The Great Pearl SecretWilliamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
General
The Great Pearl Secret
Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
Detective and mystery stories; Jewelry theft -- Fiction
But as the chill of the night iced his veins, Jack's mood changed.
Juliet's point of view suddenly showed itself sharply to his eyes. It
was as if she had come from round the corner of the last street he had
passed, to walk with him. _Had_ Lyda told him the story for
Claremanagh's sake and Juliet's? _Why not for her own_--in the daring
wish to make a "friend at court?" Would that not be more like
her--more like the woman she was supposed to be?
She knew that he had seen her go into the Phayre house; that he must
have guessed she was hidden in the study; that he was Juliet's cousin
and would naturally be inclined to work for Juliet's interest. Would
it not be a bold and clever stroke to win him to her side?
If it were some other man, not himself, whose prejudices had been thus
broken down in an hour by a woman's eyes and voice, wouldn't he pity
the poor idiot who believed that he alone fathomed the depths of her
smile?
Lyda practically admitted that she had fooled many men. Some of them
had doubtless known far more about women than he knew. Why, she must
have been laughing at him all through! He had been a child in her
hands!
Lies that were half truths could be welded into a fabric hard to break
down. No doubt there were true details in that life history of Pavoya.
But how many true ones? And was it "fine" of her to "consent" that he
should tell Juliet, and if necessary a detective? Wasn't that just
what she'd worked up to, and wanted? Wasn't she purposely turning
suspicion toward Pat when she said, as if dazed, that only he or she
could have changed the pearls?
Jack heard himself again, warmly promising that they two should work
together, that they'd drag up the mystery by the roots, and that Juliet
should beg her pardon.
A spider's dainty web of opal-gauze, glittering with dew, must look a
fairy palace to a big, blundering bluebottle!
Did such a man as Markoff from Petrograd even _exist_?
Dawn flowed like a pale river through the canyons of the New York
streets when Manners' walk ended at his own hotel.
He felt as if he had been through a battle--a battle that he hadn't
won. But a cold splash, and then dead sleep for an hour, braced him
physically. He woke with a start, as if somebody had knocked; yet no
one was at the door. The thought of food disgusted him; hot, strong
black coffee, however, was refreshing.
It was early still, yet he was sure that Juliet would be awake, and
called her up, learning at once that she had no news. Yes, he _had_
things to tell, he answered her eager question. "Not news exactly, but
important." Before going to her, however, he intended to see the
detective they'd talked about: a man named Henry Sanders--used to be in
the police--sharp chap; had the nickname of "Hawkeye Harry"; retired,
but got bored with doing nothing, and started as a private detective;
had made a big success in the last few years; absolutely to be trusted:
silent as the grave and sharp as a razor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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