Jewelry theft -- Fiction; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Love stories; Mystery fiction
In passing through Berkeley Square she deliberately walked on the left
side of it, and presently came to the house where Lady Sellingworth
lived. The big mansion was dark. As Miss Van Tuyn went by it she felt
an access of ill-humour, and for an instant she knew something of
the feeling which had often come to its owner--the feeling of being
abandoned to loneliness in the midst of a city which held multitudes who
were having a good time.
She walked on towards Berkeley, thought of Piccadilly, retraced her
steps, turned up Hay Hill, crossed Bond Street, and eventually came into
Regent Street. There were a good many people here, and several loitering
men looked hard at her. But she walked composedly on, keeping at an even
steady pace. At the main door of the Cafe Royal three or four men were
lounging. She did not look at them as she went by. But presently she
felt that she was being followed. This did not disturb her. She often
went out alone in Paris on foot, though not at night, and was accustomed
to being followed. She knew perfectly well how to deal with impertinent
men. In Shaftesbury Avenue the man who was dogging her footsteps came
nearer, and presently, though she did not turn her head, she knew that
he was walking almost level with her, and that his eyes were fixed
steadily on her. Without altering her pace she took a shilling out of
the purse she was carrying and held it in her hand. The man drew up till
he was walking by her side. She felt that he was going to speak to her.
She stopped, held out the hand with the shilling in it, and said:
“Here’s a shilling! Take it. I’m sorry I can’t afford more than that.”
As she finished speaking for the first time she looked at her pursuer,
and met the brown eyes of the living bronze. He stood for an instant
gazing at her veil, and then turned round and walked away in the
direction of Regent Street. The shilling dropped from her hand to the
pavement. She did not try to find it, but at once went on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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