The Great Pearl Secret.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 206, 28 August 1920, Page 21

The Great Pearl Secret.

By C. N. and A. M. WILLIAMSON

CHAPTER IX. THE EYE THAT I.OOKKD TO THE KIKIIIT. The two stared at each other in silence, and both were pale. Juliet's mind was confused.

"The pearls fnlse!" She tried to hammer the words into her brain, and understand fully what the thing would mean for her and l'at. She thought of Louis Mayen, the "super-money lender" —who had kept tlie pearls for months, and supposed that < 'larenianagh also must he thinking of him.

"What a treacherous, horrihle man!" she broke out. at last. The Duke stared, almost stupidly —if he .mild lie stupid.

"Who is trencheruii-- horrible?" lie stammered.

'"Why. your friend Mayen, of course! she explained, "My poor Pat!'*

Comprehension dawned in ' laremanagh's eyes. "Oh. Mayen had nothing to do with this!" he assured her.

"Who else, then?" Juliet persisted. "The purser on the ship, who hud the box in his safe coming over'; Hut he didn't have the seal. "Mayen had it. He—or his messenger could--''

'"Put that idea out of your head, my darling," urged (.'htreninnagh. "Muyen had the seal. and. of eoirrse, it's on the c.irds that Defasquclle. his messenger, might have stolen it or had an imitation made. But neither one of them had the—"

Abruptly the TVko stopped. lie had been talking very fast and eagerly, md he pulled himself up sn shortthat it was as if he stumbled. Juliet hid been examining the quaint e'asp of the false pearls, which she still _ad in her hand. but that shocked pause brought her eyes to her husband's face. It had been pale and strained: how there was a look upon it of physical suffering. ""You've thought of the one who di ! it!" she cried. '"Someone you care for!'" By an intense effort Claremanagh seemed to withdraw all exipression from his face. It became dull, like a hand some mask. "I witsh 1 hud thought of anyone,'" he said. "No such li.ck." Juliet had pitied him unselfishly at first, for after all the pearls were his. not hers, and the 10.-s—sentimental and material—would be very great if the Tzarina's pearls were gone. But his look, his changed tone, and the cloud that seemed to between them like a mist roused her vague resentment. She felt as if she ha 1 tried to comfort him and he had pushed her away.

"Pat!'' she exclaimed sharply. "It's no use you trying to put mc off. You have thought who changed the pearls— or. anyhow, cf a persnn who might have done it. You've simply got to tell mc. I have a right to know." "My dear child,"' he protested. "You do spring to the wildest conclusions!"

Juliet's anger rose. "The whole thing is wild. Only wild conclusions are of any use. If you don't want mc to try and ie-lp you. 'I won't. But I can't prevent? myself from seeing one thing that •perhaipt? you don't see yet. If the real thief isn't soon found, and this story gets out, there will be some horrid gossip about you."

Claremanagh flushed scarlet. '"I do see." he said. "At least, I see what you're hinting at. If I purloin my own .pearls, and secretly *eUI them, while getting credit at the same time for giving them to my wife, I brim* off a very neat coup. That'is what you mean, isn't it?"

The thing sounded so crudely villainoue when put into words that Juliet was ashamed. But there was a fierce light in the eyes which until to-day had never looked at her except in love—or seeming love. Juliet would not let her husband fancy for an instant that he had made her flinch. "Yes, that's what I mean," she answered. "One's 'dear friends' are capable of any insinuation."

"And even those dearer and nearer than friends," Pat flung at her. '"Oh. I realL?Sr that I'm the classic target! A poor Iris> peer —the poorest of the lot! — who dares to marry America's richest girl. No .beastly trick too vile to believe of him! OI course, a blighter like that couldn't have married the girl for love."

To hear the .Words spoken, even in •bitterest sarcasm was like the prick of a knife. Juliet had pushed them out of her own mind so often that it was sharpest anguish to have them thrust into it by Pat's adored lips. If he did love her, she could not see how it was possible for him to .-.peak like that! In thinking this, she pitied herself desperately, and forgot her own words, which had lashed him to retaliation. She forgot, too, how that very morning her lips had flung this very taunt. She had shown him sharply how much her own she considered her fortune, her house, and everything he shared as her husband.

It seemed to her that now" he was inadvertently confessing. rather than sneering at ipossible accusers. Juliet defended her own attractions pitifuly. yet there was -nothing pitiful in her look. She iloomed tall and aggressive, and cruelly beautiful, with 'blazing eyes and cheeks. "A great many men have told mc they loved mc, and that no one could help loving mc for myself, but I never believed any of them tiH I met you, and then I was a conceited fool to think you could care for mc after Lyda Valeska."

Pat started as if she had boxed his ears; and Juliet, too, was surprised. She had not meant to say that. The thing' had said itself. Tor an instant his eye? flamed. Then their i_re died out, and left them cold. He lo&ked disgusted, "f told won once that I had never loved Mademoiselle Valeska," lie said. "One isn't used to having one's word douibted. It's rather humiliating to have it happen with one's own wife. But putting that aside, why -not kee"p to the point? Whybring up the lady's name when .we are discussing quite a different affair—the affair of these pear's?"

Out of Garemanagh's coldness a demon was born, and flew straight to Juliet's heart. For an instant she lost all sense of her own love for him. She hated him and wished to hurt him as -much as she could, because it seemed that he had gone out of his way to hurt her. She tingled all over with indignant humiliation. It was as if he had said, "I happen to be 3"onr husband, but you are only a commoner with no traditions of fine breeding behind you. while I am a man whose ancestors might have had yours for servants. Xo wonder you have no intuitive idea of decent decorum."

"Is it a different affair?"' she cried. "Or is it one single affair —the affair of ILyda Valeska and your pearfs?"

Again the words had spoken themselves, but a flare of enlightenment came with them. Surely something had made her ?peak. Something which knew what she hadn't thought of till this moment; that iLvda. Valeria had taken the jiearle.

Now she could .possibly have got them

if they had ever been in 'Louis Mayen'.' keeping, Juliet could not see. Tint she bad them—-she bad them! That was .dear; and the 'fact would account for Pat's sudden breaking off of a sentence. He had begun to defend Mayen and Del'asqiielle. "But neither one of them had the—" he hn.l said, and .-"topped short, with an awful look on his lace —the looK of seeing something which no one else must be allowed to see. "What thing was there that Mayen and his messenger iiad not. which another person might have

bad? A thing which would make theft possible? A person who HTUst be protected at any price?

luXet could not pne— yet what the

tiling might fje. ibut the second yucss was all too easy.

This time the Duke showed no sign of snrpri.se. therefore be was not surprised.; He merely looked more disgusted than before, which made bis lack of love for, his wife and bis wish to defend the Polish dancer more evident to Juliet's racked mind. !

"When 1 gave you my word about not loving 'Mademoiselle Valeska 1 gave it also about tbo .pearls,'' I'laromanaghpa'd, "1 told you then that she bad never bad them. I can only repeat tlie statement, idurc you seem to bave forgotten."

"I have forgotten nothing!" cried Juliet. "It's a man's code of honour, I suppose, to defend a woman, no matter how. But if that's not so —if you don't care enough for l.yda Valeska to Ke for iier to your wife. I'd like to know how you'll answer this question: Do you --■-year that you don't suspect her of somehow stealing the real pearls, and putting imitation ones in their place.

•liarcnianagh's face changed. He had .Yen frankly, though coldly furious. Now he looked stricken. "I would lie for no one on earth, except for you, and then only to save your life.*' he said, 'it's an insult from you to mc to ask that 1 should swear such a thing."

"Very well, then, your simple word is enough*."' said ,1-uliet. • "-(Jive it that you don't think Valeska has the .pearls."

Olaremanagii was silent, hi-, eyes upon her. And in that silence. -h.jrt as it was. Juliet heard a tiny voice sipeak. It whispered: "The thing Valeska had, which the others didn't have, was a copy. .She had a copy of the pearls." "'[ could not believe such a thing," the Duke answered. "I have known Mademoiselle Valeska lor year.'. She is a good woman.

Juliet laughed, and laughing flung the fake pearls on the floor. "'A good woman!' You have original ideas! I've heard a lot of things about her from a lot of people, but never that before." "Because only malicious, speeches are amusing, they "are the ones a uot of people' — the lot we know — mostly tnake."

Pooh!" sneered Juliet. "1 see the whole thing now —except how she got the real pearls. But this imitation rope she had. You can't face mc. and say she hadn't."

"I'll say nothing more on the subject, while you're in this mood," returned Claremanagh.

"AM right, if you think prevarication more honourable than lying straight out!" panted Juliet, holding down sobs. "'But you won't do her any good with mc —or yourself either. You were scared blue w.hen I said the eye of the clasp looked to the right, instead of to the left, like the eye on your seal ring. You'd hardly believe it till you had to! Then the whole thing grew dear to you, as it's growing for mc now. This copy existed. The clasp was made the wrong way, by mistake or on purpose. As soon as" f spoke you knew what had happened. Your first thought—as soon us you could think — was to save that "woman. But you shan't save her! I—" "Do you intend to make a scandal of this beastly business?" the Duke cut her short with violence. "'lf you do, you will repent it all your life." Juliet quivered. "1 don't care about my life now." she said. "You've spoilt it. You couldn't punish mc any more than you've punished mc already—for loving and trusting you. So it doesn't matter what I—"' •»

"It matters immensely,"' he broke in again. You are cruel to yourself—to me—to a woman who has never injured you. When 1 say that you'll repent making a scandal, I don't mean because I'd try to 'punish' you. My God, no! You'll repent because you will be doing a great injustice which can't possibly be repaired. And at heart, when you're true to yourself, you are just."

''It's no use your trying to appeal to : mv sense of justice," Juliet warned him. "That's the last thing for you to bring up!" He looked at her very sadly, very strangely, it seemed to his wife, as if anger were dying out, and a great sorrow ha<l taken its place. But that was only his cleverness—his deadly, Irish cleverness —of course! '"What then do you intend to do?*' he "asked.

Once more confusion fogged the girl's brain, a desolate confusion like chaos after ordered beauty, the end of all joy, all loveliness. "I don't know yet." fihe said dully. "I shall have to think."

As Juliet snoke, fingers tapped lightly on the door: Simone's fingers no doubt. Her fifteen minutes of banishment had passed. "Come in!" Juliet spoke mechanically: and.if she wished to withdraw t.he words, it was too late. The Frenchwoman opened the door. '•Madame la Duchesse is ready for mc to finish dressing her?" she asked.

Vaguely it struck Juliet that Pimone's voice was not quite natural. She had probably been listening at the keyhole, and had heard everything. But, on second thoughts, what did it matter? Juliet told herself miserably that nothing could be the same as it had been. She could not go on after this, living with Pat as his wife. All the world would soon know that there was trouble between them, and Sinione's knowing first was of little importance. She was only a servant, and (Juliet thought) luckily a loyal "and discreet servant.

As Juliet paused a second before speaking, Claremanagh answered for her. "The Duchess is feeling very tired, and as you know, I'm not well. We've about decided to telephone that we can't go out." he said.

"But not quite decided,*' his wife amended. "I think that if you prefer to stay at home, I will" go and make your excuses in person.

Pat showed surprise. He had taken it completely for granted that she would not dream of dining at the van Esten's!

"*No," he decided, after an instant's thought. "If you are equal to it, so am I."

""He's afraid to trust mc alone,*' Juliet told herself, "for fear I say something."' "Very well," she said aloud.

"You'd better hurry up and get ready, them. We're late as it i«."

Tat did not answer. Without another word or look he went to bis room and shut the door between. Evidently Nickson had not been with hia muster to-night. Juliet wondered where tinman was, and with a bitter sense of amusement pictured "Old Nicks emo-

tions if she began a suit for divorce against the Duke. She had always liked the i|iiocr fellow, who bad been as line a soldier, Pat said, as he was an indifferent valet: had liked him partly because of his thrilled admiration of her. Deeply as he adored her at present, however, tbat love was nothing beside what lie felt for the Duke. It made Jlllil.'t U shade more miserable than before, to know that tbe worshipping Nick would soon cease to worship. So far she had kept back her tears, but they were becoming irrepressible when Sinione exclaimed. "Oh. the wonderful pearls! Madame la Duchesse hag let them fall on the floor.''

The current of Juliet's thoughts changed instantly, and the brimming tears dried at their source.

"The wonderful pearls!" she repeated, with infinite bitterness, sine as she was that Kimono bad been at the keyhole. lint the look of pained astonishment on tbe woman.- face made her w nider if.

after all, Sinione had heard "everything.'' Perhaps she had caught parts 'only of the conversation, and iiad been trying to lind out "for sure" whether 'she iiad heard aright! j (To be continued Saturday next.)