Anarchists -- Fiction; England -- Fiction; Impostors and imposture -- Fiction; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction; Mystery fiction
"Miss Bellairs!" repeated Olive, after him, with a long breath of
satisfaction; "how good that sounds! But about Major Semberry. For all
we know he may have seen the Boldinis last night."
Aldean wagged his head judiciously. "Not likely; they'd not seek him,
believe me. Now that we have Semberry's share of the loot, both
Boldini and his wife would rather be excused that interview. They are
too anxious about their little selves to bother him."
"Perhaps; at all events, let us hope so. Shall I come with you?"
"I'd rather you didn't, if you don't mind. Better let me tackle
Semberry in my own way. He won't climb down like Boldini, you know; in
fact, I don't anticipate he will be an easy customer to deal with at
all. He'll fight," said Aldean; "so shall I."
"I can't understand now why the Boldinis gave in so utterly."
"Had to--no choice for them," replied Jim promptly. "Case of devil and
the deep sea, you know. Let's assume we are the deep sea, and the
Anarchists and police and all of that ilk are the--well, the other
thing. You see, police would have meant publicity, and publicity would
have meant extinction for them, so far as this world is concerned; and
that, though probably a relief to them in the future state, was not
exactly what they sought at present."
"Could we have them arrested even now?" asked Olive.
"Well, perhaps, with an infinite amount of trouble and red-tapeism, we
might get the British Consul to help us so far; but that sort of thing
takes time, and they might bolt at any moment. I'm glad they had the
sense to climb down. It's all right now. We have the money and the
confession. They are no use to us any longer."
"Yes, we have the circular notes; and they, I suppose, are safe," said
Miss Bellairs, reflecting. "But that cheque, Lord Aldean--Boldini
might stop it by telegram."
"He'll only tumble back into the pit if he does," said Aldean,
decisively; "but I won't trust him any more than you do. Before I see
Semberry, I'll drop in at a bank I know here, and ask them to cash the
cheque."
"They won't cash so large a cheque without inquiry, surely?"
"That's just the point; if not, the banker'll have to wire to the
Crédit Lyonnais in Paris, and we'll soon know if Boldini's been up to
hanky-panky. That's the worst of playing a game like this with a
rascal," added Aldean, musingly; "he's always got an ace somewhere."
"We must watch his sleeve," laughed Olive. "Well, Lord Aldean, off you
go to Major Semberry, and I'll wait here till you return."
"Bringing my sheaves with me," said Jim, with a grin, and forthwith
departed.
Left alone, Olive sat down and wrote a long letter to Tui, in which
she praised Lord Aldean's common sense and willing help in the most
glowing terms. With joy she told Tui of her freedom; how Clara was
Boldini's, _alias_ Carson's, true wife; and how everything had gone
off so much more quietly than either of them had dared to hope.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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