The Orange-Yellow Diamond Page 19

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  PURDIE STANDS FIRM

  The effect produced by this announcement was evidently exactly thatwhich the American expected, and he smiled, a little grimly, as helooked from one face to another. As for his hearers, they first lookedat each other and then at him, and Guyler laughed and went on.

  "That makes you jump!" he said. "Well, now, at the end of that inquestbusiness in the papers the other day I noticed Spencer Levendale's namementioned in connection with some old book that was left, or found inMr. Daniel Multenius's back-parlour. Of course, I concluded that he wasthe same Spencer Levendale I'd known out there in South Africa, fiveyears ago. And to tell you the truth, I've been watching your papers,morning and evening, since, to see if there was any more news of him.But so far I haven't seen any."

  Purdie and Melky exchanged glances, and in response to an obvious hintfrom Melky, Purdie spoke.

  "We can give you some news, then," he said. "It'll be common propertytomorrow morning. Levendale has mysteriously disappeared from hishouse, and from his usual haunts!--and nobody knows where he is. Andit's considered that this disappearance has something to do with thePraed Street affair."

  "Sure!" assented Guyler. "That's just about a dead certainty. And inthe Praed Street affair, these platinum stud things are going to play agood part, and when you and your police have got to the bottom of it,you'll sure find that something else has a big part, too!"

  "What?" asked Purdie.

  "Why, diamonds!" answered the American, with a quiet smile. "Justdiamonds! Diamonds'll be at the bottom of the bag--sure!"

  There was a moment of surprised silence, and then Melky turned eagerlyto the American.

  "Mister!" he said. "Let's be getting at something! What do you know,now, about this here Levendale?"

  "Not much," replied Guyler. "But I'm open to tell what I do know. I'vebeen a bit of a rolling stone, do you see--knocked about the world,pretty considerable, doing one thing and another, and I've falsifiedthe old saying, for I've contrived to gather a good bit of moss in myrollings. Well, now, I was located in Cape Town for a while, some fiveyears ago, and I met Spencer Levendale there. He was then a dealer indiamonds--can't say in what way exactly--for I never exactly knew--butit was well known that he'd made a big pile, buying and selling thesegoods, and he was a very rich man. Now I and five other men--all ofdifferent nationalities--were very useful to Levendale in a big dealthat he was anxious to carry through--never mind what it was--and hefelt pretty grateful to us, I reckon. And as we were all warmish men sofar as money was concerned, it wasn't the sort of thing that he couldhand out cheques for, so he hit on the notion of having sets of studsmade of platinum--which is, as you're aware, the most valuable metalknown, and on every stud he had a device of his own invention carefullyengraved. Here's my set!--and what Mr. Rubinstein's got there is partof another. Now, then, who's the man who's been dropping his cuff-linksabout?"

  Purdie, who had listened with deep attention to the American'sstatement, immediately put a question.

  "That's but answered by asking you something," he said. "You no doubtknow the names of the men to whom those sets of studs were given?"

  But to Purdie's disappointment, the American shook his head.

  "Well, now, I just don't!" he replied. "The fact is--as you wouldunderstand if you knew the circumstances--this was a queer sort of asecret deal, in which the assistance of various men of differentnationality was wanted, and none of us knew any of the rest. However, Idid come across the Englishman who was in it--afterwards. Recognizedhim, as a matter of fact, by his being in possession of those studs."

  "And who was he?" asked Purdie.

  "A man named Purvis--Stephen Purvis," answered Guyler. "Sort of manlike myself--knocked around, taking up this and that, as long as therewas money in it. I came across him in Johannesburg, maybe a year afterthat deal I was telling of. He didn't know who the other fellows were,neither."

  "You've never seen him since?" suggested Purdie. "You don't know wherehe is?"

  "Not a ghost of a notion!" said Guyler. "Didn't talk with him more thanonce, and then only for an hour or so."

  "Mister!" exclaimed Melky, eagerly. "Could you describe this herePurvis, now? Just a bit of a description, like?"

  "Sure!" answered the American. "That is--as I remember him. Biggish,raw-boned, hard-bitten sort of a man--about myage--clean-shaven--looked more of a Colonial than an Englishman--he'dbeen out in South Africa, doing one thing and another, since he was aboy."

  "S'elp me if that doesn't sound like the man who was in Mrs. Goldmark'srestaurant!" said Melky. "Just what she describes, anyhow!"

  "Why, certainly--I reckon that is the man," remarked Guyler. "That'swhat I've been figuring on, all through. I tell you all this mystery isaround some diamond affair in which this lady's grandfather, and Mr.Spencer Levendale, and this man Purvis have been mixed up--sure! Andthe thing--in my humble opinion--is to find both of them! Now, then,what's been done, and what's being done, in that way?"

  Melky nodded at Purdie, as much as to invite him to speak.

  "The authorities at New Scotland Yard have the Levendale affair inhand," said Purdie. "We've been in and out there, with Mr. Multenius'ssolicitor, all the afternoon and evening. But, of course, we couldn'ttell anything about this other man because we didn't know anything,till now. You'll have no objection to going there tomorrow?"

  "Not at all!" replied Guyler, cheerfully. "I'm located at this hotelfor a week or two. I struck it when I came here from the North, a fewdays back, and it suits me very well, and I guess I'll just stop herewhile I'm in London this journey. No, I've no objection to take a hand.But--it seems to me--there's still a lot of difficulty about this younggentleman here--Mr. Lauriston. I read all the papers carefully, andsized up his predicament. Those rings, now?"

  Zillah suddenly remembered all that Ayscough had told her that evening.She had forgotten the real motive of her visit to King's Cross in herexcitement in listening to the American's story. She now turned toPurdie and the other two.

  "I'd forgotten!" she exclaimed. "The danger's still there. Ayscough'sbeen at the shop tonight. The police have had an expert examining thoserings, and the rings in the tray. He says there are marks--private,jewellers' marks in the two rings which correspond with marks in ourrings. In fact, there's no doubt of it. And now, the police are certainthat the two rings did belong to our tray--and--and they're bent onarresting--Andie!"

  Lauriston flushed hotly with sheer indignation.

  "That's all nonsense--what the police say!" he exclaimed. "I've foundout who gave those two rings to my mother! I can prove it! I don't carea hang for the police and their marks--those rings are mine!"

  Purdie laid a quiet hand on Lauriston's arm.

  "None of us know yet what you've done or found out at Peebles about therings," he said. "Tell us! Just give us the brief facts."

  "I'm going to," answered Lauriston, still indignant. "I thought thewhole thing over as I went down in the train. I remembered that ifthere was one person living in Peebles who would be likely to knowabout my mother and those rings, it would be an old friend of hers,Mrs. Taggart--you know her, John."

  "I know Mrs. Taggart--go on," said Purdie.

  "I didn't know if Mrs. Taggart was still living," continued Lauriston."But I was out early this morning and I found her. She remembers therings well enough: she described them accurately--what's more she toldme what I didn't know--how they came into my mother's possession. Youknow as well as I do, John, that my father and mother weren't over welloff--and my mother used to make a bit of extra money by letting herrooms to summer visitors. One summer she had a London solicitor, a Mr.Killick, staying there for a month--at least he came for a month, buthe was taken ill, and he was there more than two months. My mothernursed him through his illness--and after he'd returned to London, hesent her those rings. And--if there are marks on them," concludedLauriston, "that correspond with marks on the rings in that tray, all Ihave to say is that those marks m
ust have been there when Mr. Killickbought them!--for they've never been out of our possession--my mother'sand mine--until I took them to pawn."

  Zillah suddenly clapped her hands--and she and Melky exchangedsignificant glances which the others did not understand.

  "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's what puzzled me at first. Now I'mnot puzzled any more. Melky knows what I mean."

  "What she means, mister," assented Melky, tapping Purdie's arm, "isprecisely what struck me at once. It's just as Mr. Lauriston heresays--them private marks were on the rings when Mr. Killick boughtthem. Them two rings, and some of the rings in the tray what's beenmentioned all come from the same maker! There ain't nothing wonderfulin all that to me and my cousin Zillah there!--we've been brought up inthe trade, d'ye see? But the police!--they're that suspiciousthat--well, the thing to do, gentlemen, is to find this here Mr.Killick."

  "Just so," agreed Purdie. "Where is he to be found, Andie?"

  But Lauriston shook his head, disappointedly.

  "That's just what I don't know!" he answered. "It's five and twentyyears since he gave my mother those rings, and according to Mrs.Taggart, he was then a middle-aged man, so he's now getting on inyears. But--if he's alive, I can find him."

  "We've got to find him," said Purdie, firmly. "In my opinion, he cangive some evidence that'll be of more importance than the mereidentifying of those rings--never mind what it is I'm thinking of, now.We must see to that tomorrow."

  "But in the meantime," broke in Zillah. "Andie must not go home--toMrs. Flitwick's! I know what Ayscough meant tonight--and remember, allof you, it was private between him and myself. If he goes home, he maybe arrested, any minute. He must be kept out of the way of the policefor a bit, and--"

  Purdie rose from the table and shook his head determinedly.

  "No," he said. "None of that! We're going to have no running away, nohiding! Andie Lauriston's not going to show the least fear of thepolice, or of any of their theories. He's just going to follow myorders--and I'm going to take him to my hotel for the night--leave himto me! I'm going to see this thing right through to the finish--howeverit ends. Now, let's separate. Mr. Guyler!"

  "Sir?" answered the American. "At your service."

  "Then meet me at my hotel tomorrow morning at ten," said Purdie."There's a new chapter to open."