suddenly, as one recollecting a forgotten appointment.
“Spennie, then,” said Molly. “You mustn’t, Spennie. You mustn’t,
really. You–”
“You look rippin’ in that dress,” said his lordship, irrelevantly.
“Thank you, Spennie, dear. But listen.” Molly spoke as if she were
humoring a rebellious infant. “You really mustn’t take that money.
You must put it back. See, I’m putting this note back. Give me the
others, and I’ll put them in the drawer, too. Then, we’ll shut the
drawer, and nobody will know.”
She took the notes from him, and replaced them in the drawer. He
watched her thoughtfully, as if he were pondering the merits of her
arguments.
“No,” he said, suddenly, “no! Must have them! Moral right. Old boy–
”
She pushed him gently away.
“Yes, yes, I know,” she said. “I know. It’s a shame that you can’t
have them. But you mustn’t take them. Don’t you see that he would
suspect you the moment he found they were gone, and then you’d get
into trouble?”
“Something in that,” admitted his lordship.
“Of course there is, Spennie, dear. I’m so glad you see! There they
all are, safe again in the drawer. Now, we can go downstairs again,
and–”
She stopped. She had closed the door earlier in the proceedings, but
her quick ear caught the sound of a footstep in the passage outside.
“Quick!” she whispered, taking his hand and darting to the electric-
light switch. “Somebody’s coming. We mustn’t be caught here. They’d
see the broken, drawer, and you’d get into awful trouble. Quick!”
She pushed him behind the curtain where the clothes hung, and
switched off the light.
From behind the curtain came the muffled voice of his lordship.
“It’s Uncle Thomas. I’m coming out. Pull his nose.”
“Be quiet!”
She sprang to the curtain, and slipped noiselessly behind it.
“But, I say–!” began his lordship.
“Hush!” She gripped his arm. He subsided.
The footsteps had halted outside the door. Then, the handle turned
softly. The door opened, and closed again with hardly a sound.
The footsteps passed on into the room.
CHAPTER XXV
EXPLANATIONS
Jimmy, like his lordship, had been trapped at the beginning of the
duologue, and had not been able to get away till it was nearly over.
He had been introduced by Lady Julia to an elderly and adhesive
baronet, who had recently spent ten days in New York, and escape had
not been won without a struggle. The baronet on his return to
England had published a book, entitled, “Modern America and Its
People,” and it was with regard to the opinions expressed in this
volume that he invited Jimmy’s views. He had no wish to see the
duologue, and it was only after the loss of much precious time that
Jimmy was enabled to tear himself away on the plea of having to
dress. He cursed the authority on “Modern America and Its People”
freely, as he ran upstairs. While the duologue was in progress,
there had been no chance of Sir Thomas taking it into his head to
visit his dressing-room. He had been, as his valet-detective had
observed to Mr. Galer, too busy jollying along the swells. It would
be the work of a few moments only to restore the necklace to its
place. But for the tenacity of the elderly baronet, the thing would
have been done by this time. Now, however, there was no knowing what
might not happen. Anybody might come along the passage, and see him.
He had one point in his favor. There was no likelihood of the jewels
being required by their owner till the conclusion of the
theatricals. The part that Lady Julia had been persuaded by
Charteris to play mercifully contained no scope for the display of
gems.
Before going down to dinner, Jimmy had locked the necklace in a
drawer. It was still there, Spike having been able apparently to
resist the temptation of recapturing it. Jimmy took it, and went
into the corridor. He looked up and down. There was nobody about. He
shut his door, and walked quickly in the direction of the dressing-
room.
He had provided himself with an electric pocket-torch, equipped with
a reflector, which he was in the habit of carrying when on his