Part 34 (1/2)

He had put a copy of a morning newspaper round the small brown paper parcel, and now took it off and showed the parcel itself to the two wondering men. One of them at any rate uttered a sharp exclamation.

”Brown paper, sealed with black wax!” said Allerd.y.k.e, remembering what Chettle had told him. ”Good Lord--what--”

”I don't suppose this is the original brown paper, nor these the original dabs of black wax,” remarked the chief as he produced a pocket pen-knife. ”But this parcel, gentlemen, was recently confided by Miss Slade to the care of the manageress of the Pompadour, to be put in the hotel safe--from which it was produced to me twenty minutes ago. And--I am now going to see what it contains.”

The others sat in absorbed silence while the chief delicately removed the wrappings of the mysterious parcel. A sheet of brown paper, a sheet of cartridge paper beneath it--and within these very ordinary envelopings an old cigar-box, loosely tied about with a bit of knotted string.

”Now for it!” said the chief. ”The box contains--”

He raised the lid as the other two leaned nearer. A stray ray of sunlight, filtering through the swaying boughs of the hawthorn, shot down on the box as the chief lifted a wad of soft paper and revealed a glittering ma.s.s of pearls and diamonds.

”The Princess Nastirsevitch's jewels!” said the chief softly. ”That's just what I expected ever since the manageress gave me this parcel. This, of course, is the parcel which your cousin sent that night from Hull, Mr.

Allerd.y.k.e. It fell into Mrs. Marlow's hands--alias Miss Slade--and here it is! That's all right.”

The other two men stared at the contents of the cigar-box, then at the chief, then at each other. A deep silence had fallen--it was some minutes before Allerd.y.k.e broke it.

”All wrong, I should say!” he muttered. ”However, if those are the things--I only say if, mind--I suppose we're a step nearer to something else. But--what?”

The chief, who appeared to both of them to be strangely phlegmatic about the whole affair, proceeded to close the box, re-invest it in its wrappings, and tie it about with the original string.

”We are certainly a step nearer to a good deal,” he said, making a neat job of his parcel and patting it affectionately as if he had been a milliner's apprentice doing up a choice confection. ”And the next thing we do is to take a walk together into Hyde Park. On the way I will tell you why we are going there--that is, I will tell you what I know of the reason for such an expedition. It isn't much--but it has certain possibilities.”

The two North-countrymen listened with great curiosity as they marched across the gra.s.s towards the tea-house. Each possessed the North-country love of the mysterious and the bizarre--this last development tickled their fancy and stirred their imagination.

”What on earth d'ye make out of it all?” asked Allerd.y.k.e. ”Gad!--it's more like a children's game of hide-and-seek in an old house of nooks and corners than what I should have imagined police proceedings would be.

What say you, Ambler?”

”I don't know how much romance and adventure there usually are in police proceedings,” replied Appleyard cautiously.

”A good answer, Mr. Appleyard,” said the chief laughing. ”Ah, there's a lot more of both than civilians would think, in addition to all the sordid and dismal details. What do I make out of it, Mr. Appleyard?

Why--I think somebody has all this time been making a special investigation of this mystery for himself, and that at last he's going to wind it up with a sensational revelation to--us! Don't you be surprised if you've an application for that fifty thousand pound reward before to-night!”

”You really think that?” exclaimed Allerd.y.k.e incredulously.

”I shouldn't be surprised,” answered the chief, ”Something considerable is certainly at hand. Now let us settle our plan of campaign. This tea-garden, I remember, is a biggish place. We will sit down at one of the tables--we will appear to be three quiet gentlemen disposed to take a cup of coffee with our cigars or cigarettes--we will be absorbed in our own conversation and company, but at the same time we will look about us.

Therefore, use your eyes, gentlemen, as much as you like--but don't appear to take any particular interest in anything you see, and don't openly recognize any person you set eyes on.”

It was a very warm and summer-like day, and the lawns around the tea-house were filled with people, young and old. Some were drinking tea, some coffee; some were indulging in iced drinks. Nursemaids and children were much in evidence under the surrounding trees; waitresses were flitting about hither and thither: there was nothing to suggest that this eminently London park scene was likely to prove the setting of the last act of a drama.

”You're much more likely to see and to recognize than we are,” remarked Allerd.y.k.e, as the three gathered round a table on the edge of the crowd.

”For my part I see nothing but men, women, and children--except that I also see Chettle, sitting across yonder with another man who's no doubt one of your lot.”

”Just so,” a.s.sented the chief. He gave an order for coffee to a pa.s.sing waitress, lighted a cigar which Allerd.y.k.e offered him, and glanced round as if he were looking at nothing in particular. ”Just so. Well, I see my own four men--I also see at least six detectives who belong to the City police, and there may be more. But I know those six personally. They are spread about, all over the place, and I daresay that every man is very much on the stretch, innocent enough as he looks.”

”Six!” exclaimed Appleyard. ”And four of yours! That looks as if they expected to have to tackle a small army!”

”You never know what you may have to tackle in affairs like this,”