THE TENTH EMERALD

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19661, 22 August 1935, Page 4

THE TENTH EMERALD

SYNOPSIS,

Clive Anstcy is the managing director of the Continental branch of Anstey and White, jewellers and art dealers. Some months ago an emerald cross, containing' t_en stones, once the property of Louis XIV, came Into his hands. He sent it to his flrn) in London. , ~ Arnold Mortimer, who lias done consul - erable business Tor Anstey and White's ivitli collectors, takes charge of the cross and offers to hud a customer for it. But , wnile it is in his possession his flat is , burgled and the cross stolen. I .. For certain reasons Clive suspects Morunier of faking the robbery, an'd writer jo him from Paris under the name of {-den, posing as a collector of antique Egyptian emeralds. The bait is successful. for after an interval Mortimer writes jhat he has been fortunate enough to flnet Ltien three exceptionally fine stones. Ann- Littlejohn, In an effort to augment her widowed mother’s Income, and to obtain necessary delicacies for her crippled {mother, takes a lob at Simon’s Curio Shop i ll the Brompton Hoad. Betty Marks, is ; he" follow worker, and Is engaged to v lctoic old Simon’s son. Joe Bland, an 1 ex-C.I.D. man, not on tne straight, Is In Mortimer’s pay. ~ Mortimer has a half-brother Ralph, whom he uses as his pawn. The relation between the two Is kept secret.- ■ Mortimer often lias business with old Simon, ancl is a regular visitor to tne shop, Ke Is In love with Ann, He Invites Ann', Betty and Victor to dinner in his flat. While the party is in progress, Eden calls, and Is invited to join them. After dinner Mortimer produces the three emeralds. ' Suddenly there Is a crash on the landing outside. Phelps, the elderly butler, hag apparently fallen down the stairs with a tray of crockery. (Eden, for his own en'ds, lias previously “ arranged this crash with Phelps). On re-entering the. room two or the emeralds are missing, All are willing to be searched except Ann, She, on a sudden impulse, has put a sprig of grapes Into her handbag to take borne to her brother, ' The discovery of Idem would he too humiliating. Clive, who has fallen in love with her, offers to escort her home, 110 takes Her to a restaurant and there produces one of the emeralds from )ils pipe. (He himseir is puzzled as to the disappearance of the second stone.) While they aro at the restaurant Phelps arrives to see Clive. CHAPTER IX (-continued). Meanwhile Clive had returned to the foyer. Ann was still there, alone, and apparently serenely unconcerned- I’m •glad you’re hack,” she said, smiling. “There are times when a man is really quite an asset." His- brows contracted. The sudden hard set of his jaw and Hie glint in his eyes surprised her; it was so genuine, so spontaneous. She had no idea he could look so dangerous. “Why?” he demanded. "Has anyone dared to annoy you?” His anger at the bare thought of such a tiling thrilled her. Yet she resented its cause. His unconscious assumption of mastery roused acutely her earlier hostility. She smiled sweetly back. ‘I can quite well lake care of myself, you know. It’s getting late. 1 must go." He did no! attempt to detain her. Taxis seemed to be at, a premium. But he secured one at length. While they were waiting on the kerb an incident ! took place, trilling enough as It proved, but it sent Ann’s heart leaping into j her throat. A man of enormous girth had come up behind her escort and grasped his shoulder. There was something in the way it was done that suggested the arm of the law descending on its quarry. Then that dry “Just a word with you, Mr Clive Eden, or whatever your right name is,” convinced her that Eden was being arrested.

While she was wondering what Eden would do, the fellow, quite Incomprehensibly, moved off. A tall, square-set man had taken his arm and was shepherding him along, talking at the same time in a half friendly, half quizzing way. Eden handed her Into a taxi, and the next moment they were away. He scarcely spoke a word till they drew up outside the Littlejohn flat. Therehe took leave of her. This polite, formal person seemed a total stranger to her. She was piqued. lie was treating her just as he liked, to suit his whims, and for his own amusement. The audacity behind that freezing politeness! mocking . . . hateful. “ I’ll look you 'up as -soon as I get back," he said, ancl It sounded brutally casual. Then he added —again the mookery—“if I may." Ann answered not a word, but turned on her heel and left him. Tears of vexation were starting in her eyes, and she would have died rather than he should see them. “ I hate him," she avowed passionately. "I hate him.” CHAPTER IX. Betty’s rancour had not evaporated by Monday morning. She cut Ann dead, kept her nose well in the air, and generally behaved with such studied Insolence that Ann’s sense of humour was sorely strained. It was a long morning, but fortunately Simon had returned. She had her money. During the lunch-hour she consoled herself for the morning’s Irritations with the purohase of a new bag. Later, while she was transferring the contents of her old 'bag to the new one, Ann remembered the hole in the lining, and wondered If any small object might have slipped through. Yes! there was a hard, roundish lump. It -came back to her then how she had emptied her bag at the 'Regent Palace Hotel, and why. The emerald! Could it he?

Had sho stopped to think site would have waited for a more favourable opportunity. Betty was watching like a 'cat waiting for a mouse,to -pop out. -of its hole. But, In her urgent curiosity to ‘know the truth, Ann had 'forgotten Belly’s existence. Her Angers found the lump and worked it up through (he lining. Only for van instant it saw the light. Then she dropped if, back as if if. had been a live -coal. But it was ■enough, for Betty. She had caught a -glint of brilliant. green. Lest Ann should see her looking that way she 'busied herself re-arranging a silver tea-service. A few minutes later she went quiclly up to the floor above. Victor returned with her.

When Ann saw them both coming slie wondered vaguely what Victor could want, and why Betty was wilh him. But when Victor thrust his fleshy round face into hers and squeaked out suddenly “Hand it over. T know you’ve got. it..’’ she thought -at first he had taken leave of his senses. “ And you needn’t pretend,” sneered Betty. “ I saw you. You -can keen that innocent baby, stuff for Arnold Mortimer when vhu fell him you don’t know anything about if. 'He may Tie fool enough to believe mu. hut H won’t wash here. We know vmir sort. AtaVp, her' hand it, over. Victor. T saw lmr sne-rd- it out of her beg when she though! I wasn’t looking.” .“ 1 see," said Ann. coolly, “The emerald, you mean. Foolish of me. If I’d known il was there T mMil have guessed you would be looking." To attempt to exnress her feelings towards Betty at that moment would have been impossible. They were be-

By LINDSAY HAMILTON (Author of “The Black Asp,” “John Smith—Blackmailer,”

Etc., Etc.).

yond words. Nevertheless the icy contempt in her eyes spoke volumes. Betty went livid. “You devil!” she hissed. “You dirty sneak-thief! You dare to suggest such a thing." “ I have suggested nothing," said Ann. “But you evidently understood."

" Call In the police, Victor," screamed Betty, beside herself. “ Let her say what she has to say -and see who they’ll believe. Take that bag off her, Victor. Quick! before she hides it again.” \ But at the mention of Police Victor at once saw himself giving evidence. The thing must be done in a proper and dignified manner. “ Not so fast,” he said. “ I must request you, Miss -Littlejohn, to be good enough to turn out the contents of your bag.” Yes, that- would sound all right, repeated in evidence. 'Unfortunately, Ann was not as impressed as she ought to have been. “You may ask," she said, "by -all means. “Just as I ask you now to *be good enough ,to refrain from further impertinences” She turned away. Victor’s face went rod. But ho was not to be turned from a righteous duty by any chit of a girl. Ho advanced threateningly. Only a timely Interruption saved him from a sound box on the ears, for Ann was in a mood to hit hard. The newcomer was Arnold Mortimer Betty’s shrill voice hailed him eagerly. “Would you mind stepping this way, said Victor in a tone of authority. Then they both began to gabble at once. Mortimer only heard a quarter of it. He was admiring the way Ann was standing; splendidly patrician and. aloof, she looked, with .that scornful little ,smile playing on her lips. They had stopped talking now. They were waiting for him to do something, But it was Ann who broke the silence. She spoke to Arnold as though Victor and Betty were non-existent. “A few moments ago I found one of your emeralds in my bag Arnold, it had fallen through a hole in the lining, and I might never have discovered it if I had not been turning out the contents into my new bag.” She smiled and gave him the stone. “I'm so glad one of them at least is found.” "Ask her what site’s done with the other,” sneered Betty.

Mortimer gavo her . one look. Without waiting to be told in plainer language she retired to a safe distance. Not so Victor.

"But 1 say, look here!” he began, ’This wants looking into.”

“Do you think -o?" said Mortimer with deceptive mildness, and then losing patience suddenly, "Oh, run away and playl” lie growled. Presently he turned to Ann. He was looking thoughtful. “I think I see it now," lie said. “It was Eden; we know that. I’ll admit it was cleverly done. We never thought of his pipe. You see he was smoking it. But it would only hold one stone safely. No doubt he hid the other in your hag hoping to get it back later. Either you gave him no chance, or else he overlooked the hole in the lining. That must have been It."

Ann had her own opinion as to how the emerald had found its way into her bag, but she did not voice it. There was. nothing to be gained by implicating Betty. The incident was closed so far as she was concerned.

It was with some surprise, therefore, that she answered a summons an hour or so later to Simon’s office. Such summonses were rare, and could only portend a matter of some gravity. She tapped on the door and went in. Simon was crouching over the office table with his chin cupped in his hands. To eyes unaccustomed to the daily sigh of him, Simont was a repulsive object, a shrivelled-up image of grinning malice. Ann, when she thought of him at all, felt a mild pity for him. A little less than human, more than a little crazy on the one subject that interested him, he was at all events quite harmless. lie did not move a muscle as she

came in, but fixed his birdlike eyes on her, .following her movements. 1 “You sent for me, Mr Simon.” “Ah veil, Miss Littlejohn; so here ve i are” —old Simon had never quite succeeded in conquering his Ws. "You vanl to know vhy, and I tell you vithout beating the bush about. Trade is had, very bad. I’ve been talking things over with Victor. Ve must economise. In future I vorlc this department alone, . and Victor vlll take charge below."

Ann guessed what was coming, and her heart sank. But she was not prepared for the harsh way he shot it at her. “A week's notice, Miss Littlejohn " “No.” she retorted, stung to anger. “1 prefer to go at once.” lie shrugged and extended bony fingers to intimate that it was immaterial to him. He fumbled in at drawer and, selecting two treasury notes, flipped them across the table.

“In lieu of notice,” he said, and waved her away. Ann took the money and went without a word. It was a relief to be free ' and out in the clean air again: clean, that is, compared with the dingy staleness of Simon’s den. She began to walk fast, seeing nothing, and careless of direction. Never in her life had' she been so shaken with inarticulate anger. (To be continued.!