The King of Diamonds: A Tale of Mystery and AdventureTracy, Louis
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The King of Diamonds: A Tale of Mystery and Adventure
Tracy, Louis
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
"Too busy to attend to matter further. Going to Leeds to-day.
Letters here as usual."
And to Leeds he went. Residence in York was a fever--a constant fret. In
Leeds he was removed from the arena. He passed the afternoon and evening
in roaming the streets, consumed with a fiery desire to be doing,
daring, braving difficulties.
But he must wait at least another day before he could lay hands on any
portion of Philip Anson's wealth save the money stolen from his pockets.
At the hotel there was only one letter and no telegrams.
The London bankers wrote:
"We beg to acknowledge yours of yesterday. Your cash balance at
date is twelve thousand four hundred and ten pounds nine shillings
one penny. Your securities in our possession amount to a net value
at to-day's prices of about nine hundred and twenty thousand
pounds, including two hundred and fifty thousand pounds Consols at
par. We will forward you a detailed list if desired, and will be
pleased to realize any securities as directed.
"Kindly note that instructions for sale should be given in your
handwriting, and not typed."
There was joy, intoxicating almost to madness, in this communication,
but it was not unleavened by the elements of danger and delay.
His signature had been accepted without demur; he could control an
enormous sum without question; these were the entrancing certainties
which dazzled his eyes for a time.
But it was horribly annoying that a millionaire should keep his current
account so low, and the concluding paragraph held a bogey, not wholly
unforeseen, but looming large when it actually presented itself.
The memorandum in Philip's handwriting on Evelyn's letter was now thrice
precious. He hurriedly scrutinized it, and at once commenced to practice
the words.
"Devonshire" and "Sharpe" gave him the capitals for "Dear Sirs." He was
at a loss for a capital "C," but he saw that Philip used the simplest
and boldest outlines in his caligraphy, and he must risk a "C" without
the upper loop. In "Lady M.," too, he had the foundation of the "£" to
precede the requisite figures. Soon he framed a letter in the fewest
words possible:
"Yours of to-day's date received. Kindly sell Consols value one
hundred and fifty thousand pounds, and place the same to my
credit."
He copied it again and again, until it was written freely and
carelessly, and every letter available compared favorably with the
original in his possession. Then he posted it, thus saving a day,
according to his calculations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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