"THE GREEN PEARL"

Franklin Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 98, 23 August 1933, Page 7

"THE GREEN PEARL"

BY AIDAN de BRUNE.

•■Look here!" Therrold spoke impulsively. "I'm not standing for that! You're all at sea in your deductions. 1 did not take the pearl and [ have a very good notion who did take it and where it is now. I'm not going to see you discharged for something you never did. Now, go down into the lounge and wait there for me. I'll have a word with Mr Carl Rohmer, and I think he'll squirm. With a slight nod the girl walked out of the room. In the corridor she faced Therrold again. "You won't l)e long, will you? If Mr Rohmer finds me sitting in the lounge he'll turn me out on the street, and without my things.' ' "I'll come right away." Therrold picked up his coat. Making a sign to Thomas to await his return, he followed the girl to the elevators. In the lounge. Therrold motioned the girl to a scat and then' went in search of the hotel-manager. Rohmer was not in his private room and I lie office could not say where he was. All the Englishman could discover was that, Rohmer was somewhere in the building. He sent one of the pages to discover the manager and toll him that he wished to speak to him, in the lounge. Then he went back to the girl. She brightened when she saw him coming across the lounge to her.

For some time the Englishman paced the lounge, his blood"boiling at the arbitrary and unjust action of the man he was now certain had stolen Hie Green Pearl. A quarter of an hour passed and then Rohmer hastily entered the lounge and went to Therrold. "M'sieu wishes to speak with mo, is it not so?" Th:> man was all smiles and urbanity. "Yes." Therrold spoke abruptly. "f have been accused of stealing ray P.roen Pearl." "The Green Pearl? But . . . I hat is impossible. "M'sieu to lake what he had already! It is absurd'!" "Jusl what I thought, at first." The Englishman spoke grimly. "Yet the accusation was made hi good faith — ami appears to he borne out by certain actions of yours." "You say, M'sieu?" "Miss Easton says that she saw me place my left hand behind me —at the time I .lumped from my chair and ordered her to come from behind the

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screen—and fake the pear) from the desk. She further stales that you gave, as f. reason for dispensing with her services, the reason Ihat she was suspected of being concerned in the Ihel'l of the Green Pearl" "Ach, Miss Easlon!" Rohmer turned to the girl, roughly. "What are you doing here? You have been discharged and should be awav from the hotel." The girl did not reply. Therrold turned again to the man. "Is it true that you have dismissed Miss Easton at a moment's notice: dismissed ], CI . f Ol . being under suspicion of the theft of the Green Pearl?" "-Miss Easlon, she is discharged. She is not . . . ." "Let me get this right." Therrnld interrupted sharply. "Miss Easton informs me thai you dismissed her. When she asked for a reason for her dismissal you told her it was because of (he theft of the Green Pearl. Ts thai correct? Did you make thai statement?"

"M'sieu is angry." Rohmcr spread his hands, deprecatingly. "I informed Miss Easton that m'sieu would not steal his own pearl: that to suspect me—a gentleman in my position . that would be absurd. M'sieu must remember . . . ." _ "Will you please explain how the girl passed me and took the pearl from the desk. You remember that until the pearl had . . had disappeared I was always between her and the desk." Therrold interrupted. You and I, Mr Rohmer. were the only two persons in Ihe room in a position to steal the pearl. You have said it is absurd to accuse you. You stated that T would nol want to steal my own properly—a jewel that has been in my possession for months. You have made an accusation—direct, or indirect, as you will—against this girl. Yet I, the person principally concerned have made no. accusation—yet."

"It is the rule of Ihe hole]. M'sieu." Rohmer protested, eloquent with gestures. "She has. unfortunately, become involved in the theft of a valuable, it is the rule; lam desolate, m'sieu—but it is the rule. M'sieu is merciful, but what can I do?" Therrold was puzzled. The excuse for the dismissal of the girl was absurd, almost childish. Had the girl knowledge that she had not revealed to him? He wondered. She had accused him of stealing the pearl. She had inveigled him into interviewing nohmer. on the pretext of obtaining her reinstatement. Rohmer was apparently defiant; yet behind his air of bravado Therrold thought the man very ill at ease.

"Mr Rohmer." He spoke after a short pause. "I have accused no one of (lie then of the Green Pearl. For the present I flirt not intend to accuse anyone. I thought T might recover the jewel without unnecessary publicity. But your action against Miss Easton has forced my hand. If you insist on dismissing the girl, then I must call in the police again and place before them the evidence T have already obtained. I shall have to ask them to make an arrest—where I indicate. In any case Miss Easton slays in this hotel until the Green Pearl is once more in my possession: either as an employee or as a guest. Tn the latter case you will send the bill to me. Understand, please, tint T am concerned only in the recovery of Ibe jewel and no person who was in the room when it disappeared will pass from under my observation until T have gained that object." He turned on his heels and walked to Ibe elevators. Rohmer would give way and reinstate the girl. He did not doubt that. But. what motive lay behind Rohmor's action. Editor the girl knew something that incriminated the hotel-manager, or ... .

He suddenly remembered that he had left the little enamelled box on the table in his room. Rohmer had been in the body of the hotel when he had gone in search of him. Rohmer had already searched his room for the enamelled box. He must know that he had left signs of the search. Had be . . . With a sigh of relief Thorrold remembered that be bad bidden Thomas stay in the room until his return. Thomas was not in sight when he ordered his room. Immediately his eyes went to the fable before the window. The newspaper and cigarettes worn still there, but the enamelled box was missing. Thorrold made one jump to (he bathroom door. Thomas was no! there. He went into the corridor and knocked at the opposite door. There was not answer. lie waited a few seconds and knocked again: without

result. The Australian was not, on the tloor: vol lie had not come down to the lounge! Why had Thomas left the room, the door wide open and the enamelled box exposed on the table? He knew that if the agent had come down, to go out. he would have seen ldm pass through the lounge. 'Some jewels carry a fatality beyond their worth." The girl's words came to Ibe Englishman as he sat pondering the problem. Had Thomas followed the long road trod the previous

day by Detective Browne".' And, on that last journey they would not be alone. Time and again, during the years he had carried the fateful pearl, others had died who had come in contact with it. Fate dogged its path. Even the girl had recognised that. Or, had she meantjier words for a warning. If so, what meaning lay hi thenr.' True, the man might return shortly, with a plausible explanation of his absence, but Therrold doubted that. What a fool he bad been not l> place the box in his pocket before he went down to the lounge. Had the girl's late been designed to lure him from the room. Had the previous search of his room been for the purpose of forcing him to reveal where the box was hidden? Had Rohmer watched and during bis absence returned and taken the box? There were no signs of a struggle in the room; but Thomas was not a man who would surrender without first putting up a bitter fight. Therrold was puzzled. He rose and commenced a systematic search of the room. A few minutes and enlightenment came. The room had been prepared for his inspection. There had been ;i struggle there, and the signs had been carefully camouflaged. In half-an-hour be succeeded in reading the story of what had happened there while he was in the lounge. He crossed the corridor and. with a mas)(M._!,;(>y. opened the door of Thomas' room. The man's belongings were

scattered about in entire confusion. So. Thomas' rooms bad also been searched. For what reason? A few moments and be guessed. Someone wanted to discover if there was more Ihnn ;i chance hotel-acquaintanceship between him and the man. Sincerely, he hoped that Ibe Australian had had nothing connecting him with the Secret Service. CHAPTER X. Leaving Thomas' room, Therrold returned to his own apartment. His mind was racked with perplexities; with a sudden fierce anger against the men who resorted to any actions to promote their selfish ends. He smiled bitterly. Again he stood alone: fighting for his trust against- overwhelming odds.

During the years that had passed since he first obtained possession of the pearl he had made few friends; a few he had found willing to help him in his work. In every case something had happened to those men. Some had died violent deaths; others had disappeared, without leaving a single clue to their fate. He had thought when he landed la Sydney that he would find helpers of bis own race to assist him with his„ burden. Browne's appearance had appeared almost providential. The man had been in the Secret Service during the war; he was skilful, daring, resourceful. Browne had died, violently, immediately the men who sought the Green Pearl knew that he was associated with him. Now Thomas, revealed as a helper by one unguarded movement, had disappeared. Therrold had little fear for his own life. For some reason those who sought the pearl had decided that he was not to die. Possibly, the possession of the Green Pearl had constituted him neutral ground amid the warring forces. If they had reasoned in that manner, then they had betrayed themselves into a weakness. He bad no doubts as to his capabilities to carry through his mission. He knew that he would again become possessed of the pearl, as he had on former occasions : he knew that he would carry it to England and place it in the hands of the man who had sent him on the quest.

For a long lime lie sat, pondering his problems. His eyes, ceaselessly searching the room, came to the newspaper on the table. Tlinrne and Thomas had intended him to go to the lecture on Soviet Russia. Why, he could not fathom. He had intended to question Thomas. But he might not have known. The move —for that if was —had been designed by the man higher up : —one of the cleverest men in the British Secret Service. It would be foolish to disregard the bint. He would go to the meeting. He would attend Comrade Atkins' meeting that night! Perhaps Rohmer would be there, also. A grim smile played around the firm lips. He stretched out bis hand to the table, to the litter" of loose cigarettes, to draw back with an exclamation of surprise.

(To be Continued)