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