The Lady in Blue E-Book

Fred M. White

• Herausgeber: Ktoczyta.pl
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Fred M. White was a science fiction writer and wrote many spy stories. Events in the story The Lady in Blue take place in London. The main character, Rupert Kelso, returns from Norway and lives his usual life, until fate decided intervene. Kelso should assist in an investigation into the robbery of a gemstone.

Leseprobe

Contents

I. Borrowed Plumes

II. The Ivory Mask

III. Missing

IV. A Press Mystery

V. The Torn Cuff

VI. What The “Herald” Knew

VII. “Find The Lady”

VIII. “Number 17”

IX. “The Stage-Box”

X. The First Avenue

XI. “Not Known”

XII. Baris Court

XIII. The Woman Speaks

XIV. The Woman In Blue

XV. Drawn Blank

XVI. Enter The Princess

XVII. A Woman’s Way

XVIII. Something Like A Clue

XIX. The Black Mackintosh

XX. The Woman In The Rusty Bonnet

XXI. Clutton Takes A Hand

XXII. The Spider’s Web

XXIII. Baiting The Trap

XXIV. The Trap Stands Open

XXV. The Turning Screw

XXVI. A Desperate Step

XXVII. The Beckoning Hand

XXVIII. In The Trap

XXIX. Taking The Risk

XXX. Polly To The Rescue

XXXI. Towards The Light

XXXII. A Matter Of Conscience

XXXIII. The Shadow Of A Crime

XXXIV. A House Of Sorrows

XXXV. Steeped To The Lips

XXXVI. A Smashing Blow

XXXVII. A Double Life

XXXVIII. The Naked Truth

I. BORROWED PLUMES

Rupert Kelso shivered as he settled himself in his seat. Outside it was raw and damp, with the streets streaming with moisture; indeed, it was more like November than June, but there, in the supper room of the Regent Restaurant, everything was warm and bright and alluring to a degree. It was a glorious change for Kelso, after three years’ hard work in Nigeria, and he was appreciating it to the tips of his long, brown fingers. He had a pleasing vision of colour in which coral pink predominated, a dazzling kaleidoscope of silken draperies broken here and there by the flashing of many gems. For it was Sunday evening, in the height of the season, and the most exclusive restaurant in Europe was thronged. As a matter of fact, Kelso was very lucky to be there at all, and he was congratulating himself that he had come here with Mark Denver, the brilliant and popular dramatist, who was welcomed everywhere and who always commanded that which less-favoured mortals sighed for in vain. But then, Denver was something more than a successful playwright; indeed, some day he would be the Earl of Denver, and his mother’s fortune rendered him independent of the profession which he had adopted. He and Kelso had been at Harrow and Trinity together, and the warm friendship which had sprung up there had never slackened. It was good to be home again, good to feel the glow and thrill of life and once more to be in touch with civilisation.

For some little time Kelso sat there, taking in the whole vivid scheme of colour until gradually everything seemed to narrow down into the focus of one beautiful, pathetic, pleading face. It was a white face with the faintest touch of colour in it, and framed in a mass of glorious chestnut hair. Kelso noted the ivory smoothness of the brow and the eyes blue and clear like pools of blue under a summer starlight sky. It seemed to Kelso that it was the most dainty and fascinating face that he had ever seen. The red lips smiled from time to time, but the smile was unsteady; indeed, it had been the half-unconscious appeal of those eyes that touched Kelso even more than the girl’s beauty had done.

She was sitting very close indeed, so close that it was possible to distinguish the pattern of the embroidery on her corsage and to note the purple shadow of the lashes that fringed her eyes from time to time. She was not alone, for at the table with her was a young man immaculately dressed, vapid and expressionless in the well-bred way, and, as Kelso glanced at him with a certain faint contempt, he was conscious that the young man was just as disturbed and uneasy as the girl on the opposite side of the table.

The third member of the party at that table was entirely at her ease. She was magnificently, not to say daringly, dressed, and her bosom literally blazed with diamonds. There was, moreover, a diamond in her dusky hair, before which all the rest of the stones seemed to dwindle and grow pale, like rush lights by the side of an electric flare. There was no occasion for Kelso to ask Denver who this woman was, for he recognised her at a glance. Blanche Trevenner, of operatic fame, had been a great theatrical star long before Kelso had left England, and, apparently, she was still riding high in a firmament of her own.

“Wears well,” Denver said, as if following his friend’s thoughts. “And yet she must be thirty-five if she is a day.”

“Yes. Still at Covent Garden, I suppose?”

“Well, no. Between ourselves, my dear fellow, the divine Blanche’s voice is not exactly what it was. It takes a good judge to note the difference, but, still, there is the difference, and that’s why the great diva elected to leave the operatic stage to shine resplendent in musical comedy. It sounded all very pretty and patronising and caused a good deal of stir at the time. Really, it produced an enormous increase of salary, which our fair friend sadly needed, for she is up to her neck in debt, though you wouldn’t think it to look at her this moment.”

“You are right there,” Kelso smiled. “Those diamonds!”

“Yes. Then, you see, they may be diamonds and they may be paste.”

“Not the one in the hair,” Kelso exclaimed. “I don’t profess to be a judge, but I wouldn’t mind gambling on the integrity of that tiara arrangement. But, to tell you the truth, Mark, I am a great deal more interested in that exquisitely pretty girl on the other side of the table. What a lovely face it is, with its suggestion of sorrow and that appealing look in those blue eyes! Do you mean to say that you haven’t noticed her?”

Denver fitted his glass carefully into his eye.

“Well, upon my word, I hadn’t,” he confessed. “Yes, exactly as you say. Poor little girl, I wonder what’s the matter! I give you my word that this is the first time I have ever seen Audrey Blair without a smile on her face.”

“You know her, then?” Kelso asked eagerly.

“My dear chap, of course I do. There is no actress of repute that I don’t know. What? Yes, I admit that she doesn’t look like it, but she is quite one of our leading lights in musical comedy. Three years ago no one had ever heard of her, and now, next to Blanche Trevenner she is reigning favourite at the Sovereign Theatre. No, I can’t tell you anything more about her besides that. Where she came from I haven’t the slightest idea. And no one seems to know where she lives. She appears at most social functions and then, discreetly, vanishes as mysteriously as Cinderella. Of course, there are all sorts of stories told about her, the most popular one being that she supports a decayed aristocratic family, who would all die with shame if it became known that they had a relative on the stage. At any rate, the girl’s a lady, despite the fact that she did start her career in an East End music-hall. She may be a trifle vain and a little extravagant in dress, but, beyond that, she’s all good and pure, I’m sure. If you like, when we reach the liqueur and coffee stage, we will go across and join them.”

Kelso accepted the suggestion eagerly enough. He was more than anxious to make the acquaintance of the girl with the pathetic face and pleading eyes. There was something about her that appealed to him as no woman had ever before. He was no squire of dames, no drawing-room lounger, agile amongst the teacups, and, hitherto, women had not troubled him at all. But the sight of that exquisite face, under the glory of red-gold hair, set him thinking of other things besides big game and the love of adventure. He was thinking now of that fine old place of his down in the west, and how shamefully he had neglected his responsibility towards the estate of late years. After all said and done, there was no place like the old country, and a man might do far worse than marry and settle down...

He came out of his dream, presently, to find himself bowing before Madame Trevenner and shaking hands with Audrey Blair. The vacuous-looking young man glanced gloomily from his coffee cup and stammered something which sounded like a welcome. He appeared to be making some sort of a struggle to throw off the mantle of depression, which seemed to fit him as well as his perfectly-cut dress coat. The only persons of the party who appeared to be entirely at their ease were Blanche Trevenner and Denver. There was some tragi-comedy going on here, and the keen eye of the dramatist was quick to detect it.

“What have we here?” he asked gaily. “Positively, I behold Miss Audrey Blair without a smile upon her face! Mr. Reggie Hermann, too, appears to be plunged in the depths of deep despair. Is there anything seriously wrong with the diamond market? Or has there been a big burglary at Hatton Garden?”

“Oh, yes,” the young man addressed as Hermann groaned. “And if there’s a bigger fool than myself in London––”

The speaker broke off abruptly as he caught the look of pleading anguish in Audrey Blair’s blue eyes. He flushed red, and uncomfortably bent over his coffee cup again.

“Then it is a tragedy?” Denver went on. “Rupert, you must know that our young friend here is the son of Montague Hermann, the diamond merchant, who finances kings and embarrassed governments–for a consideration, of course. It is popularly supposed from time to time that many regalias find their way to the strong rooms of Hermann House in Hatton Garden. One of Mr. Herrmann’s specialities is Russian Grand Dukes.”

“That’s the cause of all the trouble,” Hermann blurted out. “I––”

Once more Audrey Blair turned an appealing face to the speaker. Vivid lightnings seemed to blaze and play in Madame Trevenner’s black eyes, as she glanced at young Hermann.

“The absurdity of it,” she cried. “Now let me call your attention to the tiara I am wearing in my hair. Mr. Hermann had the audacity to tell me that the family diamonds of a certain Grand Duke are at present in the custody of his father. For what purpose or for what reason it matters nothing. It is sufficient that the statement is made. In the innocence of my heart I asked my young friend Audrey Blair and my young friend Reggie Hermann to sup with me here this evening. In their honour I wear the most precious possession I have, which is my diamond tiara. And my guests do not appreciate my consideration in the least. When they join me at my table here, Audrey turns white and faint, and Reggie stares at me, as if his eyes would drop out of his head. They tell me in effect that the tiara that I am wearing was, till a day or two ago, safely locked away in a vault at Hatton Garden.”

“Well, was it?” Denver asked dryly.

“How could I possibly tell?” Blanche Trevenner went on. “It is a strange coincidence, but, obviously, no more. The jewels were a present to me by the Grand Duke whose name I will not–yes, I will. The tiara was given to me by the Grand Duke Oro some little time ago. Does not everybody know that he has been my intimate friend for years? Is it not a well-known fact that he would have married me could he have secured the permission of his sovereign?”

“That’s true enough,” Denver smiled. “Everybody is aware of that. I suppose it’s possible, after all, that the tiara might have a duplicate somewhere.”

“A million to one against it,” Hermann said gloomily. “Some people have the cheek of the––”

Once more he broke off and lapsed into silence. Kelso sat there quietly trying to gather up the threads of the story. So far, he was merely bewildered and puzzled by what was taking place. Doubtless, he would find out presently, when he and Denver were alone once more. Judging from the queer, dry smile on Denver’s lips the latter had a clear idea of the source of the trouble.

“Well,” he said. “It’s not difficult to settle the matter one way or another. Why not call in an arbitrator in the person of the Grand Duke himself?”

“Oh, it would be too utterly childish!” Madame Trevenner cried. “Still, anything to oblige my young friends. But, unfortunately, the Grand Duke is not in England. To tell you a secret which must not go any further, my dear Oro has managed to get himself into a tremendous mess. I trust to the honour of you all not to let this go any further. The Duke has deemed it prudent to vanish for the time being. It has been given out that he has gone somewhere, in the wilds of South America, or on an exploring expedition. Otherwise, what is suggested would have been easy.”

Denver smiled as he polished his glass and placed it in his eye. As a matter of fact, he was enjoying the situation immensely. Here was something on the border line between comedy and tragedy, a piquant situation which appealed to his dramatic instincts. And he saw further into the heart of matters than the actors in the drama gave him credit for. For the moment he was an actor amongst the rest, and, did they but know it, the master of all.

“There I think you are altogether mistaken,” he said suavely. “As a matter of fact, the Grand Duke is in London, at the present moment, or, at any rate, he was last night.”

As the words came smoothly from the speaker’s mouth, he gave a rapid glance in Madame Trevenner’s direction. It was as if he had dealt her a swift and unexpected blow. He saw her wince and shiver, he saw the colour leave her cheeks, he noticed the terror in her eyes. It was only a moment before she recovered herself and smiled bravely in Denver’s face.

“You are having a little fun at my expense,” she laughed.

“Indeed, I am not,” Denver insisted. “The Grand Duke dined at my uncle’s house and went on to the Sovereign Theatre afterwards. I was at the same dinner table, and ought to know.”

“I am tired of the subject,” Madame Trevenner said coldly. “And the waiters are beginning to put out the lights. Will somebody kindly call my car?–Mr. Kelso, perhaps.”

Kelso hurried towards the vestibule, followed by Madame Trevenner, and Hermann sat in the deepest gloom. Denver ranged himself alongside Audrey Blair and looked down at her inquiringly. Something in his glance seemed to give her courage.

“It’s true!” she whispered passionately. “Stolen from my dressing-table by that woman. Ask no questions, for pity’s sake, and, for the love of heaven, help me to get it back again.”

II. THE IVORY MASK

The passioned intensity in Audrey’s voice touched Denver and appealed to his kindly nature. Cynical and worldly as he was, he had every sympathy with those in distress, and that Audrey Blair was in sore need of a friend he did not doubt. Something very much out of the common had happened which he would know all about in good time, but this was no place for the interchange of confidences. He smiled down into the anxious, white face.

“You must tell me all about it,” he said. “I can do nothing to help you unless I have some sort of idea as to the source of the trouble. And you will have to be very candid with me. I’ve got a pretty shrewd idea of the cause of the dilemma–a trouble which, obviously, Hermann shares with you. I suppose you are not engaged to him by any chance?”

There was a ghost of a smile in her blue eyes.

“How ridiculous!” Audrey murmured. “Just as if anybody could be engaged to a silly boy like that! We are very good friends, of course, but nothing more. It is all my fault, but that does not make me feel any the less helpless. Oh! I must get that gem back at any cost. It was stolen from my dressing-table in the most unblushing fashion, and I–I dared not protest. I was compelled to stand there and watch it done. You heard what Madame Trevenner said, you heard the audacious way in which she declared that the tiara had been given her by the Grand Duke. And she thought that she was quite safe, because she believed that his Highness was thousands of miles away. Did you notice how frightened she was when you told her the contrary? I believe you know a great deal more about this matter than you pretend, and that’s why I’m asking you to help me. And there is not a moment to be lost.”

“You mean that we must begin now?” Denver asked.

“I do. Before I sleep to-night, if it is possible for any one so distracted to sleep––”

“Very well, then, I will get rid of the others and you had better come round with me to my flat. Oh, I see you don’t like the idea, but what else is there to be done? It might be better perhaps for me to come round to your house?”

Audrey hesitated, and a dash of colour crept into the cheeks. It was not till after Denver had spoken that he remembered the mystery that surrounded Audrey Blair’s residence. No one knew where she lived or whence she came, or, indeed, anything at all about her, except the fact that she was a beautiful and brilliant actress. Denver was a little inclined to blame himself for his want of tact.

“I don’t want to force your confidence,” he said; “but I cannot help you unless you assist me. Believe me, I am not in the least curious, but I am anxious to be of use. You must either come with me or I must go with you. Now, which is it to be?”

“I know, I know!” Audrey whispered. “If you dreamt how I was situated you would be sorry indeed for me. I know that people wonder who I am and whence I come; I know they regard the secret of my house as a pose; but, believe me, it is nothing of the kind. Therefore, I must come to you. I will be round at your rooms in half an hour, and I shall bring with me the lady who looks after me and who has been my constant companion for years, so, if you don’t mind, I should like Mr. Kelso to be present. It may be only fancy on my part but I am sure he would be a good friend. Now, will you please find my car for me?”

Blanche Trevenner had gone off a moment or two before, and Reggie Hermann was nowhere to be seen. Kelso was standing on the pavement waiting for the others. A small, dark car pulled up by the side of the kerb, and Audrey jumped in. Kelso caught a glimpse of a faded-looking figure inside the car and the outline of a white, wax-like face fringed with grey hair. Without another word being said the car sped away, and Denver placed his hand in Kelso’s arm. He looked just a little bewildered.

“Is this a comedy or a tragedy?” he asked.

“That is precisely what we have to find out,” Denver replied. “At any rate, that dear little girl is in bitter trouble, and she has paid me the compliment of asking me for my advice. Moreover, she has taken rather a fancy to you, and suggested that you should be present and hear the story. She is coming round to my flat presently with her companion. Very wisely, I think, young Hermann has been left out. So come along, and over a whisky and soda and a cigarette, I will tell you all I know.”

They were seated presently in Denver’s luxurious smoking-room, and there the latter proceeded to outline the strange story, as far as he knew.

“It is quite a romance,” he said. “Upon my word, it has the making of a remarkably good play. To begin with, we have a beautiful and talented young actress who is very near the top of the tree in her particular line. She is unmistakably a lady, and, assuredly, well connected. Yet three years ago she was singing in an East End music-hall. Her photographs are everywhere, and, despite the fact that her name is a household word, nobody has the smallest idea who she is or even where she lives. She comes down to the theatre every night in a modest-looking car, attended by a faded lady, who invariably wears white satin, and who always waits for her outside the theatre, till the performance is over. I suppose you have read Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations,’ haven’t you?”

“Half a dozen times,” Kelso said. “But what’s the connection between that book and Miss Blair’s companion?”

“Well, I’ve caught sight of her once or twice, and she always reminds me of Miss Haversham. We shall know more about her presently, because she is coming round here with Audrey Blair.”

“Really!” Kelso exclaimed. “And I take it that the trouble admits of no delay. You are a much cleverer chap than I am, Denver, and I have no doubt that you have a pretty fair idea as to the source of the mischief. As I have the privilege of being taken into the confidence of Miss Blair, perhaps you wouldn’t mind giving me a few hints as to how matters stand.”

“Well, it’s more or less guesswork, of course,” Denver went on. “But in some way or another our fascinating little friend found herself in possession of that tiara. Mind you, it is no ordinary ornament. It actually forms part of an imperial regalia, and, I have not the smallest doubt that the Grand Duke stole it, though, of course, there has never been any open scandal.”

“The Grand Duke is a shady character, then?”

“My dear fellow, he is one of the biggest black-guards in Europe. To put it bluntly and tersely, he is a born wrong ‘un. He has no respect for his word; he would as soon betray a friend as an enemy, and no one who ever came in contact with him has a good word to say on his behalf. He dare not show his face in the land of his birth, where he is execrated equally by peer and peasant. I have heard the most disgraceful stories about him.”

“I am sorry to hear all this,” Kelso said uneasily. “I don’t like the idea of an innocent and beautiful girl like Miss Blair being in any way mixed up with a yahoo such as your Grand Duke seems to be. Surely, she can know nothing of his real character?”

“I am not so sure that there is anything between them,” Denver smiled. “You find it hard to believe that, don’t you? You want to know how it is possible for a young and popular actress to be seen in public wearing imperial diadems without being on the best of terms with the owner. In the face of that you would be astonished to hear that Miss Blair does not even know the Grand Duke by sight, and yet I am quite prepared to believe it. In fact, my theory goes all to pieces if it is not so. And, moreover, Blanche Trevenner knew this perfectly well, or she could never have played her part so boldly or so successfully. Now, I want you to bear in mind the fact that a few years ago the Grand Duke was very much enamoured of Blanche Trevenner. They were seen together everywhere, and he made no secret of the fact that he was going to marry her. But this was just a little more than the imperial court could stand, and the power behind the throne put pressure upon his Highness. They let him know pretty plainly that if he carried out his intention they would sequester his estates and leave him without any money at all. Of course, this was a weapon that the Grand Duke had to respect, and, in the end, he and the lady parted, with a great deal of anger on her side, for, being a woman, she could not quite understand the situation, and she was under the impression that Oro was merely trying to repudiate his bargain.”

“All this is very interesting,” Kelso murmured. “But it does not explain how the tiara came into the possession of Miss Blair, or why it was stolen from her in such a barefaced fashion. It was stolen by a woman who was fully aware of the fact that she could walk off with it with a comfortable conviction that not a word would be said. And, yet, at the same time, Miss Blair could stand on the stage, before hundreds of eyes, and wear that tiara in her hair. Upon my word, the more I think it over the more mysterious it becomes. Then I’ll ask you another question. Where does that poor, feeble creature, Hermann, come in? Why should he be so fearfully depressed and downcast over the matter? Is he engaged to Miss Blair?”

“Not a bit of it. But everything will be made plain presently. I won’t spoil your appreciation of the story by saying too much now. I can hear the lift coming up, and I should not be surprised if it contains the ladies we are waiting for.”

A moment later Audrey Blair entered, followed by her companion. As a rule, the fascinating little actress filled the eye to the exclusion of other things, but for the moment the attention of the two men was riveted upon the woman who followed her. She was tall and straight with a rigidity that suggested a casing of whalebone. She was slim and spare to the point of emaciation. She was clad in some thick and glossy satin garment, faded by age and years to a dingy yellow hue, and her face was so still and motionless as to suggest that it was covered with an ivory mask. It was a face still as death under a ragged fringe of grey hair, and, from the dead ghastliness of the features, there shone a pair of black eyes that scintillated and flushed with sudden fires. She bowed without a word, and she was introduced to the two men, introduced simply as ‘my companion’ and nothing more. She allowed herself to so far bend as to take a chair, where she sat erect and frigid, on the very edge, much as if she had been a broken stick. From the moment she entered till the interview was over, not one word escaped her, nor did she appear to take the faintest interest in the conversation; indeed she might have been no more than an artist’s lay figure, save for the liquid fire in the dark eyes, blazing from behind the ivory mask. She held Kelso in a fascinated grip, to such an extent that he had to avert his glance from her before he could bring himself to take an intelligent interest in the conversation.

“Oh, I quite see that there is no time to be lost,” Denver was saying. “But you will have to be quite candid with me. Now, why should you be afraid of Blanche Trevenner? You see, I am putting you quite pertinent questions. Has she got some power over you which enables her to walk off with a valuable tiara like that, fully under the impression that you dare not protest? Mind you, I believe every word that you say. Now, do you regard the missing ornament as your own property?”

“Oh, good heavens, no!” Audrey exclaimed. “Why, I haven’t the remotest notion–at least, I hadn’t till to-night––”

She broke off with some confusion, and the hot blood flowed into her face. It seemed to Kelso, who was watching the scene intensely, that the girl’s anxious face was turned upon the woman opposite, as if in fear. But the frozen figure sat there on the edge of her chair, like a body bereft of its soul.

“Go on,” Denver said encouragingly. “Please don’t be afraid of me. Now, let me help you a bit. Am I right in assuming that you don’t know the Grand Duke even by sight, and that you had not the remotest notion that you were wearing his property when you appeared on the stage with the tiara in your hair last night?”

“That is true enough,” Audrey stammered, “though I am sure no one else would believe it. I could not understand what it meant last night when the Grand Duke’s card was brought round to me with a request that I would see him. I was too dreadfully upset over the loss of the gems to think of anything else. Therefore I told the messenger that there was no reply. Three minutes later I left the theatre myself. What has happened since that moment you know as well as I do. Oh, can nothing be done to get those stones back?”

“I am not discouraged,” Denver said. “But, now, will you kindly tell me where you got the jewels from?”

Again the warm colour flooded Audrey’s cheeks.

“It was all stupid vanity,” she murmured. “It was the first night of our new piece, and I thought how nice it would be... So I asked Reggie Hermann to lend me some diamonds. He borrowed them from his father’s strong room, and he was to have had them back to-day. I didn’t know who they belonged to, and, well, I didn’t care. But now they’re gone, and that silly boy who trusted me will be ruined. What am I to do? Oh! what am I to do?”

Her head fell forward and she burst into tears.

III. MISSING

It was with something more than pity in his heart that Kelso stood there watching the slim, shaking figure before him. Audrey Blair was paying a heavy price for that which, after all, was little more than vanity. He could see the same regret in Denver’s eyes, a strange contrast to the cold, hard impassiveness of the strange woman, seated silently on the edge of her chair as if she belonged to another world. But it was no time to waste upon idle sentiment. Something would have to be done, and done at once.

“It is easy to be wise after the event,” Denver said. “This is exactly what I expected. It is quite plain now how easy it is for Blanche Trevenner to laugh at you and defy us all. She knows perfectly well that the Grand Duke is more or less powerless. And that’s not the worst of it. I am betraying no secret when I say that Miss Trevenner is in dire need of money. At the present moment she would do almost anything to obtain a few thousands. It won’t be very long before that tiara is broken up and the stones sold separately. The Duke won’t mind so very much because he will look to the elder Hermann to recoup him. We shall have to move very carefully indeed. It is perhaps fortunate that Blanche Trevenner does not know that she has two resolute men to deal with. She will count upon the probability of Mr. Reggie Hermann being afraid to take anybody into his confidence.”

“Can’t you do anything now?” Audrey asked.

“I am afraid not,” Denver went on. “I shall have to think out some plan. It would be the greatest mistake in the world to go to Blanche Trevenner and accuse her bluntly of the theft. We shall have to use far more diplomatic methods than that. We must lay a trap for her–indeed, strategy is the only way out. Once the tiara is in our possession again, we can laugh at her. I’ll see young Hermann in the morning and ascertain how long it will be before the loss of the gems is discovered. Then I’ll sit down and scheme out a plot much in the same way as I would work out a play.”

“Then there’s no more to be said now?” Audrey asked. “There is no way in which I can help you?”

“I am afraid not. The best thing you can do is to go home to bed and leave Kelso and myself to talk the matter over.”

Audrey rose wearily and crossed the room in the direction of the frozen automaton sitting erect on the edge of her chair. In her turn the quaint figure rose and moved swiftly towards the door. A moment or two later Denver and his guest were alone.

“Well, this is a pretty nice mess,” he said. “Take another cigarette, will you? Now, look here, Kelso, I don’t care twopence about young Hermann, but I have a strong liking for the poor little girl, and I will do a good deal to get her out of this mess. I don’t mind telling you that the part I like least relates to the Grand Duke himself. Unfortunately, for all parties concerned, the Duke was at the theatre last night, and, of course, tumbled to the fact that little Audrey was wearing his jewels. He didn’t go round and protest like a decent fellow would have done, but sent a message round asking Audrey Blair to see him. He was not so much concerned for the recovery of his gems as the possibility of getting that little girl into his power. He’s a brute of a man, a regular tiger that ought to be shot at sight and thrown into the nearest ditch. Just imagine a poor, frightened child under the thumb of a creature like that! I tell you, the prospect troubles me a great deal more than the chance of an open scandal. You may be pretty certain that the Grand Duke will be at the Sovereign Theatre to-morrow night, bent on an interview with Audrey Blair. It is rather a fortunate thing that he doesn’t know where to find her except at the theatre. I think the best thing you can do is to see Hermann to-morrow and act as my representative. Meanwhile, I’ll make it my business to keep a keen eye on the Duke. He’s pretty certain to be at Lady Goring’s big dance to-morrow night. In fact, everybody worth knowing will be present. Did you get a card?”

“Oh, yes,” Kelso said. “To tell the truth it is not very much in my line, but the Gorings are old friends of my people, and I could not very well refuse.”

“It’s just as well you didn’t, as things have turned out. You had better trot along now and see Hermann in the morning. You ought to catch him before he goes to business. Then we can meet later in the day, and, if anything prevents us, remember that I have a box at the Sovereign for to-morrow evening, and you can join me there.”

Kelso went off presently and thence to bed, to sleep as best he could. The strange story to which he had listened had made a profound impression upon him, and all his sympathy had gone out for the girl, whose simple vanity had brought so much sorrow on her sunny head. Kelso was not an impressionable man, and hitherto women had troubled him but little. He had preferred a life of sport and adventure, he had turned his back upon the simple joys of an existence in the country; but now he was beginning to think about his duty to the family property, and all this had been brought about by a beautiful face and a pair of blue eyes, mutely appealing to him for help and protection. Up to now he had laughed at the class of society man who prefers to select his wife from the chorus of a musical comedy, but then it seemed to him that Audrey Blair belonged to a different class altogether. To begin with, she was unmistakably a lady; there was something fascinating in the mystery that surrounded her, even in the strange creature whom she had chosen for her companion.

Kelso was thinking this over as he made a somewhat less hearty breakfast than usual, and then hurried off to Dover-street, where Denver had informed him Hermann had his luxurious retreat. He found the man in question seated moodily at the breakfast table, smoking a cigarette and toying with a cup of coffee. By his elbow was a decanter of brandy and a liqueur glass, which had been filled not for the first time. Hermann was inclined to resent this intrusion, and took no pains to conceal the fact. He was comparatively new to society and its ways, but quite aware or the fact that the circle in which he now found himself resented his intrusion, and suffered him merely for the sake of his money. He was a vapid youth of small ambitions, the greatest of which was to marry into some old family and forget the fact that his race was the oldest in the world. In some vague way Kelso’s cool aloofness irritated him. He pointed to the cigarette box.

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

“I think it is rather the other way about,” Kelso answered coldly. “You may possibly think that I’m interfering with your business, but when I tell you that I am concerned on behalf of Miss Blair, you may change your mind. Last night she told Mr. Denver and myself the story of the trouble. I am not saying that she is not largely to blame, but I think you’ll admit that you were still more foolish to lend those diamonds, even if it were only for one evening. Of course, you know that the Grand Duke was present at the Sovereign on Saturday night, and identified the stones. Otherwise he would hardly have asked Miss Blair to see him.”

Hermann groaned aloud. There was not an atom of fight left in him. He no longer resented the presence of this stranger; indeed, he was only too ready and willing to accept help from any quarter.

“I beg your pardon,” he said. “Heavens, what a fool I’ve been!”

“Men in love, will do foolish things,” Kelso smiled.

“But I ain’t,” Hermann protested. “I’m not quite such a fool as that. These little actress girls are all very well to knock about with, don’t you know; but we don’t marry them. They’re all right in their class, and Audrey Blair’s a good specimen––”

“Miss Blair is a lady,” Kelso said icily. “I much prefer to keep to the point. Miss Blair is most anxious to get those diamonds back again, and Mr. Denver and myself have promised to do everything to assist. We have a dangerous and unscrupulous woman to deal with, and it will be necessary to fight her with her own weapons. We shall have to get the jewels back much in the same way as they were stolen. I feel uncomfortably conscious of the fact that I am being dragged into a vulgar conspiracy, but that is not the point. To my mind the greatest danger lies in the fact that the Grand Duke knows that somebody or other has parted with his tiara, and he thinks that it is still in the hands of Miss Blair. Now I want you to tell me, exactly, how long we have before the thing reaches an open scandal. You’ll have to be quite frank with me. I want to know how those diamonds came into your possession?”