side with the -larger one. I found that out to-night. You have only to snap off a -small piece of cork and unwind the stems. Then you hurry off to my -place with it and put it amongst my orchids. The old man does not -expect anything beyond a small plant; those we had before were babies -compared to the one yonder. Then we get the Shan round the next day and -give him the vegetable. I shall have the concession ready. And it's -any money Frobisher never knows how he has been done." - -"I'll make the attempt if you like," Manfred said without emotion. "We -can discuss the details in the morning. And now let me see what -happened to my man. There is sure to be an account in this paper." - -Manfred came upon it at length: - -"Mysterious Occurrence in Streatham. - -"Yesterday evening Thomas Silverthorne, caretaker at Lennox Nursery, -Streatham, was aroused by hearing a noise in the greenhouse attached to -the house. Silverthorne had not gone to bed; indeed, only a few hours -before his employer had died, leaving him alone in the house. On -entering the greenhouse the caretaker discovered the body of a man lying -on the floor quite dead. Silverthorne thinks that it was the dull thud -of the body that aroused him. Some plants in the roof had been pulled -down--rare orchids, according to Silverthorne, who, however, is no -gardener--but there was no means to show how the unfortunate man got -there, as there is no exit from the greenhouse to the garden. The man -was quite dead, and subsequent medical examination showed that he had -been strangled by a coarse cloth twisted tightly round his throat; -indeed, the marks on the hempen-cloth were plainly to be seen. An -inquest will be held to-morrow." - -"Well, what do you think of it?" Lefroy asked. - -Manfred pitched the paper aside in a sudden flame of unreasoning -passion. - -"Accursed thing!" he cried. "It is the curse that follows the pursuit -of the Cardinal Moth. It is ever the same, always blood, blood. If I -had my way----" - -"Drop it," Lefroy said sternly. "Remember what you have got to do." - -Manfred grew suddenly hard and wooden again. - -"I have passed my word," he said. "And it shall be done, though I would -rather burn my hand off first." - - - - - *CHAPTER IV.* - - *A DUSKY POTENTATE.* - - -A very late breakfast, past two o'clock, in fact, was laid out in one of -the private sitting-rooms of Gardner's hotel that self-same afternoon. -Gardner's only catered for foreign princes and ambassadors and people of -that kind, the place was filled with a decorous silence, the servants in -their quiet liveries gave a suggestion of a funeral of some -distinguished personage, and that the body had not long left the -premises. But despite the fact, some queer people patronised Gardner's -from time to time, and His Highness the Shan of Koordstan was not the -least brilliant in that line. - -It was nearer three when he pushed his plate away and signified to the -servant that he had finished his breakfast. A morsel of toast and -caviare assisted by a glass of brandy and soda-water is not a meal -suggestive of abstemious habits, and, indeed, the Shan of Koordstan by -no means erred in that direction. - -He looked older than his years, and had it not been for his dusky -complexion and yellow eyes, might have passed for a European of swarthy -type. His features were quite regular and fairly handsome; he was -dressed in the most correct Bond Street fashion, the cigarette he held -between his shaky fingers might have come from any first-class club. - -"I've got a devil of a head," he said, as the servant softly crept away -with the tray. "I shall have to drop that old Cambridge set. I can't -stand their ways. If anybody comes I am out, at least out to everybody -besides Mr. Harold Denvers; you understand." - -The servant bowed and retired. He came back presently with a card on a -salver, and he of Koordstan gave a careless nod of assent. The next -moment Harold Denvers came into the room. He sniffed at the mingled -odour of brandy and cigarette smoke, and smiled. Koordstan was watching -him with those eyes that never rested. Their side gleam and the hard set -of the grinning mouth showed that a tiger was concealed there under a -thin veneer of Western civilisation. - -"You've got back again, Denvers," he said. "'Pon my word, you're -devilish lucky. They had quite meant to put you out of the way this -time." - -"Your Highness is alluding to Sir Clement Frobisher, of course," Harold -said. - -Koordstan crossed over to an alcove and pushed the curtain back. Beyond -was a small conservatory filled with choice orchids. They were a -passion with him as with Frobisher. One of his chief reasons for coming -to Gardner's was because it was possible to fill the small conservatory -with a selection of his favourites. The atmosphere was damp and -oppressive, but the Shan seemed to revel in it. - -"That's about the size of it," he said. "Frobisher found out that you -were _epris_ of his lovely ward, and he had other views for her. The -young lady has a will of her own, I understand." - -"If you could see your way," Harold murmured, "to leave Miss Lyne out of -the discussion----" - -"My dear chap, I have not the slightest intention of erring against good -taste. I like you, and out of all the men I come in contact with, you -are the only honest man of the lot. Now I have stated why you were to -be got out of the way I can proceed. Can't you see that there is -somebody else who is your mortal enemy besides Frobisher?" - -"I cannot call any one particularly to mind at present." - -"Oh, you are blind!" Koordstan cried. "What about George Arnott? Now I -know that, like a great many people, you regard Arnott as a fool. He has -the laugh of a jackass, with the silly face of a cow. But behind the -mooncalf countenance of his and that watery eye is a fine brain, and no -heart or conscience. He and Frobisher are hand in glove together: they -have some fine scheme afloat. And the price of Arnott's alliance is the -hand of a certain lady, who shall be nameless." - -"Do you mean that Arnott, when I went out to Armenia, actually----" - -"Actually! Yes, that is the word. I shall be able to prove it when the -time comes. And now you have come about those concessions that I was to -consider with a view----" - -"Begging your pardon--the concessions which your Highness has promised -to my company." - -"Drop that polite rot, old chap," Koordstan said, with engaging -frankness. "You speak like that, but you regard me as a sorry ass who -is building his own grave with empty brandy bottles. _Entre nous_, I did -promise you those concessions, but you can't have them." - -Harold knew his man too well to rage and storm or show his anger. He -had counted on this matter. He had seen his way through dangers and -perils of the fertile valleys of Koordstan and a fortune and perhaps -fame behind. The hard grin on the face of the Shan relaxed a little. - -"I'll tell you how it is," he said. "You know a lot about my people and -what a superstitious gang they are. And you have heard the history of -the Blue Stone of Ghan. As a matter of fact it's a precious big ruby, -and is a talisman that every Shan of Koordstan is never supposed to be -without. Now if I sold that stone or gave it away, what would happen to -me when I got home?" - -"They would tear you to pieces and burn your body afterwards." - -"Precisely. Now that is a pretty way to treat a gentleman who merely -has the misfortune to be hard up. And I have been most infernally hard -up lately, owing to my unlucky speculations and those tribe troubles. -Can't get in the taxes, you know. So the long and short of it is, that -I pledged the Blue Stone." - -Harold started. The statement did not convey much to the Western ears -generally, but Denvers realised the true state of the case. The Shan -was not a popular monarch; he was too European and absentee for that, -and if the fact came out the priests would ruin him. - -"That was a most reckless thing to do," Harold said. - -"It was acting the goat, wasn't it?" Koordstan said carelessly, as he -pared his long nails. "There was a new orchid or something that I had -to buy. Sooner or later I shall recover the Blue Stone. But -unfortunately for you, Lefroy and his set are after those concessions, -and in some way Lefroy has discovered that the precious old jewel is no -longer in my possession." - -"So that is the way in which he is putting the pressure on you?" - -"That's it," the Shan said with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Mind -you, he is too good a diplomat to say out and out that he has made that -important discovery. The Blue Stone is engraved on one side, and that -side is used as a seal for sealing important state documents. Lefroy is -desolate, but his people will do nothing until they get from me a wax -impression of the seal; he told me that here. And he smiled. It was -very near to the last time he smiled at anybody. If we had not been in -London!" - -Koordstan checked himself and paced up and down the small conservatory -as like a caged tiger as a human being could be. - -"Your answer to that was easy," Harold said. "You might have declined on -the grounds that it would have been too easy to forge a die from that -waxen impression." - -"Good Lord, and I never thought of it!" Koordstan cried. "By Jove, that -opens up a fine field for me! But it will take time. In the meantime a -smiling face and a few of those previous subterfuges that men for want -of a better name call diplomacy. You shall have your concessions yet." - -Harold muttered something that might have been thanks, but he had his -doubts. The Shan was favourably disposed towards him, but he would not -have trusted the latter a yard so far as money was concerned. But there -was another and better card yet to play. - -"I have not forgotten your promise," he said. "When I showed you the -Cardinal Moth." - -"Afterwards subsequently destroyed. Ah, that we shall never see again. -If you could give me that, you could make any terms with me. By heaven, -I would have all Koordstan back at my feet if I could show them the -'Moth'! Denvers, you don't mean to say that you have come here with the -information----" - -He paused as if breath had suddenly failed him. The yellow face was -quite ashy. - -"Indeed I have," Harold said quietly. "That was one of the reasons why -I came home. I got scent of the thing on the far side of the Ural -mountains. My adventures would fill a big book. But I came home with -the 'Moth' packed up in a quarter-pound tin of navy cut tobacco." - -"You have kept this entirely to yourself?" the Shan asked hoarsely. - -"Well, rather. I meant to have brought you a bloom as a guarantee of -good faith. The plant is at present hidden away in the obscure -conservatory at a nursery in the suburbs. If you would like----" - -Harold paused as a soft-footed servant came in with a card on a tray. -The Shan glanced at it and grinned. - -"Tell him to come again in half an hour," he said. "Denvers, you had -better depart by the Green Street door; it's Lefroy, and it would be as -well for him not to know that you had been here. Go on." - -"If you would like to see the 'Moth' I can make arrangements for you to -do so. Only not one word of this to anybody. We can steal away down to -Streatham and----" - -Koordstan bounced to his feet, anger and disappointment lived on his -face. - -"Streatham, did you say!" he cried. "There seems to be witchery about -the business. Don't tell me that you left the plant in care of a man -called----" - -The Shan grabbed for an early edition of an evening paper which -fluttered in his hand like a leaf in a breeze. He found what he wanted -presently and began to read half aloud. - -"Yesterday evening Thomas Silverthorne, caretaker at the Lennox Nursery, -Streatham---- Look here, Denvers, read it for yourself. At the Lennox -nursery a man was found dead, murdered by having a rope placed round his -neck, and held there till he was strangled. Silverthorne says there was -a rare orchid or two in the house, and that one of them had been pulled -down and probably stolen. Now if you tell me that your 'Moth' was -placed there, I shall want to murder you." - -Harold rose, his face was disturbed and uneasy. - -"It is as you imagine," he said. "I did place the 'Moth' there the -night before last. And I would have taken my oath that nobody knew that -the plant was in England, I'll go to Streatham at once; I'll get to the -bottom of this strange mystery." - -"Count Lefroy is sorry," murmured the soft-footed servant, as he looked -in, "but he hopes your Highness will see him now as he can wait no -longer." - - - - - *CHAPTER V.* - - *AN INTERRUPTED FEAST.* - - -To Frobisher's _petit diner_ the same evening of that eventful day -ostensibly to meet the Shan of Koordstan, Lefroy came large and -flamboyant, with a vivid riband across his dazzling expanse of shirt and -a jewelled collar under his tie. There was an extra gloss on his black -moustache, his swagger was a little more pronounced than usual. He -looked like what he was--a strong man weighed down by not too many -scruples. - -There were less than a dozen men altogether, a couple of well-known -members of the Travellers', a popular K.C., and a keen, hatchet-faced -judge with a quiet manner and a marvellous faculty for telling dialect -stories. The inevitable politician and fashionable doctor completed the -party. As Lefroy and his secretary entered the drawing-room most of the -men were admiring a portfolio of Morland's drawings that Frobisher had -picked up lately. - -Hafid stepped noiselessly across the floor with a telegram on a salver. -Frobisher read it without the slightest sign of annoyance. - -"The Shan is not coming," he said. "Koordstan is indisposed." - -"So I gathered when I called professionally this afternoon," Dr. -Brownsmith said dryly. - -"Champagne," Frobisher laughed whole-heartedly. "All right, Sir James. -I won't question you too far. So white is not going to mate in three -moves this evening, Lefroy?" - -Lefroy shrugged his shoulders carelessly. The Shan of Koordstan was -safe for the present. He had seen to that. Manfred had dropped quietly -into a chair with just the suggestion of pain on his face. A -smooth-voiced butler announced that dinner was served. - -"Where does Frobisher get his servants from, Jessop?" Sir James -Brownsmith asked the judge, as the two strolled across the hall -together. "Now there's a model of a butler for you. His voice has a -flavour of old, nutty sherry about it. By Jove, what are those -flowers?" - -There were flowers everywhere, mostly arranged by Frobisher himself. In -the centre was a rough handful of green twigs bound together with a -silver cord, and the whole surmounted by a coil of the pinky-white -orchid with its fringe of trembling red moths. - -"Orchids," said the politician. "Something fresh, Frobisher? What do -you call it?" - -"The specimen is not named at present," Lefroy said meaningly. - -Frobisher glanced at the speaker and smiled. - -"Lefroy is quite right," he said. "The specimen lacks a name. It came -in the first place from Koordstan, and there were three spines of the -original plant. It is a freak, there never was anything like it before, -and there will probably never be one like it again. That self-same -orchid was very near to being the price of a kingdom once upon a time." - -"Only it is unfortunately impossible to tell the story," Lefroy -remarked. - -Once again Frobisher glanced at the speaker and smiled. Most of the -guests by this time were busy over their soup. They were not the class -of men to waste valuable sentiment over flowers. It was only Frobisher -who glanced from time to time lovingly at the Cardinal Moth. Manfred -seemed to avoid it altogether. He sat at the table eating nothing and -obviously out of sorts with his food. - -"I've a bilious headache, Sir Clement," he explained. "The mere sight -of food and smell of cooking makes me sick to the soul. Would you mind -if I sat in the drawing-room in the dark for a little time? I am -confident that the attack will pass off presently." - -"Anything you please, my dear fellow," Frobisher cried hospitably. "A -strong cup of tea! A glass of champagne and a dry biscuit? No? If you -ring the bell Hafid will attend to you." - -Hafid salaamed as he dexterously caught a meaning glance from Frobisher. -Lefroy brutally proclaimed aloud that a good dinner was utterly wasted -upon Manfred. Brownsmith with his mouth full of aspic was understood to -say something anent the virtues of bromide. So the dinner proceeded -with pink lakes of light on the table, the flowers and the cut glass and -quaint silver. And there were blossoms, blossoms everywhere, thousands -of them. Frobisher might have been a great scoundrel--that he was a man -of exquisite taste was beyond question. The elaborate dinner dragged -smoothly along, two hours passed, a silver chime proclaimed eleven -o'clock. - -The cloth was drawn at length, as the host's whim was, the decanters and -glittering glass stood on a brown glistening lake of polished oak, with -here and there a dash of fruit to give a more vivid touch of colour. -Hafid handed round a silver cigarette-box, a cedar cigar cabinette on -wheels was pushed along the table. Over the shaded electric lights a -blue wrack of smoke hung. The silver chime struck twelve. - -"Hafid; you have made Mr. Manfred comfortable?" Frobisher asked. - -Hafid replied that he had done all that a man could do. Mr. Manfred was -reclining in the dark near an open window. All the other servants but -himself had retired. The butler had seen that everything necessary was -laid out in the smoking-room. - -"Always send the servants to bed as soon as possible," Frobisher -explained. "What with the spread of modern journalism, I find it -necessary. You never know nowadays how far one's butler is interested in -the same stock that you are deeply dipped in. And a long-eared footman -has changed the course of diplomacy before now." - -"If everybody pursued the same policy, George," Baron Jessop murmured, -"I and my learned friends of the Bench would have more or less of a -sinecure." - -"And Lord Saltaur, yonder would not have lost a beautiful wife," Lefroy -said loudly. - -A sudden hush seemed to smite the table. Lord Saltaur whitened to his -lips under his tan; his long, lean hands gripped the edge of the table -passionately. His own domestic scandal had been so new, so painful, -that the whole party stood aghast at the brutality of the insult. - -"Frobisher," Saltaur said, hoarsely. "It is not pleasant to be insulted -by a blackguard----" - -"What was that word?" Lefroy asked quite sweetly. "My hearing may be a -trifle deficient, but I fancied his lordship said something about a -blackguard." - -Frobisher interfered as in duty bound. As a matter of fact he was -enjoying the situation. Lefroy had drunk deeply, but then he had seen -Lefroy's amazing prowess in that direction too many times for any fears -as to his ultimate equilibrium. No, Lefroy was playing some deep game. -As yet only the first card had been laid upon the table. - -"I think that the apology lies with you, Count," Frobisher said -tentatively. - -"A mere jest," Lefroy said, airily. "A _jeu d'esprit_. Lord Saltaur's -wife." - -"You hound!" Saltaur cried passionately. "Whatever I have been, you -might leave the name of a pure woman out of your filthy conversation. -If you don't apologise at once, I'll thrust your words down your throat -for you." - -A contemptuous reply came from Lefroy. There was a flash of crystal and -a glass shattered on the Count's dark face, leaving a star-shaped wound -on his cheek. A moment later and he and Saltaur were struggling -together like wild animals. Frobisher had so far forgotten himself as to -lean back in his chair as if this were a mere exhibition got up for his -entertainment. - -"Is this part of the evening's amusement, Sir Clement?" the judge asked -coldly. - -Frobisher realised his responsibilities with a sigh for his interrupted -pleasure. His civilisation was the thinnest possible veneer, a shoddy -thing like Tottenham Court Road furniture. - -"Come, you chaps must drop it," he cried. "I can't have you fighting -over my Smyrna carpet. Saltaur, you shall have your apology. Lefroy, do -you hear me?" - -Strong arms interfered, and the two men were dragged apart. Lefroy's -teeth glistened in a ghastly grin; there was a speck of blood on his -white shirt front. Saltaur's laboured breathing could be heard all over -the room. - -"I take you all to witness that it was no seeking of mine," he cried. -"I was foully insulted. In a few days all the world will know that I -have been made the victim of a discharged servant's perjury. Frobisher, -I am still waiting for my apology." - -Lefroy paused and passed his handkerchief across his face. He seemed to -have wiped the leering expression from it. He looked a perfect picture -of puzzled bewilderment. - -"What have I done?" he asked. "What on earth have I said?" - -"Beautiful," Frobisher murmured. "Artistic to a fault. What is he -driving at?" - -Baron Jessop explained clearly and judiciously. He was glad to have an -opportunity of doing so. Viewing the thing dispassionately, he was bound -to say that Count Lefroy had been guilty of a grave breach of good -taste. But he was quite sure that under the circumstances---- - -"On my honour, I haven't the slightest recollection of it," Lefroy -cried. "If there is one lady of my acquaintance I honour and respect it -is Lady ---- the charming woman whom Lord Saltaur calls his wife. A -sudden fit of mental aberration, my lord. An old wound in the head -followed by a spell in the sunshine. This is the third time the thing -has happened. The last time in Serbia nearly cost me my life. My dear -Saltaur, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart." - -"Funniest case I ever heard of," the puzzled Saltaur murmured. "All the -same, I'm deuced sorry I threw that wine glass at you." - -"Oh, so you chucked a wine glass at me! Laid my cheek open, too. Well, -I should have done exactly the same thing under the same circumstances. -From this night I touch nothing stronger than claret. If I'd stuck to -that, this wouldn't have happened." - -The good-humoured Saltaur muttered something in reply, the threads of -the dropped conversation were taken up again. Hafid, who had watched -the sudden quarrel with Oriental indifference, had gone off to the -conservatory for hot water to bathe Lefroy's damaged face. There was -just a lull for a moment in the conversation, a sudden silence, and then -the smash of a crystal vessel on a tiled floor and a strangled cry of -terror from Hafid. He came headlong into the room, his eyes starting, -his whole frame quivering with an ungovernable terror. - -"Mr. Manfred," he yelled. "Lying on the floor in the conservatory, -dead. Take it and burn it, and destroy it. Take it and burn it, and -destroy it. Take it----" - -Frobisher pounced upon the wailing speaker and clutched him by the -throat. As the first hoarse words came from Hafid the rest of the party -had rushed headlong into the orchid-house. Frobisher shook his servant -like a reed is shaken by a storm. - -"Silence, you fool!" he whispered. "You didn't kill the man, and I -didn't kill the man. If he is dead he has not been murdered. And it is -no fault of yours." - -"Allah knows better," Hafid muttered, sulkily. "You didn't kill him, and -I didn't kill him, but he is dead, and Allah will punish the guilty. -Take it and burn it, and----" - -"Idiot! Son of a pig, be silent. And mind, you are to know nothing. -You went to get the hot water from the orchid-house and saw Mr. Manfred -lying there. As soon as you did so you rushed in to tell us. Now come -along." - -The limp body of Manfred had been partly raised, and his head rested on -Sir James Brownsmith's knee. The others stood waiting for the verdict. - -"The fellow is dead," the great doctor said. "Murdered, I should say, -undoubtedly. He has been strangled by a coarse cloth twisted about his -throat--precisely the same way as that poor fellow was murdered at -Streatham the night before last." - -A solemn silence fell upon the group. Hafid stood behind, his lips -moving in silent speech: - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it. Take it and burn it, and destroy -it, for there is blood upon it now and ever." - -The drama was none the less moving because of its decorous silence. The -great surgeon knelt on the white marble floor of the orchid-house with -Manfred's head on his knee. Though Sir James Brownsmith's hand was -quite steady, his face was white as his own hair, or the face of the -dead man staring dumbly up to the tangle of ropes and blossoms overhead. -There the Cardinal Moth was dancing and quivering as if exulting over -the crime. A long trail of it had broken away, and one tiny cloud of -blossom danced near the surgeon's ear, as if trying to tell him the -tragedy and its story. - -"A ghastly business," the judge murmured. "How did the murderer get in -here?" - -"How did he get out?" Frobisher suggested. "There is no exit from here -at all. All the servants have been in bed long ago, and the front door -is generally secured, at least the latch is always down." - -"But what brought poor Manfred in here?" Saltaur asked. "I understood -from Hafid that he was lying down in the drawing-room. Oh, Hafid! Wake -up, man!" - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," Hafid said mechanically. - -Frobisher shook him savagely, shook the dreamy horror off him like a -garment. He was sorry, he said, but he could tell the excellent company -nothing. A quarter of an hour before and Mr. Manfred had appeared to be -asleep on the drawing-room sofa. Hafid had asked him if he needed -anything, and he had made no reply. - -"Very strange," Sir James murmured, still diagnosing the cruel stranded -pattern about the dead man's throat. "Perhaps Count Lefroy--where is -the Count?" - -"He went back into the dining-room," said Saltaur. - -Frobisher brought his teeth together with a click. For the moment he -had quite forgotten Count Lefroy. He passed from the library and into -the dining-room. Lefroy stood by the great shining table close against -the fluttering pyramid of red moths, a thin-bladed knife in his hands. - -"And what might you be doing?" Frobisher asked softly. - -Lefroy smiled somewhat bitterly. He was perfectly self-possessed with -the grip of the man who knows how to hold himself in hand. And he -smiled none the less easily because there was murder raging in his -heart. - -"I am cutting my nails," he said. - -"Oh, I'll cut your claws for you!" Frobisher said. "Don't do that, what -will your manicure artist say? And a social superiority (feminine) -tells me that you have the finest hand of any man in London. You are -unhinged, my dear Count. This little affair----" - -"This cold-blooded murder you mean. Oh, you scoundrel!" - -Lefroy had dropped the mask for a moment. There was contempt, loathing, -horror in the last few words. Frobisher, counting the nodding swarm of -crimson moths, merely smiled. - -"Twenty-seven, thirty-one, thirty-nine," he said. "You haven't stolen -any of my flowers yet. Not a bad idea of yours to purloin a cluster, and -send it to our tin Solomon yonder, as an earnest of good intentions -later on. And why do you call me scoundrel?" - -"You are the most infernal villain that ever breathed." - -"Well, perhaps I am. It is very good of you to admit my superior -claims, dear Lefroy. But I am getting old, and you may live to take my -place some day. Why----" - -"Why did you kill Manfred?" - -"My dear fellow, I didn't kill Manfred. You think he has been murdered -in the ordinary sense of the word. Manfred has not been murdered, and -nobody will ever be hanged for the crime. That you may take my word -for. It is the vengeance of the Crimson Moth, death by visitation of -God; call it what you will. And it might have been yourself." - -Frobisher's whole manner had changed, his eyes were gleaming evilly as -he hissed the last words warningly in Lefroy's ear. The latter changed -colour slightly. - -"I don't understand what you mean," he stammered. - -"And yet you are not usually slow at understanding. I repeat that it -might have been yourself. If you had attempted the raid of the Cardinal -Moth, instead of Manfred, you would have been lying at the present -moment with your head on Brownsmith's knees, and the mark of the beast -about your throat." - -"And if I tell those fellows yonder what you say?" - -"You are at liberty to say anything you please. But you are not going to -say anything, my dear Lefroy; you are too fine a player for that. You -are going to wait patiently for your next innings. Come back to the -others. And perhaps I had better lock this door." - -Lefroy, like a wise man, accepted the inevitable. But the rest of the -party were no longer in the orchid-house. They had carried the dead man -to the back dining-room, where they had laid him out on a couch. -Frobisher rang up the nearest police-station on the telephone with the -request that an inspector should be sent for at once. - -"By gad, this is a dreadful thing, don't you know!" Saltaur said with a -shudder. "Fancy that poor fellow being murdered whilst we were -wrangling in the dining-room. I suppose there is no doubt that it is -murder, doctor?" - -"Not the shadow of a doubt about it," Sir James replied. "Poor Manfred -must have been admiring the flowers when the assassin stepped behind him -and threw that coarse cloth over his head. A knee could be inserted on -his spine, and the head forced backwards. The cloth must have been -twisted with tremendous force. It is quite a novel kind of murder for -England." - -"Oh, then you have heard of something of the same kind before?" -Frobisher asked. - -"In India, frequently. I had a chance to examine more than one victim -of Thugee, yonder. You remember what a scourge Thugism used to be in -India some years ago. A Thug killed Manfred, I have not the slightest -doubt about it." - -"But there are no Thugs in England," the judge protested. - -"My dear fellow, I have had an unfortunate demonstration to the -contrary. And this crime is not necessarily the work of a native. -Thugee is not dead in India yet, and some white scoundrel might have -learnt the trick. Your own servant, Hafid----" - -"A robust bluebottle would make a formidable antagonist for Hafid," -Frobisher interrupted. "Hafid, somebody is ringing the bell. If it's a -policeman, ask him in." - -Inspector Townsend came in, small, quiet, soft of manner, and -undoubtedly dressed in Bond Street. He listened gravely to all that -Frobisher and Brownsmith had to say, and then he asked permission to -view the body, and subsequently examine the premises. - -A close search of the house only served to deepen the mystery. All the -servants slept on the top floor, and that part of the house was bolted -off every night after the domestic staff had retired. This was a whim of -Sir Clement's, a whim likely to increase his unpopularity in case of -fire, but at present that was a secondary consideration. There was no -exit from the orchid-house, no windows had been left open, and despite -the fact that there were guests in the house, the front-door latch had -been dropped quite early in the evening. A rigid cross-examination of -Hafid led to no satisfactory result. The man was almost congealed with -terror and shock, but it was quite obvious that he knew nothing whatever -about the mystery. - -"There will be an inquest to-morrow at twelve, Sir Clement," Townsend -said. "It will probably be a mere formal affair at which you gentlemen -will be present. Good night, sirs." - -"We had better follow the inspector's example," Lefroy cried. "Good -night, Frobisher." - -"My dear fellow, I wish you a cordial adieu," Frobisher cried. "And I -can only regret that our pleasant evening has had so tragic a -termination. Townsend, you have locked up the back dining-room and taken -the key? Good! I want no extra responsibility." - -The big hall-door closed behind the last of them. Frobisher took Hafid -firmly by the collar and led him into the orchid-house. - -"Now, you rascal," he asked, "what on earth do you mean by it?" - -"Take it and destroy it, and burn it," Hafid wailed, with a wriggling of -his body. He seemed to be trying to shake off something loathsome. "Oh, -master, what is to become of us?" - -"You grovelling, superstitious fool," Frobisher said lightly. "Nothing -will become of us. Nobody knows anything, nobody will ever know anything -as long as you remain silent. We haven't murdered anybody!" - -"Allah looking down from Paradise knows better than that, master!" - -"Well, he is not likely to be called in as a witness," Frobisher -muttered grimly. "I tell you nothing has happened that the law can take -the least cognisance of. Mind you, I didn't know that things would go -quite so far. When I rang up the curtain it was comedy I looked for, -not tragedy. Take the key and go into the dining-room. Remove those -orchids and burn them, taking care that you destroy thirty-nine of the -red flowers. Then you can go to bed." - -Hafid recoiled with unutterable loathing on his face. - -"I couldn't do it," he whispered. "I couldn't touch one of those -accursed blossoms. Beat me, torture me, turn me into the street to -starve, but don't ask me to do that, master. I dare not." - -He cowered abjectly at Frobisher's feet. With good-humoured contempt -the latter kicked him aside. "Go to bed," he said. "You are a greater -coward than even I imagined. Put the lights out, and I'll go to bed -also." - -The lights were carefully put out, except in the smoking-room, where -Frobisher sat pondering over the strange events of the evening. He was -not in the least put out or alarmed or distressed; on the contrary, he -looked like a man who had been considerably pleased with an interesting -entertainment. For Manfred he felt neither sorrow nor sympathy. - -He did not look fearfully round the room as if half expecting to see the -shadow of Manfred's assassin creeping upon him. But he smiled in his -own peculiar fashion as the door opened and a white-robed figure came -in. It was Angela with her fine hair about her shoulders and a look of -horror in her eyes. - -"So you've found out all about it," Sir Clement said. "I'm sorry, -because it will spoil your rest. How did you come to make the -discovery?" - -"I had just come in," Angela explained. "I let myself in with my -latchkey. I did not come near you because I could hear that you were -entertaining company, so I went straight to bed. Then I heard Hafid's -cry, and I came to the head of the stairs where I could hear -everything." - -"You mean to say that you stood there and listened?" - -"I couldn't help it. So far as I could judge there was an assassin in -the house. Just for the moment I was far too frightened to move. That -raving madman might have come for me next." - -"Well, you can make your mind quite easy on that score. As you know, -the whole house has been most thoroughly searched from top to bottom, -and there is nobody here but the servants and ourselves now. If I were -you I should keep out of it. Go to bed." - -Sir Clement barked out the last few words, but Angela did not move. - -"There will be an inquest, of course?" she asked. - -"Oh, Lord, yes! The papers will reek of it, and half the reporters in -London will look upon the place as a kind of public-house for the next -week. Take my advice and keep out of it. You know nothing and you want -to continue to know nothing, so to speak." - -"But I am afraid that I know a great deal," Angela said slowly. "When I -came in I was going into the conservatory to place a flower that I had -given me to-night. It is a flower that I am likely to be interested in -another time. And there I saw a strange man walking swiftly the same -way. From his air and manner he was obviously doing wrong. My idea was -to follow and stop him. And when I reached the conservatory, to my -intense surprise, he was nowhere to be seen." - -Frobisher bent down to fill his pipe. There was an evil, diabolical -grin, so malignant, and yet so gleeful, as to render the face almost -inhuman. - -"It may be of importance later on," he said. "Meanwhile, I should keep -the information to myself. Now go to bed and lock your door. I'm going -to finish my pipe in my dressing-room." - -Frobisher snapped out the lights, leaving the house in darkness. For -once in her life Angela did lock her door. She could not sleep; she had -no desire for bed and yet her eyes were heavy and tired. She pulled up -the blind and opened the window; out beyond, the garden was flooded with -moonlight. As Angela stood there she seemed to see a figure creeping -from one bush to another. - -"It is my fancy," she told herself. "I could imagine anything to-night. -And yet I could have been certain that I saw the figure of a man." - -Angela paused; it was no fancy. A man crept over the grass and looked -up at the window as if he were doing something strictly on the lines of -conventionality. To her amazement Angela saw that the intruder was in -evening dress, and that it was Harold Denvers. - -"Harold," she whispered. "Whatever are you doing there?" - -"I came on the chance," was the reply. "I have heard strange things -to-night, and there is something that I must know at once. I was going -to try and rouse you with some pebbles. Dare you go down to the -garden-room window and let me in? Darling, it is a matter of life or -death, or I would not ask." - -Angela slipped down the stairs noiselessly, and opened the window. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI.* - - *A BIT OF THE ROPE.* - - -Sir James Brownsmith thought that on the whole he would walk home from -Piccadilly to Harley Street. The chauffeur touched his hat, and the car -moved on. The eminent surgeon had ample food for reflection; it seemed -to him that he was on the verge of a great discovery. Somebody accosted -him two or three times before he came back to earth again. - -"That you, Townsend?" he asked, abruptly. "You want to speak to me? -Certainly. Only as I am rather tired to-night if you will cut it as -short as possible, I shall be glad." - -"I am afraid I can't, Sir James," Inspector Townsend replied. "Indeed I -was going to suggest that I walked as far as your house and had a chat -over matters." - -Sir James shrugged his shoulders, and Harley Street was reached almost -in silence. In the small consulting-room the surgeon switched on a -brilliant light and handed over cigars and whisky and soda. - -"Now go on," he said. "It's all about to-night's business, I suppose?" - -"Precisely, sir. You've helped us a good many times with your wonderful -scientific knowledge, and I dare say you will again. This Piccadilly -mystery is a queer business altogether. Do you feel quite sure that the -poor fellow was really murdered, after all?" - -Brownsmith looked fixedly at the speaker. He had considerable respect -for Townsend, whose intellect was decidedly above the usual Scotland -Yard level. Townsend was a man of imagination and a master of theory. -He went beyond motive and a cast of a footmark--he was no rule-of-thumb -workman. - -"On the face of it I should say there can be no possible doubt," said -Sir James. - -"Murdered by strangulation, sir? The same as that man at Streatham. As -you have made a careful examination of both bodies you ought to know?" - -"Is there any form of murder unknown to me, Townsend?" Sir James asked. -"Is there any trick of the assassin's trade that I have not mastered?" - -"Oh, I admit your special knowledge, sir! But it's a trick of mine to -be always planning new crimes. I could give you three ways of -committing murder that are absolutely original. And I've got a theory -about this business that I don't care to disclose yet. Still, we can -discuss the matter up to a certain point. Both those men were -destroyed--or lost their lives--in the same way." - -"Both strangled, in fact. It's the Indian Thug dodge. But you know all -about that, Townsend?" - -"We'll admit for the moment that both victims have been destroyed by -Thugee. But isn't it rather strange that both bodies were found in -close juxtaposition to valuable orchids? We know, of course, that Sir -Clement's orchids are almost priceless. The Streatham witness, -Silverthorne, says that a very rare orchid was recently placed in the -Lennox conservatory. Now, isn't it fair to argue that both murdered men -lost their lives in pursuit of those orchids?" - -Sir James nodded thoughtfully. He had forgotten the Cardinal Moth for -the moment. - -"I see you have pushed your investigations a long way in this -direction," he said. "This being so, have you ascertained for a fact -that the Lennox nursery really contained nothing out of the common in -the way of Orchidacae? You know what I mean." - -"Quite so, sir. That I have not been able to ascertain because the -proprietor of the Lennox nursery has no special knowledge of his trade. -His great line is cheap ferns for the London market. But he says a -gentleman whom he could easily recognise left him an orchid to look -after--a poor dried-up stick it seemed to be--with instructions to keep -it in a house not too warm, where it might remain at a small rent till -wanted." - -"Oh, indeed! You are interesting me, Townsend. Pray go on." - -"Well, Sir James, I wanted to see the flowers after the murder, not that -I expected it to lead to anything at that time. Seeing what has -happened this evening, it becomes more interesting. Would you believe -it, sir, that the flower in question was gone?" - -"You mean that it had been stolen? Really, Townsend, we seem to be on -the track of something important." - -"Yes, Sir James, the flower had gone. Now, what I want to know is -this--has Sir Clement Frobisher added anything special to his collection -lately?" - -Sir James shot an admiring glance at his questioner. Seeing that he was -working almost entirely in the dark, Townsend had developed his theory -with amazing cleverness. - -"It's a treat to work with you," the great surgeon said. "As a matter -of fact, Sir Clement had got hold of something that struck me as -absolutely unique. It's a flower called the Cardinal Moth. A flower on -a flower, so to speak; a large cluster of whitey-pink blossoms with -little red blooms hovering over like a cloud of scarlet moths. Sir -Clement is very pleased about it." - -"From what you say I gather that he has not had it long, sir?" - -"Oh, I should say quite recently! But you are not going to tell me that -you suspect Frobisher?" - -"At present, I don't suspect anybody, though Sir Clement is an -unmitigated rascal who would not stop at any crime to serve his own -ends. I don't go so far as to say that he had a hand in the business, -but I do say that he could tell us exactly how the tragedy took place." - -Sir James shot an admiring glance in the direction of the speaker. -Frobisher's elfish interest in the crime, and his amazing _sang-froid_ -under the circumstances, had struck the surgeon unpleasantly. Townsend -looked reflectively into the mahogany depths of his whisky and soda. - -"It's one thing to know that, and quite another to make a man like Sir -Clement speak," he said. "I am more or less with you, sir, over the -Thugee business, but was the crime committed with a rope? I shall not -be surprised to find that it was done with a bramble, something like -honeysuckle or the like. But at the same time as you seemed so certain -about the rope, why----" - -Townsend waved his hand significantly. Sir James rose and unlocked a -safe from which he produced an envelope with some fibrous brown strands -in it. These he placed under a powerful microscope. - -"Now, these I took from the throat of the poor fellow who was killed at -Streatham," he explained. "I was rather bored by the case when you -called me in first, and even up to the time I gave my evidence at the -inquest. After the inquest was over I examined the body over again, and -I confess that my interest increased as I proceeded. After what you -have just told me I am completely fascinated. I made a most careful -examination of the dead man's neck once, and had discovered that he had -died of strangulation, and bit by bit I collected these. They are -fibres of the rope with which the crime was done." - -Townsend nodded so far as Sir James had proved his case. - -"Have you done as much with the poor fellow at Sir Clement's residence?" -he asked. - -"No, but I shall do so in the morning. This is a curious sort of stuff, -Townsend, and certainly not made in England. It is not rope or cord in -our commercial sense of the word, but a strong Manilla twist of native -fibre. Thus we are going to introduce a foreign element into the -solution." - -Townsend smiled as he produced a little packet from his pocket and laid -it on the table. - -"You are building up my theory for me, wonderfully, sir," he said. "I -also have something of the same sort here, only I have more than you -seem to have collected. Here is the same sort of fibre from Mr. -Manfred's collar-stud, so that he must have been strangled over his -collar, which means a powerful pressure. I didn't think it possible for -human hands to put a pressure like that, but there it is." - -"My word, we've got a powerful assassin to look for!" Sir James -exclaimed. "Like you, I should not have deemed it possible. Did you -find all that on Manfred's collar-stud?" - -"Not all of it, sir. The collar-stud was bent up as if it had been a -bit of tinfoil. But I found the bulk of this under the dead man's -finger-nails. They are long nails, and doubtless in the agony of -strangulation they clutched frantically at the cord. I am quite sure -that you will find this fibre to be identical with that which you took -from the neck of the Streatham victim." - -"And this caretaker you speak of. Is he a respectable man? -Silverthorne you said his name was, I fancy." - -"That's the man, sir. He has been in his present employ for -one-and-twenty years, a hard-working, saving man, with a big family. Oh, -I should take his word for most things that he told me!" - -Sir James revolved the problem slowly in his mind, as he inhaled his -cigarette smoke. If the Lennox nursery had been deliberately made the -centre of a puzzling murder mystery, it was quite sure that neither the -nursery proprietor nor his man knew anything whatever about it. And yet -it had been necessary, for some reason, that a glass-house should play -an important part, for both murders had taken place under glass, and -both suggested that the orchid was at the bottom of it. Again, Townsend -was not the kind of man to make reckless statements, and when he boldly -averred that Sir Clement Frobisher could tell all about it if he liked, -he had assuredly some very strong evidence to go upon. A great deal -depended upon the analysis of the red, liquid stain on the fibre taken -by Townsend from the body of Manfred. - -"If these little bits of stuff could speak what tales they could tell," -Sir James said, as he carefully locked up both packets of fibre. I'll -get up an hour earlier in the morning and have a dig at these, Townsend. -And meanwhile as my days are busy ones, and it's past one o clock, I -shall have to get you to finish your drink and give me your room instead -of your company. - -Townsend took the hint and his hat and retired. But though Sir James had -expressed his intention of retiring almost immediately, he stretched out -his hand for another cigarette and lighted it thoughtfully. Was it -possible, he wondered, if Sir Clement Frobisher really could solve the -mystery? And had he anything to do with it? Not directly, Sir James -felt sure; Frobisher was not that kind of man. He was much more likely -to get the thing done for him. He was secretive, too, over the Cardinal -Moth; he had behaved so queerly over that business of Count Lefroy and -his insult of Frobisher's guest. Brownsmith pitched his cigarette into -the grate, and switched off the electric light impatiently. - -"Why should I worry my head about it?" he muttered. "I'll go to bed." - - - - - *CHAPTER VII.* - - *A GRIP OF STEEL.* - - -Sir Clement had not gone to bed yet. He sat over a final pipe in his -dressing-room, the fumes of the acrid tobacco lingered everywhere. The -owner of the house leant back, his eyes half closed, and the smile on -his face suggestive of one who is recalling some exquisite comedy. A -shocking tragedy had been enacted almost under his very eyes, and yet -from Frobisher's attitude the thing had pleased him, he was not in the -least disturbed. - -He began to kick off his clothing slowly, the filthy clay pipe between -his lips. He touched a bell, and Hafid slid into the room. There was -terror in his eyes enough and to spare. He might have been a detected -murderer in the presence of his accuser. He trembled, his lips were -twitching piteously, there was something about him of the rabbit trying -to escape. - -"Well, mooncalf," Frobisher said with bitter raillery. "Well, my -paralytic pearl of idiots. Why do you stand there as if somebody was -tickling your midriff with a bowie knife?" - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," Hafid muttered. The man was -silly with terror. "Take it and burn it, and destroy it." - -"Oh, Lord, was there ever such a fool since the world began?" Frobisher -cried. "If you make that remark again I'll jamb your head against the -wall till your teeth chatter." - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," Hafid went on mechanically. -"Master, I can't help it. My tongue does not seem able to say anything -else. Let me go, send me away. I'm not longer to be trusted. I shall -run wild into the night with my story." - -"Yes, and I shall run wild with my story in the day-time, and where will -you be then, my blusterer? What's the matter with the man? Has anybody -been murdered?" - -"No," Hafid said slowly, as if the words were being dragged out of him. -"At least, the law could not say so. No, master, nobody has been -murdered." - -"Then what are you making all this silly fuss about? Nobody has been -murdered but an inquisitive thief who has accidentally met with his -death. Other inquisitive thieves are likely to meet with the same fate. -Past master amongst congenial idiots, go to bed." - -Frobisher shouted the command backed up by a sounding smack on the side -of Hafid's head. He went off without sense or feeling; indeed, he was -hardly conscious of the blow. Frobisher sat there smiling, sucking at -the marrow of his pipe, and slowly preparing for bed. His alertness and -attention never relaxed a moment, his quick ears lost nothing. - -"Who's moving in the house?" he muttered. "I heard a door open softly. -When people want to get about a house at dead of night it is a mistake -to move softly. The action is suspicious, whereas if the thing were -openly done, one doesn't trouble." - -Frobisher snapped out the lights and stood in the doorway, rigid to -attention. Presently the darkness seemed to rustle and breathe, there -was a faint suggestion of air in motion, and then silence again. -Frobisher grinned to himself as he slipped back into his room. - -"Angela," he said softly; "I could detect that faint fragrance of her -anywhere. Now what's she creeping about the house at this time for? If -she isn't back again in a quarter of an hour I shall proceed to -investigate. My cold and haughty Angela on assignation bent! Oh, oh!" - -Angela slipped silently down the broad stairway, utterly unconscious of -the fact that she had been discovered. She was usually self-contained -enough, but her heart was beating a little faster than usual. In some -vague way she could not disassociate this visit of Harold's from the -tragedy of the earlier evening. And to a certain extent Harold was -compromising her, a thing he would have hesitated to do unless the need -had been very pressing. By instinct Angela found her way to the -garden-room window, the well-oiled catch came back with a click, and -Harold was in the room. They wanted no light, the moon was more than -sufficient. Harold's face was pale and distressed in the softened rays -of light. - -"My dearest, I had to come," he whispered in extenuation. "It was my -only chance. I could not possibly enter Sir Frobisher's house by -legitimate means, and yet at the same time it is important that I should -see certain things here. If I could only tell you everything!" - -"Tell me all or as little as you like," Angela whispered. "I can trust -you all the same." - -"It is good to hear you say that, Angela. It was wrong of me to come, -and yet there was no other way. Did you show Sir Clement those blossoms -that I gave you?" - -"My dear, there was no possible chance. I placed the spray in the -conservatory, intending to give my guardian a pleasant surprise -to-morrow, and then the tragedy happened. But of course you know -nothing of that." - -"Indeed I do, Angela. I know all about it. Jessop, the judge, who dined -here to-night, came into the club full of it. Manfred, Count Lefroy's -secretary, wasn't it?" - -"The same man. I cannot understand it. Harold. There was a man in the -conservatory, or rather there was a man going towards the conservatory, -who had no business there. Anybody could see that from his manner. My -idea was to place the spray there and to ask the intruder what he was -doing. When I reached the conservatory the place was empty. Absolutely -empty, and yet I had seen the man enter! There is no exit either. I -went back to my room not knowing what to think. And shortly afterwards -I heard Hafid cry out. From the top of the stairs I heard all that was -going on. And the man who had been strangled in the conservatory was -the very man I had seen." - -Denvers said nothing for the moment. He was breathing hard and his face -was pale with horror. Angela could feel his hand trembling as she laid -her own upon it. - -"I think you understand," she whispered. "I fancy that you know. -Harold, tell me what all this strange mystery means." - -"Not yet," Denvers replied. "You must wait. Nobody ever heard the like -of it before. And so long as you are under the same roof as--but what -am I talking about? But this much I may say: the whole horrible problem -revolves round the Cardinal Moth." - -"Round the flower that you gave me to-night, Harold! And that so -innocent looking and beautiful." - -"Well, there it is. I have been on the fringe of it for some time. -Angela, you must give me back that spray of blossom, you must not -mention it to Sir Clement at all. And now I must have a look into the -conservatory, indeed I came on purpose." - -"You came expecting to find something, a clue to the mystery there?" - -"Well, yes, if you like to put it that way," Denvers murmured, avoiding -Angela's eyes for the first time. "I had a plant of that Cardinal Moth -which I deemed safely hidden in Streatham. Why I had to hide it I will -tell you in due course. It had a great deal to do between myself and -the Shan of Koordstan, with whom I hoped to do important business. I -mentioned it to him and he showed me a paragraph in a paper which for -the moment has scattered all my plans. As soon as I read that paragraph -I felt certain that my Moth had been stolen, though it cost one life to -get it. When I heard of the tragedy here to-night, I was absolutely sure -as to my facts. Angela, my Moth is in the conservatory here, and -Manfred lost his life trying to steal it for somebody else." - -Angela listened with a vague feeling that she would wake presently and -find it all a dream. A new horror had been added to the house in the -last few minutes. - -"Let us hope you are wrong," she said with a shudder. "Come and see at -once. But what do you propose to do if you find that your suspicions -are correct?" - -Denvers hardly knew; he had had no time to think that part out. He -reached out to find a switch for the light, but Angela's gentle hand -detained him. - -"The moon must suffice," she said. "Sir Clement has eyes like a hawk. -What's that?" - -A thud in the hall followed by an unmistakable cry of pain. It was only -just for an instant, and then there was silence again. Angela drew her -lover back into the shadow of the curtain. - -"That was Sir Clement," she whispered. "Whether he has found me out, or -has merely come down for something, I can't say. Probably he kicked -against something in the dark. Harold!" - -For Harold had darted out from the curtain and gripped something that -looked like a shadow. As he dragged his burden forward the moon shone -on the dull features of Hafid. Taken suddenly as he had been, he did -not display the slightest traces of fear. - -"My beautiful mistress is watched," he said smoothly. "I came to warn -her. Sir Clement has gone up to his dressing-room for his slippers. He -struck his illustrious toe against a marble table and----" - -"Then follow him and lock him in," Harold said hurriedly. "Do that and -you shall not be forgotten. Lock the dressing-room door whilst you are -pretending to look for the slippers." - -"You could do me no greater service," Angela whispered sweetly. - -Hafid hastened off as noiselessly as a cat. There was nothing short of -murder that he would not have done for Angela. There was no light in -Frobisher's dressing-room, by the aid of the moon he was fumbling for -his slippers. He turned as Hafid entered. - -"My master was moving and I heard him," Hafid said. "Is there anything -that I can do?" - -"Yes," Frobisher said crisply. "You can hunt round and find my -confounded slippers. That fool of a man of mine never puts things in -the same place twice." - -Hafid came back presently with the missing articles. The key of the -dressing-room was in his pocket, he slipped through the bedroom and -locked that door also. Frobisher stood listening a minute or two with a -queer, uneasy grin on his face. Evidently this little accident had not -frightened the game away. He turned the handle softly, but with no -effect. He shook the door passionately. Something seemed to have gone -wrong with the lock. That Hafid should have dared to play such a trick -never for one moment entered Frobisher's mind. With his well-trained -philosophy Frobisher sat down and filled his pipe. What a woman had done -safely once, she was certain to attempt again, he argued, perhaps try -and attempt a better move. And there were other light nights before the -moon had passed the full. Denvers stood listening, but no further sound -came. The attempt must be made now or never. - -"Show me the conservatory," he whispered. "There are long folding steps, -of course? Then you can stay in the doorway till I have finished, My -darling, I am truly sorry to expose you to all this, but----" - -Angela led the way. It was fairly light in the great glass tank with -its tangle of blooms, but as Denvers entered a great gush of steam shot -up from the automatic pipe and filled the dome with vapour. Harold -quickly drew the long steps to the centre and mounted. He disappeared -in the mist and was quickly lost amongst the tangle of ropes and -blossoms. He had to wait for the periodical cloud of vapour to pass -away before he could make a searching examination. So far as Angela -could see, nobody was in the roof at all, it was as if Denvers had -disappeared, leaving no trace behind. - -There was another gush of steam followed by a shower of falling -blossoms, and a quick cry of pain from the dome. As Angela darted -forward the cry of pain came again, there was a confused vision of a -struggling figure, and then Denvers came staggering down the steps -holding his right arm to his side, his face bedabbled with a moisture -that was caused by something beyond the heated atmosphere. - -"What has happened?" Angela asked hurriedly. "Have you had an accident -with your arm?" - -Denvers stood there gasping and reeling for a moment. The steam had all -evaporated now, and there was nothing to be seen in the dome but a -tangle of blossoms on their rigid cords. At Denvers' feet lay a spray -of the Cardinal Moth. Despite his pain he placed it in his pocket. - -"Look here," he said hoarsely. "This is witchcraft. Somebody grasped -my arm, some unseen force clutched me. I managed to get away by sheer -strength, but look here." - -There was a ring of blood all round Denvers' wrist, the flesh had been -cut almost to the bone. It seemed almost impossible for a human hand to -grasp like that, but there it was. And up in the dome now there was -nothing to be seen but the tangled masses of glorious blooms. - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII.* - - *THE WEAKER VESSEL.* - - -Like most men of his class, Frobisher had a perfect knowledge of the art -of using others. To study their weakness was always the first stage of -the game, and therefore in an early stage of their acquaintance the -little baronet learnt the fact that Paul Lopez was criminally -extravagant with his money. How Lopez got rid of it Frobisher neither -knew nor cared, the weakness paid him, and there was an end of it. - -Therefore Frobisher paid his henchman liberally. There was no generosity -about it, nothing but policy. That was the secret of Lopez's life, and -beyond that Frobisher never attempted to penetrate. Perhaps he knew -that Lopez must not be pushed too far. - -Paul Lopez had contented himself with the result of his labours for the -day. He was a plain, simply-dressed man himself, and gave no suggestion -of a liking for the luxuries and good things of this life. All the -same, he was seated now at a most perfectly-appointed table, clad in -most immaculate evening-dress, and looking across a table in the centre -of which was a veritable bank of flowers. Two opal electric swans -floated upon what was meant to resemble a miniature lake, and these gave -the only light to the dinner-table. - -The dining-room was small but exquisitely furnished, for Lopez had a -pretty taste that way. There were no servants in the room now, for -coffee had been served, and Lopez was leaning back with the air of one -who has dined wisely and well. - -On the other side of the table a girl sat. She was slight and fair, -with a pretty, petulant face, the spoilt look not in the least -detracting from her Greuze-like beauty. Her eyes were the eyes of a -woman, and her expression that of a child. Lopez called her simply -Cara--not even his most intimate acquaintances knew her other name--and -she was popularly supposed to be the child of some dead and gone friend. -No daughter had ever had more care and love bestowed upon her than Cara, -she was the one soft spot in Lopez's life. Perhaps she cared for him in -a way; perhaps she had come to regard him and all these luxuries as a -matter of course; certain it was that Cara lacked nothing many times -when Lopez had to go without. - -There was a queer, half-ashamed look on his face now, as he pulled at -his cigarette. Cara had been scolding him, and he looked like a -detected schoolboy. - -"You have been gambling again," she said, sharply. "Why do you do it? -You would be a rich man by this time if you would only let those -wretched cards alone. And you always lose. You are so headstrong and -rash, you seem to lose your senses over the card-tables. And you -distinctly promised to take me to Pau this year." - -Lopez admitted the fact with a sigh. Nobody else under the sun would -have dared to speak to him as Cara was doing at this moment. It never -occurred to him to suggest that Cara might be doing something for a -living. He had promised her a good time at Pau, instead of which he had -been gambling, and had lost all his money. - -"No trouble at all getting cash," he murmured. - -Cara crushed a grape between her white, strong teeth. "That sounds very -pretty," she said. "But I have had no money for a week, and some of the -tradespeople are beginning to ask about their books. If I am to be -worried I shall go away. Did you get those tickets for the opera -to-morrow night?" - -Lopez nodded. He had not forgotten them; in fact, he never forgot -anything of that kind. He looked furtively at the clock, and Cara -sighed. - -"You are going out?" she demanded. "Which means that I am to have a -long, dull evening at home. I am sick of these long, dull evenings at -home." - -"How long since you had one?" Lopez asked, good-naturedly. "My dear, -there are few girls who have as good a time as you. And business must -be attended to. I have to go out for a little time, but I shall be back -by eleven o'clock. And when I come back I'll take you to the Belgrave to -supper." - -A little smile broke out on Cara's pretty, petulant face. Already she -was debating in her mind what dress she should wear. When Lopez made a -promise of that kind he always fulfilled it. Cara rose, and now gave -her guardian a loving embrace. She smiled engagingly as she lighted a -cigarette for him. - -"Then be off at once," she cried, "and then you will have no excuse for -being late. It will save time if I meet you at the Belgrave. You are -to get that little table opposite the door for 10.45. And you will wait -for me in the corridor." - -Cara issued her commands in the most imperial way, and Lopez listened -meekly. He had been used to command and make use of men all his -lifetime, but he never rebelled when Cara was concerned. He passed into -the road leading to Regent's Park presently, and hailed a passing taxi. -In the course of time he was set down at the corner of Greenacre Street. - -A little way down that quiet, dignified thoroughfare he stopped, and -took a latchkey from his pocket. The door of the house where he paused -was closed, a feeble light glimmered over the fan, everything looked -most quiet and respectable and decorous. - -In the hall was an umbrella-stand, two carved oak chairs and a Turkey -carpet. Beyond it was a dull baize door, and beyond that an inner hall -magnificently furnished. A gorgeous footman took Lopez's hat and coat, -and he proceeded to make his way up the marble staircase. There were -more baize doors, and as Lopez paused, the murmur of voices grew louder. -Lopez came at length to a magnificent double drawing-room, where the -electric lights were low and dim under crimson shades, and where a score -or two of men were gambling. There was a roulette-table, which was well -patronised, with tables for other games. There was no laughter or -badinage; from the players' faces the stakes were evidently high; -indeed, the proprietor of the Spades' Club looked with a cold eye upon -the gambler who preferred moderate stakes. The place was comparatively -new, and as yet the police had no idea of its establishment, and only a -favoured few knew where heavy play was to be found. - -Lopez helped himself to an excellent cup of coffee and a liqueur, and -stood smoking placidly, and waiting for a chance to join the -roulette-table. Most of the men round were well known to him as great -lights in the world of fashion, who were killing an hour or so after -dinner before proceeding to one social function or another. They would, -most of them, return in the small hours. - -Another man was waiting, a little, lithe, active man, who suggested the -East. His dress was quite modern and Western, but his dark eyes and -dusky skin told their own tale. Lopez gently touched the spectator on -the shoulder, and he turned round sharply. - -"Haven't you been playing at all?" Lopez asked. - -"I had my turn," the other man said. "I'm dead out of luck, Lopez. I -shall have to help myself to some of my master's jewels if this goes -on." - -"Only unfortunately, he of Koordstan has already anticipated you," Lopez -laughed. "You will have to think of a better plan than that, Hamid -Khan." - -Hamid Khan smiled sourly. On the staff of the Shan and sent over on a -secret, political mission, the dark-eyed man was a deadly enemy of the -man he called his master. He had all the vices and extravagances of his -imperial employer, and he would have done anything for the wherewithal -to carry on the campaign. Lopez and he had been more or less friends -for many years, and many a piece of shady business had they transacted -together. - -"The Shan is hard up?" Lopez suggested. - -"The Shan is at the end of his resources," Hamid Khan growled. "Of -course, it is always possible for him to raise money on those -concessions. But for the present he's what you call hard up. Still, -he's not without brains, and he may be worth backing." - -"If I were you I should back him for all he is worth," Lopez said, as he -thoughtfully watched the rolling marble on the roulette-table. "I know -that you are in the opposite camp, and that you have elected to throw -your lot in with what is called the progressives in Koordstan. But the -man you want to make Shan is a friend of Russia, and the English -Government may not stand it. Besides, the present Shan is no fool, and -I happen to know that he is well advised here. If you can, get a grip on -him." - -"Oh, I've got the grip fast enough!" Hamid Khan said moodily. "Perhaps -I should like to do what you suggest, but I'm too deeply plunged to the -other side now. I am forcing the old man's hand now; I came over on -purpose. The Blue Stone----" - -Lopez suppressed a little cry. He affected not to be listening. - -"If you will favour me with your attention," Hamid Khan said stiffly. - -"My dear fellow, I beg your pardon. But red has turned up ten times in -succession, and I was counting up the theory of chance. Do you mean to -say the Shan had sold the Blue Stone?" - -It was cleverly done, and the shot was an admirable one. Hamid Khan -fell into the trap at once. - -"The Shan's not quite such a fool as that," he said. "If he did that -and the fact became public property he wouldn't be on the throne for a -week. But I happen to know that he hasn't got the stone at present, and -I'm going to work that fact." - -Lopez listened to all that Hamid had to say; indeed, he went further, -and made several suggestions as if he had been advising a friend in the -most disinterested manner possible. At the same time, he had learnt a -valuable piece of news, and he was trying to find some way to use it to -the best advantage. There came a gap in the table presently and Lopez -changed a handful of notes into counters. These notes were all the -money in his possession, but the fact troubled Lopez not at all. Once -the gambling fever possessed him, common sense went to the winds. - -He played on for some time with varying success, everything else -forgotten. He was fairly temperate at first, but the fever began to -turn in his veins, and he started gambling in earnest. Surely it was -time for black to have a turn after so marvellous a run of the red. But -according to scientific authorities, this is nothing to go by, and the -chances are quite equal even after a record run, and the end of an hour -saw the last of Lopez's gold-lettered counters swept with a careless -movement into the clutches of the bank, and he rose with a sigh. - -The proprietor of the club, a tall man, with the bland air of a cabinet -minister, came up to him and proffered his condolences. Lopez lighted a -cigarette with a steady hand. - -"I thought you were playing very well," the proprietor said. - -"Nobody plays very well at this game," Lopez said with a smile. "There -are some of England's best intellects gathered here, well knowing that -the odds are on the bank. And yet such is the egotism of the human -nature that every individual expects that he is going to be more -fortunate than his fellows, and get the best of a dead certainty. My -dear Bishop, if it came to a battle of wits between you and myself, the -disaster to you would be great. And yet we come here and you grow -richer and richer at our expense!" - -"If a small cheque is any good?" the other insinuated. - -"It would go the same way. Besides, I cannot stay to-night. I have a -call elsewhere. I am taking a lady to supper at the Belgrave, where -unhappily they give no credit. In the temporary insanity of the moment -I have gambled myself dry. A five-pound note----" - -The note was immediately forthcoming, with an urgent request that Lopez -would take what he liked. He took a further note, and rammed it -carelessly into his pocket. Hamid Khan rose at the same time from the -other side of the table, his dark eyes gleaming. He helped himself -somewhat liberally to champagne from the side-table. - -"You also, my friend," Lopez laughed. "Let us depart and console -ourselves upon the road. If you have not anything better to do walk -with me as far as the Belgrave. I can't ask you to join me, because it -is my privilege to be supping with a lady there. Come along." - -They passed presently into Piccadilly, and from thence by degrees -through Grosvenor Square. A great party was going on in one of the big -houses there, and the road was blocked with smart conveyances. The -lights shined on many lovely women, and Lopez carelessly admired them. -There was one lady in a car alone, a tall woman with a wonderfully -regular face and black hair glowing with diamonds. - -"My word, but she is lovely!" Hamid Khan exclaimed. "Who is she? Looks -English, but there is a decided suggestion of the East about her." - -"A wonderful woman," Lopez said. "Unless I am greatly mistaken, she is -going to be one of the big sensations of the world here. She is the -wife of Aaron Benstein, the financier. The old chap is in his dotage -now, and, of course, she married him for his money. As a matter of -fact----" - -Lopez broke off suddenly; he was going to say that he had known Mrs. -Benstein pretty intimately at one time, but there was no reason to tell -Hamid that much. The block of carriages broke up at once, and the -dazzling beauty with the diamonds in her hair was gone. - -"I know the name of Benstein," Hamid said. "He is the old man whom the -Shan has had so many dealings with lately. I shouldn't wonder----" - -It was the turn of Hamid to break off suddenly, and Lopez smiled. Under -the big portico of the Belgrave, the curiously-assorted couple parted. -Lopez lingered a moment to finish his cigarette. In an ordinary way he -watched the well-dressed crowd flutter up the steps. - -"By no means a bad night's work," he muttered. "I've picked up a piece -of priceless information, at least I hope so. Unless I am greatly -mistaken my dear little Cara is going to ruffle it with the best of them -at Pau yet." - - - - - *CHAPTER IX.* - - *A WORD TO THE WISE.* - - -A soldier of fortune like Lopez was not easily elated by the smiles of -the first goddess, but he felt on very good terms with himself as he -stood there finishing his cigarette. Most of the people who passed him -up the flight of marble steps were familiar to him, and Lopez amused -himself by marking them off one by one. He was in an indolent mood now, -but his glance grew brighter as a smartly-appointed motor-car drove up -and a lady alighted. - -She had no covering to her marvellous dead-black hair, though her dress -was hidden by a long wrap. She was quite alone, her air was absolutely -self-possessed as she looked around her. As she came up the steps she -became conscious of Lopez's presence. - -She smiled in a slow, languid way, and half held out her hand. "One -always meets you in unexpected places," she said. "The last time we -came together the conditions were very different to these." - -"That is quite true, Isa," Lopez said gravely. - -"Mrs. Benstein, if you please," the woman said, with not the faintest -trace of annoyance in her tones. The smile was almost caressing. "We -had better observe the proprieties. Do you remember the last time we -met, Paul Lopez?" - -Lopez bowed gravely. His mind had travelled back a long way. He had -never forgotten the marvellous beauty of this woman; it seemed strangely -heightened by the dress and the diamonds. - -"You were not Mrs. Benstein then," he said. - -"No. My ambitions did not lie in that direction. I had no liking for a -fortune ready made. I always made up my mind to carve out one for -myself. But since then I have learnt how hard it is for a woman to do -so." - -The great, dark eyes grew thoughtful for a moment, then the woman -laughed. - -"We are all puppets of fate," she went on, "even the strongest of us. I -am a philosopher, or at least I imagine myself to be one, so it comes to -the same thing. I am tired of the contemplation of my splendour, so I -am going to make use of it. I shall go into society." - -"I am quite sure you will go anywhere you please," Lopez said. - -"Yes," the woman spoke as if it were a matter of course. "To-morrow I -begin. The wife of Aaron Benstein, the money-lender. How they will -sneer and mock at me!" - -"And how they will envy you from the bottom of their shallow hearts!" - -Mrs. Benstein laughed as she walked up the shallow steps. - -"That will give salt to the dish," she said. "I came here to-night -because I was tired of my own company. Let us sup together and talk of -old times." - -Lopez was desolated, but he had to decline. There was a girl waiting for -him here, a simple girl who was not used to this kind of thing. It -seemed dreadfully rude, but Mrs. Benstein would have to excuse him. The -woman with the dark eyes smiled meaningly. - -"As you will," she said. "Then I will sup alone and study human nature -uninterrupted. Good night." - -She passed on to the grand salon where the band was playing, and -hundreds of soft-shaded lights played upon the banks of flowers and on -the jewels that glittered there; Cara had secured her favourite table, -and was busy looking over the menu when Lopez came up. - -"I began to think that something had happened," the girl said. "I -feared lest you had gambled all your money away." - -"So I did, as a matter of fact," Lopez said coolly, as he unfolded his -serviette. "I had to borrow ten pounds for the supper. But you need -not fear--the information I got was worth the price. Now let me see -what there is to eat." - -"Tell me what you have discovered," Cara demanded imperiously. - -"That I shall not do, my child," Lopez replied. "Suffice it, that you -have the benefit of my labours. Besides, it all refers to a closed -chapter in my life. I have found a way to put money in my purse, so -that you will ruffle it with the best of them at Pau." - -Cara smiled contentedly. She finished her meal presently, and then she -had time to study the other guests. It was always a fascination to her -to try and read the history of other people. As a rule, her guesses -were fairly shrewd, and when she was wrong Lopez corrected her. - -"Who are those people at the third table?" she asked. "The man looks -like a gentleman; he might have been in the army. But there is a -certain fierce swagger about him that tells a story. There is a man who -is rather cold-shouldered at his clubs. His wife is pretty, but -shallow, and not at all too straightforward. The boy with them is -dreadful. Probably rich, though." - -Lopez smiled as he lay back in his chair. - -"You are correct," he said. "That is Colonel Fairford and his wife. -They are the hero and heroine of that Lawton Lodge diamond scandal. Of -course nothing was ever proved, but we have our ideas. The Colonel -sticks to his clubs, but he has had a bad time there, and nobody will -play cards with him. The young man comes from Australia. He is rich at -present, but the Colonel will see that he does not long remain troubled -with superfluous cash." - -A gratified little smile played about the corners of Cara's mouth. - -"If the worst comes to the worst, I can call myself by a fancy name and -turn palmist," she exclaimed. "We are very clever people, you and I. -On the whole, the people here to-night are not particularly interesting. -Who is the lady with the glorious diamonds?" - -Cara indicated Mrs. Benstein sitting all alone, self-possessed and -languidly interested in all that was going on around her. - -"The recently-married wife of Aaron Benstein, the great financier," -Lopez explained. "The old man is more or less in his dotage, and they -say there is nothing that he will not do for his beautiful wife." - -"The diamonds are absolutely superb," Cara said. - -"Why should they not be? Benstein is supposed to have two-thirds of the -jewels of society in his charge at one time or another. That is the way -in which your high dame raises the wind. Most of those stones are kept -at Benstein's own house. Doubtless his wife knows all about them. -Then, if she wishes to wear this or that precious gem, why shouldn't -she?" - -Cara laughed merrily. Mrs. Benstein seemed to fascinate her. - -"It is no bad thing to be the wife of a big financier," she said. -"Those diamonds and emeralds together are absolutely superb. Who was -Mrs. Benstein?" - -Lopez was understood to say that she was a brilliant mystery. Nobody -quite knew where she came from, and nobody cared. But she was rich and -beautiful and clever, and if she made up her mind to play the game of -society, nobody could stop her. All this Lopez explained as he sipped -his liqueur. Cara took Mrs. Benstein in steadily. - -"She would make a good enemy," she said. "Who is the vulgar woman who is -having supper with that handsome man with the red beard?" - -"Oh, that is Lady Beachmore!" Lopez explained. "Beachmore is a man of a -good family, he has a good name, and his career as a soldier was an -honourable one. There are phases of human nature that beat me entirely, -Cara. A case like that makes me feel how little I know. Lady Beachmore -was on the variety stage, with nothing piquant about her but her -vulgarity. She is plain, she is horribly made up, and yet Beachmore -married her." - -"Is he a rich man?" - -"As things go, yes. He is one of the peers who has enough for his wants -and a little to spare, as the old song has it. Why did he marry her, -Cara?" - -Cara admitted that the problem was beyond her. Lady Beachmore was vulgar -enough, in all conscience; she talked loudly and she drank a great deal -of champagne. She was extravagantly dressed, but she wore no -ornaments--which was unusual in a woman of her class. - -"She ought to be smothered in stones," Cara said. - -"Bridge," Lopez explained sententiously. "Lady Beachmore is one of the -most reckless gamblers in society. Probably that is why she is -tolerated in good houses. Everybody knows what a gambler she is except -her husband. If I were to hazard a guess I should say that the -Beachmore jewels are all in the possession of Aaron Benstein." - -Cara nodded. The salon was gradually getting empty. Lord Beachmore -said something to his wife, who shook her head, and then he sauntered -slowly from the room. Lady Beachmore looked across to the seat where -Mrs. Benstein was reclining, and her coarse face grew red with anger. By -some kind of magnetic influence the eyes of the two women met, and the -former rose. She crossed over to Mrs. Benstein's table, a few low words -followed before Mrs. Benstein rose also. - -Her eyes were flashing and her breast was heaving. She made a motion -towards the jewels in her hair, and then seemed to change her mind. A -few of the low, angry words reached Lopez's ears. A sardonic smile was -on his lips. - -"A curious coincidence," he muttered. "She is actually wearing Lady -Beachmore's diamonds! Well, the information should prove valuable. I'll -go and see Frobisher to-morrow. The mere hint of what can be done -should be worth five hundred pounds." - -"What are you muttering about?" Cara asked impatiently. "Take me home, -I'm tired of all this light and glitter. Sometimes I wish that I had -never left the country. All the same, I would give a great deal to know -what those people are talking about." - - - - - *CHAPTER X.* - - *A WORD TO THE WISE.* - - -Sir Clement stood before a looking-glass in the library surveying -himself with a certain saturnine humour. He was just as fond of -analysing himself as other people, and he had just come to the -conclusion that there was a deal to be said from the Darwinian point of -view. - -"Is it the morning-coat or the top-hat?" he asked himself. "How -terribly like a dissipated old ape I look, to be sure! And yet in a -velvet dinner-jacket I am quite--well, picturesque. On the whole, that -is better than being handsome. Ah, somebody is going to suffer for this! -Come in." - -The door opened, and Paul Lopez came almost inaudibly into the room. -Not for a moment did Frobisher discontinue his critical examination. - -"I'm going to a garden-party," he explained. "I'm taking my womenfolk to -the Duchess's afternoon affair. I was just saying to myself that -somebody would have to suffer for this." - -Lopez dropped into a chair and lighted a cigarette quite coolly. - -"Nobody would suspect you of this personal sacrifice without some -ultimate benefit," he said. - -"Spoken like a book, my prince of rascals," Frobisher cried gaily. "I -see they have adjourned those two inquests again." - -The two men looked at one another and smiled. They were not pleasant -smiles, and Frobisher's teeth bared in a sudden grin that was not good -to see. He crossed to the table near which Lopez was seated, and began -to play with a cheque-book. - -"Artistic things, these," he said. "Observe the beauty of the -watermark, the fine instinct of the oblong; note the contrast between -the pale pink of the legend and the flaming red of the stamp. My Lopez, -a cheque, properly verified, and engagingly autographed, is veritably a -joyful thing." - -"A study in itself," Lopez said without emotion. "What are you after, -you rascal?" - -"My Lopez, you are taking liberties. I am a baronet of old creation, -whereas you are what you are." - -"Arcades ambo. You sent for me, and I am here; my time is money. Once -more, what are you driving at?" - -"I'm puzzled," Frobisher replied, still ogling his cheque-book lovingly. -"Frankly, I'm puzzled. If I were not so busy with the big things I'd -soon solve the little ones. Are you ever puzzled, Lopez?" - -"Occasionally," Lopez replied. "When people tell me the truth, for -instance. There was one man who had everything to gain by lying to me, -and he didn't do it. That was a tough job." - -Frobisher did not appear to be listening. With a pen in his hand he -wrote the words "Paul Lopez" on the top line of a cheque. The -cosmopolitan's eyes flashed for a moment. - -"Well, I am going to tell you the truth," Frobisher went on. "Such a -course under the circumstances will save me a lot of trouble. Mind you, -I am going to tell the absolute truth. You know all about the Shan of -Koordstan, of course. He promised me certain things, and now he is -trying to wriggle out of his bargain. At the same time, he wants to -complete it. There is some obstacle in the way because I am prepared to -pay him more money than any one else, and he wants all the cash he can -get. Now, if it were worth my while, I could get to the bottom of this -business very soon, but you don't want sprats on the hook that you have -baited for a whale. You must find this out for me." - -"And if I promise to find this out for you, what then?" - -Frobisher wrote the words "five hundred pounds" under the name of Paul -Lopez on the cheque and appended his queer, cramped signature. As he lay -back with a smile, Lopez coolly reached over, tore the cheque from the -counterfoil and placed it in his pocket. - -"Good," he said. "The money is already mine. I've had a few of your -cheques in my time, and I have earned every one of them. I have earned -this already." - -Frobisher displayed no surprise or emotion of any kind. Lopez was worth -his money, and he never boasted. The information needed would be cheap -at the price. He waited for Lopez to speak. - -"The Shan of Koordstan is generally hard up," the latter said. "He is a -precious rascal, too. I have already dogged and watched him because he -might be a profitable investment some day." - -"Precisely," Frobisher chuckled, "precisely as you have studied me. -Well, you are quite welcome to all the milk you can extract from this -cocoanut. You are interesting me, beloved spy." - -"Koordstan has been unlucky lately in his many dealings. The tribes are -fighting shy of him. And in the depths of his despair he found a friend -and philanthropist in Aaron Benstein. In other words, he must have -given Benstein really good security for his money. Mind, I am speaking -from personal knowledge." - -"You are earning your money," Frobisher croaked. "Do you know what the -security is?" - -"I know that it isn't the concession you are after, because there is -another game on over that. And Benstein is not likely to say anything, -nor is the Shan, for that matter. But one thing is wrapped up in -another, and there you are. Shall I show you how I have earned all that -cheque?" - -"Rascal, you are puzzling me. If Benstein had any kind of weakness----" - -"He has. He is the hardest man in London, the most clever and greedy -financier I know, and yet he has his weak point. He is old and his mind -is not what it was. And he has a young wife, a kind of beautiful slave -that he has purchased of recent years. The fellow is infatuated with -her to the verge of insanity. She has no heart and no brains, but -cunning and infinite beauty, to say nothing of an audacity that is -thoroughly Cockney in its way. I dare say you have seen her?" - -Frobisher nodded thoughtfully. Benstein's wife was one of the stars of -London. She kept a _queue_ of young men in her box, but no faint breath -of scandal touched her fair fame. Benstein was too old to run risks -like that. - -"We don't seem to be getting any further," Frobisher suggested. - -"Indeed! The subtle play of your mind is not in evidence to-day, and -perhaps the morning-coat has unsettled you. My friend, men tell their -wives everything--everything." - -"Not every man," Frobisher said, with one of his wicked grins. "I -don't, for instance." - -"If you did your wife wouldn't stay here for a day," Lopez said coolly. -"Pshaw, I don't mean things of that kind; I mean business things, -successful deals, how you have got the best of somebody else; in fact, -the swaggering boasting that man indulges in before the woman of his -choice. Not a single secret of that kind does Benstein keep from his -wife--he couldn't if he wanted to." - -"In other words, Mrs. Benstein has the secret that I would give a small -fortune to possess?" - -"Precisely. The game is in your own hands, _mon ami_. That woman is -trying to get into society. And, with her natural audacity and the -money she has behind her, she will succeed. In a year or so she will be -turning her back upon women who won't look at her now. Only up to now -she had got hold of the wrong leaders. But she is going to your -Duchess's to-day. The Duke is in Benstein's hands." - -"That's a good tip," Frobisher chuckled. "I'll get an introduction to -her." - -Lopez bent across the table and lowered his voice confidentially. - -"Get Lady Frobisher to take her up," he said. "Quite as great ladies -will be doing it before long. Mark my words, but Mrs. Benstein will be -the fashion some day. Nothing will keep her out. If your wife holds out -a helping hand--why, it seems to me that I shall have more than earned -my money." - -Frobisher lay back in his chair, and laughed silently. He was quite -satisfied that he had found a most profitable investment for his five -hundred pounds. In great good-humour he pressed cigarettes upon Lopez. - -"We are a fine couple," he said gaily. "With my brain to plot and yours -to weave, we might possess the universe. Again, it shall be done; Lady -Frobisher shall take up Mrs. Benstein. Lord, what a pleasant time I -shall have at luncheon!" - -He lay back in his chair chuckling and croaking long after Lopez had -departed. The second luncheon gong sounded before he rose and made his -way to the dining-room. Lady Frobisher, tall and slim and exquisitely -patrician, had already taken her place at the table. Angela came in a -moment later with a murmured apology for keeping the others waiting. - -"You have both been out?" Frobisher asked in his politest manner. -"Riding, eh? Is there anything new?" - -Lady Frobisher was languidly of opinion that there was nothing fresh. -Most people were looking fagged and worn out owing to the heat of the -season; she was feeling it herself. - -"It's a treat to see some suggestion of the open country," she said in -her languid way. "For instance, we met Harold Denvers. He was like a -whiff of the sea to us." - -Frobisher shot a lightning glance at Angela. Try as she would, she could -not keep the colour from her face. And in that instant Frobisher knew -the meaning of Angela's secret visit downstairs a night or two before. -Angela also knew that he guessed; the flame on her cheek grew almost -painful. - -"So he's back," Frobisher said, with a suppressed chuckle in his voice. -"Don't you ask him here." - -"As if he would come," Angela exclaimed indignantly. "I am sure Lady -Frobisher would not do anything of the kind. She would as soon ask that -impossible Benstein woman!" - -A queer light flamed into Frobisher's eyes. Luck had given him an -opening sooner than he had expected. He was prepared to lead up to his -point by tortuous means. - -"Is there anything impossible in society nowadays?" he asked. "Mrs. -Benstein is beautiful and audacious, and her husband is fabulously rich. -What more could you have?" - -"She was actually wearing diamonds this morning," Angela murmured. - -"Well, what of that? Next year, next week, it may be the thing to wear -diamonds in the morning. After all, fashion is dictated by the -tradesman you buy your stockings from, men with Board School education -for the most part. Ain't you photographed in evening dress and -picture-hats? After that atrocity any thing is possible. Mrs. Benstein -will be at the Duchess's party to-day." - -"Really, my dear Clement, I can't see how that can possibly interest -me." - -Frobisher laughed again, and the quick grin bared his white teeth. He -liked his wife in these moods, he liked to bring her down from her high -pedestal at times. - -"It means a good deal to you," he said gaily. "_Ma cherie_, I have a -mood to take Mrs. Benstein up. The woman fascinates me, and I would -fain study her like one of my valued orchids. Of course, I don't make a -point of it, but I shall be glad if you will get an introduction to Mrs. -Benstein, and ask her to your fancy dance next week." - -"Clement, you must be mad to insult me by such a suggestion!" - -"Not in the least, my dear. The Duchess is complacent, and why not you? -It is my whim; I have said it. Or perhaps you would prefer me to bring -the lady to you this afternoon." - -"If that woman ever sets foot in this house," Lady Frobisher gasped. -"If she ever comes here----" - -"You will be polite and amiable to her, I am sure," Frobisher said in a -purring voice, though his eyes flashed like little pin-points of flame. -"Or perhaps I had better ask the Bensteins to dinner. Sit down." - -Lady Frobisher had risen, and Sir Clement did the same thing. Angela -sat there breathlessly. With a slow, gliding movement Frobisher crept -round the table to his wife's side. He took her two hands in his and -gazed steadily into her face. Her eyes were dilated, her lips were -parted, but she said nothing. Just for an instant she had one glance -into the flame of passion and evil that Frobisher would have called his -soul. - -"You are not going to make a scene," he said, in the same caressing, -silken voice that made Angela long to rise and lay a whip about his -shoulders. "After all, Mrs. Benstein has a great pull over many women -that you nod and smile to and shake hands with across afternoon -tea-tables--she is quite respectable. Besides, this is part of my -scheme, and I expect to be--well, we won't say obeyed. As a personal -favour, I ask you to meet me in this matter." - -Lady Frobisher dropped into a chair and her lips moved. Her voice came -weak and from a long way off. - -"I'll do as you wish," she said. "Of course, it would be far better if -somebody else----" - -Frobisher skipped from the room whistling an air as he went. The sudden -grin flashed all his teeth gleamingly. - -"She is going to cry," he muttered, "and I cannot stand a woman's tears. -If there is one thing that cuts me to my shrinking soul, it is the sight -of a lovely woman's tears." - - - - - *CHAPTER XI.* - - *BORROWED PLUMES.* - - -Frobisher's highly sensitive nature demanded a flower as a little -something to soothe his nerves. He passed into the conservatory where -the Cardinal Moth was flaming overhead, he climbed like an over-dressed -monkey up the extending ladder, and broke off a spray of the blooms. He -patted them gently as he fixed the cluster in the silk lapel of his -coat. Hafid looked in and announced that the car was ready. Hafid's -face was white and set like that of a drug victim. Frobisher was at his -most brilliant and best as the car flashed away. Presently the scene -changed from the hot air and dusty glare of the streets, to green lawns -and old trees and the soft music of a band of some colour and doubtful -Hungarian origin. But there was the clear flow and the throbbing melody -of it, and Frobisher's gloved hand beat gently to time. There were -little knots of kaleidoscope colours, graceful and harmonious in -graceful shades and the emerald green for a background. Here, too, was -the Duchess with a swift, pecky smile for each guest, as if she had been -carelessly wound up for the occasion, and something had gone wrong with -the spring. - -Frobisher slipped in and out of the various groups with his hands behind -him. There were still certain people who seemed to be smelling -something unpleasant as the wicked little baronet passed, but this only -added zest and piquancy to his studies. It was some time before he -found the object of his search--a study in yellow, and a large black hat -nodding with graceful plumes. Something round her slim, white neck -seemed to stream and dazzle, there was another flash of blue fire on her -breast. - -Yet the diamonds did not seem in the least out of place on Mrs. -Benstein. There was something hard and shaky about her beauty that -called for them--blue black hair drawn back in a wave from her forehead, -a complexion like old ivory, and eyes suggestive of mystery. Frobisher -thought of the serpent of old Nile as he looked at her critically. - -A marvellously beautiful woman beyond all question, a woman without the -faintest suggestion of self-consciousness. Yet she was practically -alone in that somewhat polyglot gathering, and she knew that most people -there were holding aloof from her. Frobisher strolled up in the most -natural way in the world. He had had one or two dealings with Benstein, -had dined with the man, in fact, but he had contrived not to see Mrs. -Benstein in public till to-day. He dropped into a chair and began to -talk. - -"You feel any attraction to this kind of thing?" he asked. - -"Well, not much," was the candid reply. "I came here out of curiosity. -The Duchess would not have asked me, only that my husband is useful to -the Duke. So you have got a Cardinal Moth?" - -Frobisher fairly gasped, though he dexterously recovered himself. He -smiled into the dark, swimming eyes of his companion. Their strange -mystery irritated as well as fascinated him. - -"And what can you possibly know about the Cardinal Moth?" he asked. - -"Well, I know a great many things. You see my father was a merchant in -the Orient, and my mother had some of the Parsee about her. We -gravitate to strange things. But I see you have the Cardinal Moth, and, -what is more, I know where you got it from." - -The last words came with a quick indrawing of the breath that faintly -suggested a hiss. - -"Paul Lopez is by way of being a relation of mine," Mrs. Benstein went -on. "At one time we were engaged to be married. I was much annoyed -when he changed his mind. Sir Clement, why do you choose to be so -amiable to-day?" - -The quick audacity of the question stirred Frobisher's admiration. This -woman was going to get on. With his fine instinct, Frobisher decided to -be frank. Frankness would pay here. - -"Well, I am a great admirer of courage," he said. "I admire your -splendid audacity in coming here in broad daylight wearing diamonds." - -A wonderful smile filled the eyes of the listener. - -"Why shouldn't I wear them if I like?" she demanded. "The stones are -wonderfully becoming to me. And, after all, it is only a matter of what -these chattering parrots here call fashion. See how they are all -watching me, imagine the things they are saying about me." - -"And I am quite sure you do not mind in the least?" - -"Not I. I must be doing something out of the common, something daring -and original." - -"It was anything but original, but certainly very daring, for one so -beautiful to marry a man as--er, mature, as Aaron Benstein," Frobisher -murmured. It was an audacious speech, and Mrs. Benstein smiled. "You -might have had a duke or even a popular actor." - -"Well, you see, I was sick of being poor. It is not my fault that I was -born an artist with a second-hand clothes shop in Hoxton for a home. I -don't look the part, do I? And Aaron came and fairly worshipped the -ground I stood on. Except for money, and the making of it, he is -perfectly childish." - -"Therefore he tells you all his secrets like the dutiful husband that he -is?" - -"Oh, yes. I find some of the secrets useful. There is the Countess of -Castlemanor yonder, who has stared at me in a way that would be vulgar -in the common walk of life. And yet, if I went up and whispered a word -or two in her ear, she would gladly drive me home in her car." - -Frobisher laughed silently. Here was a woman after his own heart--a -woman who studied society and despised it. And Frobisher was going to -make use of her, as he made use of everybody, only this was going to be -one of his finest efforts. Isa Benstein was no ordinary pawn in the -game. - -"I should like to see you do it," he chuckled. - -"What is the use? She is a poor creature, despite her title and her -marvellous taste in hats. Can't you give me a similar hold on Lady -Frobisher? There would be some fun in humbling her." - -Again Frobisher laughed. The splendid audacity of the woman fascinated -him. The people he made use of as a rule were not amusing. And here -was a power. It pleased his vanity to know that he was bending a power -like this to his will. - -"I am angry with myself to think of what I have lost," he said. "My -dear Mrs. Benstein, it can all be arranged without annoyance to the lady -who does me the honour to rule my household. I will bring my wife to you -presently, and she shall ask you to her fancy dance next week." - -"That will doubtless be a great pleasure to Lady Frobisher," Mrs. -Benstein smiled. "I shall like her, but I shall like Miss Lyne a great -deal better. And if you try to force her to marry that detestable -little Arnott I shall do my best to spoil your hand." - -Frobisher's teeth flashed in one of his uneasy grins. He felt like a -man who has discovered a new volcano quite unexpectedly. What an -amazing lot this woman knew, to be sure; what an extraordinary -fascination she must exercise over her doting husband. He followed her -glance now to a distant seat under a tree where Angela and Harold -Denvers were talking together. - -"Would you like to match your wits against mine at that stake?" he -asked. - -Mrs. Benstein declined the challenge. She was only a woman after all, -she declared. - -"I like the look of the girl," she said thoughtfully. "She's honest and -true. And he's a man all through. Now go and bring Lady Frobisher to -me, and we will talk prettily together, and she shall show me how much -it is possible for a society woman to hate another woman without showing -it. You want to make use of me or some subtle purpose, but it suits my -mood for the present to comply." - -Frobisher went off chuckling to himself. The creature was absolutely -charming, so clever and subtle. But she was neither subtle nor clever -enough to see his game, Frobisher flattered himself. In a profound -state of boredom Lady Frobisher was nibbling a tepid strawberry dipped -in soppy cream. She was tired to death, she said, and wanted to go -home. - -"It's a tonic you need," Frobisher said, with one of his quick grins. -"Come along, and have your mental shower-bath. I'm going to introduce -Mrs. Benstein to you." - -Lady Frobisher rose stiffly. Her little white teeth were clenched -passionately. But she made no protest. Under the eyes of fashionable -London she crossed over to the place where Mrs. Benstein was seated. -She knew perfectly well that her action would be the theme of general -conversation at a hundred dinner-tables to-night, but she moved along -now as if she were sweeping the primrose path of conventionality with -her lace gown. There was some little seed of consolation in the fact -that Mrs. Benstein made no attempt to shake hands. On the whole, she -was perhaps the coolest and most collected of the two. - -"My wife very much desires to make your acquaintance," Frobisher said in -his smoothest manner. "Didn't you say something about a fancy-dress -ball, Norah?" - -Lady Frobisher was understood to murmur something that suggested -pleasure and a wish fulfilled. She was not quite sure whether she had -proffered the invitation or not, but it was a small matter, as Frobisher -was not likely to permit the card to be omitted. - -"It is very good of you, and I shall come with pleasure," Mrs. Benstein -said. "I am not sure, but I fancy that society is going to amuse me. -Of course, it is all a matter of time, though I could have pushed my way -here before. You see, the Duchess asked me here of her own volition. -My dear Lady Frobisher, do you see how Lady Castlemanor is glaring at -you? Yes, I will do it. I will go and dine with that lady as honoured -guest on Monday night. And you shall come and see my triumph." - -Lady Frobisher turned feebly to her husband for support, but he was too -frankly enjoying the performance to interfere. Here was a new farce, a -new source of amusement. - -"You will be a success," he predicted. "You must come to the dance as -'diamonds' or something of that kind. You would carry off any amount of -jewels, and nothing becomes you better. You see we are already becoming -the centre of attraction." - -People were passing by with studied inattention. A great society dame -paused and put up her glasses. In anybody else the stare would have -been rude. The great lady's face flushed crimson with anger, much as if -her own cook had been found masquerading in that select assembly. She -took a step forward, paused, and then walked hurriedly away. Frobisher -turned away to hide the mirth that he found difficult to control. He -had come here practically on business, therefore the unexpected pleasure -was all the more enjoyable. With a bow and a smile Lady Frobisher -turned and took her husband's arm. - -"Well, I suppose you are satisfied now," she said, with a fierce -indrawing of her breath. "With your saturnine cleverness, perhaps you -will tell me why the Marchioness behaved so strangely." - -"The thing is obvious," Frobisher chuckled. "Benstein is a money-lender -in a big way, old plate and jewels, and all that sort of thing. And -he's got all her ladyship's diamonds. Probably takes the best of them -home and shows his wife. Being weak and doting, she has them to play -with. And Mrs. Benstein is wearing the old lady's collar and star this -afternoon. And people say there's no comedy in society!" - -Lady Frobisher turned away mortified and cut to the quick. And this was -the class of woman that she had actually asked to her dance, one of the -great social functions of the season! Frobisher threw himself into a -deck-chair and gave way to his own amused thoughts. - -"Clever fellow, Lopez," he chuckled. "On the whole, he earned that -cheque. But I don't quite see what he meant by saying that Mrs. -Benstein--by gad, I've got it! Lopez, you are a genius! It's any money -that my grip on the Shan is in Benstein's house, and she can get it." - -Frobisher rose and strolled back to Mrs. Benstein's side. It would have -been impossible to guess from his face of the fiendish elation that -burnt within him. - -"I've been thinking over that jewel idea I gave you," he said. "Are you -disposed towards it?" - -"Yes," Mrs. Benstein said, thoughtfully. "I am very favourably disposed -towards it indeed." - -"Then wear rubies," Frobisher urged. "Rubies will suit you splendidly. -I have the greatest fancy to see you decked out in rubies. If you can -get hold of some large ones. I'll come round and have tea with you -to-morrow, and we can discuss the matter thoroughly." - - - - - *CHAPTER XII.* - - *A MODEL HUSBAND.* - - -Isa Benstein drove in her closed car thoughtfully homewards, a little -less conscious than usual of the attractions caused wherever she went. -On the whole she had enjoyed herself; she had got on far better than she -had expected. It was characteristic of her self-reliance and strength -of character that she had gone to the Duchess's party quite alone and -knowing nobody there, whilst she herself was familiar by sight and -reputation to everybody who would be present. - -She had directed her husband to obtain that invitation out of a pure -spirit of curiosity. She had read paragraphs touching the great social -function in the smart papers, and Isa Benstein had smiled to herself as -she remembered that but for her husband and his money-bags the great -gathering could not possibly have taken place at all. - -By instinct, by intuition, by observation, Isa had pretty well gauged -modern society. She had seen it at Ascot and Cowes, at Hurlingham and -Covent Garden, but as yet she had never actually been in it. And now -her first experience was over. - -She had almost come to the conclusion that the game was not worth the -candle, when Frobisher came up and spoke to her. With her natural -astuteness she had not long to see that Frobisher had some intention of -making use of her. That being so, the game should be mutual. Not for -one moment was Mrs. Benstein deceived--by some magnetic process Lady -Frobisher had been forced to be polite, and ask her to that fancy-dress -ball. Mrs. Benstein had smiled, but she had seen the rooted repugnance -in Lady Frobisher's face, the constrained look in her eyes. - -"I wonder how he managed it?" she asked herself as she drove along. -"And what does that little creature with the brow of a Memnon and the -mouth of a tom-cat want to get out of me? Money is at the root of most -things, but it can't be money in that quarter." - -Berkeley Square was reached at length, and for the moment Mrs. Benstein -banished Frobisher from her mind. All she required now was a cup of tea -and a cigarette. Most society women would have sacrificed a great deal -to know the secret of Mrs. Benstein's complexion, but the secret was a -simple one--she ate sparingly, and she never touched intoxicating drinks -in her life. The tea was waiting in the drawing-room, the water was -boiling on the spirit-kettle. A slight, dark man rose as Mrs. Benstein -entered. - -"I'll take a cup with you, Isa," he said. "Nobody makes such tea as -yours." - -"Paul Lopez," the hostess said. "I have not been honoured like this -since the day when you and I----" - -"Agreed to part. Who was wise over that business, Isa? No sugar, -please. I loved you too well----" - -"Never! You are incapable of loving anybody, Paul. I gave you the -whole of my affection--and a scarlet, flaming plant it was--and you -trampled it down and killed it. Not so much as a cutting remains. And -why? Because you were ambitious and I had no money." - -Lopez waved the accusation aside with his Apostle spoon. - -"It was the wiser part," he said calmly. "I shall never be rich like -Aaron, for instance, though I have ten times his intellect. My love of -perilous adventure prevents that. And when I look round me, I am quite -pleased with myself. Persian carpets, Romneys, Knellers, Lelys, Louis -Quinze furniture, Cellini silver, even Apostle spoons. Have you got a -complete set?" - -"So I understand," Isa Benstein said carelessly. - -"And there you have the keynote of this wonderful house. The exquisite -pleasure you must have had in the collecting of all these beautiful -things! And yourself?" - -Mrs. Benstein smiled queerly as she bent over the teapot. When the time -came she was going to be even with this man, though, characteristically, -she had no flaming anger against him. She had loved him once, and let -him see it, and he had weighed the possibilities, and coldly told her it -was not good enough, or words to that effect. The secret was theirs -alone. - -"You cannot say that you are not happy," Lopez said after a long pause. - -"Well, no. Happiness is but a negative quality, after all. I am -probably a great deal happier than if I had married a scoundrel like -yourself, for instance. That is Aaron's voice in the hall. I suppose -you have come to see him on business, or you would not be here at all." - -Lopez gravely accepted his dismissal. All this wonderful beauty and -intellect would have been his had he at one time chosen to take it. -Slowly and thoughtfully Mrs. Benstein went up to dress for dinner. She -chose her gown and her jewels and her flowers with the utmost care; she -might have been going to a state concert or dance, from the nicety of -her selection. - -"Madame is going out to-night?" the maid suggested. - -"Madame is going to do nothing of the kind," Isa said, with one of her -seductive smiles. "I am going to stay at home and dine _tete-a-tete_ -with my husband. Always look as nice to your husband, Minon, as to -other people. You will find the trouble an excellent investment." - -Benstein was late. He had been detained so long that Isa was in the -dining-room before he arrived breathlessly and full of apologies. With -his fat, fair face, and heavy, pendulous lips, he made an almost -repulsive contrast to his wife. His dress-suit was shabby and -ill-fitting, suggesting that it had been bought second-hand like his -large pumps. The red silk socks bore a pleasing resemblance to the -cyclist's trousers when confined to the leg with those inevitable clips; -they bulged over at the ankles. Benstein wore no diamonds; he had not -even a large stud in his crumpled shirt. It was a great deprivation, -and the financier mourned over the fact in secret. But Isa was -inexorable on that point. The man was hideously common enough, without -jewels. Besides, Isa's interference in the matter was by way of being a -compliment. It showed at least that she took some sort of interest in -the man she had married. - -"Kept by business," Benstein wheezed. He raised his dyed eyebrows. He -flattered himself that the dye took from his seventy years, whereas the -deception merely added to them. "Nice you look! Lovely!" - -His little eyes appraised her. Despite his many limitations, Benstein -had a keen love of the beautiful--_qua_ beautiful. Isa stood before him -a vision of loveliness in a dress of green touched here and there with -gold. The shaded lights rendered her eyes all the more brilliant. - -"Give me a kiss," Benstein said hoarsely. "When you look like that I can -refuse you nothing. I am getting into my dotage, men say. Well, -perhaps. Good thing some of them can't see me now." - -The elaborate dinner proceeded in that perfect Tudor dining-room. Not a -single article of furniture was there that lacked historic interest. The -old oak and silver were priceless, and every bit of it had been -collected under Isa Benstein's own eye. No dealer had ever succeeded in -imposing on her. - -The silk slips were drawn at length from the polished dark oak with the -wonderful red tints in it, so that the nodding flowers were reflected -from a lake of thin blood. Here and there the decanters gleamed, a -Tudor model of a Spanish galleon mounted on wheels was pushed along the -table, its various compartments filled with all kinds of cigarettes. - -"No, a Virginian for me," Isa said, as the servants withdrew. The -drawing-room was a dream of beauty, but she preferred the dining-room. -For restfulness and form and artistic completeness there was no room -like the Tudor hall, she declared. "Give me good, honest tobacco." - -"How did you get on to-day?" Benstein asked. - -"I didn't. I sat and watched the procession. Sir Clement Frobisher came -and made himself agreeable to me, and so did his wife--under compulsion. -But she asked me to her dance, and I am going." - -"Hope that they won't ask me, too," Benstein said uneasily. - -"You need not go, in any case; in fact, I'd rather you didn't. I've -been scheming out my dress, Aaron; do you happen to be strong in rubies -just now?" - -Benstein nodded his huge head and smiled. More or less, he had the -jewels of the great world in his possession. It was his whim to keep -them at home. He trusted nobody, not even a bank. Besides, nearly every -day brought something neat and ingenious in the way of a jewel fraud. - -"I can rig you out in anything," he said. "Yes, I could pretty well -cover you in rubies. They're all on diamonds just for the moment, so -that they bring their emeralds and rubies to redeem the white stones. -Wonder what some of those big swells would say if they knew you had got -their jewels to wear, Isa?" - -Isa smiled at some amusing recollection, but she held her peace. Humour -was not Benstein's strong point. He puffed away to the library, -followed by his wife, and once there locked the door. Here was a large -iron sheet that, being opened, disclosed something in the nature of a -strong-room. There were scores of tiny pigeon-holes, each filled with -cases and bags all carefully noted and numbered, for method was -Benstein's strong point. - -"More papers," Isa exclaimed. "A fresh lot since yesterday. Is it some -new business, Aaron?" - -"Count Lefroy," Benstein wheezed. "Valuable concessions from the Shan -of Koordstan. Shouldn't wonder if those papers don't become worth half a -million. Queer-looking things. Like to see them?" - -Isa expressed a proper curiosity on the point. The papers were in -Hindustani and English, with some cramped-looking signature and the -impression of a seal at the bottom. - -"Those signatures are both forgeries," Mrs. Benstein said, after careful -examination. "And that seal, I feel quite sure, is a clumsy imitation -of something better." - -"Doesn't matter if they are," Benstein said without emotion. "If they -are real, I only get a finger in the pie; if they are forged I bag the -whole of the pastry. Let me once get Lefroy under my thumb like that, -and I'll make a pocket borough of Koordstan. Leave your Aaron alone for -business, my dear. Now let us see what we can do in the way of rubies, -though I am a great fool to----" - -"It's too late in the day to think of that," Isa said sharply. "Turn -them out." - -The shabby cases began to yield their glittering contents. The -electrics glowed upon the piled-up mass of rubies, bracelets, brooches, -tiaras, armlets--the loot of the East, it seemed to be. Isa's slim -fingers played with the shining strings lovingly. - -"This is even better than I expected," she murmured. "I shall be able -to trim my dress with them, I can have them all over my skirt, I can -cover my bodice. I am going simply as 'rubies.' Give me that tiara." - -She placed the glittering crown on her head, she draped her neck and -arms with the beautiful stones. Benstein gasped, and his little eyes -watered. Was there ever so lovely a woman before? he wondered. When -Isa looked at him like that he could refuse her nothing. It was -criminally weak, but---- - -"The thing is almost complete," Isa said. "Now haven't you got something -out of the common, some black swan amongst rubies that I could attach to -the centre of my forehead, something to blaze like the sun? Aaron, -you've got it; you are concealing something from me." - -The financier laughed weakly, still dazzled by that show of beauty. In -a dazed way he unlocked a little compartment and took a huge stone from -a leather bag. His hands trembled as he handed it to his wife. - -"You can try it," he said hoarsely; "you can see how it goes. But you -can't have that to wear, no, no. If anything happened to it, they would -make an international business of it, my life wouldn't be worth a day's -purchase. You are not to ask me for that, no, no." - -He meandered on in a senile kind of way. With a low cry Isa fastened on -the gem. She pressed it to her white forehead, where it blazed and -sparkled. The effect was electric, wonderful. She stood before a mirror -fascinated and entranced by her own beauty. - -"I shall have it," she said. "I couldn't go without this, Aaron. You -are going to have it set into the finest of gold wires for me. Come, I -won't even ask you where you got it from. And from what you say, nobody -in England is likely to recognise it. Aaron, do, do." - -Her smile was subtle and pleading. Nobody could have withstood it. -Benstein gabbled something, his cheeks shook. - -"Oh, Lord," he groaned. "If anything does happen! Well, well, my -darling! Unlock the door and stay here till I come back. What artful -creatures you women are! My dear, my dear. Positively I must go into -the dining-room and treat myself to a liqueur-brandy!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII.* - - *THE QUEEN OF THE RUBIES.* - - -The faint sobbing of violins sounded from somewhere, giving the artistic -suggestion of being far off, the dominant note of the leader hung high -on the air. Now and then a door opened somewhere, letting in the -splitting crack of Piccadilly, the raucous voices of news-boys more or -less mendaciously. Sir Clement Frobisher stood before the glass in his -smoking-room setting his white tie. Over his shoulder he could see the -dark, smileless face of Lopez looking in. - -"What do you want here to-night?" he asked. "What are you thinking about -me?" - -"I'd give a good round sum--if I had it--to know what you are thinking -about," Lopez retorted. - -"Money isn't worth it. I was wondering if I really looked like a -waiter, after all." - -"Well, you don't. There is something too infernally sardonic and -devilish about your head for that. May I take a cigarette? I dare say -you wonder how I got here to-night? I--well, I just walked in. That -kind of audacity always pays. Also you wonder why I came." - -"Indeed I don't. You want me to lend you one hundred pounds. What do -you do with your money, friend Lopez? Not that it is any business of -mine." - -"That being so, you have answered your own question," Lopez said dryly. -"Every man has his weakness, even the strongest chain has its -breaking-point. Let me have one hundred pounds. And pay yourself ten -times over, as you always do for your accommodation. Did I earn my last -five hundred pounds?" - -"Indeed you did," Frobisher said frankly. "A wonderful woman, Mrs. -Benstein." - -"About the most wonderful I ever met. None of your dark schemers about -her, none of your flashing eyes and figures drawn up to their full -height. But there is the rare mind in its beautiful setting. You are -going to make use of that woman? We shall see." - -Both men smiled meaningly. The plaintive wail of the violins rose and -fell, from the great hall beyond came the murmur of voices. Lady -Frobisher's great function had commenced. Frobisher glanced -significantly at the clock. He was in no fancy-dress himself, -presumedly he was disguised as an honest man, as Lopez suggested. He -laughed heartily at the gibe, and pushed Lopez outside the door with a -cheque in his pocket. - -Quite a crowd of cloaked and dominoed women had gathered there. Lady -Frobisher had reverted to the old idea of a masked ball and the -uncovering after the last dance before supper. The masks appeared to be -walking about as they generally did, for Shepherd strolled up to Chloe -and Adonis to Aphrodite in a manner that might have suggested collusion -to the sophisticated mind. One tall woman, closely draped, touched -Frobisher on the arm as he threaded between the silken mysteries. - -"I have no flowers," she said. "My man stupidly dropped mine and -somebody trod on them. Take me to your conservatory, Sir Clement, and -give me my choice." - -Frobisher offered his arm; he did not need to ask who the speaker was. -Those low, thrilling tones, with the touch of power in them, could only -have belonged to Isa Benstein. There was nobody in the conservatory -which was devoted to orchids, and nobody was likely to be, for that part -of the house was forbidden ground. Mrs. Benstein looked out from under -her cloud--only her eyes and nose could be seen. - -"May I not be privileged to see your dress?" Frobisher pleaded. - -"Certainly not," Isa Benstein laughed. "Why should you be specially -favoured? Get me two long sprays of orchid. I shall be content with -nothing less than the Cardinal Moth." - -It was something in the nature of extracting a tooth, but Frobisher -mounted the steps and tore down the two sprays asked for. Isa Benstein -whipped them under the folds of her cloak. There was a subtle fragrance -about her that a younger man than Frobisher would have found heady. - -"I must fly to the dressing-room," she said. "And then to pay my -respects to my hostess. Do you think that she is likely to recognise -me?" - -Frobisher thought not. He lingered over his cigarette, making not the -slightest attempt to play the host, though the dance was in full swing -now, and the house echoed to the thud of feet in motion. At the same -time, Frobisher was looking forward to plenty of amusement presently, -before supper, when everybody unmasked. He grew a little tired of his -own company presently and strolled into the ballroom. There the -electrics were festooned and garlanded with ropes of roses, the -plaintive band could not be seen behind a jungle of feathery ferns, a -bewildering kaleidoscope of colour looped and twisted and threaded in a -perfect harmony. - -A few of the younger and consequently more _blase_ men lined the walls. -A cavalier of sorts with a long, thin scar on the side of his lean head -was watching the proceedings. Frobisher touched him on the arm. - -"Not dancing, Lefroy?" he said. "Are you past all those fleeting joys?" - -"It's an old wound in my thigh," Lefroy explained. He was just a little -chagrined to discover that his host had so easily detected him. -Frobisher's superior cleverness always angered him. "It is my amusement -to spot the various women, and I have located most of them. But there -is one! Ciel!" - -"One that even meets with your critical approval! Good. She must be a -pearl among women. Point her out to me and let us see if our tastes -agree." - -Lefroy's eyes glittered behind their mask as they swept over the reeling -crowd. A moment or two later and he just touched Frobisher on the arm. - -"Here she comes," he whispered. "On the arm of General Marriott. No -mistaking his limp, and his white hair like a file of soldiers on -parade. What a costume and what a cost! That scarlet band across her -brow over the mask is wonderfully effective. That woman is an artist, -Frobisher. And she has the most perfect figure in Europe. Who is she?" - -Frobisher made no reply; he was studying Isa Benstein's -costume--lustrous black from head to foot, with white seams fairly -covered with rubies. There were rubies all over her corsage, bands of -them up her arm, a serpent necklace round the milky way of her throat. -The whole thing was daring, bizarre, and yet artistic to a point. The -scarlet band across the brows struck a strong and vivid note. The -rubies were not so bright as the woman's eyes. As she came nearer the -tangle of blossom across her bosom showed up clearly. Lefroy gasped. - -"A mystery in a mystery," he said. "She is wearing the Cardinal Moth. -Who is she?" - -Frobisher laughed, and protested that each must solve the problem for -himself. He liked to puzzle and bewilder Lefroy, and he was doing both -effectively at the present moment. The Count would have liked to take -the little man by the shoulders and shake him heartily. - -"I believe you know who she is," he growled. "Come, Frobisher, gratify -my curiosity." - -"I will refresh it if you like," Frobisher said with one of his sudden -grins. "I am not positively sure, but I fancy I can give a pretty -shrewd guess as to the identity of Madame Incognita. But would it be -fair to give her secret away before supper-time? Patience, my -fire-eater." - -The lady of the rubies passed along leaning on the arm of her companion. -She gave one glance in Frobisher's direction, and Lefroy looked eagerly -for some sign of recognition. But the dark eyes were absolutely blank -so far as the master of the house was concerned. - -Lefroy turned and followed the couple in front. As Frobisher lounged -back to the smoking-room for another cigarette, he almost ran into his -wife. - -As hostess she was wearing no mask. Her beautiful face was just a -little set and tired. - -"Seems to be all right," Frobisher croaked. "They appear to be enjoying -themselves. And yet half of them would like better to come to my -funeral. Some pretty dresses here, but one head and shoulders over the -others. - -"You mean the ruby guise," Lady Frobisher exclaimed, with some -animation. "Is it not superb! So daring, and yet in the best of taste. -Everybody is asking who she is and nobody seems to know. I declare I -feel quite proud of my mystery." - -"An angel unawares," Frobisher laughed silently. "You never can tell. -And you mean to say that you can't guess who it is that is exciting all -this attention?" - -Lady Frobisher looked swiftly down into the face of her husband. The -corrugated grin, the impish mischief told her a story. It seemed very -hard that the woman she most desired to keep in the background was -actually creating the sensation of the evening. - -"Mrs. Benstein," she whispered. "Clement, do you really think so?" - -"My dear, I am absolutely certain of it. And why not? Isn't Mrs. -Benstein as well-bred as a score of American women here to-night? -Doesn't she carry a long pedigree in that lovely face of hers? Some -folks here to-night suffer from a pedigree so old that even their -grandfathers are lost in the mists of antiquity. What short-sighted -creatures you women are! Can't you see that a creature so rich and -daring and clever as Mrs. Benstein will be riding on the crest of the -wave within a year? And you will gain kudos from the mere fact that -your house saw her debut into 'society'--Heaven save the mark!" - -Lady Frobisher had no more to say. There was a great deal of cynical -truth in Frobisher's words. Mrs. Benstein was going to be a brilliant -success as far as the men were concerned, therefore her presence at the -assemblies of the smart set would become almost necessary. Lefroy came -back at the same time, having learnt little or nothing in the -refreshment room. Lady Frobisher might have gratified his curiosity if -he had asked her, only she gave him no opportunity. She detested the -man thoroughly; with her fine instinct she had detected the tiger under -his handsome, swaggering exterior. - -"No luck?" Frobisher laughed. "Well, it is nearly twelve o'clock, and -then you will know. Come with me and smoke a cigarette till the clock -strikes. It will soothe your nerves. A small soda and a drop of 1820 -brandy, eh? Don't give my general run of guests that liqueur." - -Lefroy nodded carelessly. He would have it appear that he had dismissed -the matter from his mind. But he had finished his cigarette and brandy -as the clock chimed the midnight hour, and then, with a fine assumption -of indifference, he returned to the ballroom. The band was playing -something weird from Greig, the guests stopped just where they stood, -and each cast their masks upon the floor. - -The swashbuckler was in luck, so it seemed to him, for the lady of the -rubies stood smiling by the side of her military escort just opposite. -The scarlet band had gone with the mask, revealing a fillet of rubies -round the smooth white brow, a fillet with one huge ruby in the middle, -so large and blazing that Lefroy stood aghast. He staggered back, and -something like a stammering oath escaped him. The vulgarism was lost -for the moment, and people congregated round the stranger. That many -people there did not know who Mrs. Benstein was only gave piquancy to -the situation. - -"My God!" Lefroy muttered, "who is she? Where did she get it from? It's -the real thing. I would swear to it amongst a million imitations. And I -dare swear that, despite his air of mystery, Frobisher---- But he must -not see it, I must prevent that, anyway." - -Lefroy hastened back to the smoking-room. His limbs were trembling under -him now, a little moisture broke out on his forehead and trickled down -his face. He had made a discovery that wrenched even his iron nerves. -And at any cost Frobisher must not know. - -He was smoking and sipping brandy as Lefroy entered. If he saw anything -strange or strained about the face of Count Lefroy, he did not betray -the fact. He looked up gaily. - -"Come to fetch me?" he asked. "Want me to see the lady of the rubies? -Well, was the face worthy of the setting? Did you recognise her?" - -"Never saw her in my life before," Lefroy said hoarsely. He stammered -on, saying anything to gain time, anything to keep Frobisher where he -was. "I've lost interest in the whole thing. Let's stay here and smoke, -and talk about old times. What do you say?" - -Frobisher said nothing. He studied Lefroy's white face intently. -Outside was a babel of laughter and chatter and the swish of drapery. A -clear, calm voice announced a late visitor. - -"His Highness the Shan of Koordstan," the footman said. - -Frobisher glanced at Lefroy's face. In itself it was a tragedy. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV.* - - *"UNEASY LIES THE HEAD----"* - - -As a matter of fact, His Highness the Shan of Koordstan had not intended -to go to Lady Frobisher's dance at all, though he had been graciously -pleased to accept the invitation. His present intention was to go to -bed early and be a little more careful for the future. There was a -shakiness about the ruler of Koordstan that told its own tale, a -shakiness that would not have conduced to his popularity with his -subjects in the Far East. - -An interview with a recently-arrived minister of his had changed his -plans entirely. In place of bed he had a cold bath and a cup of strong -coffee, and sat down, as far as his aching head would allow him, to -review the situation. The final outcome was a fit of utter despair and -an express letter to Harold Denvers, who fortunately was at home and -ready to respond to the invitation. - -The Eastern potentate was smoking moodily as he arrived. Harold -significantly declined the offer of refreshment of a spirituous -description. - -"Meaning that I have had enough already," the Shan said moodily. "But -I'm sober as a judge now, had enough to make me. The shocking luck I've -had lately!" - -He tossed a cigarette across to Denvers, and lighted a fresh one of his -own. - -"So I sent you to give me a leg up if you can. You are the only honest -man of the lot. Denvers, I'm in a fine mess over the Blue Stone. If I -don't produce it at once I'm done for. It would be madness for me to -show my face at home again." - -"Somebody has discovered that your Highness has parted with it?" - -"That's it. Lefroy is the rogue in the play. The game is Koordstan; for -years he has been trying to get rid of me and put my cousin in my place. -Even my own ministers are against me. And now I feel positive that -Lefroy has given me away. They don't ask me to show the stone, or -accuse me of parting with it--they are too deep for that. A minister -comes with a lot of literature which he calls important documents of -State which require to be sealed immediately. That rascal has been in -my cousin's pay for years. And the worst of it is, the whole thing looks -so natural and straightforward that I can't refuse, especially as -everything has my sanction." - -"The document must be sealed with the Blue Stone?" Harold asked. - -"Inevitably. It has been the custom for generations. Any deviation -from this rule would do for me at once. Hamid Khan was here this -afternoon, and I put him off this time by saying I was ill, which was no -more than the truth. What shall I say when he comes back presently? If -my confounded head did not ache so, I might find some way out of the -difficulty, but as it is----" - -The Shan smote his fist passionately on the table. Nothing was any -good, nothing could save the situation but the immediate production of -the twenty thousand pounds needed to recover the jewel from Benstein. -At the present moment the Shan had no resources whatever; he had always -mortgaged his income, and most of his personal property had been -dissipated in his brilliant pursuit of pleasure. - -"But that's more or less beyond the point," he groaned. "The stone must -be redeemed at once. I could not possibly put Hamid Khan off after -to-night, even if I can manage that." - -"That will give us time to think," said Harold. "Let your man know that -you don't keep so sacred a jewel at your hotel. You have heard of -Chancery Lane Safe Deposit?" - -The Shan's eyes twinkled. His subtle mind rose to the suggested -deception. For the present, at any rate, he saw his way to a pleasing -subterfuge. He was pondering over the matter when there came a timid -knock at the door, and a slim brown figure came humbly in. - -"Hamid Khan," the Shan explained. "Why do you worry me again to-night? -Didn't I say I was too ill to be troubled with state business?" - -Hamid prostrated himself at his master's feet. He was desolate and -heart-broken; might any number of dogs defile his father's grave for his -presumption, but the thing had to be done. - -"I haven't got the stone," the Shan said, "I haven't been well enough to -fetch it myself, and I dare not trust anybody else. Dog, do you suppose -I should keep the jewel here? There is a place of vaults and steel -chambers and strong rooms guarded night and day by warders, where the -wealthy keep their valuables. The place is called the Safe Deposit, and -is hard by where the learned lawyers argue. That is where the stone is, -in proof of which I show you the key." - -The Shan gravely held up a latch-key. Acting though he was, there was a -dignity about him that quite impressed Denvers. Hamid was impressed -also, or his face belied him. He was sorry to have offended his royal -master, but he was only obeying orders. Should he come again on the -morrow? - -"Ay, at midday," the Shan said loftily. "Now take your miserable body -from my presence." - -The Shan's dignity collapsed as the door closed behind Hamid Khan. He -looked to Harold for assistance. He had not more than fourteen hours or -so--and most of them the hours of the night--to find salvation. All the -time Harold was leisurely turning over matters in his mind. If he could -manage this thing for the Shan his future was made. He had his finger -on the centre of an international intrigue almost. The Shan had always -been favourable to England, his tastes and inclinations, his very vices, -were English, whereas the new aspect leant towards Russia. The British -Government doubtless would have stood by the Shan at this juncture had -they known. - -"There's only one thing for it," Harold said after a long pause. "We -must try and work on Benstein's cupidity. He knows you, he is well -aware that your name is good for a large sum of money, only he will have -to wait for it. And of your integrity there is no doubt." - -"Your Foreign Secretary does not think so," the Shan groaned. - -"I am not speaking of morals now, but stability. For the time you are -hard up. If you will eschew champagne for a time, not to mention other -things, you could make it worth Benstein's while to wait for a few -weeks. Ask him to let you have the Blue Stone for a few days, after -which it will be returned to him until it is properly redeemed. For this -accommodation you are prepared to pay a further two thousand pounds." - -The Shan nodded greedily. He was prepared to promise anything. His -lips were twitching with excitement. He rose and put on his coat. - -"Let us go at once," he said. "But stop, do you know where Benstein -lives? And if we do find him it's long odds that stone is deposited -with his bankers." - -"Benstein lives in Berkeley Square," Denvers explained. "He is growing -old and senile, he has come to that cunning stage when he does not trust -anybody. He keeps all his valuables in a big strong-room at his house. -That I know for certain. He is sure to be at home." - -"Then we'll go at once. It's a forlorn hope, but still--come along." -Denvers checked his impulsive companion. Common prudence must not be -forgotten. - -"Your Highness forgets that you are certain to be watched," he said. -"Your friend Hamid or some of his spies are sure to be pretty close. -I'll go away from the hotel and wait for you in Piccadilly. Then you -steal out by the side door and meet me." - -The Shan nodded approval. His head was too bad for him to think for -himself. Harold stood on the steps of Gardner's Hotel, and hailed the -first taxi that passed. The cabman was to drive to Piccadilly and there -wait. - -Progress in Piccadilly was slow in consequence of the block of carriages -before Frobisher's house. The guests were arriving in a steady stream, -and Denvers amused himself by identifying most of them. One of the last -comers was Lord Rashburn, Foreign Secretary, and his wife. Harold -smiled to himself as he wondered what his lordship would give for his -own private information. It might be necessary to appeal to Rashburn -presently, and it was a good thing to know where to find him. Only it -would be useless for Denvers to try and obtain admission to Frobisher's -house. - -The Shan came up presently, and Berkeley Square was reached at length. -Benstein was at home, and the footman had no doubt that he would see his -visitors, late as it was. Many a bit of business with people who needed -money in a desperate hurry had Benstein done between the dinner-hour and -midnight. He was seated in his library now with a fat cigarette between -his teeth and poring over a mass of accounts. To reckon up his money -and to gloat over his many securities was the one pleasure of Benstein's -life. - -"Glad to see you, gentlemen--glad to see you," he said, rubbing his -puffy hands together. "If there is anything that I can do for your -Highness, it will be a pleasure." - -"His Highness wants to put two thousand pounds into your pocket," -Denvers said. "It is the matter of the Blue Stone of----" - -A queer sound came from Benstein's lips, and his mottled face turned as -pale as it was possible. - -"You don't mean to say that you want the stone to-night?" he gasped. - -"Why else are we here?" Harold demanded. The air was full of suspicion -and he had caught some of it. "It is absolutely necessary that we -should have it back, for a time at least. It was distinctly understood, -I think, that the stone was to be returned at any hour of the day or -night that we required it?" - -Benstein's big head swayed backwards and forwards pendulously, his thick -lips were wide apart, and showing the gaps in the yellow teeth beyond. -Harold's suspicions became a certainty. Benstein had parted with the -stone. - -"Do you want it now?" Benstein said, as if the words had been dragged -from him. - -Harold intimated that he did want the stone immediately. Slowly -Benstein was recovering. The rich red blood was creeping into his face -again. - -"It is impossible," he said. "Usually I keep most of my valuables here. -But I recognised the political as well as the pecuniary value of the -Blue Stone, and I did not dare. The stone is at the Bank of England, -and I cannot get it before ten to-morrow. It is very unfortunate." - -"Very," Harold said dryly. "But we must make the best of it. I have a -pretty shrewd idea where the stone is, but my guess would not have been -the Bank of England. We don't propose to redeem the gem; we suggest -that you should let the Shan have it for two or three days on the -understanding that when the business is completed your charge is -increased by the sum of two thousand pounds." - -"But this is not business," Benstein pleaded. "Under the peculiar -circumstances----" - -"Precisely," Harold interrupted dryly. "Under the peculiar -circumstances you are going to accommodate us. Mr. Benstein, I fancy -that you and I understand one another." - -Benstein's eyes dropped, and the fat cigarette between his fingers -trembled. He muttered the talisman word "business" again; but he was -understood to agree to the terms offered. He was shakily eager to offer -his distinguished guests refreshments of some kind, but Denvers dragged -the Shan away. Once in the street, the latter stopped and demanded to -know what the pantomime meant. - -"It's pretty plain," Harold said. "Old Benstein hasn't got your jewel -at this moment." - -"Hasn't got it? Do you mean to say that he...? Preposterous! But in -the morning----" - -"In the morning it will be all right again. In the morning you will see -quite another Benstein--a Benstein who has changed his mind, and will -refuse to part with the Blue Stone so long as a single penny remains -unpaid. I startled him to-night. I got astride of that figment of a -conscience of his. But I am going to help you to clench the business. -Come along." - -"Where are you going to?" the Shan asked feebly. - -"Back to your hotel. You are going to dress up in your State war-paint -and proceed at once to Lady Frobisher's dress-ball. I suppose you've -any amount of dresses and that kind of thing--I mean you could rig out a -staff, if necessary?" - -"I've got all the mummery for going to Court, if that is what you mean." - -"Good," Harold cried. "I'll just step into this chemist's and get a few -pigments necessary to the successful performance of my little comedy. -You are going to the dance as the Shan of Koordstan, and I am going -carefully disguised as Aben Abdullah, your suite." - - - - - *CHAPTER XV.* - - *HUNT THE SLIPPER.* - - -A fine perspiration stood out on Lefroy's face, he swayed to and fro -like one in an advanced stage of intoxication, the Count was utterly -unmanned for the moment. As his brain and eye cleared presently, -Frobisher came out of the mist in the semblance of a man who was -manifestly enjoying himself. - -"I pray you sit down," he said in his silkiest manner. "My dear Count, -the heat has been too much for you. The hero of a thousand adventures -succumbs to a high thermometer--it is possible to choke a Hercules with -an orange pip. A little of the old brandy, eh?" - -Frobisher's face was perfectly grave now, only the dilation of his -pupils and the faint quivering of his lips denoted his amusement. -Lefroy forced a smile in reply. He was conscious of the fact that that -little demon opposite was reading his inmost thoughts. - -"Just a little of the brandy," Frobisher said coaxingly. "The kind that -I keep for my very dear friends. Ah, I am sure that is better. Now let -us sit down and smoke, and forget the giddy side outside." - -Lefroy nodded. The course suggested suited him admiringly. When he was -best pleased Frobisher chatted most, and he seemed to be exceedingly -pleased about something now. Lefroy would have time to recover his -scattered thoughts and define some line of action. - -"You have solved the problem of the lady of the rubies?" Sir Clement -asked. - -"I have," Lefroy replied carelessly. "From a romantic point of view the -solution is disappointing. I expected to see a regal personage at the -very least, whereas----" - -The speaker shrugged his shoulders insolently. The other smiled -expectantly. - -"Go on, my dear Lefroy. I am all attention, I assure you. The lady of -the rubies is----?" - -It was on the tip of Lefroy's tongue to snarlingly reply that Frobisher -knew perfectly well, but that was bad policy under the circumstances. - -"You are typical of the spirit of the age," he said. "All the same, I -hardly expected to see the wife of a moneylender under your roof. Lady -Frobisher----" - -"Has progressed rapidly of late in the cult of the proletariat. So Mrs. -Benstein is the lady of the rubies. I half expected it from the -first--only the wife of a moneylender could sport jewels like that. But -she is a beautiful woman, Lefroy, and she is going to make a great -social success." - -Lefroy could only mutter something in reply. He had one great aim in -view at the present moment--to get back to the ballroom and persuade -Frobisher to remain where he was. Did the Count but know it, Frobisher -was just as eager to reverse the order of the procedure. But no -suggestion of this escaped him, he sat there smiling as if he and a -double meaning were strangers. - -"I am very partial to rubies myself," he said. "In a modest way I am a -collector, and my uncut stones are worth an inspection. My wife also -has the same weakness, which is another of the many strong bonds that -bind us together. I'll show them to you." - -"Don't trouble," Lefroy said hastily. "Any other time will do. If you -have to fetch them----" - -"Sit down. Positively you must have another drop of the brandy. Your -nerves are better, but not what the nerves of a bold warrior should be." - -So saying, Frobisher produced a case from a drawer and laid the contents -before Lefroy's eyes. In spite of himself he could not but admire. He -did not see the keen, alert look on the face of his host as he bent down -to examine the gems. People were passing the open door; there was a -light ripple of laughter and conversation. Frobisher darted into the -hall. - -"This way a moment," he whispered, as he caught his wife by the arm. -"Come with me and do as I tell you. You are to keep Lefroy in yonder -room for half an hour." - -He was back again before Lefroy had missed him. Lady Frobisher's -scornful eyes softened as they fell upon the tray of gems. - -"We have a taste in common, then, Count," she said. - -Lefroy replied suitably enough. He had a strong admiration for the -white, cold beauty of this woman; he watched her slim fingers as she -toyed with the gems. Some of them were unnamed, whilst others had -histories of their own. Frobisher pitched his cigarette into the grate. - -"You can amuse the Count, my dear," he said. "He has had some little -touch of illness, and should be kept quiet. The gems will interest him. -Meanwhile, I will endeavour to take your place." - -It was all done so quickly and naturally that Lefroy could do or say -nothing. Did Frobisher really know anything or not, he began to wonder. -If there was any conspiracy Lady Frobisher knew nothing of it, it only -needed a glance at that scornful, beautiful face to feel that. She was -talking now easily and naturally enough with one of the stones in her -pink palm, and Lefroy had perforce to listen. To leave the room now -would have been an unpardonable rudeness--a _gaucherie_ Lefroy never -allowed himself to commit. - -Meanwhile Frobisher had mingled with his guests. He was in no hurry. -Lefroy was safely out of the way for a time, and Frobisher always -preferred to hunt his game leisurely. Besides, the crush of dancers and -guests generally was so great that progression was a matter of some -difficulty. He came across Angela presently attired in white and with a -pair of gauze wings suggestive of Peace or something of that kind. - -"Stop a bit," he said, "and tell me all about it. Upon my word, you are -looking exceedingly nice. By common consent, who is the success of the -evening?" - -"Oh, Mrs. Benstein, without doubt," Angela replied, with sincere -admiration. "She is lovely, and those rubies are simply superb. -Everybody is talking about them." - -"And the fortunate woman herself? How does she wear her blushing -honours?" - -"Very well indeed. You know, I rather like her. Everybody is asking -for an introduction now, but at first people held aloof. I have had a -long chat with Mrs. Benstein, and she quite fascinated me. She is going -to be a great success." - -"Of course she is with her cleverness and audacity, to say nothing of -her beauty and her jewels, it could not be otherwise. I must go and pay -my respects to her. Where is she?" - -But Angela had not the slightest idea. Something like a thousand people -were scattered about the long suite of rooms, and there were shady -alcoves and dim corners for easy conversation _a deux_. Mingled with -the brilliant throng of uniform and fancy dresses the jewelled turban of -the Shan of Koordstan stood out. He came up with his companion -similarly attired, and held out his hand. - -"This is an unexpected pleasure, your Highness," said Frobisher. "I -heard that you were not quite----" - -"Sober," the Shan said frankly. "I have been leading a deuce of a life -lately, Frobisher. My servant here, Aben Abdullah, insisted upon my -putting in an appearance here to-night. He has been bullying me as he -would never dare to do at home. When we get back I shall have to -bowstring him gently. He is a very valuable servant, but he knows too -much." - -Aben Abdullah bowed and smiled. The Shan extended his patronage to -Angela. - -"My servant knows a little English," he said. "My dear young lady, would -it be too great a trespass on your kindness to ask you to act as his -cicerone for a time? I have a little business to discuss with Sir -Clement. Aben is very intelligent, and he is a noble in his own -country." - -Angela expressed her pleasure. She was always ready to sacrifice -herself to others; besides, she had rather taken a fancy to this -handsome young foreigner, who reminded her somehow of Harold Denvers. - -"What would you like to do?" she asked, as they strolled off together. - -Aben murmured something about the flowers that he had heard so much -about. Could he see them? Angela would be delighted. They stood in a -large conservatory at length in the dim light, and then Aben smiled down -into Angela's face. - -"I feel sure of my disguise now, darling," he whispered. "If I could -deceive you, I am not in the least afraid that Sir Clement will find me -out." - -"But what does it mean, Harold?" Angela asked. "You certainly reminded -me of yourself; but I should never have penetrated your disguise. But -the Shan must know all about it." - -"Of course he does. It is a little scheme that we have hatched -together. I have no time to tell you everything now; indeed, with so -clever a man to deal with as Frobisher it is far better that you should -not know. But the Shan has done a very foolish thing, and his very -throne is in danger. Both Frobisher and Lefroy know this, and they will -do all they can to keep him under their control. If I can defeat that -plot and free the Shan, then I need not trouble about the future." - -Angela's eyes lighted up eagerly. All her quick sympathies had been -interested. - -"You will let me help you?" she exclaimed. "Harold, I am quite sure that -you want my assistance. I am a great deal stronger and braver than you -imagine. Try me." - -"I am going to try you, my dear little girl," Harold whispered. "I -should like to kiss you at this moment, but I dare not take any risks. -For the present your task is a very simple one. I want you to get a -certain lady in here and sit under the shaded lamp yonder. You must get -here and keep her talking till I come back. If I hold up my two hands -your task is finished; if I come forward, you must know that I want to -speak to the lady alone." - -"It all sounds very mysterious, Harold. Who is the lady?" - -"They have christened her the lady of the rubies here. I was very -pleased just now to hear that you had, so to speak, made friends with -her. Will you go at once?" - -Angela made off hurriedly, and, for the time being, Harold returned to -the ballroom. On the whole, he was not particularly enamoured of the -part he was playing: the idea of forcing himself into a house where he -had been forbidden by the host was repugnant to his finer feelings; but, -on the other hand, any scheme was worthy which had for its end the -defeat of a scoundrel. As the Shan caught Harold's warning eye he left -Frobisher and moved towards his ally. - -"So far there is not much the matter," Harold replied. "Miss Lyne knows -exactly what she has to do, and she will do it well. You are going to -have a pretty big surprise just now, but whether it will turn out a -pleasant one or the reverse I cannot say as yet. Stand here and pretend -to be interested in the pictures." - -Angela had been more successful in her search than Frobisher. A prosy -peer had buttonholed his host and the latter could not get away for the -present without using actual violence. Angela had found the lady of the -rubies sitting in a dim corner alone. She looked a little dazed and -tired. - -"I am not used to it," she said frankly. "And I can't stand all their -silly folly. I sent my partner for an ice on purpose to get rid of him. -My dear young lady, you are very kind, and I've taken a great fancy to -you because you are the first person I have spoken to to-night who is -honest and true. All the same, I really want that ice, and if you can -find some quiet corner----" - -"I know the very thing," Angela cried eagerly, delighted at the way fate -was playing into her hands. "Come along. There, what do you think of -that? Sit down near the light and I'll go and get the ice." - -Mrs. Benstein protested, but Angela was already out of earshot. The -Shan and his companion were deeply engrossed in a pair of Romneys as -Angela passed them. - -"I have secured your bird," she whispered. "She is exactly where you -asked me to place her." - -Harold touched his companion on the arm, and they strolled away -leisurely in the direction of the great conservatory. It was fairly -quiet here, with few people about. Under the lamp sat a rarely -beautiful woman whose dress from head to foot was one mass of rubies. -Another one flamed across her forehead. - -"What do you think of her?" Harold whispered. "And what do you think of -that big stone that is attached to her forehead by those thin gold -wires?" - -The Shan started violently. He rubbed his hands across his red -bloodshot eyes. - -"The Blue Stone of Ghan," he whispered hoarsely. "By Allah, she is -wearing the sacred jewel!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI.* - - *DIPLOMACY.* - - -As the Shan stood there watching the graceful, unconscious form of Mrs. -Benstein, a great rage seized him. In one moment his thin veneer of -Western civilisation had vanished. He was Baserk, savage, hard and -cruel, from his glittering eyes and long fingers that crooked as if on -the woman's throat. He swayed against Denvers with the passion that -thrilled him. - -"Close in on her," he hissed. "Drag the jewel away. If you steal -behind her and hold her by the throat----" He could say no more for the -present. There was safety and freedom close to his hand, and only a -frail woman between himself and his desires. - -"Oh, rubbish!" Harold said coolly. "My good sir, you will kindly forget -that you are the Shan of Koordstan for a moment, and recollect that you -are a guest here. I can give a pretty shrewd guess how the stone came -here--indeed, I should have been disappointed had I not seen it. -Benstein is old and feeble, and he dotes on his wife. But there is a -better way than yours. Can I trust you?" - -The Shan nodded. He was recovering himself slowly. - -"Then stay here, but do not be seen. Miss Lyne will be back presently, -and she is on our side. Ah, here she comes. I have a few words to say -to her." - -Angela came up at the same moment, her eyes shining blue interrogation -points. Harold drew her aside a little way and rapidly whispered a few -words in her ear. - -"Questions presently," he smiled. "We have only time for action now. -Ask Mrs. Benstein to remain where she is, and say you will be back in a -moment. Meanwhile, I must get you to present me to Lord Rashburn, the -Foreign Secretary. Can you manage this?" - -Angela was under the impression that she could manage this quite well. -Rashburn was a close connection of Lady Frobisher, and a great admirer -of her own; indeed, the handsome, courtly Foreign Secretary was an -avowed admirer of the sex generally. It was some little time before -Angela contrived to get possession of the great man and it required all -her fascination to induce him to listen to the handsome young man who -represented the Shan's suite. - -"I'll give him five minutes," he said. "Where is the intelligent young -foreigner?" - -Harold came up at a sign from Angela. Lord Rashburn was courtly as -usual, but bored. He particularly disliked intelligent young -foreigners. He hoped that Aben Abdullah knew some English. - -"I am English, my lord," Harold said coolly. "I assure you that I shall -not bore you; indeed, I propose to interest you extremely. I heard your -lordship in a recent speech observe that you derived a lot of good from -reading healthy fiction; indeed, you went on to say that, under altered -circumstances, you would have been an author yourself. I should like to -discuss a little plot with you." - -Rashburn was unaffectedly interested. Mystery and intrigue of any kind -appealed to him; he was fond of building up stories from conventional -surroundings. And there was some mystery here. - -"Go on," he said, courteously. "I feel I shall be interested. In the -first place, is the plot a--er--murder one?" - -"Eventually, my lord. We will begin here in this very room, describing -the house and the occasion, not forgetting the host. Our host, my lord, -should make a fascinating study of a character given to--shall we -say--to diplomatic methods?" - -"Why not stretch a point and make him an unscrupulous rascal?" Lord -Rashburn said dryly. - -"That is a most excellent suggestion, my lord. We will go on to say that -he has designs against my master; that he desires certain concessions -that my master has promised elsewhere, say to a young Englishman who -knows the past, and who, under an assumed name, is part of his suite. -Sir Clement has a hold on my master, and I want to save him. In virtue -of his office my master has in his possession a precious jewel -called--called anything you like." - -"The Blue Stone of Ghan!" Rashburn cried incautiously. "I know all -about that." - -"Let us call it a magic diamond," Harold smiled. "We must not be too -realistic. After all said and done, this is no more than the plot of a -story." - -"To be sure," Rashburn said hastily. "I had forgotten that. Pray go -on." - -"My master is extravagant, which is a mild way of putting it. At the -risk of losing everything, his head included, he raises money on -the--er, diamond, pledges it, in fact, with a miserly old moneylender, -who has a wife that he fairly dotes on. My master's enemies, including -Sir Clement, and another called Count Lefroy, find this out. They cook -up some story to the effect that the sacred--er, diamond is wanted to -seal certain State papers. There, for the present, we must leave my -master in the dilemma into which he has got himself and go forward, -merely premising that he has promised to produce the stone and seal -those documents to-morrow morning." - -"One of the most ingenious plots I have heard of for a long while," -Rashburn murmured. - -"I flatter myself that the best part is to come," Harold proceeded. "My -suggestion is that the moneylender should be seen and asked to let us -have the stone for an hour or two, and add two thousand pounds to his -charges. We called for that purpose, and the old man thinks we want the -gem back. He is in such a state of pitiable terror when we call, that -instantly I know that he has parted with the stone. From what he says -its recovery is only a question of a few hours. He says something about -the stone and the Bank of England, but that is all nonsense. I guess -what he has done. He has lent the stone to somebody, and I also have a -shrewd guess who that somebody is. Then I suggest that we come here." - -"Capital!" Rashburn cried. "You are interesting me exceedingly. Go -on." - -"We come here. And here we find that a great sensation has been created -by a lady who is dubbed the lady of the ru--I mean the queen of the -diamonds. She is the wife of the great financier my master and I have -been so recently interviewing. Remember he is old and senile, and dotes -on her. It is inevitable that he has lent her the great diamond as a -kind of glorious finish to her toilette." - -"In fact, we may assume that you have seen it blazing on her--shall we -say forehead?" Rashburn asked. - -"You have guessed it exactly, my lord," Harold went on. "Here, then, is -a beautiful complication--my master has to get the gem back, and -incidentally is ready to commit murder to do so; here is the host who -may come along at any time, and recognise the gem. That is as far as I -have developed the story as yet, but I might at this point bring in -yourself and your Government and make an international matter of it. If -this thing leaks out, the Shan, who is favourable to England, goes, and -his cousin, who is from Russia, steps on to the throne. Would it be -fair to ask the Government to lend my master two hundred thousand pounds -under the circumstances?" - -Lord Rashburn glanced admiringly into the face of his companion, and -shook his head. - -"It would be a foolish thing to mention the affair directly to the -Foreign Secretary at all. Officially I could not listen to you for a -moment. I can only listen to you now because I am interested in stories -of any light kind. But if you are asking my advice purely to get your -local colour right----" - -"That's it," Harold said eagerly. "If it were true, which is the proper -course to pursue?" - -"I see you are a born novelist," Rashburn smiled shrewdly. "Well, in -these matters there are intermediaries, rich men who are ready to -sacrifice their purse for their country. Most of these men have strong -claims on the Government of the day. Some of them become Commissioners, -of this, that, and the other, and have letters after their names. Some -become baronets, or even members of the Upper House. There is Mr. -Gerald Parkford, for instance. He is over there talking to the lady in -the yellow satin. I understand that he is deeply interested in problems -of this kind, and has frequently done the State some service, at a -considerable loss to himself. Some day his wife will wear a coronet. -Purely out of regard for your story I will introduce you to Parkford, -and then you will be able to bring the tale to a logical conclusion. Of -course you will see that if this were anything but fiction it would have -been a gross impertinence of you to have mentioned it to me." - -"Of course, my lord," Harold said humbly, and carefully avoiding -Rashburn's eyes. "If your lordship will be so kind as to make me known -to Mr. Parkford----" - -"I will do that with the greatest possible pleasure. I shall catch his -eye presently. Ah, I thought so." - -The little keen, brown-faced man opposite looked up presently, and at a -sign from Rashburn excused himself to his fair companion, and crossed -the floor. Rashburn explained the situation in a few words. - -"I understand you are fond of adventures of this kind," he said. "For -the sake of my friend here, and for the sake of his book, you will give -him the benefit of your advice. My dear young friend, I am quite -fascinated by your interesting story. Good night." - -Rashburn turned upon his heel in the most natural manner, and plunged at -once into a flirtation with a pretty girl in pink. Nobody would have -guessed that he had just listened to a thrilling piece of information -that might mean a new move for him in his Eastern policy. The little -keen-eyed man looked at Harold and nodded his head interrogatively. - -"Of course, Rashburn has to play his game," he said. "It would never do -for him to know anything about the thing officially, unless the Shan -approached him personally, which is not in the least likely. Because, -you see, we have got to get that ruby back--no reason to split hairs -between you and I--and by fair means or foul. Personally, I should -prefer to settle the business on prosaic business lines--go to Benstein -very late, tell him we know everything, and tender him a cheque for the -money and bring away the ruby on an authority from the Shan to do so." - -"Not a written authority," Harold said hastily. - -"Of course not. You could come along if you liked. That's one way of -settling the business out of hand. A day or two after, Rashburn would -ask me how the story was going on, and I should say that I had showed -you a flaw in it, and that as the money had been forthcoming the affair -was finished on much too matter-of-fact lines to give an interesting -finish. He would understand." - -"And his diplomacy would be unspotted," Harold smiled. "But I fancy we -are not going to be allowed to finish quite in this light-hearted way. -We have Frobisher to deal with--Frobisher who suggested that Mrs. -Benstein should appear in the role of the Queen of the Rubies. He knew -that Benstein had the Blue Stone; he knew that Mrs. Benstein is in the -habit of borrowing gems left with her husband for security; and he -calculated on her borrowing that pearl amongst rubies for to-night. Do -you suppose, knowing Frobisher's character, that he means that stone to -leave the house?" - -"I know that he is an utterly unscrupulous scoundrel," Parkford said -freely. "Oh, he is quite capable of this kind of thing. Do you happen -to know anything of Miss Lyne?" - -"I am engaged to be married to her," Harold said quietly. - -The little brown-faced man whistled softly, but his features expressed -no astonishment. - -"I thought your English was uncommonly good for a native," he said. "Of -course, I know all about you now. My wife, who knows the history of -everybody in London, I believe, told me about Harold Denvers and Miss -Lyne, and how you had been forbidden the house and all that kind of -thing. I seem to remember, too, that at one time your father and -Frobisher were by the way of being friends." - -"To my father's cost," Harold said with some little bitterness. "He -robbed and ruined my father, and he died a broken man. That was before -Frobisher put money in his purse by so shamefully abusing his position -in the diplomatic service. As to Miss Lyne----" - -"Miss Lyne may be of the greatest possible service to us," Parkford -said. - -"She is of use at the present moment," Harold said. "Of course she -knows I am here and why, though I should be kicked out of the house if -discovered. Miss Lyne is keeping Mrs. Benstein out of the way for the -moment--out of Frobisher's way, that is." - -Parkford jerked his thumb over his right shoulder and nodded. As Harold -looked up he saw the shifting figure of Frobisher passing through the -crowd. His eyes were narrow and eager, he seemed to be looking -furtively and greedily for some one. - -"The bloodhound is astir," Parkford muttered. "We must cross his trail -without delay." - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII.* - - *A FRIEND IN NEED.* - - -Angela took her place by Mrs. Benstein's side as if they had been -friends of standing. She had a game to play, and not too many -instructions as to how it was to be played, but, at the same time, she -was strangely moved to the financier's wife. In spite of her beauty and -intelligence there was an atmosphere about her that was just a little -pathetic. She reminded Angela of some white mountain-peak stretching -away far above its fellows, solitary, beautiful and alone. - -The light shimmered upon her jewels as they gently heaved upon her -breast. Her fine eyes were just a little interrogative as they turned -upon Angela. - -"It is very good of you to interest yourself in me," she said. "I -wonder why you do it?" - -Angela coloured slightly; after all, her attentions were not quite -disinterested. - -"Perhaps it is because you fascinate me," Angela said frankly. "I have -never seen any one like you before. I love character. And yet, you -seem quite lonely, as if you were apart from the rest." - -"Well, so I am," Isa Benstein replied. "The men on occasions like this -count for nothing. I never see a lot of men crowded round a pretty woman -without a strong temptation to laugh. They look so foolish. And yet -your women here rather avoid me--they are not quite sure of my position. -But I could lead the whole lot of them if I chose to do so." - -Angela did not doubt it. She had only to look in that beautiful face -and see that the boast was no idle one. The brilliant light died out of -the speaker's eyes. - -"But what is the good of it?" she said. "I don't believe there is any -society worthy of the name to-day. Money seems to be everything. Your -poor aristocrat sneers at the monied people. But ain't they just as -ostentatious themselves! Don't they rob their creditors and neglect -their bills to appear like other people? It seems such a dreadfully -snobbish thing to do." - -The fine eyes were looking round contemptuously, the breastplate of -rubies heaved slowly. The words sounded strange from one so superbly -attired, and Mrs. Benstein laughed as she caught Angela's smile. - -"You are thinking that I am no better than the rest," she went on. -"Well, perhaps not. But, then, my plumes are borrowed ones. You see my -husband is what is called a money-lender. There are lots of great ladies -here to-night who come to him for assistance, they bring their jewels -and he lends them money. I am wearing nearly all borrowed plumes -to-night." - -Angela gave a little gasp at the audacity of the confession. - -"Oh, of course it is wrong," Mrs. Benstein proceeded. "It's like a -laundress who keeps back a silk blouse from somebody else's washing to -wear on a Sunday. I've done that myself." - -Angela listened in dazed fascination. Such a confession from one so -stately and beautiful was amazing. - -"You have learnt the art of jesting with a perfectly serious face," she -suggested. - -"My dear, I am telling you the exact truth. I suppose it is the impish -spirit in my blood that prompts me to do such things. In the day of my -early Sunday holidays things were different. But you can't expect a high -morality in a little Shoreditch second-hand clothes shop." - -"You will tell me that you served in one next," Angela laughed. - -"My dear, I did," was the reply. "Do you know, I have not the slightest -idea who my parents are. All I know is that I am not a Jewess, though I -was brought up as one. I used to run about the streets. I grew up -somehow. And then I drifted into that shop. I educated myself pretty -well, for the simple reason that I cannot forget anything. My husband -took me away and married me. I would have married any one to get away -from that blighting desolation. I was going mad for the want of colour -and brightness in my life. And--and there you are." - -"Nobody could possibly tell that you have not been used to this life -always," Angela said. "There have been jealous eyes round you to-night, -but they found no flaw." - -"I had no intention of them finding a flaw," Mrs. Benstein said coolly. -"I have intuition and observation. And yet, till this very night, I -have never sat and chatted with a lady before. I like you, Miss Lyne, -and I would do anything for you. I like your kind face and those -thoughtful eyes." - -Angela was glad to hear it. The confession made her task all the -easier. - -"I am going to ask you to help me," she said. "I felt sure from the -first that I could rely upon you. May I not be personal just for a -little longer? You say your plumes are borrowed ones. Have you any -idea of the identity of the ruby you are wearing on your forehead?" - -"Not the least. My husband never mentions his clients by name--or, at -least, very seldom. I took a fancy to this stone as a kind of climax to -my costume, and with great reluctance my husband let me have it. Your -eyes are telling me strange things, Miss Lyne." - -"My tongue is going to tell you stranger," Angela whispered. "To think -that you should be ignorant of the fact that you are wearing the sacred -Blue Stone of Ghan." - -"The Shan of Koordstan's Royal gem!" Mrs. Benstein exclaimed. "Oh, I -know all about that. There is very little underground political history -that I don't know. Koordstan and the Cardinal Moth and the--the rest of -it. Our host to-night would give me something for the stone." - -"Our host of to-night means to have it," Angela said under her breath. - -"I see, I see. What an intellect the man has! It was he who persuaded -me to come as Queen of the Rubies. For his own ends he got me invited -here. He felt pretty sure that my husband would let me have the Blue -Stone to wear. I am in danger." - -"I don't think you are exactly in danger," Angela said. - -"Oh, yes, I am. You don't know everything, I can see. The Shan of -Koordstan is here to-night." - -"He is here with one of his suite called Aben Abdullah, who, by the way, -is my beloved one in disguise. He is Harold Denvers, who is aiding the -Shan." - -"A romance, a veritable romance, with danger and difficulties clinging -to it like an aroma. So I am to play the part of one of Sir Clement's -puppets! We shall see. Now tell me everything." - -Angela proceeded to explain that she was going much beyond Harold -Denvers' hurried instructions. But from the first her instinct had told -her that she could make a friend of the woman. She concealed nothing, -she spoke of the difficult position of the Shan, and what Harold had to -gain by a recovery of the sacred jewel. - -"I'm glad you told me," Mrs. Benstein said slowly. "Very glad. But -there is more danger here than you anticipate, danger to me and to all -of us. Sir Clement Frobisher is one of the greatest scoundrels on -earth; he is cunning into the bargain, a perfect master of trickery and -intrigue. Do you know anything of the Cardinal Moth?" - -Angela shook her head. She was practically ignorant on that point. -Mrs. Benstein indicated the nodding, trembling spray of blossom on her -breast. - -"These flowers are in it," she said. "The Cardinal Moth must play its -part with the rest. There will be no rest until the Moth is back again -over the altar in the temple of Ghan. You wonder perhaps how I know all -these things, but the blood of all nations contrives to make the mystery -that is called Isa Benstein. Now I want you to bring General Pearson to -me; I want you to stay here whilst we go away for a dance together. Sir -Clement, and perhaps another man, will be looking for me. Say that I -shall be back here in ten minutes to see you. You need say no more than -that." - -Angela went away, wondering but obedient. The handsome old soldier would -be delighted. He had been looking for his next partner for a long time. -He was quite distracted by her absence. They walked away together, -leaving Angela behind. Presently in the distance she could see the -figure of Frobisher wandering in and out of the crowd. Angela walked -smiling up to him. - -"Hide-and-seek," she cried gaily. "You are looking for somebody?" - -"Even the Queen of the Rubies," Frobisher responded in a similar strain. -"A handsome reward will be paid to anybody giving information as to her -present whereabouts." - -"You may keep your beloved money," Angela said. "I am above such -things. Mrs. Benstein is dancing with General Pearson, and in ten -minutes she has asked me to meet her under the lamps yonder. And here -comes Count Lefroy, as if he were looking for somebody, too." - -Angela slipped away as Lefroy came up, showing his teeth in a queer, -uneasy smile. He was trembling, too, as if he had run a long distance. -Frobisher suppressed a disposition to snarl. - -"You have finished, then?" he asked. "My rubies were worthy of a closer -inspection." - -"And would have had the closer inspection only Lady Frobisher was called -away," Lefroy replied. "Her ladyship would have left me alone with them -but I implored her not to place so fierce a temptation in my way. She -does not know that I share your passion for those stones, especially -large ones." - -"Like the Blue Stone of Ghan, for instance?" said Frobisher, with a -sharp indrawing of his breath. "It would be good to get hold of that, -eh?" - -Lefroy's eyes grew a trifle harder and more uneasy. He seemed to be -miserably uncertain in his mind, divided in opinion as to whether he -should stay where he was or go away on some errand of his own. The -crowd became slightly more thick as the strains of music ceased and the -dance came to an end. In spite of everything, the rooms were growing -unpleasantly warm, and the guests were seeking cool corners. Mrs. -Benstein came presently, leaning on the arm of her military escort. Her -face was turned away, so that neither of the two men watching her could -see her features. - -Lefroy drew a deep, long breath. The time had come, he would have to -stand up and fight Frobisher, the secret that he had half deemed his own -was on the verge of exposure. - -"Mrs. Benstein is going into the conservatory," he said meaningly. "I -propose to follow her wise example and do the same thing. A sybarite -like you does not care for robust air. I presume, therefore, that you -are going to stay where you are." - -Frobisher hooked his arm quite affectionately through that of his -companion. - -"On the contrary, I feel that a tonic would do me good," he said -sweetly. "I am distressed for your sake. There is a nervousness about -you to-night that alarms me; I could not enjoy myself thinking about it. -What should I do, where should I be without my Lefroy? Orestes and -Pylades, Damon and Pythias _et hoc_, where are you all alongside of -Lefroy and Frobisher?" - -He led the way into the conservatory close to where Mrs. Benstein and -her companion were seated. By accident or design, Isa Benstein had her -back to them. She seemed to be chatting gaily and without a trouble in -the world to the General, who rose presently and proceeded back in the -direction of the ballroom on ices bent. Then Mrs. Benstein rose and -sauntered to the door of the conservatory. Both the men there watched -her breathlessly--the time had come, and they both of them knew it. - -She wheeled round suddenly as if conscious of their presence and smiled -gloriously. - -"I am admiring the flowers," she said. "They are exquisite. But I must -have a word with Miss Lyne, whom I see in the distance. If my -distracted General misses me, pray tell him that I shall be back at -once. I trust you to do this for me, Sir Clement?" - -Frobisher nodded with his mouth wide open, even he felt at a loss for -words. There stood the lady of the rubies, her dress glistening with -the gems, but her fair broad brow was clear as day, there was no vestige -of a stone to mar its pure symmetry. - -"It's a wonderfully warm night," Frobisher gasped. - -"Sultry," Lefroy said meaningly, "very sultry. Deprives you of your -wits, doesn't it? Weren't you saying something just now about the Blue -Stone of Ghan? Or did I dream it? Come along." - -"Where to?" Frobisher asked, like a man in a dream. - -"Why, to the smoking-room, to be sure," Lefroy said with polite mockery. -"As you told me just now with such tender consideration for others, you -are not quite yourself. A little brandy, the brandy you know, and a -small soda. You seem to want it badly." - -"Egad," Frobisher burst out bitterly; "egad, I fancy we both do!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII.* - - *A DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE.* - - -Lefroy's face, on the whole, was the more composed of the two. It was -not often, in public at any rate, that Frobisher allowed his passion to -get the better of him, but for the moment he was utterly taken aback. He -had planned his scheme so neatly, the whole cunning skein had reeled off -so splendidly that the startling disappointment was all the more -maddening. - -"Nothing like the old brandy," Lefroy sneered. "You will find it a -sovereign cure." - -But Frobisher was recovering himself slowly. He was not the man to show -his hand for long. The dry, hard smile was on his face now, the -passionate desire to hurt something had passed away. Ignoring Lefroy's -remark, he passed on in the direction of Mrs. Benstein. - -"I have been looking for you everywhere," he said. "One does not -usually have to hunt for the sun, but in this case the planet would seem -to be a retiring one. Does my house afford such poor attraction that -you should bore yourself in this lovely spot?" - -"I am not in the least bored," Mrs. Benstein said, with one of her most -brilliant smiles. "On the contrary, I have been enjoying myself -immensely. I am merely resting." - -Frobisher said something appropriate. Nobody could do that kind of -thing better when the mood was upon him. At the same time, his deep-set -eyes were looking for signs, that might be conspired into something -useful. Lefroy contented himself by standing behind and smiling -vaguely. - -"Your gems are all I expected them to be," Frobisher went on. "I felt -certain that rubies would suit you to perfection. But you want -something, a certain finish. A star or cluster on the forehead to -finish. Don't you agree with me, Count?" - -He flashed a wicked grin at Lefroy, who said nothing. Isa Benstein gave -no sign. She smiled as she arranged the flowers, the Crimson Moth that -seemed to fascinate Lefroy. - -"I thought so at first," she said. "In fact, I was wearing something of -the kind when I came here. But on mature consideration I decided that -it looked too overpowering. Several of your splendid mirrors confirmed -that impression; consequently, I removed it." - -"It is in a safe place, I trust?" Lefroy said carelessly. - -"Really, I suppose so. Not that it matters, seeing that it is of no -particular value. It was the only sham thing that I had about me. It -is with my fan somewhere." - -Lefroy urged the point no further. It was not policy to say too much. -The two men went off together presently, as Isa Benstein was claimed for -another dance. - -"The man who finds that fan will be lucky," the Count said meaningly. - -"The man who finds that fan will find nothing else," Frobisher replied. -"How on earth it has happened I don't know, but that woman has -discovered everything. Did you see her face as we were leaving? I did. -She came here in blissful ignorance of the little comedy or tragedy, or -whatever you like to call it; but she has had a warning from somebody -since supper. Lord bless you, she knows all about it. We couldn't ask -any prying questions without arousing her suspicions, though I am of -opinion that she is quite aware of the way that she has baffled us. Oh, -she is a clever woman." - -"Clever as they make them. But she is only a woman, after all, my -friend, and liable to make mistakes like the rest of her sex. She has -got that stone about her." - -Frobisher's eyes gleamed. He had been thinking much the same thing. -Followed by Lefroy, he repaired to the smoking-room and proffered his -hospitality. For some time the Count smoked and drank in silence, -waiting for a lead from his host. There was bound to be some kind of -explanation between them, and Lefroy preferred the lead to come from the -other. - -"Silence is golden," Frobisher said, with one of his sudden grins. - -"In this case," the other said. "Perhaps you would like to deal the -first hand. I shall sit tight for the present." - -"I fancy it is my play," Frobisher said thoughtfully. "Fate and the -other players push us a long way off our line of policy sometimes. For -instance, I never imagined that I should be dragged into an offensive -and defensive alliance with you. But for the present it is absolutely -necessary. We must get that precious gew-gew----" - -"Call it the sacred Blue Stone of Ghan and have done with it," Lefroy -growled. - -"Very well, though it is hardly diplomacy. Mrs. Benstein came here -wearing the Blue Stone. You found it out quite by accident, and it was -your game to prevent me from knowing. You tried very hard, but you were -a little too much taken by surprise, especially when the Shan was -announced." - -"That was a very awkward moment for me," Lefroy admitted. - -"It was. Directly you came in here I guessed exactly what had happened. -As a matter of fact, I had not the least intention of your coming here -to-night, indeed I didn't know you were coming. As a matter of fact, -also, my wife cordially dislikes you, and I suppose she only asked you -out of compliment to me." - -"We'll let that pass," Lefroy said. "I was startled when Mrs. Benstein -dropped her mask and the Blue Stone stood revealed. Of course, I knew -that the stone was pledged to Benstein, and that Mrs. Benstein having it -was natural enough. The doting old fool had been wheedled out of it for -the evening. But I didn't know that you knew that, and I was most -anxious to keep the information from you. But directly I came face to -face with you here, I knew that you had some deep scheme, and that you -guessed that I had got wind of it. I have worked that out." - -Frobisher smoked and sipped his brandy with infinite relish. - -"I always like to study a subtle mind, Count," he said. "Will you -explain your meaning?" - -"Certainly, especially as I shall lose nothing by so doing. Why did you -get your wife to ask that woman here at all? I knew you had to use -something like force to bring it about. You did it because you knew -where the Blue Stone was. You advised Mrs. Benstein as to her dress, you -gave her hints on that head. You were quite aware of the extent of -Benstein's senile devotion to his wife. And you calculated that if she -adopted the ruby suggestion she would borrow the Blue Stone." - -"Excellent," Frobisher said cordially. "A capital piece of reasoning. -And a very pretty scheme, though I say it myself. It came off, and only -your presence prevented my coup. Pray go on." - -"There isn't much more to say. Once Mrs. Benstein was here wearing the -Blue Stone, you had no intention of her leaving with the gem in her -possession. I don't mean to say that you would have used brutal force -to get it, but I do mean to say that you would not have hesitated at -that if needs must. Once you had the stone you would have forced those -concessions from the Shan." - -"And exposed the forged ones that you deposited with Benstein," -Frobisher said sweetly. - -Lefroy winced, and the glass chattered against his teeth. He had not -expected that stroke, and his dark face indicated the fact for a brief -moment. - -"That is certainly one to you," he said. "Only that is not the point -for the present. The point is, that your plot has failed, that the -woman who came here to-day wearing the Blue Stone out of pure vanity and -with no kind of _arriere pensee_ whatever, has been warned of her -danger, which she has promptly removed. She knows pretty well -everything--the way she received us showed that. She is an exceedingly -clever woman, and has a shrewd idea how to take care of herself. Has she -got the stone still?" - -Frobisher nodded gravely. Lefroy's point was worthy of consideration. - -"You mean, has she passed it on to somebody else?" he said. "She might -have done that, but I don't fancy so, and I'll tell you why. She has -seen enough of the world to teach her not to trust anybody. Naturally -enough, she does not want her husband to be ruined, as would be the case -unless the stone was restored to Benstein's safe keeping without delay, -and so she would trust to her own shrewdness to get away without -robbery. On the whole, she has not parted with the stone." - -A little reflection assured Lefroy of the soundness of this reasoning. -The thing resolved itself into a game of hide-and-seek with a fortune at -the end of it with any luck. Up to a certain point these men were -compelled to act together, but the alliance might end at any time. - -"I can't very well abduct Mrs. Benstein till she parts with the gem," he -said. - -"No, we can't do it, but we might find somebody who could," Frobisher -smiled. "There's the Shan's minister and treacherous servant, Hamid -Khan, for instance. He has scant respect for the laws of this or any -other country, and he knows quite well that his master has parted with -the stone. If we could put our hands upon the amiable Hamid at this -moment----" - -"Nothing is easier. Hamid is watching in Piccadilly at this very -moment." - -"So you have got a little scheme afoot, too," Frobisher laughed. "Upon -my word I need all my wits to enable me to get the better of you, Count. -How long has this been going on?" - -"Ever since the stone left the Shan's possession. Ever since then he has -been dogged and watched. Let me go and call Hamid in to our discussion. -He knows what has happened, for I scribbled a few lines on a sheet of -paper just now when I left your wife, and handed it to one of the -smaller spies who are loafing outside. The night is hot, and our -absence will not be noticed. Now slip on our coats and assume to be -going to smoke a cigar in the garden. From thence we reach Piccadilly -by the back way, and surprise Hamid in his dreary vigil. Then he comes -back with us here. What do you say?" - -Frobisher nodded gleefully; it was an intrigue after his own heart. -They passed into the cool air of the garden, and from thence into the -narrow lane at the back of the house. It was very late now, and -Piccadilly was growing quiet, so that the few lounging figures there -were easily seen. A slender, brown-faced man in a dust coat and evening -dress came along smoking a cigarette. He did not appear to be in the -least interested in anything only for his restless eyes. - -"I want you," Lefroy said. "There's work to be done, Hamid." - -"Indeed, I am glad to hear that," said the other in a remarkably English -tone of voice. "I'm getting sick to death of this eternal loafing. But -Sir Clement Frobisher and Count Lefroy together! My dear Count, what are -you doing in that galley?" - -"Any galley is good enough when your own has been temporarily wrecked," -Lefroy growled. "But ask no questions for the present and come with us." - -They went back again presently in the smoking-room without having -attracted the least attention, or so at least Sir Clement Frobisher -flattered himself. It would never do for the Shan to know of Hamid -Khan's presence in the house. But there were other watchful eyes -besides those of the Shan of Koordstan. Mrs. Benstein had seen the two -men go into the garden, and she had seen three return. She was not -quite quick enough to get sight of the third, but she had a pretty -shrewd idea who he was. She waited till she could have a word with -Angela. - -"I want you to do something for me, at once," she said. "Sir Clement -Frobisher and Count Lefroy are in the private smoking-room with a third -person. I want you to open the door and rush in with Sir Clement's name -upon your lips as if you are in a hurry for something. Then you can -stammer an apology and close the door behind you. The great thing is to -get a quick mental photograph of the third person." - -Angela nodded, she wasted no time in idle questions. In the most -natural fashion she burst open the door and fluttered into the -smoking-room, calling upon Frobisher as she did so. Then she stammered -an apology and gently closed the door again. The third person had been -seated directly opposite to her so that she had a perfect view of his -face. - -"I see you were perfectly successful," Mrs. Benstein said. - -"Oh, absolutely," Angela replied. "It is a slender man with a deep -mahogany face and curly hair, quite a handsome Asiatic, in fact; but -what struck me more were his eyes, which are a clear light blue. Fancy, -blue eyes in a face like that!" - -"Capital," Mrs. Benstein murmured. "It is exactly as I expected. No, I -am not going to say any more for the present, because I don't want to -spoil your enjoyment. Now go off and flirt with that handsome young -fraud, called Aben Abdullah, when you have the chance. Only don't go -where I shall have to hunt for you in case of dire necessity." - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX.* - - *WHAT DID SHE MEAN?* - - -Harold was on the look out for Angela, so that she had not much trouble -in finding him. His stolid Asiatic indifference was admirably feigned, -and showed nothing of the anxiety within. There was just an -interrogative gleam in his eyes for the moment. - -"Isn't there somewhere where we can be really quiet for a few minutes?" -he said. "I have successfully disposed of my royal rascal for the time, -and I want badly to speak to you. Unless I am greatly mistaken, you can -give me a good deal of information, Angela." - -Angela's smile indicated that she could. There was a small passage -behind some heavy curtains leading to a suite of rarely-used rooms, and -Angela led the way there. She put the light up for a few moments and -disclosed a cosy corner lounge, then she snapped off the switch again. - -"I've pulled the curtain back so that it is possible to see without -being seen," she explained. "We must not stay long, Harold--I am sure -that Mrs. Benstein will want me before long." - -Harold slipped his arm round the girl's waist, and kissed her. Stolen -moments like this were very sweet. There was just an interval of -blissful silence. - -"Now tell me what you know," Harold asked presently, "about the Blue -Stone." - -"I know nothing about the Blue Stone," Angela explained. "Mrs. Benstein -has done something with it. All the mischief arose from the fact that -she had no idea of the traditional value of the gem. She had not asked -her husband about it. As a matter of fact a cunning idea of Sir -Clement's----" - -"I know all about that," Harold interrupted. "It was very cunning, and -came near success, only I nicked in, and you and I spoilt it between us. -Lefroy spotted the stone first and tried to keep the knowledge from -Frobisher, which was practically impossible. Then luck conspired to -force those fellows to make an offensive and defensive alliance. But -where is the stone?" - -"My dear boy, I haven't the remotest idea. All I know is that it has -disappeared from Mrs. Benstein's forehead, and that she seems to be -enjoying the comedy." - -Harold listened uneasily. He knew perfectly well that Frobisher and -Lefroy would not stick at murder even to regain possession of the Blue -Stone. If the sacred gem was still in Mrs. Benstein's possession she -would never be allowed to reach home with the thing intact. - -"I suppose we must wait on events," he said after a pause. "For the -present the Shan is not likely to interfere. I have placed him safely -at a bridge-table, and there he will sit so long as there is a game, -though his kingdom was toppling about his ears. Still, it keeps him -sober, and that is the main thing. I suppose Mrs. Benstein did not tell -you what she proposed to do?" - -"I didn't ask her, Harold. She is so marvellously cool and clever that -I felt quite easy in my mind. But there is another foe to fight. I -quite forgot to tell you about him." - -"Did Mrs. Benstein tell you, or did you find it out yourself?" - -"No. It was Mrs. Benstein. She said somebody was closeted in the -private smoking-room with Sir Clement and Count Lefroy. I was to -pretend that I didn't know, and blunder into the room, taking care to -get a good sight of the stranger before apologising. I did it very -well." - -Harold squeezed Angela's waist affectionately. She laid a loving hand on -his. - -"Perhaps you know the man," she went on. "He looks like a true Asiatic, -but at the same time he has blue eyes. It struck me as such a singular -thing." - -"I know him perfectly well," Harold muttered. "This thing goes deeper -than I expected. The man who is still plotting with these two rascals -is Hamid Khan, who calls himself one of the Shan's ministers. He is -perhaps the most dangerous foe my pseudo-master has. If he can only -prove that the Blue Stone had been out of the Shan's possession there -will be a change of dynasty in Koordstan. This is the worst piece of -news I have heard to-night." - -"I don't quite see why you should be so deeply interested," Angela said -softly. - -"My darling, there is a good deal of self at the bottom of it," Harold -admitted candidly. "I shouldn't take all this trouble and run all this -risk for a worthless creature like the Shan, unless I could see some -benefit in it. I want to pin him down over those concessions, which -will make my fortune. They will give me control over one of the richest -tracts of land in Koordstan. In a year or two I shall be wealthy." - -"Just as if it mattered," Angela whispered, rubbing her cheek against -Harold's, "just as if it mattered, when I shall have so much. But don't -forget that you have Mr. Benstein to deal with. You can't rob him of the -stone which he has come by honestly in the way of business." - -"Oh, I know that. And we must have the stone by ten o'clock to-morrow. -But I have found a way out of that difficulty. Between ourselves, Lord -Rashburn showed me the way. We have a rich Englishman who will advance -the money and benefit politically and secretly at the same time. He runs -no risks of losing his capital either, because he is certain to get it -back from the Shan in time. When Mrs. Benstein has gone home we shall -follow and settle the business out of hand. I wish she would go now." - -"I should trust her," Angela said thoughtfully. "She will go in her own -time and her own way; she will baffle those scoundrels yet, I am certain -of it. My dear boy, do be careful. If you are found out----" - -Angela paused significantly. There was a risk of the mine being fired -at any moment. There was no more dangerous or cunning foe in Europe -than Sir Clement Frobisher, all the more dangerous in that he had Count -Lefroy for an ally. And the time before the Shan was getting perilously -short. - -"Wait upon events a little longer," Angela urged as she arose. "We must -go back again, it is not wise to stay here any longer. Mrs. Benstein may -want me." - -Harold made no demur, pleasant as it was to linger by Angela's side. -She held his face between her hands and kissed him, then he walked -towards the curtain. The band was playing some passionate love waltz; -there were murmurs of conversation and light laughter. It seemed almost -impossible to identify intrigue and danger with so fair a scene. - -The two wandered on together past the dancers and the couples sitting -out, talking quietly together as if they had been no more than casual -acquaintances. Harold was a dull-dogged Asiatic again, but he kept his -eyes about him. The crowd grew less; it was more quiet in the region of -the card-rooms. Several parties were deep in bridge here, the Shan of -Koordstan amongst the number. There was a pile of gold before him; from -the satisfied glitter in his eyes he was winning heavily. Harold gave a -sigh of relief. He was free still to follow his own plans without the -added responsibility of keeping the Shan away from the champagne. He -had a passion for wine, but a deeper passion for play, and so long as -the cards were on the green baize, he would think of nothing else. - -"His whole soul seems to be wrapped up in it," Angela whispered. - -"Of course it is," Harold said contemptuously. "If I went to him now and -told him that he had only to step across the room to recover his sacred -gem he would ask me to come back in an hour. Doubtless he has quite -forgotten why he came here. Look, here comes Frobisher." - -Frobisher came into the room rubbing his hands together and smiling -softly. A glance at him told Harold that he had not only made his -plans, but was perfectly satisfied with them. Somebody hailed Frobisher -with a suggestion that he should come in and make up a table, but he -excused himself. He strolled off down the corridor, and as he did so -Angela caught sight of Mrs. Benstein's flashing gems in the distance. - -"I'll follow her," she whispered. "She's gone towards the big -conservatory." - -But Frobisher was on the same errand. He caught Mrs. Benstein up and -made some remark. She smiled back at him as if there was nothing hidden -under the surface. - -"Oh, yes, the orchids," she said. "I have been promising myself a treat -with your orchids. I will conveniently forget that I am engaged for the -next dance. I want to see your Cardinal Moth in full bloom." - -"I want to know how you are so _au fait_ with the Moth," Frobisher -grinned. - -"That is my secret, sir," Isa Benstein laughed. "There is Eastern blood -in my veins. But I know all about it. You will certainly be murdered -if you keep that orchid long enough." - -"That, to my mind, is just the added charm," Frobisher said coolly -enough. "I love the flower passionately. But the Cardinal Moth is -unique, it has such a cruel, bloody history. Still I am not going to -part with it for all the priests of Ghan." - -Isa Benstein was forced to admit that there was something in Frobisher's -fascination as she looked up at the graceful ropes of blossoms. There -had been one of the periodical bursts of steam which had just cleared -away, so that the cloud of delicate white-pink bloom with its fluttering -red satellites overshone in refulgent perfection. - -"It is indeed the queen of flowers," a deep voice came from behind. - -Mrs. Benstein looked round into the dark, inscrutable face of Lefroy. -She and her host and the Count were alone in the big conservatory. The -door was open, but they were too far away for any one to hear or to hear -any one else. That she had been lured there Isa Benstein knew without -anybody to tell her. She had the Blue Stone of Ghan in her possession, -both these men knew it, and they were both desirous of gaining -possession, but they were both utterly unscrupulous in their methods. - -If it came to a personal struggle they were equal to that. They would -both declare afterwards that the story of violence was a pure -fabrication, and that it had existed in a hysterical woman's -imagination. And for the sake of her husband Mrs. Benstein would say -nothing. How could she stand up and tell the world that she had been -wearing the Blue Stone at Lady Frobisher's dance, when the thing had -been pledged to cover a money advance? - -These thoughts flashed through the woman's nimble brain like lightning. -But the smile never left her face; she did not show for a moment that -she knew or felt anything. She was quite ready. - -"They are lovely," she said. "I am filled with envy, though I have some -perfect orchids of my own. Miss Lyne, won't you come and worship at the -shrine of Flora?" - -Isa Benstein raised her voice in the hope that Angela might be near. It -was a sort of danger signal and might prove efficacious. The next -moment Angela walked in. She understood perfectly, but she made no -sign. Just for a moment Frobisher's eyes flashed like electric points. - -"I don't care for orchids," Angela said. "There is something uncanny -about them." - -"Not all," said Mrs. Benstein, as she bent and broke off a spray of deep -blue blossom. Frobisher winced as if somebody had struck him a painful -blow. "Look at these blooms; they are sweet and tender enough. Count -Lefroy, I want you to arrange this spray in Miss Lyne's hair. You can -reach better than I can, and I can trust your taste. Place this flat -under the coil at the side." - -Angela made no demur, though she would far rather have done it herself. -Lefroy did his work gracefully enough and stepped back to admire the -effect, as did Isa Benstein. Frobisher, still snarling for the loss of -his beloved flowers, looked on with his teeth bared in an uneasy grin. - -"Perfect!" Mrs. Benstein cried, as if she had only one thought in her -mind. "All this evening I have been racking my brains to know what -little final touch was lacking. I beg of you as a personal favour not -to remove those flowers till you go to bed. Now will you promise me?" - -Angela gave the promise lightly enough. Lefroy drew Frobisher a little -on one side. - -"We are wasting valuable time," he growled. "Get rid of that girl." - -"One moment. Her presence here is quite an accident. Our fair friend -has no suspicion. I shall find a good pretext to get rid of Angela in a -moment. Yes, it is a fine flower and quite unique." - -The last few words were spoken aloud. But if Lefroy had seized his -chance for a word with Frobisher, Isa Benstein had not lost her -opportunity. "I am going to make a remark," she said, "though I only -dare to give you a hint. Sir Clement has ears like a hare. When I speak -you are to give a laugh as if I had made a brilliant joke. You are -quite sure neither of these men are really listening to us?" - -"I think you can venture to go on," Angela murmured. "I am quite ready -to laugh." - -She broke out into a rippling, amused smile as Mrs. Benstein slightly -bent her head and said: - -"Be sure that you take down and brush out your hair to-night!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XX.* - - *CHECK TO FROBISHER.* - - -The whole thing struck Angela as strangely unreal. It hardly seemed -possible that this swiftly-moving drama could be played amongst the -settings of her daily life in this fashion. There was the dreamy music -of the band--the Scarlet Bavarian Band of so many big social -functions--the familiar fuss and flutter of drapery, the sound of -well-known voices. Mrs. Benstein was smiling in the most natural way, -the two men appeared to be quite at their ease. And yet here was a -moving drama that any one moment might flare into tragedy. Still, -Angela played the game mechanically. - -A light laugh rippled from her lips so naturally that she was quite -surprised. She had not the slightest idea what Isa Benstein meant by -the strange caution, but she had every intention of carrying it out to -the letter. Frobisher sauntered back to his beautiful guest's side. -Angela lingered, waiting for the next move. She saw Mrs. Benstein's -eyes glance towards the door with a significant look. As she made some -excuse for leaving the others together she saw a flickering smile of -approval. - -"May we smoke?" Frobisher asked, as he closed the door behind Angela. -"We are all enthusiasts, and we don't want any dilettantes here." - -"You may do just as you please," Mrs. Benstein said. "Probably you -would follow that course in any case. You are a bold man to keep the -Cardinal Moth here." - -"What do you know about it?" Frobisher asked. - -There was a dry chuckle in his voice as he put the question. Mrs. -Benstein looked up at the cloud of glorious blossoms over her head. - -"I know a great deal," she replied. "I have lived with some strange -people in my time and I have heard some strange things. There are -certain quarters in the East End where they speak queer languages and -where they know things that would startle the authorities. Amongst -these people I was brought up. I learnt their ways and their methods. -Ah, it was a good school for a girl who has a treacherous world to -fight." - -The speaker flung herself into a chair and hung her long white arms by -her side. The light gleamed upon her sparkling jewels and the dark eyes -that sparkled more brightly still. Frobisher watched her with something -more than artistic admiration; his thin blood was stirred. - -"You speak like a Sibyl," he laughed. "If you know all about the -Cardinal Moth you also know all about the Blue Stone of Ghan, I -presume?" - -Frobisher's voice was low and hoarse and persuasive. He had flung down -the challenge, and Isa Benstein was ready to receive it. She raised her -large dark eyes slowly, and they seemed to float over the faces of her -antagonists. She noted the leering grin on Frobisher's features, the -truculent bullying expression of Lefroy's. - -"I have heard of that also," she said in the same level tones. "The two -are inseparable." - -"Or ought to be," Frobisher went on. Evidently he was to be the -spokesman. "But if the Moth has flown far, why not the sacred jewel? -Have you ever seen it, fair lady?" - -The question was a direct threat, and Isa Benstein rose to it. She sat -there swinging her long arms idly, and glancing with perfect -self-possession at her companions. They meant to have that jewel, as -she knew; they were not going to stick at anything to gain possession of -it. - -"I have seen it," she said quietly; "in fact, I wore it here on my -forehead to-night." - -Frobisher started. He fairly beamed with admiration. What a woman! -What a nerve! he thought. Anybody else would have denied the thing -point blank. But here was a woman prepared for any emergency. There -was going to be a battle of wits here, and Frobisher rose to the fray. - -"Surely a rash thing to do," he murmured. - -"Wasn't it?" Isa Benstein asked with a swift and glorious smile. "But -ignorance is bliss, you say. That being so, there ought to be a great -deal more happiness in the world than there is. Count Lefroy, won't you -sit down? No, in that other chair, so that I can see your face." - -Lefroy bowed and complied. All this waste of time annoyed him, but -Frobisher, on the other hand, was enjoying himself exceedingly. Nothing -that was straight or open ever appealed to him. He would rather have -obtained a shilling by crooked means than a sovereign by holding out his -hand for it. - -"You came here wearing the Blue Stone without knowing it?" he asked. "I -am interested, fascinated, and amazed. Incidentally, I am a little -amused into the bargain." - -"Possibly," Isa Benstein smiled brilliantly. "But you are not half so -amused as I am." - -Frobisher grinned at the way in which his challenge had been flaunted -back into his teeth. With the quick subtlety of the polyglot the woman -had grasped his scheme and what he wanted. - -"It is good to feel that my guests are thoroughly enjoying themselves," -he said politely. "I should like to know how the Blue Stone came into -your possession at all." - -"Problems seem to be in the air," Isa Benstein murmured. "Your -flattering interest is very soothing to my vanity. You know what a -conjurer means when he speaks of forcing a card on a spectator? Of -course you do. The expert with his quickness and his patter can make -the spectator he selects draw any card he chooses. The conjurer in this -case chose me to force his card upon. But all the same when I came here -I had no notion that I was wearing anything half so historic as the Blue -Stone of Ghan." - -"But you tound it out after you got here?" Frobisher said keenly. - -"Yes. That was a piece of good luck. And when I did so I removed it. -That was a piece of caution." - -"Then you had worked it all out in your mind, I suppose?" - -"Yes. I worked it out in the best possible way--backwards. I worked it -out so completely that I was in a position to read another person's -mind. Shall I read that other person's mind?" - -Frobisher bowed and smiled in one of his quick grins. Lefroy shifted -uneasily in his chair. Isa Benstein's lips were parted, her arms played -idly by the side of her chair, there was no sign of fear in her eyes. -When she spoke again it was quite calmly and slowly. - -"We will begin with the conjurer," she said. "After all, he has -succeeded in forcing the card that is destined to lead up to the -brilliant trick that dazzles and astonishes everybody. We will assume, -for the sake of argument, that you are the conjurer and I am the silly -heedless spectator who is marked out as the involuntary accomplice." - -"The mind could not grasp you in that senile capacity," Frobisher -murmured. - -"Then give your vivid imagination free run for once, Sir Clement. The -card in this case represents something that you very much desired, call -it the Blue Stone of Ghan. The sacred jewel is hidden in a certain -place. Your great idea is to conjure that somewhere else, and being a -master of your trade, you have to make use of a third party who shall -make the transfer for you without knowing anything of the matter. Only -a prince among conjurers could hope to bring off so brilliant a coup as -that, but there is no great success without great audacity. But Count -Lefroy is looking at his watch. I am afraid that he is not interested." - -"It matters nothing about Lefroy," Frobisher said. "I am deeply -interested. Pray go on." - -"Of course, our conjurer knows where the stone is. It is in the custody -of an old man who has a young wife. The old man with the young wife has -countless gems for safe custody. From time to time he lends these gems -to his wife to wear, though, with the characteristic caution of his -tribe, he never says anything to the owners. Well, here is the -conjurer's card forced from him, so to speak. All he has to do now is -to design an occasion when the transfer may be made. We will say it is -to be at a brilliant party--a fancy-dress ball, where gems may play a -leading part. The victim will be there. As the Blue Stone of Ghan is a -ruby, he naturally suggests rubies, much as the common conjurer with his -magic bottle induces his assistant on the stage to choose the kind of -liquid he wants to dispense. Says he to himself, that old man will -offer his young wife the Blue Stone as a kind of crown of glory, and she -will take it, not knowing what it is. Once she arrives at the -fancy-dress ball the rest is easy. Do I interest you so far?" - -"Wonderfully," Frobisher croaked. "Fancy finding the conjurer out like -that. But though you have spoiled the trick, he must have the forced -card, in this case represented by the--but why complete the phrase?" - -"Why, indeed?" Isa Benstein asked serenely. "The brilliant trick as a -brilliant trick has failed, for the simple reason that the involuntary -medium has been too clever for her part. But I see that the conjurer is -not so disconcerted as he might be, because he can always fall back upon -his bully method whereby he sometimes disguises failure and leads up to -a success in a fresh line. Is it to be the bullying policy, Sir -Clement?" - -Sir Clement bent forward and nodded eagerly. His yellow teeth were all -exposed in a wide grin. Lefroy sat regarding him with open contempt. A -clock somewhere struck two; the strains of the band floated in. - -"I should like to borrow the Blue Stone," Frobisher said hoarsely. - -"We will discuss that presently," Isa Benstein went on. "Perhaps I had -better finish my train of logical reasoning. There was danger of the -trick failing, in so much as the Blue Stone might have been recognised. -And here was a further resource open to the conjurer. It was open to -him to put aside the tricks of his trade and take the stone, take it -with violence, if necessary. He would argue that his victim dared not -speak, that she would put up with the loss rather than tell a story that -nobody would believe. The idea of a man robbing his guest with violence -under his own roof--and such a roof!--would be scouted by any -common-sense person. Again, the unconscious medium would have her -husband to consider. If the true facts of the case came out he would be -ruined; there would be a scandal that might end in a gaol. Of course, -when the desired mischief had been worked, the stone would be restored -again, discreetly found before it was lost. Really, gentlemen, my -imagination makes me nervous. As I sit opposite you, I am inwardly -alarmed lest you should fall upon me and despoil me of a thing I would -not have touched had I been aware of the true history of the case. I -know I am foolish----" - -"Madame," said Frobisher, rising with a bow. "You cruelly malign -yourself. I have had some experience of clever people, and you are by -far the cleverest woman I have ever met. Your insight is amazing, of -your courage there can be no doubt. But don't carry your courage too -far." - -Mrs. Benstein had risen in her turn, the critical moment had come, but -she gave no sign. Frobisher stood also, shaking his head doggedly. - -"You deem discretion to be the better part of valour," the woman said. -"The English profess never to know when they are beaten! Surely that is -carrying the thing too far. The man who knows when he is beaten is the -most valorous foe, for the god of war is always on the side of heavy -battalions. You want the stone?" - -"I must have it," said Frobisher. - -"Must is not a nice word, but----" - -"But it's got to be used," Lefroy spoke for the first time. "All these -words are so much air. Will you be so good as to lend us the Blue Stone -for a time, or----" - -"Stop!" Mrs. Benstein cried. "Let us quite understand one another. If -I do not lend you the stone you are prepared to go to extreme measures -to get it?" - -Frobisher nodded and grinned till his teeth flashed again. He advanced -with his hands outstretched and a look of greed in his eyes. Lefroy -stood by as if apart from the discussion. - -"A few more words," Mrs. Benstein said, with a steady smile, "a few more -words, and then you may do as you please. I am forced to allude to the -conjurer again and his forced card. That card is in the possession of -the involuntary medium. The success of the experiment depends upon the -ability of the conjurer to force the card when and how he will. But -suppose the involuntary ally determines to frustrate the trick, and say -that he has lost the card or changed it for another, what then?" - -A wicked, brutish oath sprang from Frobisher's lips. All his pretty -cynicism and flippant hardness had gone and the original savage looked -out of his eyes. Just for a moment he panted with a rage that was -unconquerable. He was a murderer in his heart at that moment. - -"You mean," he gasped--"you mean to say that you----" - -"Precisely. As I said before, I had thought the matter out. Am I the -woman to be any man's puppet? The card has disappeared, the conjurer is -baffled. If you can find the card, well and good; if not, the trick -fails. The card is no longer in my possession." - -And Frobisher, looking into her eyes, knew that she spoke the truth. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXI.* - - *DENVERS LEARNS SOMETHING.* - - -Frobisher was first to recover himself. There were beads of moisture on -his forehead, his teeth were ground together, but he forced a smile to -his lips. Then he laughed in a low chuckling fashion, as if something -subtle had greatly amused him. Lefroy stood there, glowering. - -"I'm not going to be put off like that," he said. "The thing's -impossible." - -Isa Benstein ignored the speaker altogether. She was lying back in her -chair as if bored with the whole proceedings. The lights were gleaming -on her jewels and her beautiful, tranquil face. - -"Don't lose your head," Frobisher said, still laughing in the same -noiseless way. "Surely you're not so accomplished a liar that you -haven't learned to know the truth when you see it. I pay Mrs. Benstein -the compliment of believing every word that she says. We have exposed -our hands for nothing, and been outwitted by a very clever woman. -You'll gain nothing by losing your temper." - -"Who could she have passed the jewel on to?" Lefroy growled. - -"Ah, that is the point! Knowing nobody here and all! Madame, I kiss -your hand. You have made Clement Frobisher look and feel like a fool. -It is a sensation I have not experienced since I left school. I believe -every word that you say, nay, if I let myself go I could be furiously -angry with myself. Lefroy, you had better go, there is nothing to be -gained by staying here. After all----" - -Frobisher paused, and Mrs. Benstein, with her head serenely tilted -upwards, finished the sentence. - -"After all, the Shan of Koordstan is in no better plight than he was -before. Whoever has possession of the stone, it is assuredly not the -Shan." - -Lefroy strode off and clanged the door behind him. Frobisher lighted a -fresh cigarette. He had been found out in a singularly rascally action, -but that did not disturb his equanimity in the least. - -"You must be having a particularly pleasant evening," he said. - -"The most enjoyable I ever remember." Isa Benstein smiled frankly. "In -the first place, I have created a sensation and scored a most decided -success. To a woman that is like a foretaste of Paradise. Then, again, -I have been involuntarily forced to become the central figure of a most -exciting intrigue. I love intrigues and mystery to my finger-tips. I -was to have been the puppet, and yet I have beaten you all along the -line. Oh, yes, I am likely to remember this evening for some time to -come." - -"I suppose so," Frobisher grinned. "If I had known I would have lent -you a prize ruby and the Blue Stone might have remained where it was. -If I had made you my ally----" - -"Impossible," Isa Benstein said, curtly. "I should never have trusted -you." - -Frobisher laughed as if the candour appealed to him. - -"I bear no malice," he said. "I love a strong foe. But I wish I had -lent you my big ruby, all the same. You must accept a souvenir of that -kind in memory of this eventful evening. I'll fetch you some uncut -stones from which I shall be proud for you to make your choice. -Meanwhile I shall leave you to admire my orchids. You can't very well -run off with my Cardinal Moth." - -"I should like to examine it closer," Isa Benstein said. - -It was easily done. Frobisher merely pulled a lever and the framework -upon which the Cardinal Moth was roped came down to within a few feet of -the ground. - -Mrs. Benstein caressed the blossoms tenderly. Such a wealth of bloom had -never been seen before. She stood with them all about her like the -goddess Flora, the ropes touched her bare arms, the flowers nodded in -her face. - -"I'll not be long," Frobisher croaked as he stooped and touched one of -the shining taps near the floor. "My word, what a picture for an artist -you make!" - -He crept away gently, leaving his guest amidst the nodding blooms. They -were so fascinating that Mrs. Benstein could think of nothing else for -the moment. She had quite forgotten the events of the evening. She -turned her lips to a cluster of the glorious blooms. - -"They are like beautiful, fascinating snakes," she said to herself. "No -wonder the man dares run the risk of having this bewildering beauty in -his house. Like lovely snakes, the hiss and all complete." - -There was a sudden hiss of escaping steam, and the whole of the dropped -trellis-work was enveloped in mist. The mass seemed to move as if it -had been endowed with life or as if a strong breeze had swept over it. -Then without the slightest warning a grip like a vice caught Isa -Benstein below and above the elbow, pressing her forearm and causing her -to wince with the horrible pain. - -So tight was the grip that she could not turn or move. She stood there -writhing in agony, and yet too fascinated to call out. The bones -creaked and cracked, and still the pain grew greater; it seemed -impossible that any human fingers could grip flesh and blood like that. -Were all the weird legends clinging round the Cardinal Moth true, Isa -Benstein caught herself wondering in a faint, dizzy way? - -Then she braced herself up and struggled violently. It was -characteristic of the woman that she uttered no cry. As she drooped and -her eyes grew cloudy she had a faint vision of a face under a turban, -and then there came a sound of swiftly rushing feet. The platform -seemed to rise with a sudden jerk. Isa Benstein was wrenched from her -feet, the weight of her body told, the arm came away with a cruel drag -from the vice-like grip, and she fell a huddled, shimmering heap on the -floor. - -"I hope you are not much hurt," a voice whispered in her ear. "It was -dreadful." - -Isa Benstein scrambled to her feet breathless, dizzy, and writhing with -pain. But her quick eyes were clear now, and she recognised the Shan's -companion, whom she knew to be Angela's lover. His face was white and -quivering; there was a nameless horror in his eyes. - -"You saw it," Mrs. Benstein said. "What was it?" - -"I cannot tell you yet," Harold said. "It was too dreadful, too awful. -The shock of discovery almost unmanned me for a moment. We will speak -about that presently. How did you happen to be just where you stood?" - -"I was admiring the flowers. Sir Clement pulled down the frame for me, -so that I could see better. He went away to get something that he -wanted to show me, then there was that sudden grip." - -"Which seemed to come out of a vapouring mist, did it not?" Harold asked -hoarsely. "By accident I loosened the spring, and as the frame rose -your weight released you. Is not that so?" - -Mrs. Benstein nodded; she had no words just for the moment. Now that -the reaction had come she was feeling sick and faint with the pain. -Harold's eyes were still distended with the horror of some awful -discovery. - -"It is very strange," he said. "Sir Clement did not mean to come back -to you, for he has just left the house. He slipped out with some -companion whose face I did not see. But your arm is painful. Nothing -broken, I hope?" - -Isa Benstein raised her lovely white arm to prove that such was not the -case. But there was a round red band, and here and there a thin red -stream came from the broken skin. - -"Would you mind keeping this to yourself for the present?" Harold asked. -"Believe me, there are urgent reasons why you should do so, reasons so -urgent that I cannot go into them now. If you are silent we shall bring -one of the greatest scoundrels to the gallows. If not----" - -"I will be silent," Mrs. Benstein said, between her white set teeth. -"But if you could get me away to see a doctor, or if there is a doctor -here whom I could trust----" - -"Of course there is, I must have been a fool not to have thought of it -before. Sir James Brownsmith is the very man, and he is interested in -the case too. Nobody is likely to come in here." - -Harold hurried away in search of Brownsmith, whom he had seen a little -while before. He found Angela and explained what he desired to her. He -had hardly got back to the great conservatory before the great surgeon -bustled in. Coolly enough Harold locked the door. There was no chance -of Sir Clement coming back yet. In a few words he gave a brief outline -of what had happened. - -"It's part of the mystery," he said. "The same horrible mysterious -force that brought that poor fellow at Streatham and Manfred to their -death." - -"Good God!" Sir James cried. "Do you mean to say that you have solved -that mystery?" - -"Certainly I have. That is why I wanted you above all men to see Mrs. -Benstein. Oh, never mind who I am for the present. To the world I am -merely Aben Abdullah attached to the suite of the Shan of Koordstan, and -I am popularly supposed to know very little English. Look to your -patient, man." - -Sir James passed the rudeness from a young man to one of his exalted -position. Very tenderly and gently he examined the wounded arm. But -his vivid interest was more than strictly professional. - -"This is very strange," he said. "There are no bones broken, I am glad -to say--nothing worse than a severe bruise. But I could not believe, I -should utterly refuse to believe that a human hand could make such a -mark like that. Why, it would have to be as large as a shoulder of -mutton to grip the forearm and deltoid like that. Did you see your -assailant, Mrs. Benstein?" - -"I saw nothing at all," Mrs. Benstein said, with a faint smile. "There -was nobody to see." - -Sir James shook his head, but Harold nodded as if he quite approved of -the remark. Sir James was still carefully examining the round white -arm. - -"The thing tallies," he said. "There are the same cruel marks, the same -indentations as from a coarse cloth. And also we have the same great -force used. In the name of God, what is it, sir?" - -Brownsmith spoke with a sudden horror upon him. Harold shook his head. - -"I can sympathize with your feelings, Sir James," he said. "I came very -near to fainting myself when the full force of the thing dawned upon me. -But for the present I prefer to keep silence. And I will ask you to be -silent also. You would be playing into the hands of an utter scoundrel -if the slightest inkling of Mrs. Benstein's accident were to leak out." - -Brownsmith pursed up his lips and nodded. - -"Then the best thing Mrs. Benstein can do is to go home," he said. -"Plenty of hot water fomentations for the present and something to -follow. I'll see that it is delivered to-night. But, seeing that Mrs. -Benstein has to say good-night to her hostess, and seeing that her dress -is so low in the sleeves----" - -Isa Benstein solved the problem in her own swift, characteristic -fashion. She tore her dress from the shoulder so that the gauzy fabric -hung over and hid the cruel red seam on her arm. - -"Ask Lady Frobisher to come here," she said. "Then call my car and fetch -my wraps. I quite see the necessity of making the thing look as natural -as possible." - -It was all done so smoothly and easily that no suspicion was aroused. -Mrs. Benstein had simply had an accident with her dress, an accident -that necessitated her immediate return home. She had had a charming -evening, one that she was likely to remember for a long time. Her -manner was easy and natural; she gave no impression of one who has -escaped a nameless horror, perhaps a cruel death. - -"I can slip away, thank you very much," she said. "Perhaps the -gentleman who has been so kind will see me to my car. May I ask your -arm?" - -Harold bowed profoundly. It was just the opportunity he required. They -threaded their way through the guests along the brilliantly-lighted -corridor into the street where the car was waiting. Isa Benstein held -out her hand in a warm and friendly grip. - -"I am going to help you and Miss Lyne, if I can," she said. "Ask Miss -Lyne to come and see me the first thing in the morning. After she has -gone to bed to-night she will know and appreciate my request. Have you -really solved the mystery of the two tragedies?" - -"I am absolutely certain of it," Harold replied. "See, there is Sir -Clement and that fellow--Hamid Khan, the man who was in the -smoking-room, you know." - -Mrs. Benstein looked eagerly out of the window. Her big eyes gleamed. -"It is as I expected," she said. "I have made a discovery also, Mr. -Denvers. If you will call on me after eleven to-morrow you will hear of -something greatly to your advantage. Strange how fate seems to be -playing into our hands to-night." - -The car moved forward, the speaker was gone. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXII.* - - *STRANDS OF THE ROPE.* - - -Denvers returned to the ballroom with a feeling that he would be glad to -get away. The whole thing sickened him, the light laughter and frivolous -chatter jarred upon his nerves. He had been very near to a dreadful -tragedy; he had learnt a hideous truth, and he had not got himself in -hand yet. He wanted to know the whole truth without delay. Angela -awaited him anxiously. - -"My aunt tells me that Mrs. Benstein is gone," she said. "She had an -accident with her dress. Harold, you look as if you had seen a ghost." - -"I have seen the devil, which is much the same thing," Harold murmured. -"My dear girl, never again shall I flatter myself that I have no nerves. -I dare not go into the refreshment-room and demand strong drink, but I -shall be more than grateful if you will smuggle me a glass of champagne -into the little alcove where we first met to-night. There I can tell -you something." - -But it was not very much that Harold had to tell. The terrible -discovery he had made must be kept to himself as far as Angela was -concerned. Mrs. Benstein would like to see Angela in the morning. She -had a new design for a costume that might suit the girl, so that she was -to be sure and wear the blue orchids that Angela had at present in her -hair. - -"It sounds very mysterious," Angela smiled. - -"Well, it does," Harold admitted. "But I'm sure Mrs. Benstein has good -reasons for the request. Taking her all in all, she is the most -brilliantly intellectual woman I have ever met, and if I mistake not she -can supply the missing piece of the puzzle. Now I really must say -good-night, dear old girl, and drag my master home. I have much to do -before I go to bed." - -"What did Mrs. Benstein do with the ruby?" Angela asked. - -"I don't know. She utterly baffled Frobisher and Lefroy. At first it -occurred to me that she had passed it on to you, but she would argue -that your tell-tale face would give you away. I expect she acted as the -hero of Poe's 'Purloined Letter' did--place the gem in a place so simple -and commonplace, that nobody would ever dream of looking for it there. -However, I am quite sure that the jewel is safe." - -In the card-room the Shan was just finishing a rubber of bridge. He had -won a considerable sum of money, and was in the best of spirits. As two -of the players quitted the table, Harold drew his pseudo-master aside. - -"You are not going to play again," he said, curtly, "you are coming -home. If you refuse to come home I shall take no further interest in -your affairs. Do you hear?" - -The Shan nodded sulkily. Like the spoilt child that he was, he had no -heed for the morrow. But Denvers' stern manner was not without its -effect. He wanted a glass or two of champagne first, but Denvers fairly -dragged him into the street. There was no car waiting, so perforce they -had to walk. - -"You're carrying it off with a high hand," the Shan growled. "Anybody -would think you had the Blue Stone safe in your pocket. Have you done -anything?" - -"I have done a great deal; on the whole, it has been a most exciting -evening. Still, so far as things go I am quite satisfied with myself. -The rest depends upon you. It will be your own fault if you don't see -your own back to-morrow. No drink, mind; you are to go to bed quite -sober." - -"Confound you!" the Shan flashed out, passionately. "Do you know who I -am? A servant like yourself----" - -"I am no servant of yours," Harold replied. "And I know quite well who -you are. You are a dissolute, drunken fool, who is doing his best to -bring himself to ruin. And I am doing my best to save you at a price. -If you like to go your own way you can." - -The Shan muttered something that sounded like an apology. - -"You see, I am greatly worried about the Stone," he said. "The Stone -and the Moth. You promised to tell me to-night where the Moth had -vanished to." - -"The Moth is hanging up in Sir Clement Frobisher's conservatory," Harold -Denvers said. "Frobisher would have shown it to you to-night only he had -a more interesting game to play. It is the very plant that was stolen -from Streatham. You can imagine the price Frobisher would ask for its -restoration. You would grant the price, and then he would have found -some way to repudiate all the wicked story of that infernal flower." - -"Of course I do, my dear chap," said the Shan, now thoroughly restored -as to his temper. "It has been whispered fearsomely round firesides in -Koordstan for a thousand years. The Cardinal Moth guarded the roof of -the Temple of Ghan. All the great political criminals were sentenced to -climb to the roof and pick a flower from the Moth. The door was closed -and the temple seen to be empty. When the priests outside had finished -their prayer the door was open and the criminal lay on the floor dead -with the marks of great hairy hands about him. Sometimes it was the -neck that was broken, sometimes the chest was all crushed in as if a -great giant had done it, but it was always the same. Ay, they dreaded -that death more than any other. It was so mysterious, horrible." - -"And you have no idea how it was done?" Harold asked. - -"Not a bit of it. The priests kept that secret. Of course they pretend -to something occult, but I have been in the West too long to believe -that. Still, it is pretty horrible." - -"You would perhaps like to know how it is done?" - -"Of course I should, Denvers. The priests are too cunning for that." - -"Doubtless. All the same, I know how it is done, and, what is more to -the point, Frobisher knows. It was the way that Manfred died, also that -poor fellow at Streatham. And, but for a miracle, Mrs. Benstein, with -your sacred jewel presumedly in her possession, would have been a -further victim. Frobisher deliberately planned the last thing to close -the mouth of a woman." - -The Shan's eyes fairly rippled with curiosity, but Harold shook his -head. - -"Not yet," he said. "I must be absolutely certain of my facts first. -Now I am going to see you into bed, and come round to keep you out of -mischief in the morning. Meanwhile, I am going to restore myself to a -Christian garb and call up Sir James Brownsmith, late as it is. Between -us we might be able to put all the pieces together." - -To his great satisfaction, Harold saw his dusky friend not only in bed, -but fast asleep before he had finished his own change. Everything -seemed to promise fair for the morrow. It was past two, and Harold -hurried along in the direction of Harley Street, and he was glad to see -a gleam over the fanlight of the surgeon's front door. He was pulling -the bell for the second time when Sir James Brownsmith appeared. - -"What do you want?" he asked, testily. "A consulting physician like -myself----" - -"How is Mrs. Benstein?" Harold asked coolly. The question was quite -effective. "When I saw you a little time ago, Sir James, I passed as -one of the Shan's suite. Clothed and in my right mind, I am Mr. Harold -Denvers, at your service. I have the solution of the Manfred mystery in -my pocket." - -"And altogether I have no doubt that you are a most remarkable young -man," Sir James said. "Pray come in. I ought to be in bed, but I have -not the faintest inclination for sleep. Come in." - -Brilliant lights gleamed in Brownsmith's cosy study, where books and -scientific instruments made up the bulk of the furniture. The famous -surgeon proffered cigarettes what time he looked keenly into the face of -his younger companion. He lighted one of the thin paper tubes himself. - -"I am just from Mrs. Benstein's house," he explained. "I saw her alone, -her husband knows nothing; it is her great desire that he should know -nothing, that the matter should be kept a profound secret, in fact." - -"It must be," Harold exclaimed. "Not a word of it must leak out. You -made a certain examination of the wound. What did you find? Was there -any blood?" - -"I'm not quite sure. When I came to wash the arm there was no blood -there. But there were the fibres of the rope, and they seemed to be -impregnated with blood the same as those from the throat of Manfred, and -the body of that poor fellow who was strangled at Streatham." - -"Are you quite sure that it is blood, Sir James?" - -"Well, I could hazard the suggestion, though I have not made a careful -analysis yet. No blood on the victim, but blood on the strands of the -rope. Strange, isn't it?" - -"If it were true, yes," Harold said, dryly. "But it isn't. Look here, -Sir James." - -From the vest-pocket of his dress-clothes Harold took one wilted bloom -of the Cardinal Moth. He crushed it between his fingers, and -immediately they were covered with a rosy sticky bright red substance -exactly like blood. No paint or pigment of any kind could have -counterfeited the original so well. - -"Well, that's interesting," Sir James cried. "I see your meaning. When -the victim was strangled one or two of those amazing blooms must have -been twisted round the rope." - -"In other words, the rope that did the mischief was the rope that held -up the Cardinal Moth," Harold said. "It was the same at Streatham; it -was the same with poor Manfred; according to your own showing, Mrs. -Benstein met with her accident under precisely similar circumstances." - -Sir James rose and walked up and down the room in a fit of unusual -excitement. - -"You mean to infer that it was not an accident at all?" he asked. - -"You have precisely taken in my meaning, Sir James. The Cardinal Moth -is at the bottom of the whole thing. I must tell you a little of its -history. The Cardinal Moth is unique amongst flowers; for centuries it -guarded, or was supposed to guard, the Temple of Ghan. It had magical -powers: it was used for the destruction of political prisoners. They -were shut in with it to pick a flower, and always were they found dead, -crushed to death. This part is no legend, as the Shan of Koordstan will -tell you. - -"The fame of the orchid got whispered about, and many were the tries to -get it. At last a party of three men managed it; they divided the -orchid in three parts and fled. Frobisher was with one part, and -narrowly got off with his life at Stamboul. Lefroy got away with -another part, but he lost it and almost his life as well in a fire at -Turin, a fire that was no accident. The third man vanished, but his -orchid remained intact till I came across it and brought it to -Streatham, when it was stolen. My idea was to give it back to the Shan -of Koordstan in exchange for certain concessions." - -"Do you know who stole the plant from Streatham?" Sir James asked. - -"I have a very shrewd idea," Harold said. "But that we can go into -later. At the present moment I want to show you a little experiment, -and when I have done so you will know as much as I do about the mystery. -I am going to prove to you that the Cardinal Moth has been a terrible -power in the hands of the priests of Ghan, but I am also going to prove -that the power is exercised in quite a mechanical way. To-night I -managed to bring away a very small piece of the rope that sustains the -Cardinal Moth. You see, it is exceedingly dry and hard, and yet under -certain conditions it thickens up like a cheap sponge. We will tie this -end to this leg of the table and that end to the other leg, leaving it -to sway a little, and not making it too tight." - -Harold tied the rope as he had indicated under the eyes of Sir James, -who watched him with breathless attention. The thing looked so simple, -and yet there was a strange mystery behind it all, a mystery that was -about to be explained. The two knots were made tight at length. - -"Now, despite the warmth of the night, I shall have to get you to light -a fire," Harold said. "It is absolutely necessary that we should boil a -kettle." - -"No occasion to do that," Sir James said. "You shall have your kettle in -five minutes. See here." - -From under the table he produced a copper electric kettle, filled it, -and plunged the plug into the wall. In a little less than five minutes -a long trail of steam issued from the spout. By reason of the long flex -Harold could carry the kettle from place to place without cutting off -the connection, so that the water continued all the time to boil and -fizzle. - -"Now watch this," he said. "I place this jet of steam under the rope -here, and there you are! The effect is practically instantaneous. See -what a simple thing it is." Sir James jumped back, horror and -enlightenment in his eyes. His voice shook as he spoke. - -"Infernal! Diabolical!" he cried hoarsely. "And you mean to say that -Frobisher knew this! Damnable scoundrel; he is not fit to live, still -less to die." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIII.* - - *A LUNCH AT THE BELGRAVE.* - - -Mrs. Benstein received Denvers as arranged the next morning as if the -events of the previous night had been forgotten. She was looking -wonderfully fresh and bright; a tailor-made gown fitted her figure to -perfection. She motioned Denvers to a chair. - -"I am glad you came," she said. "Now you are to please listen to me -carefully and put the past out of your mind altogether. Since I saw you -last night I have learnt a great deal touching the history of the Blue -Stone of Ghan." - -"Which I trust is quite safe," Harold murmured. - -"Oh quite," Mrs. Benstein said, with a queer little smile. "I have even -satisfied my husband on that point, though he has not yet recovered from -the shock of your visit--I mean the visit of yourself and the Shan last -night. You want to borrow the stone for a day or so?" - -"That was the suggestion we ventured to make, Mrs. Benstein." - -"For the purpose of throwing dust in the eyes of certain persons who are -interested in an attempt to deprive the Shan of his throne. Mind, that -is merely surmise, but I fancy it is correct. But I may tell you that -my husband could never have hardened his heart to that extent." - -"It doesn't matter now," Harold explained. "We are in a position to -redeem the gem. Of course, under the circumstances, I need not conceal -anything from your Mr. Gerald Parkford----" - -"Capital!" Mrs. Benstein cried. "His name is good enough for anything. -Now the path is quite clear. I want you and Miss Lyne to lunch with me -at two o'clock at the Belgrave. The Shan must come along, that is -imperative. He is to leave a note for his minister Hamid Khan to join -him there at that meal, and bring the document that requires sealing -along. Also I am going to ask Sir Clement Frobisher; only I want Hamid -Khan to be a little late. Do you understand?" - -"Most brilliant of mysteries; I'll try to," Harold smiled. "And the -Blue Stone----" - -"The Blue Stone will be in evidence when the time comes. See Mr. -Parkford and ask him to bring that cheque along. My husband is too ill -to attend to business to-day, so I shall transact it for him." - -"He has had a great deal on his mind the last few hours," Harold smiled. - -"That is it, Mr. Denvers. A corner in rubies, so to speak. Now will -you go and settle up this business for me without delay? I understand -that the Shan wants looking after if one desires to keep him in a -condition to bestow his mind on business affairs." - -"I'll take the hint and my departure," Harold laughed. "I suppose you -have written all your notes. And I quite forgot to ask if you feel any -the worse for last night's adventure." - -Mrs. Benstein had written all her notes, and on the whole she felt -little inconvenience from her accident. - -"Not that I am at all satisfied," she said. "Mr. Denvers, I was in great -danger last night?" - -"Terrible danger!" Harold said gravely. "But I have got to the bottom of -the mystery now, and the same thing is not likely to happen again. I -can't tell you now; in fact, if I did there would be no luncheon-party -at the Belgrave to-day. But your curiosity will not be unduly tried." - -By the use of the telephone and a cab, Harold managed to carry out Mrs. -Benstein's desires. Parkford was waiting in his chambers, having just -breakfasted. - -"I expected you," he said. "Any news of the ruby?" - -"Mrs. Benstein says it is all right," Harold replied. "She wants you to -lunch with her at two at the Belgrave, and I was to ask you to put the -cheque in your pocket. It sounds flighty and very unbusinesslike, but -there are other matters mixed up with this one, and Mrs. Benstein is not -the woman to do a thing of this kind without some very good reason. -Will you come?" - -"With pleasure," Parkford replied, "and bring the cheque along. Before -very long an invitation from Mrs. Benstein will confer a mark of -distinction." - -The ruler of Koordstan was dressing as Denvers arrived, and suggesting -something in the way of champagne and soda-water as a means of an -appetite for breakfast. He had gone to bed painfully sober for him, and -he resented the interference of Harold accordingly. - -"'Pon my word, you seem to forget yourself," he said. "If a man can't -do as he likes in my position----" - -"It is precisely a man in your position who cannot do as he likes," -Harold said coolly. "Leave that stuff alone till after lunch, when you -can do as you please. If you want your stone back----" - -"I had forgotten all about the confounded thing!" the Shan growled. -"Let me see, what had you arranged? I was so interested in my bridge -last night that I forgot all about it. Wasn't there a man called -Parkford who promised to do something to get me out of my scrape?" - -"He promised a cheque," Harold explained. "He is ready to redeem the -stone for us, and Mrs. Benstein has promised that it shall be produced -at the proper time. I have seen her already this morning, and she wants -you to join her luncheon-party at the Belgrave at two." - -"Count me in!" the Shan said eagerly. "A monstrous fine woman, Denvers; -and a beautiful one, into the bargain. But you forget I promised to see -Hamid Khan here in an hour's time." - -"Well, you are not going to meet him here," Harold said. "Mrs. Benstein -has got some little scheme on, and I am here an involuntary ally in the -matter. You will be good enough to leave a note here for Hamid Khan, -explaining that you have been called out on business, or pleasure, or -whatever you like; so that Hamid Khan is to meet you at the Belgrave at -two for luncheon, after which you will seal his papers. This is not my -idea, but Mrs. Benstein's. I am looking forward to a very pretty comedy -presently." - -The Shan scrambled off his note and presently departed with Harold, who -had no intention of losing sight of his dusky friend till the -luncheon-party was over. To the Shan's suggestion of the club and -billiards he assented, but to a feeble suggestion of modest liquids he -turned a deaf ear. On the whole, Denvers was glad to find himself on his -way to the Belgrave. - -Mrs. Benstein had already arrived, accompanied by Angela. She had -fetched the latter, she explained, so that she would have no time for an -excuse. A spray of the Cardinal Moth flashed and trembled on Mrs. -Benstein's breast; the same spray of purple orchid that Angela had worn -the night before in her hair, was tucked into her belt. Mrs. Benstein -was frank and easy and charming as usual, but there was just a touch of -colour in her cheeks, and her eyes had a brighter sparkle than usual. - -"I have managed everything myself," she cried, gaily. "I have even -arranged the flowers on the table. A strange thing, is it not, that we -English people can arrange flowers!" - -"Ah, here is Mr. Parkford." - -Parkford came up, alert, quick, and self-possessed as usual. Denvers -gave him an inquiring glance, at which he smiled and tapped his -breast-pocket significantly. - -"No flowers, any of you!" Mrs. Benstein cried in affected surprise. -"Here is one for Mr. Parkford, and there is one for Mr. Denvers. -Positively, I see nothing of the shade to suit the colouring of His -Highness the Shan. Ah, here is the very thing! Excuse me, Miss Lyne." - -The speaker bent down and broke off a little spray of one blossom of the -purple orchid from Angela's belt, and herself fixed it in the lapel of -the Shan's immaculate coat. - -"Who can say that it is not in perfect taste?" she cried. "It is the -very shade. We will sit down, and unless Sir Clement Frobisher turns up -in time we will proceed without him." - -Angela looked a little disappointed at the mention of Frobisher's name. -A couple of waiters busied themselves over the table, a basket of -gold-foiled bottles attracted the Shan's admiring gaze. As the big -Empire clock over the doorway of the great red and gold saloon struck -the hour Frobisher appeared. He drew up grinning and smiling with -perfect self-possession; even the presence of Denvers did not disconcert -him. He affected to ignore Harold altogether. But though he smiled, -there was just the suggestion of a puzzled pucker between his eyes. -There was something going on that he did not understand. He made a -mental note of the fact that Angela and Denvers were not to meet again. - -"A pleasant party," he murmured, "and full of sweet surprises. But I -always was partial to a dainty salad. Do you expect any further guests, -dear lady?" - -"I understand that His Highness the Shan is waiting for someone," Mrs. -Benstein murmured. "It is a matter of business, I believe. Is not -somebody hunting for you over there, your Highness?" - -"Hamid Khan, sure enough," the Shan exclaimed. "He sees us at last. He -is coming this way." - -Hamid came leisurely along, smiling deferentially as he caught sight of -his master. The Shan introduced his minister more or less _en bloc_ as -Hamid murmured something. Then his face suddenly changed, a sickly -yellow showed under his tan as he looked up and met the slightly-mocking -glance of his hostess. - -"Hamid Khan and I have met before," Mrs. Benstein said serenely. "It -was some years ago, but I have not forgotten." - -"Egad, our friend does not duly appreciate his blessings," Frobisher -chuckled as his keen eye detected the sickly pallor of the newcomer. -"Try one of these liqueurs." - -"The heat, the walk in the sun," Hamid murmured. "London often affects -me in this way. If my master will excuse me, I will get my business -done and go away. My unworthy presence----" - -"Luncheon first," Mrs. Benstein gaily cried. "For the sake of old times, -I cannot be refused. I confess I am very curious to see that Blue Stone -and the way State documents are sealed. You will perform the operation -in our presence after luncheon, will you not, Shan?" - -The Shan nodded stolidly. If some play was going on he might take his -part, he thought, especially with so brilliant a lady to lead him. -Frobisher's restless little eyes roved from face to face, but he could -read nothing. The meal proceeded gaily enough, the only silent person -being Hamid Khan, who seemed restless and ill at ease. Hardly was the -coffee on the table before he rose. - -"Mrs. Benstein must excuse me," he said. "But I have much to do. If -your Highness will produce the stone I will lay out the necessary papers -and----" - -He shrugged his shoulders. The Shan put down his glass and nodded. It -was impossible from his stolid features to guess that he was as utterly -puzzled as Frobisher, which was saying a great deal. A sudden silence, -a burst of expectation had fallen on the party. A burst of laughter -from an adjoining table seemed out of place, incongruous. The papers -were crackling under Hamid Khan's shaky hand. - -"Has anybody a wax-match?" he asked. "Thank you, sir. I will get the -seals ready." - -He proceeded with the aid of a vesta to melt a piece of white wax on a -plate. These he laid neatly on a round patch on the paper before him. - -"And now for the seal," Mrs. Benstein cried gaily. "Pray produce it, -your Highness. I hope you are not so indiscreet as to carry it loose in -your pocket." - -"I have too many enemies for that," the Shan said, carelessly. "I have -to hide it carefully--in fact, I ought not to be in the street with it -at all. Now guess where it is?" - -Mrs. Benstein's eyes fairly caressed the speaker. He wanted an opening -lead, and he had contrived to ask for it in such a manner as to utterly -throw Frobisher off the scent. - -"I fancy I can tell," Mrs. Benstein went on. "Yes, you are not so clever -as you imagine. You are like the man who hid his bank-note in his tie, -and called the attention of the thieves who dogged him to the fact by -tapping the tie nervously all the time. I have seen you glance -frequently at the purple orchid in your coat. I guess that the Blue -Stone is fixed in the calyx of the orchid." - -"A most amazing and clever woman," the Shan murmured as he removed the -flower from his coat and looked gravely into the calyx of the bloom. -"By the prophet, there is some foreign substance here! I remove it -between my thumb and forefinger, and behold the Blue Stone." - -A queer cry broke from Frobisher, who instantly suppressed it. Hamid -Khan looked up with dilating eyes and shot a glance almost murderous at -Frobisher. As to the Shan, he smiled with the air of a man who has -brought off some new and brilliant feat of conjuring. - -"One of Frobisher's orchids too," he said. "Frobisher, if you drink so -fast you'll choke yourself." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIV.* - - *A WOMAN'S WAY.* - - -Frobisher sat there grinning with his teeth showing in a kind of smiling -snarl. The shining dome of his head exuded a beady moisture, his hand -crooked upon the haft of a dessert-knife, as if it had been a dagger of -melodrama. A dog sometimes looks like that when he is being whipped on -the chain. Nobody spoke for the moment. - -There was not the faintest shadow of triumph on Mrs. Benstein's face. -She merely smiled with the delighted air of a child who watched some new -and fascinating game. In a businesslike way the Shan reached for Hamid -Khan's document and called for the wax. - -"That is a very pretty and ingenious hiding-place," Mrs. Benstein said -at length. "No enemy would think of looking for it there. Your -Highness has many enemies?" - -"Ask Hamid Khan yonder," the Shan said crisply. "He can tell you." - -The wretched Hamid wriggled and bowed. It was evident that he had been -taken quite by surprise. The Shan sealed the documents and carelessly -tossed them across the table. The Blue Stone glittered there well -within the reach of Frobisher, and his fingers itched for it. - -"Put the jewel away," he said hoarsely. "It is dangerous to leave it -there." - -"A fresh hiding-place," the Shan laughed. "I feel quite nervous. -Suppose that I get Parkford to take care of it for me until I get home. -He is a man to be trusted, and not a man lightly to molest. Sir, will -you do me the favour?" - -Parkford coolly dropped the gem into his waistcoat pocket. At the same -time he passed a folded strip of paper to Mrs. Benstein and nodded -significantly. Then he rose. - -"I am desolated," he said, "but really I have to leave. Denvers, a word -with you." - -The luncheon-party broke up upon this, Mrs. Benstein alone remaining. -She had arranged to wait here for a friend, she explained. Frobisher -slid away, followed by Hamid Khan, and outside Denvers put Angela into a -passing taxi. He had work before him this afternoon. - -"That was very neatly done," Parkford said to the Shan. "It was a -pleasure to see Frobisher's face. You saw me pass my cheque over to -Mrs. Benstein, who will hand it to her husband. If you take my advice -you will allow me to deposit the Blue Stone with my bankers for the -present. I am going that way, and I shall see that it is all safe." - -"Put it where you like," the Shan said, recklessly. "It's all the same -to me, knowing as I do that I have an honest man to deal with. This -rigid virtue of mine is undermining my constitution. I'll go off to the -club, and try and get a game of bridge. Dine with me to-night, -Denvers?" - -Denvers excused himself on the plea of urgent business; besides, it was -strongly probable that His Highness of Koordstan would be beyond -entertaining by dinner-time. - -"You've got our dusky friend out of a tight place," Harold suggested. - -"So I suppose," Parkford said, indifferently. "I like this kind of -intrigue, and I have a fancy for acting unofficially for the Government. -Sometimes the hobby proves expensive, sometimes the information is -valuable. In this case I am going to make a good thing out of it. I am -very glad, for your sake, that you told Lord Rashburn all about it. -It's given me a grip upon the Shan, and I'll see that you get your -concessions. But we must discuss that another time." - -Harold went on his way with hope rising high within him. He began to -see his way clear now, once the mystery of the Cardinal Moth was -fathomed. Lefroy passed him presently, and turned into the Belgrave. -Harold wondered if this was the friend whom Mrs. Benstein was expecting. - -It was. Lefroy came up to the table where Mrs. Benstein was seated and -took a chair by her side. There was no smile of welcome on her face. - -"I am charmed to come at your summons," the Count said, placidly. - -"That is very good of you," Mrs. Benstein said. "Whether you remain in -that frame of mind is quite another matter. I asked you to meet me here -because my time is limited, and I have business close by. As you see -from the table I have had guests to luncheon." - -"I envy them from the bottom of my soul," Lefroy murmured. - -"I would not waste envy on some of them, Count. For instance, Frobisher -and Hamid Khan. The Shan of Koordstan came here as my guest; he put off -important affairs of State to please me. But I was thoughtful. I said -that Hamid Khan should come on here and bring the papers that he -required sealing with him." - -"The documents that required the impress of the Blue Stone?" Lefroy -asked. - -"The same. Here is the wax cool and hard now upon the Limoges plate, -and with which the deed was done. On the whole it was an interesting -ceremony, and nobody was more interested than Clement Frobisher. Never -has that most beautiful smile been so much in evidence." - -Lefroy coloured slightly. He was not so obviously at his ease now. - -"Hamid Khan was also deeply moved," Mrs. Benstein went on. "Really, I -believe that both of the men I have mentioned expected that the Blue -Stone would not be produced in evidence. But it was. And where do you -think it came from? You can never guess, of course." - -Lefroy muttered something to the effect that his talents did not lie in -that direction. He was conscious of a steely glitter in the eyes of the -woman he was near. - -"Then I had better tell you," she went on. "He took the stone out of a -great purple orchid he was wearing. It was all the more strange that -just before I broke that very flower from a cluster worn by Miss Lyne. -Do you remember placing a cluster of those flowers in her hair at my -request last night?" - -"I remember that circumstance perfectly well, Mrs. Benstein." - -"Well, it was one of the same cluster of flowers. And I feel quite -certain now that when at my request you adorned Miss Lyne last night in -the conservatory, the Blue Stone was hidden in that very blossom. Does -that intelligence appeal to you in any way, Count Lefroy?" - -"You are an exceedingly clever woman," the Count said hoarsely, but with -sincere admiration. "So that is the way you baffled us last night. And -all the time I had actually the Blue Stone in my hand. And I'll swear -that Miss Lyne was not in the secret." - -"She was not; her face would have betrayed her. Now you can imagine the -pleasure with which I watched Sir Clement and Hamid Khan across the -luncheon-table. And you call Frobisher a clever man!" - -"He is by far and away the cleverest man I ever met, Madame." - -"He is nothing of the kind," Mrs. Benstein said contemptuously. "For -depth and cunning he has no equal, I admit. But intellect he has -little, and imagination none at all. The fellow generally scores -because his plots, as a rule, are laid against honest people. But I saw -through him from the first. He was going to make use of me--me! I -would pit myself against him and win every time. If he had not been -prepared to play the bully and the coward last night I would have spared -him, but not now. Before long that man will stand in the dock, and take -heed lest you stand there by his side." - -Mrs. Benstein's voice had sunk to a hissing whisper, her eyes flashed -with passion. - -"It is hard to know what I have done," Lefroy murmured. - -"It would be hard to say what you have not done," was the swift reply. -"You, too, were ready last night to apply force to a desperate woman. -But I beat you, and it is part of my revenge to tell you how the trick -was done. You will never have another chance to get possession of the -Blue Stone and ruin the Shan by your plots together with Hamid Khan. -You would have made use of me, now I am going to make use of you. Here -comes my husband. When he has done with you I shall dictate my terms. -Meanwhile, if your nerves are not equal to the strain there are many -kinds of wines here." - -Lefroy declined the proffered hospitality. He began to feel like one of -his own puppets as Benstein nodded ponderously and sat down. The -interview had evidently been arranged for. - -"I am glad of this opportunity for a little chat," Benstein said, -ponderously. His fat cheeks were shaking, his hand was not quite so -steady as it might have been. He seemed to be fumbling for something in -the capacious pocket of a coat far too large for his bulky figure. "I -was going to look you up, but my wife said she would arrange the -matter." - -"We have had a lot of business transactions together," Lefroy suggested. - -"But there is going to be no more, my friend," Benstein said. "You are -too dangerous--you are too many for the old man whose sight is not what -it used to be. It is about those Koordstan possessions that you pledged -with me for a large sum of money. I keep them by me, I regard them as -good business, until one day I show them to my wife. And what does she -say?" - -"It is impossible to hazard the suggestion what so clever a woman would -say," Lefroy murmured. - -"She says that the whole thing is forgery. Then I look quietly into the -matter, and surely enough I find that the whole thing is a forgery. I -stand to lose ten thousand pounds. My first impulse is to go off to the -police and ask for a warrant to issue against you. When you take my -money you take part of my body. Still, if you pay me the money now, I -say nothing further." - -Lefroy nodded thoughtfully. He was not in the least abashed; he made no -attempt to deny the truth of Aaron Benstein's accusation. He would have -to find the money, but how, was quite another matter. - -"If you give me a little time," he said, "I shall hope to see my way." - -"Ah! ah!--a little time--seven years perhaps the Judge will say. But I -leave it to my wife--she is the clever one. My dear, what shall I do?" - -"At the present moment put on your hat and go back to the City," Mrs. -Benstein said. "I fancy I shall know how to deal with Count Lefroy. You -can't have your money back and your revenge as well. I fancy you can -safely leave me to settle matters." - -Aaron Benstein was certain of it. He beamed proudly at his wife and -kissed his fingers as he put on his hat and most obediently waddled out -of the room. For a long while neither party at the table spoke. - -"I'm afraid that I don't quite understand you," Lefroy ventured at -length. - -"You are not meant to understand me," Isa Benstein retorted. "For the -present you are going to be my puppet and dance when I pull the strings. -Play me fair, and you shall not suffer for the wrong you have done my -husband; play me false, and you shall stand in the dock within an hour -after. Come, sir, it is the turn of the woman towards whom you and -another scoundrel last night would have shown personal violence had you -dared. For the present I shall be content with plain replies to plain -questions. Do you know from whence Frobisher obtained the Cardinal -Moth?" - -"I am not quite sure, but I can give a pretty good guess," Lefroy said. - -"We shall come to that presently. Was Manfred well acquainted with the -properties of that accursed flower?" - -"I should say not. Of course he had a good idea of its value and what -one could do with it." - -"Quite so. Then I suppose that I am correct in assuming that on the -night of his death Manfred was party to a conspiracy to steal the orchid -from Sir Clement Frobisher; in other words, he acted as your agent, and -he was killed in the act of purloining the flower?" - -Lefroy wriggled uneasily and muttered something. But Mrs. Benstein -pinned him firmly down. - -"I shall abandon you to your fate unless you speak frankly," she said. -"Was Manfred trying to steal the Cardinal Moth when he met with his -death?" - -"You may take that for a fact," Lefroy said, as if the words were -dragged from him. - -"Very good. Manfred was going to steal the Moth which previously had -been stolen by Sir Clement's agent from somebody else. Who sold the -Moth to Sir Clement?" - -"I am not quite certain, but I believe it was Paul Lopez," said Lefroy. - -Mrs. Benstein rose from her seat, and flicked a solitary crumb from her -dress. On the whole she did not seem displeased with the day's work. - -"Enough for the present," she said. "Take me out and see me into a -swift taxi." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXV.* - - *A STRIKING LIKENESS.* - - -Frobisher had passed a bad night, and he looked as if he were likely to -have an equally unpleasant morning. A small dealer out St. Alban's way -claimed to have found three new orchids in his last speculative parcel, -and Frobisher had set his mind on seeing them before some other soulless -and selfish collector stepped in. But a slip of blue paper, humorously -accompanied by a shilling, told him that his presence was imperative at -the adjourned inquest on the body of the man unknown, who had been found -murdered in the greenhouse at Streatham. - -"Now what possible connection can I have with that?" he grumbled, as he -ate his breakfast. "It was bad enough for Manfred to thoughtlessly lose -his life in my conservatory: And here's a letter from George Arnott. He -has a great deal of complaint about you, Angela." - -"I am properly flattered by his consideration," Angela said coldly. - -"Oh, that's all very well, young lady. But you are going to marry -George Arnott all the same. That young scoundrel Denvers had better make -the most of his time." - -"He will do that without any encouragement from you," Angela replied. -"Mr. Arnott is an unspeakable little cad, and I would as soon marry your -butler. Indeed, I insult the butler by comparison." - -An ugly smile crossed Frobisher's face, but he carried the conversation -no further. He was puzzled and bewildered, and neither feeling was -palatable. He had been outgeneralled by a woman, and the reflection was -bitter. But he was going to have his own way over this matter, as -Angela would discover. - -"Mr. Arnott to see you, sir," the butler announced. "In the library, -sir." - -Arnott seemed to be anxious about something. He was fussing up and down -the library with a mass of papers in his hand. His manner was hardly -flattering. - -"Well, you have made a nice mess of it," he said, "you and Lefroy -between you. He's bolted." Frobisher chuckled for the first time since -he rose. - -"Bet you a penny old Benstein had found out all about those forgeries," -he said. "Lefroy didn't know that I was _au fait_ as to that -transaction. So Lefroy has retired discreetly--urgent business on -behalf of the master, and all that kind of thing, eh? That leaves the -field clear for us." - -"To a certain extent, perhaps. But you won't get the concessions. -Hamid Khan has been utterly beaten by Mrs. Benstein and your friend -Harold Denvers. It appears that Mrs. Benstein knew Hamid Khan years -ago, he being no more of a Koord than you or I. The Shan has dismissed -him, and at the present moment is on his way to Paris with Denvers." - -A round rasping oath shot from Frobisher's lips. "So that young -blackguard was in it," he exclaimed. "I fancied so." - -"In it! In it up to his neck. I bribed one of the Shan's servants. -Why, Denvers, calling himself Aben Abdullah or some such name, and -beautifully disguised, was in your house the night before last at your -wife's dance. It was he who stopped your little game and enabled Mrs. -Benstein to turn the tables on you. Those concessions are as good as in -Denvers' pocket." - -"But where did the money come from to get that gem out of Benstein's -clutches? I know for a fact that the Shan is desperately hard up for -the moment." - -"What does that matter?" Arnott asked irritably. "You were at Mrs. -Benstein's luncheon-party at the Belgrave yesterday. Who was there -besides the actors in the game? You are losing your wits, Frobisher. -What do you suppose Parkford was doing there?" - -Frobisher slapped his bald head helplessly. - -"I never thought of that," he said blankly. "I'd go to Paris myself, -only I've got to attend an inquest. Come and dine quietly to-night and -discuss the plan of campaign. I shall find some way out yet. Now just -you toddle off and keep your tongue between your teeth." - -"And what about Miss Lyne?" Arnott asked. - -"That's going to be all right--you can safely trust the young lady to -me. She doesn't realise what I am capable of. Though why you should -want to marry a girl who hates you and despises you from the bottom of -her heart is more than I can comprehend. Eight o'clock sharp to-night." - -Frobisher travelled down to Streatham a little later, and devoutly hoped -that his own evidence would be a matter of form. But the hall in which -the inquest was to be held was crammed with curious onlookers, for the -dual sensation caused by two mysterious deaths under similar -circumstances had not been forgotten by the public. Frobisher but -rarely glanced at the newspapers except _The Times_, or he would have -known that "the orchid mystery," as it had been called, was the -sensation of the hour. Only by the aid of two friendly policemen did he -reach a seat in court. - -The proceedings were drawing on, evidence of a formal nature only being -called at present. Frobisher nodded to Inspector Townsend, whom he -recognized as an old acquaintance. - -"Something horribly nasty about perspiring humanity," he said. "I -should like to turn a garden-hose on to the gallery yonder. What on -earth do you want me for, Townsend?" - -Townsend admitted that there might be one or two points on which Sir -Clement's evidence might prove material. He was not quite sure what the -barrister for the authorities had in his mind. Frobisher glanced at his -watch from time to time impatiently; he had forgotten his surroundings -utterly, when the sound of his own name brought him back to the present -with a start. Leisurely and with perfect self-possession he entered the -box and was sworn. - -"I want to ask you a few questions," the Crown counsel said. "You have -read something of the case, Sir Clement?" - -"I have heard of it, though I am afraid I shall be of very little use to -you." - -"We shall see. This man, whom I shall call the unknown for the reason -that he has not yet been identified, was found dead, murdered in a -greenhouse at Streatham. He had been strangled by means of a hair rope -twisted about his neck and pulled tight with great force from behind." - -"That you are perfectly sure of?" Frobisher said with a suggestion of a -grin. - -"At any rate, it will serve for a theory at present. In that -greenhouse, upon the authority of Thomas Silverthorne, was a valuable -orchid which had been placed there by a stranger some time before. -After the murder of the unknown that orchid had absolutely disappeared." - -"Very strange," Frobisher said indifferently, "but of no particular -interest to me." - -"Perhaps we shall make it more interesting presently," Counsel retorted. -"We are inclined to believe that two people were after the orchid--the -man who was killed and the man who killed him and took the orchid away. -The plant must have been singularly valuable and possibly unique in its -way to induce a crime like this. The whole thing is very strange and -singular, and it is rendered more so by the fact that a precisely -similar crime was committed in your conservatory the same night. You -have valuable orchids, Sir Clement?" - -Frobisher nodded. He was not quite so cool now, and an irritating lump -was working at the back of his throat. His quick mind began to see what -was behind these apparently innocent questions. - -"I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied. - -"Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?" - -"Well, I dare say. There are orchid collectors all over the world, you -see. Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him. A -valuable stolen orchid would be a marketable commodity." - -"The same as stolen books or prints, eh? The commercial morality of all -collectors is supposed to be low. What you mean to say is that an -orchid of repute would be bought by some collectors well knowing that it -had been obtained by questionable means?" - -"I've no doubt about it," Frobisher admitted. "I have known such cases." - -"Then here we have a motive for the crime. Let me refer to your own case -for a moment. What do you suppose Mr. Manfred was doing in your -conservatory at the time he died? He refused to dine under plea of a -headache; he was supposed to be lying down, and yet he was found dead -near your flowers. Do you think he was after one of them?" - -"The inference is a fair one," Frobisher said, guardedly. - -Counsel smiled as he stroked his moustache. He was getting to the point -now. - -"Did you or do you suspect Mr. Manfred was after a particular plant?" he -asked. - -Frobisher started. He saw the trap instantly. The smiling little man -with the bland questions knew a great deal more than he had told as yet. -He was not so much asking questions as inviting the witness to make -admissions. He had been primed doubtless by Mrs. Benstein and Denvers. -The lump in the back of Frobisher's throat grew large, the easy smile -flickered and died on his face. - -"I have a score that are almost unique," he said. "Under the -circumstances----" - -Counsel waved the point aside. His experience told him that he was -alarming his witness. He started on another tack which was destined to -be even more disturbing to Frobisher's peace of mind. - -"Let me put it another way," he said in his silkiest manner. "We are -pretty certain that a valuable orchid was stolen from Streatham. You -tell me that commercial morality among collectors is not high, and that -a plant like that would be a marketable commodity. Would you buy it, -for example?" - -"I would go a long way in that direction," Frobisher said with a touch -of his old cynicism. - -"You would! Now I am going to ask you a direct question. I need not -tell you the hour at which the unknown was murdered at Streatham because -you know that as well as I do. Now since that time have you added to -your collection an orchid of extraordinary interest?" - -Frobisher gasped. He had not expected the question. He was like a man -who suddenly sees before him a deep and yawning precipice in the path of -flowers. And the chasm was so deep and yawning that he could not see to -the bottom of it. He hesitated and stammered. - -"I certainly bought a valuable orchid the same night," he admitted. - -"Ah! Now we are getting on, indeed. The orchid you bought was unique!" - -"Well, that is a fair description of it. Nothing like it has been seen -before." - -"An orchid the like of which has never been seen before! Come, this is -very interesting. Can you tell us if the plant in question has any -particular name?" - -"It is called 'The Cardinal Moth,'" Frobisher admitted slowly. The -words seemed to be dragged from him; he half wondered what had become of -his voice. "It came originally from Koordstan." - -"Stolen," the Counsel cried. "The orchid, sir, is unique. It was used -to guard the Temple of Ghan. It is supposed to possess certain sinister -qualities. Criminals who were sent into the place where the Moth hung -never came out alive, they always died, as the two unhappy men whose -cases we have under consideration perished. The sentence was to pluck a -flower from the Cardinal Moth. The flowers were plucked, and when the -great gates were thrown back the criminal was dead, strangled. Sir -Clement, I presume that you knew all about this before you purchased the -Cardinal Moth the other night." - -"Every collector of intelligence knows the story," Frobisher admitted. - -"So when the treasure came in your way you could not resist the -temptation of purchase. Now, pray be careful. Did you not buy the -Cardinal Moth about an hour or two, say, after the unknown was found -murdered in that conservatory at Streatham?" - -Frobisher wiped his shining head; his hand was shaking slightly. - -"If you put it that way, I did," he said. "It was brought to me and -offered for sale that night and I bought it." - -"What did you give for it?" - -Frobisher gaped open-mouthed at the question. It came back to him with -sudden force that he had not given anything for the Moth at all, he had -only promised for Lopez's sake to tell a lie and stick to it. Counsel -rapped sharply on the table before him. - -"I asked you what you gave for the Cardinal Moth?" he exclaimed. - -"A trifle," Frobisher admitted. "Well, nothing in money at all. You -see, the man who sold it to me----" - -"Can you see the man in court? Look round and let us know if he is -here." - -Frobisher slowly looked round the court, not so much to find Lopez as to -regain his own scattered wits. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVI.* - - *A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.* - - -Frobisher passed a handkerchief over his shining head slowly, with a -feeling that he was going through the ordeal of a Turkish bath. It was -a long time before he was quite sure that the vendor of the Cardinal -Moth was not in court. The little questioner smiled as Frobisher shook -his head. Evidently he had a powerful reserve behind him. He switched -off on to another track presently. - -"You know all about the history of the Cardinal Moth?" he asked. - -"Every collector does," Frobisher replied. "It has been known for -centuries. Times out of number adventurers have tried to obtain the -whole plant, or, at any rate, a small portion of it, but without -success. Generally the attempt has ended in disaster to the -adventurers." - -"You mean that usually they have been killed?" - -"Precisely. They have died of strangulation as--as Mr. Manfred did." - -"Quite so. You don't suggest that there is anything Satanic or -diabolical about the Moth? No cruel force from an unseen world, or -anything of that kind?" - -"Certainly not," Frobisher said with the suspicion of a sneer. -"Although such a thing is firmly believed in Koordstan and elsewhere." - -"Then there is some trick, some danger. Now, Sir Clement, listen to me -carefully. You knew all about this strange fatality that clings to the -Cardinal Moth, you know that Mr. Manfred met his death by that terrible -way, and that tragedy at Streatham was more or less a repetition of the -thing that happened under your roof. You can't deny that." - -"Have I made any attempt to do so?" Frobisher retorted. - -"I didn't suggest anything of the kind," Counsel snapped. "But I do say -that you suppressed, deliberately suppressed, what you knew to be facts -of the deepest import. Why did you not tell all this to the police? -Why didn't you mention it to Sir James Brownsmith and other friends?" - -Frobisher mumbled something in reply. It came to him suddenly that he -was older than he ought to be, that his nerve was no longer what it once -had been. He called to mind the many brilliant knaves who had from time -to time stepped jauntily into a witness-box contemptuous of the -inferiority of the cross-questioner, and who had an hour later tottered -from the court a broken man. How much did this little keen-eyed man -know? he asked himself. He would have given half his fortune to be -quite clear on that point. But he could not answer the question -satisfactorily. - -"Nothing could have been gained by that course," he said. - -"And you want the court to believe that?" Counsel cried. "Here were you -with something like a correct solution in your mind and you keep -silence. When did you buy the Cardinal Moth?" - -"It was on the night of the Streatham tragedy," Frobisher admitted. - -"Indeed! Was the man you purchased that plant from a stranger to you?" - -"No. On the contrary, I have known him for years. He was with me the -night before as well." - -"Worse and worse," Counsel protested. "Tell me, Sir Clement, have you -ever made an attempt to raid the Cardinal Moth in person or in -conjunction with others?" - -"I laid a plot to get possession of it," Frobisher admitted coolly -enough. He felt that he could afford to be cynical and frank on this -point. "But my plans miscarried. The plant was divided into three -portions. One was lost sight of, in America, I fancy; the other was -lost at Stamboul, where I came very near to losing my life as well. And -the third plant was burned at Turin." - -"Was that by accident or design?" - -"Design, doubtless. The hotel was deliberately set on fire." - -"Interesting," Counsel murmured. "What was the name of your ally at -Turin?" - -"I'm sorry I cannot remember. In the many busy incidents in a life like -mine----" - -"One moment, if you please. And don't forget that you are on your oath. -Now wasn't the name of your partner who got as far as Turin Count -Lefroy?" - -Frobisher snarled out something that sounded between an affirmative or -an oath. He was clinging to the rail of the witness-box now; there was -a perceptible stoop in his shoulders and his lips quivered. The little -man went on with his merciless questions, smiling as he scored one point -after another. - -"Count Lefroy has been your partner in many a financial venture?" he -asked. "But you have dissolved partnership of recent years; you could -not trust one another?" - -"The steel was too finely tempered in us both," said Frobisher, with a -touch of his old humour. - -"And so you parted. Now let us get on a little further. Of late you -have been very anxious to obtain certain concessions from the Shan of -Koordstan. Count Lefroy was equally anxious. And the Shan, not being so -very popular with his subjects at present, would have liked to get the -Cardinal Moth back again. Now were you prepared to change the Moth for -the concessions?" - -"I confess that some such idea was in my mind," Frobisher admitted. - -"In which case was it not dangerous to ask Count Lefroy to your house? -I mean to luncheon to show him the Moth, and afterwards the invitation -to the fatal dinner?" - -"I can't say," Frobisher replied. "I really can't see what----" - -"Oh, yes you can; a clever man like yourself can see everything. The -Count was as anxious to have the Moth as you were, also with an eye to -these concessions. He was more anxious because he had already mortgaged -the so-called concession to Mr. Aaron Benstein for a large sum of money. -Did you know of that?" - -Frobisher hesitated a long time before he replied. He had grown -singularly hot and confused; he could see no more than that a trap was -being laid for him, but the bait was invisible. There was nothing for -it but to tell the truth and trust to chance. - -"I was quite aware of what Count Lefroy had done," he said. - -"And yet you showed him the Cardinal Moth. He was very angry and he -struck Manfred in your presence. He gave you to infer that he had by -the merest chance lost the Moth itself. In other words, the man who had -stolen it brought it to you instead of to Count Lefroy." - -Frobisher nodded. He was smiling recklessly and a little hysterically -now, wondering how many hours he had been standing there under the rigid -fire of questions. As he glanced up at a big clock over the coroner's -head, to his intense surprise he saw that it was barely twenty minutes. - -"Count Lefroy had made up his mind to steal that plant," Counsel went -on. "Didn't you guess that?" - -"I felt pretty sure that he would make the attempt, yes." - -"As a matter of fact, we contend that the attempt was made. It was all -arranged. The night of your dinner, Mr. Manfred sat out under the -pretence of a bad headache. The house was quiet and you were engaged -with your guests, and Manfred knew exactly where to go. He made the -attempt, and in doing so lost his life." - -"It looks very much like it," Frobisher said, hoarsely. - -"Do you know exactly how he lost his life?" Counsel asked. - -The question came quick and short like the snapping of a steel trap. -Frobisher understood the import of it, nobody else practically did. He -glanced at Townsend, who appeared to be deeply interested in a -newspaper; the Coroner was gazing at the painted ceiling. An -unconquerable rush of rage possessed the witness. - -"Hang you, find out," he cried. "To the devil with you and your -questions. How should I know the secret that the priests of Ghan have -kept so closely all these centuries? All I know is, that anybody who -tampers with the Moth under certain conditions dies, and----" - -The Coroner suddenly woke up and sternly rebuked the witness. He -listened humbly enough now, for he was spent and broken again, only -longing passionately to be away. - -"I am truly sorry, sir, but the question irritated me," he said. -"Anybody would think that I had a hand in the death of poor Manfred." - -"Nobody has suggested anything of the kind," Counsel went on as smoothly -as if nothing had happened. "All I contend is, that you can practically -solve the problem if you choose. But let us hark back a little way -again. What is the name of the man who sold you the orchid?" - -"His name is Paul Lopez," Frobisher said in a tone so low that he was -asked to repeat it again. He passed his tongue over his dry lips. "I -can tell you no more than that." - -"Is he a stranger to you, or have you known him a long time?" - -Sorely tempted to lie, Frobisher hesitated a moment. But once more the -cruel uncertainty of the knowledge possessed by the little man opposite -forced the truth from him. - -"I have known Paul Lopez for years," he said. "He has done many little -things for me. But I swear to you now--as I am prepared to swear -anywhere--that the Cardinal Moth came to me as a complete surprise. I -never expected it, and I was absolutely astonished when I saw it." - -"Then you have no idea whence it came?" - -"Not the slightest. It never occurred to me to ask any questions." - -"The wise man does not ask questions," Counsel said dryly. "Possibly -your curiosity would not have been gratified, in any case. But I -suppose that you had an idea, eh? You feel pretty sure now that the -plant was stolen from Streatham?" - -"That is mere conjecture on your part," Frobisher replied. - -"Oh, no, it isn't. I shall be in a position to prove the fact when the -time comes. You can step down for the moment, Sir Clement, though I -shall have to trouble you again. Call Paul Lopez." - -Townsend put down his paper and stood up. - -"It will be quite useless, sir," he said. "Lopez has disappeared. My -information tells me that he has gone in the first instance as far as -Paris. Perhaps later on we may be able to produce him, but that will -require more than the usual subpoena." - -The Coroner woke up again, and his eyes came down from the ceiling. Yet -he had missed nothing of what was going on, as his next question showed. - -"That is rather unfortunate, Inspector," he said. "What do you propose -to do now?" - -"Ask for an adjournment till Thursday, sir," Townsend said. "Then I -hope to call Sir James Brownsmith, who I am sure will have a great deal -to say. If that course is quite convenient to you----" - -The Coroner snapped out a few words, and the crowd in the gallery began -to fade away. In a kind of walking dream Sir Clement Frobisher found -himself outside. He felt as if many years had been added to his life; -he was shaking from head to foot. The gold sign of a decent hotel -caught his eye. The white legend, "Wines and spirits," allured him. -Somebody was speaking to him, but he did not heed. - -Then he became conscious that Mrs. Benstein was standing before him. -She had been in court, but he had not seen her. He muttered some -commonplaces now, he tottered across the street and into a bar which was -empty. The smart girl behind looked at him curiously as he ordered a -large brandy-and-soda. The soda he almost discarded, he poured the -strong spirit down his throat, and a little life crept into his -quivering lips. - -Meanwhile Mrs. Benstein stood by the door of her car. She appeared to -be waiting for somebody. From the bar window the now resuscitated -Frobisher watched and wondered. He saw Townsend come out of court; he -saw Mrs. Benstein stop him as he touched his cap. - -"I'd give a trifle to hear what they are saying," Frobisher muttered. -"I wish I had never seen that confounded woman. I am growing senile. -Fancy being beaten by a woman!" - -Mrs. Benstein had very little to say to Townsend, but that little was to -the point. - -"If you can lay hands on Lopez, what shall you do?" she asked. - -"Arrest him on suspicion of the Streatham murder," Townsend said -promptly. - -"Which he never committed. Still, it is the proper thing to do. Now -tell me where I can give you a call upon the telephone about ten o'clock -to-night." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVII.* - - *MRS. BENSTEIN INTERVENES.* - - -Mrs. Benstein was dining alone and early, for Benstein had an important -engagement later, and usually he made a point of being in bed betimes. -He had had a good day, which was no uncommon thing for him, and he was -loquacious and talkative as usual. From the head of the table Mrs. -Benstein smiled and nodded, but, as a matter of fact, she had not the -least idea what her husband was talking about. Not until the coffee was -on the table and the cigarettes going round did she speak. She always -liked her coffee in that perfect old Tudor dining-room--the dark oak and -the silver and the shaded lights all made so restful a picture. - -"Now I want to give you half an hour," she said. "You will be in plenty -of time to see Lord Rayfield afterwards. Did you read the account of -the Streatham inquest in the _Evening Standard_ as I asked you?" - -"Read every word of it whilst I was dressing," Benstein said. - -Mrs. Benstein smiled. From the way her husband was dressed, the paper -in question had monopolized most of his attention. At any rate, he -seemed to have grasped the case. - -"What did you think of it?" she asked. - -"Well, it's a queer business," Benstein said, thoughtfully. "Seems to -me to be a lot of fuss to make about a paltry flower that any accident -might destroy. Never could understand Frobisher wasting his money over -that sort of trash." - -"No, you wouldn't," Mrs. Benstein said, quietly. "But mind you, that -flower is more or less of a sacred thing, and the Shan of Koordstan -would have given his head to get it. He's Oriental through and through, -despite his thin veneer of polish and his Western vices. I suppose -those concessions that the Shan has to dispose of are valuable?" - -Benstein's deep-set little eyes twinkled. - -"Give a million for 'em and chance it," he said. "So you think that -Frobisher----" - -"Precisely. Much as he loves orchids, he didn't want the Cardinal Moth -for keeping, as the Americans say. With that lever he meant to get hold -of those concessions. Now I have discovered that it was young Harold -Denvers who found the Cardinal Moth and brought it to England. He took -it down to Streatham, thinking that it would be safe there. But Paul -Lopez got to know about it, and so did another man, apparently--I mean -the man who was murdered." - -"You think that he was murdered by Lopez, Isa?" - -Mrs. Benstein made no reply, but smiled significantly. She might have -startled her husband with some strange information, but she did not care -to do so at present. - -"That will be the general impression after to-day's proceedings," she -said. "And Paul Lopez has disappeared. But I feel pretty sure that he -has not left England." - -"I am certain of it," Benstein chuckled. "Lopez has never got any money. -He tried me for a loan only yesterday to take him away. Guess I could -put my hand upon him in an hour." - -"You think he is to be found at that gambling club you are so interested -in?" - -"Certain of it, my dear. Lopez is friendly enough with old Chiavari, -who has found him a bed and food before now. Rare good customer to -Chiavari he has been. If Lopez is not hiding at 17, Panton Street, I'm -no judge. Do you want to see him?" - -Mrs. Benstein intimated that she did, at which Benstein said nothing and -evinced no surprise. He had the most profound, almost senile confidence -in his wife and her intelligence, and she did exactly as she liked, and -her obedient husband asked no questions. - -"Very well, my dear," he said, as he rose and looked at the clock. "I'm -going past Chiavari's and I'll look in. If Lopez is there, expect him -in half an hour." - -Benstein waddled out of the room and presently left the house. -Something seemed to amuse Mrs. Benstein as she sat in the drawing-room -before her piano. Half an hour passed, the clock was striking nine, and -the footman opened the door to admit a stranger. - -"A gentleman to see you, madame," he murmured. "He says you would not -know his name." - -Isa Benstein signalled assent. She closed the door as Lopez came in and -led the way to a small room beyond, furnished as a library more or less. -There was an American roll-top desk and a telephone over it. Isa -Benstein pushed a box of cigarettes towards her companion. - -"How did you guess where to find me?" he asked. - -"I didn't guess," Isa Benstein said, quietly. "I never guess anything. -You were near the Coroner's court this morning, because I saw you. You -did not deem it prudent to appear, so you had a friend who gave you the -news _en passant_. After that you would deem it prudent to go away for a -little while beyond the range of the police. But unfortunately as usual -you have no money." - -"Correct and logical in every detail," Lopez cried. "What a couple we -should have made." - -"You indeed! The brilliant wife and the equally brilliant husband who -would have gambled everything away as soon as it was made. Strange, -too, a man so clever could be such a fool. So here you are stranded in -London without a feather to fly with." - -"Correct again. Unless you are going to help me." - -"Why should I help you? You are friendless as well as penniless. There -is only one man in London who would be glad for his own sake to supply -you with funds, and that is Sir Clement Frobisher. But you dare not go -near him or write to him or have any communication with him for fear of -the police." - -"Once more absolutely correct, Isa. Truly a wonderful woman. If you -fail me----" - -"We shall come to that presently. What do you know of that Streatham -business?" - -"Very little indeed. If you want me to swear on my oath that I had -nothing to do with the crime I am prepared to do so." - -"But you know perfectly well who the man is. He was lying dead on the -floor of the conservatory at Streatham, at the very time when you stole -the Crimson Moth placed there by Mr. Denvers." - -Lopez started and turned colour slightly. He did not know that this was -mere conjecture on the part of his questioner, but it was. Speaking -from her intimate knowledge and calculating by time she felt sure that -she had not been far wrong. And here was the face of Lopez confirming -her impressions. - -"You need not trouble to deny it," she went on. "I know pretty well -everything. Mr. Denvers had not left many minutes before the accident -happened. Was there an automatic steam-pipe in the conservatory?" - -"Of course. And you may be quite certain that--but do you really know -everything, Isa?" - -"Absolutely. I can speak from experience. I did not know till the night -of Lady Frobisher's party, but I found out then. If you don't believe -me, look here." - -Mrs. Benstein bared her arm, and displayed the cruel circular wound -above the elbow. She was very pale now, and her eyes were dark. Very -slowly she pulled her sleeve down again. - -"Now you can tell how much I know," she said. "Who was the man who lost -his life at Streatham?" - -"I don't know his name, but he appeared very familiar to me. He was a -Greek, a tool of Lefroy's and that queer fellow Manfred. He was too -adventurous, and he died." - -"And Manfred was too adventurous and he died also. I was a little -curious, and I nearly met the same fate. That fate was deliberately -planned for me by Frobisher; in intent that scoundrel is as guilty of -murder as if he had fired at me from behind cover. He thought to trick -me, to make me his puppet and tool, and by flattering my vanity obtain -possession of the Blue Stone." - -"Only the scheme did not come off," Lopez grinned. - -"It failed, because I have ten times Sir Clement's brains and none of -his low cunning. But the scheme would never have been tried at all had -you not suggested it." - -"I!" Lopez stammered. "Do you mean to say----" - -"You suggested it; you told Frobisher where the Blue Stone was. His -quick brain did the rest. Now perhaps you begin to guess why I sent for -you to-night." - -"I thought perhaps you intended to help me," Lopez said with his eyes on -the carpet. - -"Why should I help you? To put money into your purse you did not -hesitate to ruin me and my husband, knowing that my one poor vanity -induced me to deck myself out in borrowed plumes. As a girl you asked -for my heart and I gave it you; I gave all the love I had for any man. -I have never been able to feel the same since. Don't flatter yourself -that I care the least for you; the flower has been dead many years. I -forgave you that. I did not get you crushed and broken, as I could -easily have done. And now you dare drag me once again into your net. I -sent for you to-night to make conditions; the whole truth must be told. -You are to stay in London, and on Friday you are to give your evidence -at the adjourned inquest." - -"You are never going to have it all out?" Lopez said blankly. - -"Indeed I am. Whether you and Frobisher are actually guilty of crime in -the eyes of the law I don't know or care. But you both have a deal to -answer for. Don't you play me false." - -Lopez looked up and down again swiftly. He was thinking how he could -turn this thing to advantage and go his own course at the same time. He -did not hear the tinkle of the telephone-bell behind him; he took no -heed as Mrs. Benstein placed the receiver to her ear. - -"Yes," she said. "I am home. See you in ten minutes. Ask him to wait -outside the drawing-room door. Oh, yes, the messenger came quite -safely. Good night." - -If Lopez heard all this it was quite in a mechanical way. He spoke -presently, urging the uselessness of the proceedings that Isa Benstein -suggested. She said something in reply, something cold and cutting, but -she was taking no further interest in the matter. She was listening for -something, the ring of the front-door bell and a step outside. It came -at length, and she rose. - -"My mind is quite made up," she said. "And I am not going to give you a -chance to go back upon me. Will you open that door, please? I thank -you. Inspector Townsend, will you be so good as to step in? As I told -you over the telephone, the messenger arrived quite safely." - -Lopez's hand shot swiftly behind him; then he dropped it to his side and -smiled. He had been beaten, but he showed no emotion or the slightest -sign of anger. - -"I think you had better come quietly," he said. "I have plenty of -assistance outside. The charge is wilful murder over that affair at -Streatham. Shall I call a cab for you?" - -Lopez nodded. As he passed out of the house Isa Benstein went to the -telephone again, and called up the office of the _Evening Banner_. There -was a hurried conversation, then the communication was cut off. It -seemed to Mrs. Benstein that she had every reason to be pleased with her -evening's work. "It would be good to see Frobisher's face when he knows -that," she said. "And he will know to-night." - -It was getting late now, but some of the evening papers were running -extra specials. There had been a big railway accident in the North, and -there was a little capital out of that. Frobisher heard the raucous cry -of the boys as he came out of his club. He was restless and ill at -ease; he could not sit down and contemplate the beauty of his orchids -to-night. - -"Terrible accident," a boy screamed as he passed. "More about the -Streatham 'orror. Arrest of Paul Lopez to-night. Arrest of the missing -witness. Speshul." - -"Here, boy, let me have a paper," Frobisher called out. "Never mind the -confounded change. Give me a paper, quick." His hand trembled as he -took the still damp sheet, his legs shook as he made his way back to the -quietude of the conservatory. He must see to this at once. - -Yes, there it was, a few short pregnant lines to the effect that Paul -Lopez had been arrested by Inspector Townsend a little after nine that -night. It looked cold and bald enough in print, but it thrilled the -reader to his marrow. - -"The fool!" he hissed. "The fool had no money to get away with. Why -didn't he come to me or send? I'd have given him all he wanted if it -had been half my fortune." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVIII.* - - *NEMESIS.* - - -Frobisher raged furiously up and down the conservatory for a time. -Everything seemed to have gone wrong with him all at once. His -favourite clay pipe would not draw; as he jammed a cleaner down the stem -angrily it came away in his hand. The case of spare pipes he could not -find anywhere. It crossed his imagination suddenly that some of the -more delicate orchids in the roof were looking a little stale. He -touched the gauge of the automatic steam-pipe that threw off vapour at -regulated intervals and found it out of order. He shook the spring tap -angrily as a terrier might shake a rat. - -"Confound the thing," he cried. "Everything seems to be wrong to-night. -Here is a job for Hafid." - -Hafid came in trembling at the long ring of the electric bell. He had -not seen his master in such a dark mood for many a day. Why had he not -come before? Where had the fool been? Hafid bowed before the storm. - -"I'm going out, you congenial idiot," Frobisher muttered. "Something -has gone wrong with the automatic steam-tap in the conservatory. Turn -it on for a minute at eleven o'clock and again at twelve if I am not -back. As you value your skin, don't forget it." - -Hafid bowed again, and his lips formed hoarse words that Frobisher could -just hear. - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," he said. "Take it and burn it, -and----" - -"You chattering simian," Frobisher cried. He sprang on Hafid and shook -him till his teeth chattered. "You besotted ass. Are you going to do -what I say or not?" - -Hafid abased himself and promised by the name of the Prophet. There was -a slight hiss in the conservatory beyond that Frobisher did not notice. -There was nothing wrong with the steam-valve, after all; perhaps it had -stuck somewhere for a moment, but at any rate it was working again now. -But Frobisher was too passionately angry to see that. - -"Eleven o'clock," he commanded. "Don't forget the time. Now find my -pipes for me. Find them in a minute, or I'll kick you from here to your -kennel." - -Hafid was fortunate enough to discover the cases of pipes precisely -where his master had placed them. Then he slipped away discreetly -enough before worse befell him. For some time Frobisher smoked on -moodily. He looked like being beaten all along the line, and he hated -that worse than losing his money. If the whole truth came out, and it -could be proved that he tacitly permitted these tragedies, no decent man -would ever speak to him again. Also, he was a little uneasy as to -whether the law held any precedent for murder by proxy. Again, if Lopez -was forced to speak to save his own skin, the Cardinal Moth would have -to go. There was torture in the thought beyond the bitter humiliation -of defeat. Beyond doubt, Mrs. Benstein was at the back of all this. -Frobisher wondered if she quite knew everything. At any rate, if he -could see her he might pick up a useful hint or two. Women always talk -if properly encouraged, and a triumphant woman could never quite keep -her triumph to herself. - -"I'll go to-night," Frobisher muttered as he laid aside his pipe. "I -dare say I can invent some ingenious excuse for calling at this time of -night." - -He passed from the conservatory into the hall and from thence to the -drawing-room. Lady Frobisher was there, and Angela standing before the -fire-place drawing on a long pair of gloves. The big Empire clock over -the mantel chimed the three-quarters past ten. - -"Where are you going at this time of the night?" Frobisher asked. - -"Lady Warrendale's," Lady Frobisher said without looking up from her -paper. "We are waiting for Nelly Blyson. We shall not start before -eleven." - -"Then you can take me and put me down at the corner of Belgrave Square," -Frobisher said. "I've got a little business in that direction. Didn't I -hear Arnott's voice?" - -Lady Frobisher said nothing; she seemed to be deeply engrossed in her -paper. Angela lifted her dainty head just a little bit higher. - -"He certainly called," she said, "to see me. But he is not likely to -come again." - -Frobisher's teeth showed behind one of his sudden grins. He wanted to -grip those white arms, to leave the small marks of his fingers behind. -But there were better ways than that. - -"So you mean that you have refused him?" he asked. - -"Definitely and finally," Angela replied. "I paid him the compliment of -treating him like a gentleman, but I might have spared myself the -trouble. If you ask that man here again when I am present, I shall be -compelled to leave the house and take up my quarters elsewhere." - -Frobisher grinned again. He could pretty well picture to himself the -way in which Arnott would take his rejection. And the man was not a -gentleman. Frobisher's own breeding showed him that. - -"Very well," he said. "Go your own way for the present. Ask Parsons to -give me a call when the car comes round. I shall be amongst my -flowers." - -He strode back to the conservatory, hating everybody in the world, -himself most of all. Hafid was crossing in the direction of the -conservatory, a big old clock in the hall was close on the hour of -eleven. - -"Where are you going to, you black thief?" Frobisher demanded. - -"My master gave certain directions for eleven o'clock," Hafid said, -timidly. "I was going to----" - -"I'll do it myself. But don't you forget twelve o'clock if I have not -returned. Go back to your room." - -The black shadow departed, Frobisher went on muttering. There was time -for half a pipe, and then--then a brilliant idea came to him. He -grinned and laughed aloud. - -"I'll do it," he said. "I'll take the Cardinal Moth down and hide it. -The thing will dry and shrivel for a time, and come back to all its -beauty when it feels the grateful moist warmth again. Denvers shall not -have the laugh on me. I'll be robbed. It shall go out to the world -that the famous Cardinal Moth has been stolen from my conservatory. And -I'll do it now, by Jove." - -Then, with this design, Frobisher pulled up the extending steps. A -minute later and his body was thrust into a tangle of looped ropes on -which the Cardinal Moth hung. It was like untying a multitude of loose -knots. The folds were all about Frobisher like a snake. So intent was -he upon his work that he did not hear the hiss of the steam-valve below. -The air was growing suddenly warmer and moister, but Frobisher did not -seem to heed. Then, without any warning, something caught him by the -wrists and held him as in handcuffs. He struggled and looked down. A -cloud of steam was slowly ascending. - -"My God!" Frobisher burst out. "That valve was all right, after all. -Here, Hafid, help!" - -But Hafid was some way off, and nobody seemed to notice. Frobisher -struggled, then another loop caught him round the chest, as he fought -frantically, slipped up and pinned him round the throat. A thousand -stars danced before his eyes; he could hear voices in the distance. In -the hour of his peril he caught the sound of Harold Denvers' voice and -wondered what he was doing here. - -There was a last despairing cry, a choke and a snort and a long shudder -of the powerful limbs. The thousand stars went out as if suddenly swept -off the face of the heavens by a passing cloud; it was dark with patches -of red in it, and Frobisher grew still after a long shuddering sigh. -Then he hung for the space of a few minutes--ten, at the outside--before -the strain relaxed and he fell crashing to the floor. - -There was light laughter in the hall, the fresh sound of a young girl's -voice, the firm tones of Harold Denvers demanding to see Sir Clement -Frobisher on urgent business. Hafid came forward like a shadow. - -"My master is going out," he said. "The car is waiting." - -"Tell him I must see him at once," Harold said curtly. "Lady Frobisher, -you had better go without your husband, as our business is likely to -take some time." - -"I must hear my lord and master say so," Lady Frobisher replied. "What -is that?" - -A long wailing cry from the conservatory, a yell of horror in Hafid's -voice. A strange light leapt into Harold's eyes as he dashed forward. -He had guessed by instinct what had happened. Hafid was bending over the -dead form of his master muttering to himself. - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," he wailed. "Ah, if they had taken -and burnt, and----" - -"Hush," Harold commanded sternly with a hand over Hafid's mouth. "I see -that you know quite as well as myself what has happened. Stay here a -moment and be silent." - -Harold hastened back to the hall just in time to intercept Lady -Frobisher and Angela. From the expression of his face they knew that -some tragedy had happened. - -"It is my husband," Lady Frobisher said, quietly. "He is dead. Do not -be afraid to speak the truth." - -"I--I am afraid so," Harold stammered, "He--he has fallen from the roof -of the conservatory. He must have died on the spot. Lady Frobisher, I -implore you to go back to your room. Angela, will you go along! If you -will leave it to me, I will do everything that is necessary." - -Lady Frobisher went away quite calmly. The sudden shock had left her -white and shaking, but after all she had nothing but contempt and -loathing for the man who had fascinated her into matrimony. Harold drew -all the servants away with the exception of Hafid, and hurried to the -telephone. He gave a minute, and a voice replied. - -"Is that you, Sir James?" he asked. "I am very glad to hear it. I am -Harold Denvers, speaking to you from the residence of Sir Clement -Frobisher. He is dead. I found him dead in the conservatory a few -minutes ago. What? Oh, yes, he died in precisely the same manner as -poor Manfred. Will you come at once, please? Thank you very much. I -am going to ring up Inspector Townsend now." - -Inspector Townsend was at Scotland Yard, and would be there immediately. -Harold turned to Hafid, and led him back to the conservatory again. - -"How did it happen?" he asked, sternly. "Tell me the truth." - -"All I know," Hafid muttered. "My master thought the steam-valve was -wrong. I was to turn on the tap at eleven o'clock, but my master said -that he would do it himself. He must have been up with the Moth when -the valve worked. The rest you know, sir. The rest I could not tell -you. The tap was not out of order, after all, and my master is dead." - -"It was a fitting end for such a scoundrel," Harold said, sternly. - -He glanced up to where the Cardinal Moth still danced and nodded. Some -of the long sprays nearly reached the ground. The clinging spirals were -untwisted here and there. And Harold understood. - -"He was removing the Moth," he told himself. "He was going to take it -away and hide it, possibly to pretend that he also had been the victim -of a robbery. He knew that I should claim it soon. Knave and trickster -to the last! What a sensation this will make." - -Sir James Brownsmith came presently, followed by Townsend. There was -nothing to be said, nothing to be done beyond certifying that Sir -Clement was dead, and that he had perished in the same mysterious manner -as Manfred and the still unrecognised victim at Streatham. - -"It's a mystery to me, and yet not a mystery," Townsend said. "I've -pretty well worked it out. But how did Sir Clement manage to get caught -like that?" - -"An accident," Harold exclaimed. "He thought that the steam-pipe was -not in working order, and he was mistaken. But all England will have -the explanation of this amazing mystery to-morrow. We will have the -inquest here, and I shall be in a position to show the jury exactly what -has happened. But, knowing what Frobisher knew, he was morally guilty -of the death of Mr. Manfred." - -There was no more to be said and nothing to be done beyond laying the -body decently out, and locking the door of the conservatory, which -Townsend proceeded to do. As Harold was going out Angela stopped him. - -"Was it murder again?" she asked. - -"It has not been murder at all, dearest," Harold said. "To-morrow you -will know everything. Before long I shall hope to take you from this -dreadful house altogether." - -Angela murmured something. Her eyes were steady, but her face was very -white. - -"I shall be ready, Harold," she whispered. "Only not yet, not till my -aunt.... And indeed it is a merciful release for her. Only I know what -she has suffered. Good night." - -She touched her lips to Harold's and was gone. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIX.* - - *THE TIGHTENED CORD.* - - -London had seldom had a more thrilling hour over the morning paper. The -sensational section of the press had lost nothing in the making of what -was called the orchid mystery; some of them had even obtained more than -an inkling of the true history of the Cardinal Moth, and many were the -ingenious theories propounded as to the mysterious deaths at Streatham -and in Frobisher's conservatory. - -And here was another victim in the person of Sir Clement himself. As -the thousands of business men poured into London by trains, 'buses and -trams, nothing else was talked about. It became known presently that -there would be an inquest at ten o'clock, and some time before the hour -traffic opposite Frobisher's house was practically stopped. But people -who had gathered there hoping to get in were disappointed. Doubtless -the inquest would be adjourned to some more suitable place, but the -public were rigidly excluded from a private house. - -Nevertheless the conservatory was pretty well full at the time the -inquest commenced. The pressmen were quite a large body in themselves, -to say nothing of the jury and the police and a sprinkling of doctors. -Both Sir James Brownsmith and Harold Denvers had arrived early. - -Angela came down to meet Denvers, looking white and subdued by contrast -with her black dress. - -"Lady Frobisher is well, I hope?" he asked. - -"My aunt is satisfactory," Angela replied. "She slept fairly well, and -she is getting over the shock. Of course it is absurd to say that she is -overwhelmed with sorrow; it would be mere hypocrisy to say so. Nobody -knows what a life she has had." - -"Why did she marry him?" Harold asked. - -"Why, indeed? She was not happy at home, and Sir Clement had an -extraordinary fascination when he cared to exercise it. It was a -miserable business altogether. Harold, is there ever going to be a -solution of this terrible mystery? It gets on my nerves." - -"The whole thing is going to be solved within the next hour," Harold -replied. "There is nothing very terrible to hear, so that you can be -present if you choose. We shan't want Lady Frobisher." - -In the big conservatory the proceedings had already commenced. The -Coroner had addressed the rather frightened-looking jury, and then had -waited for Inspector Townsend to call the witnesses. Hafid dragged -himself into the box and was sworn on a Koran. He had very little to -say except that he had heard a cry and found the body of his unfortunate -master as he had found the body of Mr. Manfred. Beyond that he knew -nothing. For the way he looked around him he might have been the -criminal himself. - -"Take it and burn it, and destroy it," he said. "Take it and burn it, -and destroy it." - -"And what do you mean by that remark?" the Coroner asked sharply. - -"We can explain that presently, sir," Sir James Brownsmith said, -suddenly breaking off the whispered conversation with Townsend. "The -poor fellow is half beside himself with terror. I know I am quite -irregular, sir, but this is an extraordinary case. If I may make a -suggestion----" - -"Would it not be better to call the next witness?" the Coroner asked. -"Inspector Townsend tells me he has a full solution of this strange -affair." - -There was a visible flutter among the pressmen present. Without further -ado Harold Denvers was called. From his place he could see Angela's -black figure in the doorway. The same barrister who had represented the -Crown at the inquiry into the Streatham affair faced Harold with a -smile. It was quite evident that he knew the whole history. - -"You were present here last night when Sir Clement's body was found?" he -asked. - -"Yes, sir. I had called to see Sir Clement on important business. I -called here to desire the return of the Crimson Moth you see close above -you." - -All eyes were turned upwards to where the scarlet crowd of blossoms -hovered. The stranded ropes sagged and bagged now so that some of the -blooms were almost in reach. A little later there was a hiss of steam, -and the cords tightened to the moisture as if some human hand had raised -the beautiful garlands. As to the loveliness of the Cardinal Moth there -was only one opinion. - -"So that is the strange bloom," Counsel said. "Do orchids of that class -require constant moisture?" - -"Some of them do," Harold explained. "You see the Cardinal Moth came -originally from a hot swamp, probably in Borneo or on the West Coast of -Africa. You see that is on a very coarsely-woven Manilla rope." - -"Are we not wandering from the point?" the Coroner suggested. - -"On the contrary, sir, we are sticking very closely to it," the -barrister retorted. "Now tell me, is not this same Cardinal Moth -supposed to be endowed with magic powers?" - -"That is the idea. Perhaps I had better say once more what I have -already stated elsewhere. For generations the Cardinal Moth guarded or -was supposed to guard the inner temple of Ghan in Koordstan. The form -and beauty of the Moth travelled until it was known to most collectors. -Two or three people made up their minds to steal it; it matters little -who they were. They did steal it and divided it into three portions. -Two of these portions were lost, and the third came into my hands. The -plant above your head is the one that was stolen from the greenhouse at -Streatham, where I put it for safe custody." - -"Have you any idea who stole it?" - -"Yes, it was taken away by Paul Lopez after the death of Count Lefroy's -representative, who had nearly stolen a march on Lopez." - -"But Lopez never murdered that man." - -"You think somebody else did?" - -"Indeed, I don't. That man was not murdered at all, neither was -Manfred, or Sir Clement Frobisher." - -A murmur of astonishment followed this speech. It seemed hard to -believe, but Harold spoke quietly, though in tones absolutely emphatic. - -"Perhaps I had better explain," he went on. "I told you that the Moth -used to guard the inner temple at Ghan. It was the punishment of high -political criminals that they should go into the inner temple and pluck -from the trail a single blossom. They went in, but they never came out -alive. When the gates were thrown back they lay dead with strange marks -about their throats or their breast bones broken. It was a terrible and -awesome punishment, and one that gave the priests immense power. Nobody -knew how death came, nobody was meant to know, but we shall all in the -room know in a few minutes. It was the work of the Moth." - -Again the murmur of astonishment arose. Harold signed to the policemen -to open the window; As a dry air came in the long strands of the Manilla -rope stretched as the moisture warmed out of it, a climber of the Moth -dangled over the head of an inspector who pushed it aside, as if it had -been poison. Harold produced something that looked like an oblong sack -filled with firewood. He proceeded to tangle it in the loops and folds -of the rope. - -"We will suppose that is a man," he said, "a man who has climbed up to -the roof to steal the Moth which is all tangled up. He puts his arm -through one loop and his head through another, thinking no evil, when -suddenly the steam-hose is turned on. Now watch." - -Harold crossed the room and touched the steam-tap. As the moisture -struck the very coarse Manilla rope it suddenly tightened with the -moisture till it hummed again. The same effect was to be seen with a -clothes-line after a shower of rain. But the almost diaphanous -character of the rope and the heavy discharge of moisture brought the -strands up so tight that they seemed to hum in the air. - -"There!" Harold cried, "there is the mystery--there is the secret of the -priests. The man climbs until he is in a maze of loose rope; the steam -is discharged and he is strangled--the life pressed out of him by those -cruel cords; one cry and all is over. Listen." - -As the rope drew up the wood within the sack was heard to crack as if a -vice had a grip on it. Gradually at the same time the whole mass lifted -higher and higher. Presently as the air dried the loops again slackened -and the sack came to the ground. Nobody said anything for a long time. -But practically the proceedings were over; there was very little to say -or do. - -The gentlemen of the pencil began to file out. After all, the -extraordinary tragedy that had thrilled London as it had not been -thrilled since the days of Jack the Ripper had resolved itself into a -mere accident. One or two of the more fanciful element stayed, for they -could see the making of a fine story here. After all, there was never a -murder or a set of murders planned like this before. - -"The explanation is quite satisfactory," the Coroner said. "If you -propose to go any further--" - -Inspector Townsend shook his head. There was no occasion to rake up any -mud. Sir Clement was dead, and the other two men had lost their lives -in attempted robbery. But that the trap had been deliberately laid for -Manfred, and that Sir Clement was morally guilty of murder, the -Inspector did not doubt. Then the proceedings collapsed almost before -they had begun, and the usual prosaic verdict was returned. - -"I'm glad it was so simple," Angela said when everybody had gone. "But -how Sir Clement----" - -"He was going to take the Moth away," Harold hastened to explain, "so -that I should not recover possession of it. He thought the steam-cock -was out of order, and it wasn't. That is the bald truth. That plant -belongs to me, and I have no doubt that Lady Frobisher will let me take -it away. Ask her on the first favourable opportunity. It's no time to -talk of business, but the sooner I can hand that accursed thing over to -the Shan, the sooner I shall have those concessions. And now, is there -anything I can do for you, sweetheart?" - -It was late before Harold saw the Shan. He had been reading the -morning's proceedings in the early edition of some evening paper. He -welcomed Harold effusively. - -"Glad to see you," he said. "Upon my word, you are the only honest and -straightforward one of the lot. By the way, if you don't want the -Moth----" - -"I came here to offer it you," Harold said, "but after the way the trick -has been exposed----" - -"Bless you, that will not make any difference in Koordstan. Nobody -reads papers there, and the priests will be pretty sure to keep their -mouths shut. Besides, I shall have them on my side now that I know the -whole game. Now sit down and we'll settle the business of those -concessions." - - * * * * * - -It was a month later, and the season was drawing to an end. Lady -Frobisher was back in town for a few days, to make arrangements for her -trip abroad, and Angela had come along. Harold had been dining there. -He was prosperous now, and pretty certain to become a rich man. - -"When is Lady Frobisher going?" he asked. - -"Not till August," Angela replied. "That is nearly two months. And in -the meantime----" - -"In the meantime we are going to be married and have a long honeymoon," -Harold said. "Then I have to go out to Koordstan for a spell, and Lady -Frobisher can come along. It is a lovely country, and it will be a -complete change for her. What do you say to that, Angela?" - -Angela smiled and did not draw herself away as Harold kissed her. She -appreciated his kindness and thought for others. - -"Always unselfish," she murmured. "Harold, it shall be as you say." - -Harold stooped and kissed Angela again, and then there was silence -between them, the blissful silence of a perfect understanding. - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - *SUCCESSFUL NOVELS* - - BY - - *FRED M. WHITE* - - PUBLISHED BY - - WARD, LOCK & CO., LTD. - - -"Mr. White is a master of the breathless pace which whirls a reader -along whether he will or not."--_Yorkshire Observer_. - - -THE FIVE KNOTS -THE BRAND OF SILENCE -THE GOLDEN ROSE -THE FOUR FINGERS -THE TURN OF THE TIDE -THE WINGS OF VICTORY -THE SLAVE OF SILENCE -A CRIME ON CANVAS -NETTA -A QUEEN OF THE STAGE -THE RIDDLE OF THE RAIL -MYSTERY OF THE RAVENSPURS -THE CARDINAL MOTH -THE KING DIAMOND - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CARDINAL MOTH *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43674 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. 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