CHAPTER XIV
WHO KNOCKS?
Miss Casata examined the ring with every show of interest.
'This is the ruby he took from Mr Holland.'
'It is.'
'It is the only one which Mr Holland had.'
'So the Flyman said. He ought to know. I believe, on this occasion,he's no liar.'
'And it's not your uncle's?'
'It is not.'
'You are sure?'
'Dead.'
'Then, now I understand.'
'I wish I did share your understanding.'
'I understand why she laughed when he had gone, and why she said,"Poor Guy, how disappointed he will be!"'
'What is it you're talking about? Would you condescend to explain?'
'Yet--I do not understand. It was the box. Wait; in a second I will beback.'
She was back in less than a minute, bearing in her hand a smallleather-covered box. On the lid was gummed a narrow strip of paper, onwhich was written, in delicate characters, 'The Burton Ruby.' MrBurton received it with a cry of recognition.
'It's it; but the writing's strange.'
'It is her writing.'
'It's uncle's box--the one in which he always kept the blessed thing.There's his crest; there's where I dropped it in the ink.' He raisedthe lid. 'It's empty!'
'Last night Mr Holland took from it the ring which was inside. Ialways imagined that in it she kept your uncle's ruby, which was whatI said to Mr Holland, as I told you I would do.'
'You're a nice girl, Lou!'
'And you're a nice man! Are you not a nice man?'
Mr Cox interposed.
'Now, don't let's have any quarrelling. Stick to business. Time'sprecious. Go on with your story.'
The lady turned and rent him.
'I will not go on with my story for you. What business of yours is mystory, you dirty Jew?'
Mr Burton smiled benignly.
'Personalities! personalities! Don't call the man a Jew, my dear. Coxis no Jew; he's an anti-Semite. Continue your story for me, my love.'
Miss Casata complied with his request, although not in the mostgracious manner.
'Do not call me your love, or you will be sorry. As Mr Holland wastaking the ring out of the box, she came in--'
'And caught him at it? It must have been exciting. Wicked Guy!'
'He wished to give it to her back again, but she said, "Go, and takeit with you." He took it, and went. Then, when he had gone, she beganto laugh. She kept on laughing--it was true laughter, not false--as ifit was the best joke in the world, and she said, "Poor Guy, howdisappointed he will be!"'
'You notice things.'
'I am not a fool.'
'Is it possible that anyone ever mistook you for one?'
Mr Cox dug him with his elbow in the ribs, by way of a hint to him tohold his tongue. Miss Casata went contemptuously on,--
'I perceive now that she laughed because she knew that he had nottaken with him what he supposed; but what I do not understand is,where, then, is the ring? I know she kept it in this box.'
She examined minutely the one she held. Mr Cox put a question to MrBurton.
'For the last time, Burton, I suppose you're quite sure that it's notyour uncle's ring? Nice we should look if it was afterwards discoveredthat you had made a mistake.'
'Don't be a silly ass! How many more times do you want to hear meswear? I say, Cox, have you two legs, or four, and which end of youare they? I might just as reasonably put such questions to you. I tellyou, I know.'
Miss Casata was still continuing her scrutiny.
'It is not the ring; you are right. It is not the ring which she usedto keep in the box. The stone in that, I think, was larger. It had acrest on it, I remember. And inside there was a name engraved, "GeorgeBurton." She showed it me one day, and she said, "I shall have to havethis stone remounted. I cannot wear a man's name upon my finger,especially that man's name." I remember very well. Oh, no, this is notthe ring at all.'
Mr Burton turned in triumph to Mr Cox. 'You hear? Now, who's right?'
'You have seen the ring which you describe?'
'It is certain; more than once. When was the last time? Not many daysago. It was in this box. She took it out of this box, she put it backinto the box, and the box she put into the little bottom drawer. Iremember it very well. When I heard of Mr Burton's will, I thought ofit at once.'
'Then where is it now?'
'She must have taken it out of the box and put it somewhere else.'
'But where? Think!'
'How do I know? how can I think? She must have put it with some of herother jewels. They are everywhere--all over the place.'
Mr Cox and Mr Burton exchanged glances. The young gentleman took upthe running.
'In that case, we'll look for it all over the place.'
'What do you mean?'
'My dear Lou, I'm going to have that ruby, and before I leave thesepremises. So, now, you've got it.'
'You will not touch her things?'
'I've no desire to do anything so indelicate. You tell us where it is,or give us a hint.'
'I have not the slightest notion.'
'Then we'll investigate for ourselves.'
'You shall not touch her things!'
'Lou, you gave Guy Holland the tip. You helped him to commit aburglary. Why should you be squeamish now?'
'That was different.'
'Of course it was. He's not attached to you like I am; he doesn'tworship the ground you stand upon. It isn't as though you were smittenwith Miss Bewicke, because you're not; you've told me so a hundredtimes. She's going to play some pretty trick on her own account;that's the meaning of her taking out the ruby, which she knew you knewwas in that box. And it's a thousand to nothing that she means to playit at my expense. If I can help it, I don't mean to let her have thechance. Your fortune's bound with mine; we sink or swim together. If Idon't get that ruby, and to-night, it'll probably mean that I gounder, and, if I go, you'll go too. My dear girl, you know you will.Come, be sensible; be something like your dear own self. Do only halffor me what you did for Guy. Let me just have a look round for thatwretched ruby. By your own account, it must be somewhere close athand. I'm sure to get it, and, when I do get it, I'll not forget thepart you played. It'll not be my fault if I don't still make you thebest husband a woman ever had.'
'I was not here when Mr Holland came. I did not see what he did. Iknew nothing.'
'You need not see what we do. We have a little something somewherewhich will make you as unconscious of anything that may take place asyou can possibly desire. Then, if there is a bother, you will be ableto assume, with perfect propriety, the _role_ of injured victim. But Idon't see that there need be trouble, if you keep still. I've as muchright to that ruby as anybody else. I'm going to assert that right,that's all. Now, be a good, kind girl. Go into another room and have anice little read. We're going to have a ruby hunt. Flyman!'
The Flyman appeared at the open door. At sight of him, Miss Casatabroke into a storm of exclamations.
'Not him! He shall not come in here. He killed Mr Holland! I saw him!Mr Holland's blood is on his hands! I will not have that he come inhere!'
'My dearest girl, but that's absurd. He's the only one of the threewho understands locks. You don't want us to irretrievably ruin MissBewicke's property owing to our sheer want of skill? And for a nosefor such a trifle as that ruby we are hunting for he has not hisequal. Now, you go and have a nice little read.'
He moved forward with the possible intention of taking her by the armand leading her from the room. If such was his design, it failed. Ashe advanced, she slipped past him. Rushing to the door which led intoMiss Bewicke's bedroom, she placed herself in front of it. She tookout one of the three treasures which were in her pocket--the revolver.Before the three men had even dreamed that she might be in possessionof such a weapon, it was pointed at their heads. Her tone when shespoke was as significan
t as her attitude.
'If one of you tries to come through this door, I will shoot him dead.Do not think this revolver is not loaded. I will show you.'
She fired, the bullet penetrating the opposite wall. Mr Thomas Coxducked as it passed. His companions instinctively shrank back. Herlips parted in a grim smile. Apparently this was her idea of humour.
'You see I am not so helpless as you perhaps supposed. I am notnervous, not at all. I am used to handle a revolver. I have won prizesfor pistol shooting, oh, several times. There are five more barrelswhich are loaded. If I aim at you, I promise that I will not miss. Youshall see.'
The bearing of the trio, in its way, was comical, they were evidentlyso completely taken by surprise. Mr Thomas Cox, in particular, lookedas if this were an expedition in which, under the circumstances, hewished he had not taken part. He said as much.
'Look here, Burton, this is more than I bargained for. Before we cameI told you that I was not going to be mixed up with anythingequivocal. I have my character to consider. You said your lady friendwould listen to reason; if your lady friend won't listen to reason,then I'm sorry, but I'm off.'
'Then you'll lose your money.'
'In that case you'll have to smart for it.'
'That won't give you your money. It's a nice little lot.'
'I know it's a nice little lot, and I can't afford to lose it; youknow I can't afford to lose it. But there's something I can afford tolose still less, and that--that's my character.'
'Your character! Why, if you only could manage to get rid of yourcharacter--I don't believe you yourself realise what an awful one itis--it'd be the best stroke of business you've done for many a day, mydear Cox!'
Mr Burton advanced, as if to tap his friend, in an affable manner, onthe shoulder. This brought him within a few feet of where Miss Casatawas standing. Laying his left hand on Mr Cox's shoulder, with hisright he snatched away that gentleman's walking-stick, swung round andstruck Miss Casata's outstretched wrist with such violence that therevolver was driven from her grasp and sent flying across the room.She gave a cry of pain. Her arm fell limp at her side. The blow hadbeen delivered with so much force that it was quite possible her wristwas broken.
'You devil!'
'You wild cat!' returned the gentleman. 'Now, Flyman, on to her!'
The Flyman obeyed. The two gentlemen attacked the lady. Although shefought gamely, especially considering her injured wrist, she was nomatch for the pair. They got her down upon the floor, still strugglingfor all that she was worth.
'Now, Flyman, where's that stuff of yours?'
'I'm getting it. She's a oner. She's bit me to the bone.'
With difficulty--he only had one hand disengaged--he evolved a tincanister from his jacket pocket.
'Bite her to the bone! Let her have the lot!'
From the canister the Flyman managed to take a cloth--a cloth whichwas soaked with some peculiar-smelling fluid. This he jammed againstthe lady's face, even cramming it between her lips. She writhed andtwisted, then lay still.
As the Flyman got up, he examined the hand which she had marked withher teeth.
'She takes a bit of doing. I shouldn't like to have to tackle hersingle-handed.'
Mr Burton smiled. His clothes were a little rumpled. As he rose hearranged his tie.
'Nice wife she'd make! What do you think?'
Mr Cox had occupied his time in picking up the revolver of which thelady had been relieved. He seemed genuinely concerned.
'You know, Burton, I tell you again I didn't come here for this sortof thing. I wouldn't have had this happen not--not for a good deal. Ishouldn't be surprised if we get into trouble for this.'
'My dear Cox, we should have got into trouble anyhow. We may as wellbe hung for a sheep as a lamb. I'm going for the gloves.'
'Hung! Don't talk about hanging. You make a cold shiver go down myback. You haven't--killed her?'
'Killed her? You innocent! She's the sort who take a deal of killing.My good chap, when she comes to, she'll curse a little and go ongenerally; but she'll forgive me in the end. I know her; she's adear!'
While the three men stood looking down at the unconscious woman, therecame a knocking at the outer door.