Part 9 (2/2)
”Then why the obvious nervous sweat you're in?” demanded Fred
”And that doesn't account for the abuse she handed out to us,” said Yerkes
”Why not tip off the authorities that she's a notorious spy?” I asked
”I suspect they know all about her,” he answered
”But why your alar But it's pretty obvious, isn't it, that she wants us to believe she knoe're after She's vindictive She ie on ht soothe her to think she had ad--it sounds like lunacy, andit for fact!--there's just one chance that she really does knohere the ivory is!”
”But where's the sense of abusing us?” repeated Yerkes
”That's the poor thing's way of clai class superiority,” said Monty ”She was born into one class, married into another, and divorced into a third She'd likely to forget she said an unkind word the next time she meets you Give her one chance and she'll pretend she believes you were born to the purple--flatter you until you half believe it yourself Later on, when it suits her at the moment, she'll denounce you as a social impostor! It's just habit--bad habit, I admit--comes of the life she leads Lots of 'eh, and dangerous if you give 'e,” said Fred
”It's hot There's a chance she knohere the ivory is! She has ed if she were short of cash!+ It's overnment employ for a number of years Possibly they have paid her to do some spy-work--in the Zanzibar court, perhaps--the Sultan's a mere boy--”
”Isn't he woolly-headed?” objected Yerkes
”Mainly Arab It's a French gaue at colored courts, but the Gerlish?” asked Yerkes
”Her trade's international,” said Monty dryly ”My guess is that Coutlass or Hassan told her e're supposed to be doing here, and she pretends to knohere the ivory is in order to trap us all in some way The net's spread foryou fellows as well”
”She'll need to use sweeter bait than I've seen yet!” laughed Yerkes
”She'll probably be sweetness itself next tiue she's created an iracious”
”Iood!” said Yerkes ”I ht! What's the likelihood of her having double-crossed the Gerot a clue to where the stuff is, and be holding for a betterto that,” said Monty ”Yes, it's possible But whatever her ga If she gets hold of you fellows, one at a ti! Let her tell all she likes, but ad--ask no questions! That's an old rule in diplomacy (and reers can divine the Young ones' secrets froot the chance, ask her nothing! Don't lie, either! It would take a very old hand to lie to her in such way that she couldn't see through it!”
”Why not be simply rude and turn our backs?” said I
”Best of all--provided you can do it! Remember, she's an old hand!”
”D'you mean,” said Yerkes, ”that if she were to offer proof that she knohere that ivory is, and proposed terms, you wouldn't talk it over?”
”I mean let her alone!” said Monty
But it turned out she would not be let alone We dine in the public room, but she had her meals sent up to her and we flattered ourselves (or I did) that her net had been laid in vain Folk dine late in the tropics, and we dallied over coffee and cigars, so that it was going on for ten o'clock when Yerkes and I started upstairs again Monty and Fred went out to see the waterfront by ht
We had reached our door (he and I shared one great room) e heard terrific screams fro, fearful, hair-raising, and so suggestive in that gloo that a man's very blood stood still
Yerkes was the first upstairs He went like an arrow from a bow, and I after him The screams had stopped before we reached the stairhead, but there was no doubting which her roo a view of arar loud quick Arabic, and a woht Yerkes rapped on the door