there was a third member of Septimus Lee’s house-guard. He saw no one.
The engine of the Vauxhall purred sweetly as he pressed the self-starter, and the wheels turned.
Sweat oozed from every pore in his body. His breath was coming, short and harsh, between his parted lips. His head was buzzing, and his limbs were trembling. Mannering felt that he had gone through the worst five minutes of intense action that a man could possibly endure; yet he had succeeded.
And then, as he turned the Vauxhall off the common road towards the main road and looked into the driving- mirror, he groaned.
You fool !” he muttered.
But he was laughing a moment later. Right to the last he had made mistakes — even as he had turned into the high road he had been wearing his mask! He slipped it off, and took a cigarette from the dashboard-pocket with lingers that trembled.
And then he settled down to the task of getting home.
CHAPTER NINE
AT FTVE MINUTES TO TEN ON THE FOLLOWING MORNING THE same suave-voiced clerk received the same immaculate, smiling John Mannering, and ushered him into the office of Mr Septimus Lee. The Jew’s blue-veined hands were pressed together, with the skinny fingers intertwining.
The lids of his large, slant-set eyes were a little lower, if anything, than on the previous day, but otherwise he looked the same, was dressed the same, and smiled as invitingly.
“Clever,” murmured Mannering to himself, “and cool. I’d give half the Rosa pearls, nevertheless, to know what’s going on in his mind.”
He spoke amiably, however.
“Well, Mr Lee. Need we use a theoretical basis for discussion to-day, or can we . . .”
Lee waved his hands.
“We understand each other, understand each other perfectly, Mr Mannering. But for one unfortunate mishap our deal could be completed to-day . . .”
Mannering’s brow went up.
“Mishap?” he questioned.
“Regrettably, yes.” Septimus Lee lifted his hands, chin-high, and shrugged his shoulders, but there was no quiver in his voice. “I had — er — visitors last night, Mr Mannering.”
Lee paused. Mannering’s eyes widened, his lace-muscles relaxed. The suggestion of incredulity he created was convincing even from Septimus Lee’s point of view.
“Visitors?” His voice was hard. You mean someone made a better offer than mine?”
“No offer at all,” said Lee. “I was robbed.”
“Robbed?” Mannering uttered the single word with emphatic scepticism.
“Yes — last night of all nights,” said the Jew softly.
A frown crossed Mannering’s lace. His chin was a shade more aggressive than it had been a minute before, and his voice was harder.
“If this is what you call bargaining finesse, Mr Lee, I’m sorry you take me for that sort of mug. I’m disappointed in you.”
Lee smiled, and once more Mannering was forced to admire him.
“A very natural supposition,” said the Jew, “but an erroneous one, Mr Mannering. However, as I cannot show you the Rosa pearls, there is little point in continuing the interview.”
“Look here” — Mannering realised that he could not stress his disbelief too much — “I’m willing to go a little higher with my offer. Shall we say thirteen thousand pounds, and make the deal ?”
“I can quite understand your point of view,” said Septimus Lee, “and I sympathise with you. You are a collector, and you reckoned to have a rare — a unique — piece; but you have been balked. My apologies could not be more sincere, Mr Mannering, but I was robbed.”
Mannering stared at him for a moment, and then rubbed his chin ruefully.
“Damn it,” he said, “I believe it’s the truth after all! But, hang it, Mr Lee, only you and I and one other in England knew of the existence of the necklace. It seems absurd . . .”
“My own mpression exactly,” said Lee. His tone was silky, and there was an undercurrent of something in his voice which Mannering did not understand. Yet robbed I was. Of course others may have heard the same rumour as you. And now, if you will excuse me . . .”
Mannering shrugged, smiled, picked up his hat and gloves, and was ushered out of the office by the clerk, who had arrived in answer to Lee’s ring. That was over.
“Now what,” asked Mannering of himself as he walked into the Strand beneath the white glare of the sun does Mr Lee know — or guess ? I’m not happy in my mind about that man. And there was something different about him to-day. He was keeping himself in check, of course, but there was something else.”
Two things happened in the next two minutes that told Mannering what he wanted to know. They were both innocent things, and directly connected with each other, but connected in no way with the Baron or Septimus Lee. But . . .
