*CHAPTER XX.*
*CHECK TO FROBISHER.*
The whole thing struck Angela as strangely unreal. It hardly seemedpossible that this swiftly-moving drama could be played amongst thesettings of her daily life in this fashion. There was the dreamy musicof the band--the Scarlet Bavarian Band of so many big socialfunctions--the familiar fuss and flutter of drapery, the sound ofwell-known voices. Mrs. Benstein was smiling in the most natural way,the two men appeared to be quite at their ease. And yet here was amoving drama that any one moment might flare into tragedy. Still,Angela played the game mechanically.
A light laugh rippled from her lips so naturally that she was quitesurprised. She had not the slightest idea what Isa Benstein meant bythe strange caution, but she had every intention of carrying it out tothe letter. Frobisher sauntered back to his beautiful guest's side.Angela lingered, waiting for the next move. She saw Mrs. Benstein'seyes glance towards the door with a significant look. As she made someexcuse for leaving the others together she saw a flickering smile ofapproval.
"May we smoke?" Frobisher asked, as he closed the door behind Angela."We are all enthusiasts, and we don't want any dilettantes here."
"You may do just as you please," Mrs. Benstein said. "Probably youwould follow that course in any case. You are a bold man to keep theCardinal Moth here."
"What do you know about it?" Frobisher asked.
There was a dry chuckle in his voice as he put the question. Mrs.Benstein looked up at the cloud of glorious blossoms over her head.
"I know a great deal," she replied. "I have lived with some strangepeople in my time and I have heard some strange things. There arecertain quarters in the East End where they speak queer languages andwhere they know things that would startle the authorities. Amongstthese people I was brought up. I learnt their ways and their methods.Ah, it was a good school for a girl who has a treacherous world tofight."
The speaker flung herself into a chair and hung her long white arms byher side. The light gleamed upon her sparkling jewels and the dark eyesthat sparkled more brightly still. Frobisher watched her with somethingmore than artistic admiration; his thin blood was stirred.
"You speak like a Sibyl," he laughed. "If you know all about theCardinal Moth you also know all about the Blue Stone of Ghan, Ipresume?"
Frobisher's voice was low and hoarse and persuasive. He had flung downthe challenge, and Isa Benstein was ready to receive it. She raised herlarge dark eyes slowly, and they seemed to float over the faces of herantagonists. She noted the leering grin on Frobisher's features, thetruculent bullying expression of Lefroy's.
"I have heard of that also," she said in the same level tones. "The twoare inseparable."
"Or ought to be," Frobisher went on. Evidently he was to be thespokesman. "But if the Moth has flown far, why not the sacred jewel?Have you ever seen it, fair lady?"
The question was a direct threat, and Isa Benstein rose to it. She satthere swinging her long arms idly, and glancing with perfectself-possession at her companions. They meant to have that jewel, asshe knew; they were not going to stick at anything to gain possession ofit.
"I have seen it," she said quietly; "in fact, I wore it here on myforehead to-night."
Frobisher started. He fairly beamed with admiration. What a woman!What a nerve! he thought. Anybody else would have denied the thingpoint blank. But here was a woman prepared for any emergency. Therewas going to be a battle of wits here, and Frobisher rose to the fray.
"Surely a rash thing to do," he murmured.
"Wasn't it?" Isa Benstein asked with a swift and glorious smile. "Butignorance is bliss, you say. That being so, there ought to be a greatdeal more happiness in the world than there is. Count Lefroy, won't yousit down? No, in that other chair, so that I can see your face."
Lefroy bowed and complied. All this waste of time annoyed him, butFrobisher, on the other hand, was enjoying himself exceedingly. Nothingthat was straight or open ever appealed to him. He would rather haveobtained a shilling by crooked means than a sovereign by holding out hishand for it.
"You came here wearing the Blue Stone without knowing it?" he asked. "Iam interested, fascinated, and amazed. Incidentally, I am a littleamused into the bargain."
"Possibly," Isa Benstein smiled brilliantly. "But you are not half soamused as I am."
Frobisher grinned at the way in which his challenge had been flauntedback into his teeth. With the quick subtlety of the polyglot the womanhad grasped his scheme and what he wanted.
"It is good to feel that my guests are thoroughly enjoying themselves,"he said politely. "I should like to know how the Blue Stone came intoyour possession at all."
"Problems seem to be in the air," Isa Benstein murmured. "Yourflattering interest is very soothing to my vanity. You know what aconjurer means when he speaks of forcing a card on a spectator? Ofcourse you do. The expert with his quickness and his patter can makethe spectator he selects draw any card he chooses. The conjurer in thiscase chose me to force his card upon. But all the same when I came hereI had no notion that I was wearing anything half so historic as the BlueStone of Ghan."
"But you tound it out after you got here?" Frobisher said keenly.
"Yes. That was a piece of good luck. And when I did so I removed it.That was a piece of caution."
"Then you had worked it all out in your mind, I suppose?"
"Yes. I worked it out in the best possible way--backwards. I worked itout so completely that I was in a position to read another person'smind. Shall I read that other person's mind?"
Frobisher bowed and smiled in one of his quick grins. Lefroy shifteduneasily in his chair. Isa Benstein's lips were parted, her arms playedidly by the side of her chair, there was no sign of fear in her eyes.When she spoke again it was quite calmly and slowly.
"We will begin with the conjurer," she said. "After all, he hassucceeded in forcing the card that is destined to lead up to thebrilliant trick that dazzles and astonishes everybody. We will assume,for the sake of argument, that you are the conjurer and I am the sillyheedless spectator who is marked out as the involuntary accomplice."
"The mind could not grasp you in that senile capacity," Frobishermurmured.
"Then give your vivid imagination free run for once, Sir Clement. Thecard in this case represents something that you very much desired, callit the Blue Stone of Ghan. The sacred jewel is hidden in a certainplace. Your great idea is to conjure that somewhere else, and being amaster of your trade, you have to make use of a third party who shallmake the transfer for you without knowing anything of the matter. Onlya prince among conjurers could hope to bring off so brilliant a coup asthat, but there is no great success without great audacity. But CountLefroy is looking at his watch. I am afraid that he is not interested."
"It matters nothing about Lefroy," Frobisher said. "I am deeplyinterested. Pray go on."
"Of course, our conjurer knows where the stone is. It is in the custodyof an old man who has a young wife. The old man with the young wife hascountless gems for safe custody. From time to time he lends these gemsto his wife to wear, though, with the characteristic caution of histribe, he never says anything to the owners. Well, here is theconjurer's card forced from him, so to speak. All he has to do now isto design an occasion when the transfer may be made. We will say it isto be at a brilliant party--a fancy-dress ball, where gems may play aleading part. The victim will be there. As the Blue Stone of Ghan is aruby, he naturally suggests rubies, much as the common conjurer with hismagic bottle induces his assistant on the stage to choose the kind ofliquid he wants to dispense. Says he to himself, that old man willoffer his young wife the Blue Stone as a kind of crown of glory, and shewill take it, not knowing what it is. Once she arrives at thefancy-dress ball the rest is easy. Do I interest you so far?"
"Wonderfully," Frobisher croaked. "Fancy finding the conjurer out likethat. But though you have spoil
ed the trick, he must have the forcedcard, in this case represented by the--but why complete the phrase?"
"Why, indeed?" Isa Benstein asked serenely. "The brilliant trick as abrilliant trick has failed, for the simple reason that the involuntarymedium has been too clever for her part. But I see that the conjurer isnot so disconcerted as he might be, because he can always fall back uponhis bully method whereby he sometimes disguises failure and leads up toa success in a fresh line. Is it to be the bullying policy, SirClement?"
Sir Clement bent forward and nodded eagerly. His yellow teeth were allexposed in a wide grin. Lefroy sat regarding him with open contempt. Aclock somewhere struck two; the strains of the band floated in.
"I should like to borrow the Blue Stone," Frobisher said hoarsely.
"We will discuss that presently," Isa Benstein went on. "Perhaps I hadbetter finish my train of logical reasoning. There was danger of thetrick failing, in so much as the Blue Stone might have been recognised.And here was a further resource open to the conjurer. It was open tohim to put aside the tricks of his trade and take the stone, take itwith violence, if necessary. He would argue that his victim dared notspeak, that she would put up with the loss rather than tell a story thatnobody would believe. The idea of a man robbing his guest with violenceunder his own roof--and such a roof!--would be scouted by anycommon-sense person. Again, the unconscious medium would have herhusband to consider. If the true facts of the case came out he would beruined; there would be a scandal that might end in a gaol. Of course,when the desired mischief had been worked, the stone would be restoredagain, discreetly found before it was lost. Really, gentlemen, myimagination makes me nervous. As I sit opposite you, I am inwardlyalarmed lest you should fall upon me and despoil me of a thing I wouldnot have touched had I been aware of the true history of the case. Iknow I am foolish----"
"Madame," said Frobisher, rising with a bow. "You cruelly malignyourself. I have had some experience of clever people, and you are byfar the cleverest woman I have ever met. Your insight is amazing, ofyour courage there can be no doubt. But don't carry your courage toofar."
Mrs. Benstein had risen in her turn, the critical moment had come, butshe gave no sign. Frobisher stood also, shaking his head doggedly.
"You deem discretion to be the better part of valour," the woman said."The English profess never to know when they are beaten! Surely that iscarrying the thing too far. The man who knows when he is beaten is themost valorous foe, for the god of war is always on the side of heavybattalions. You want the stone?"
"I must have it," said Frobisher.
"Must is not a nice word, but----"
"But it's got to be used," Lefroy spoke for the first time. "All thesewords are so much air. Will you be so good as to lend us the Blue Stonefor a time, or----"
"Stop!" Mrs. Benstein cried. "Let us quite understand one another. IfI do not lend you the stone you are prepared to go to extreme measuresto get it?"
Frobisher nodded and grinned till his teeth flashed again. He advancedwith his hands outstretched and a look of greed in his eyes. Lefroystood by as if apart from the discussion.
"A few more words," Mrs. Benstein said, with a steady smile, "a few morewords, and then you may do as you please. I am forced to allude to theconjurer again and his forced card. That card is in the possession ofthe involuntary medium. The success of the experiment depends upon theability of the conjurer to force the card when and how he will. Butsuppose the involuntary ally determines to frustrate the trick, and saythat he has lost the card or changed it for another, what then?"
A wicked, brutish oath sprang from Frobisher's lips. All his prettycynicism and flippant hardness had gone and the original savage lookedout of his eyes. Just for a moment he panted with a rage that wasunconquerable. He was a murderer in his heart at that moment.
"You mean," he gasped--"you mean to say that you----"
"Precisely. As I said before, I had thought the matter out. Am I thewoman to be any man's puppet? The card has disappeared, the conjurer isbaffled. If you can find the card, well and good; if not, the trickfails. The card is no longer in my possession."
And Frobisher, looking into her eyes, knew that she spoke the truth.