great authorities. And as a mining engineer by profession, I'minterested. I've been on more than one treasure-hunt, once inGuatemala, and again I went out with a party prospecting three years agofor those sunken Spanish galleons in Vigo Bay. We located nine of thevessels by means of that new Italian invention, the hydroscope, and gotup an old cannon, several gold doubloons and silver `pieces of eight.'According to authentic records in the Archives at Madrid, there areseventeen vessels full of gold and silver lying at the bottom of thebay, and the treasure is believed to be worth at least twenty-eightmillions sterling."
Diamond smiled. Even that huge sum did not cause him dismay. Thetreasure of Solomon's temple would surely be worth a dozen times asmuch. Besides, would not he, Raymond Diamond, become one of the mostnoted men in the world if, by his instrumentality, the historic treasureof Israel was recovered.
"A company has been formed to work the Vigo treasure. They asked me tojoin them," "Red Mullet" went on. "It's a tempting business, but I haveother matters to attend to just now. I wonder you don't form asyndicate to work this scheme of yours, Doctor."
"No syndicate is necessary," replied the Doctor confidently. "We can doit ourselves."
"You might--if it were not for the strong opposition against you,"Mullet remarked. "No, Doc. Don't be too sure of your position. You'vegot others who intend to cut in before you, when the time is ripe.But," he added, "what proof have you that this treasure actually exists.I'm ignorant in these matters, you know."
"In a dozen places in the Old Testament it is referred to.Nebuchadnezzar, when he took Jerusalem, carried away over five thousandvessels of gold and silver from the temple. Yet this was only theportion which the Jews allowed to remain there. The greater part of thetreasure, including the Ark of the Covenant and the tablets of the law,were hidden and have never been recovered. We learn from the Book ofEzra that when Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar's successor, gave the Jews theirliberty, that he restored to Jerusalem five thousand four hundred basonsand vessels of gold and silver which the King of Babylon had taken away.Those were, no doubt, placed in the new temple which Zerubbabelerected, but of which we unfortunately possess so very few particulars.What we are in search of is not this treasure, but the vessels ofSolomon's temple that were hidden by the priests before the capture ofJerusalem by the King of Babylon."
"So I understand, Doctor. But what actual statement have you that theyare still concealed?"
"The plain, straightforward statement in Holy Writ," was the other'sreply, as he sat huddled in the big armchair, a queer, ugly littlefigure. Then, reaching across to a small table whereon lay the Bible,which he now daily studied, and opening it, he said: "Now, listen tothis. Jeremiah, xxvi, 19-21, reads as follows:
"`For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and _concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city_, Which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem:
"`Yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning _the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the King of Judah and of Jerusalem_.'"
"By Jove!" exclaimed Mullet, starting up. "I didn't know of those wordsof the prophet. But I'm ashamed to say, Doctor, that I never was verymuch of a Biblical scholar. But it really looks as though there issomething in the theory after all, doesn't it?"
For a long time the two men sat together, but though the Doctor waseager to learn how Aggie's father had obtained his knowledge, the latterwas equally determined to tell him nothing.
"If you carry on this inquiry, Doctor," he said, "it will be a veryrisky proceeding--I can tell you that much."
"What! Your object then is to frighten me into inactivity, Mr Mullet--eh?" asked the little man, jumping up.
"Not at all--not at all, my dear fellow. You don't understand. You andI are friends, and--well, we'll continue to be, if you will allow me."
Raymond Diamond confessed that he did not understand the object of hisvisitor's presence there.
But "Red Mullet" only laughed, and taking another cigar from his case,said drily:
"Then let us drop the subject, Doctor, and talk of something else."
CHAPTER TWENTY.
THE INQUISITOR.
The police inquiries into the whereabouts of Gwen Griffin had beenfutile.
The Professor, beside himself with grief and apprehension, complainedmost bitterly that the authorities had not treated his daughter'sdisappearance with sufficient seriousness. In all the interviews he hadhad, both at the local police-station and at New Scotland Yard, theofficials had apparently taken the view that the girl had left home ofher own account. He had been told on all hands that, in the end, herescapade would be found to be due to some unknown love-affair.
In frantic bewilderment he had telegraphed to Frank Farquhar at theBristol at Copenhagen, but unfortunately he had not received the messagebecause on arrival at the Danish capital he had found the Bristol full,and had gone on to the Angleterre. Hence he was still in ignorance ofthe disappearance of his well-beloved.
Those mystic figures which the Professor had found scrawled upon hisblotting-pad--the same that were upon that discarded scrap ofwaste-paper--also puzzled him to the point of distraction. Could theyhave anything to do with the girl's fate? By whose hand had they beentraced?
As far as they could discover, no stranger had entered the study. Yetthose figures--"255.19.7"--had been written boldly in blue upon the pad.Could Gwen have done it herself? Had she left him some cryptic messagewhich he now failed to decipher? But if so, why did those same numbersappear upon the scrap of paper discarded by the unknown man who wasendeavouring to learn his secret?
After three days, during which time he puzzled over the meaning of thosefigures, applying to them all sorts of ciphers, he took a taxi-cab to afriend of his named Stevens, who lived at Streatham and was a Professorof Hebrew at London University.
The pair sat together for some time, Griffin having apparently called topay a formal visit to his less illustrious _confrere_, when suddenlyproducing the figures upon a piece of paper he sought Professor Stevens'opinion as to their meaning.
The other stared at them through his spectacles, and after a longconsideration inquired:
"Were they written by a Hebrew scholar?"
"I believe so."
"Then I think their meaning must be quite plain," replied the othercoolly. "I should decipher it as the duration of the Kingdom of Israel.Did it not end after 255 years--namely from B.C. 975-721--undernineteen kings and seven dynasties, not reckoning among the latter, ofcourse, the ephemeral usurpations of Zimri and Shallum?"
"I never thought of that!" gasped Griffin. "Those figures have greatlydisturbed me, my dear Stevens. They have appeared twice incircumstances extremely strange--traced by an unknown hand."
"But the hand of a scholar without a doubt," was the other's reply."Perhaps some crank or other who has the habit of signing himself inthat manner. I have known men addicted to such peculiarities. Thereused to be a don at Oxford who had the humorous habit of appending hissignature in most excellent imitation of that of Napoleon."
Griffin, recognising that Stevens was correct in his elucidation of themysterious signification of those figures, became more puzzled. The manin search of the great secret was evidently a crank. That was mostconclusively proved. Yet why should that mystic signature appear uponhis blotting-pad?
Was it possible that Gwen and he were acquainted, and that he hadactually entered the house.
The Professor was beside himself in his utter bewilderment. Hisdaughter had slipped away, and left him without a word of farewell. Yettowards his friend Stevens he wore a mask, and only laughed heartily atthe rapid solution of the problem which he had placed before him.
Was it possible, he thought many times, that Gwen, with a love-sic
kgirl's sudden yearning, had slipped across to the Continent to join herlover? There could be no reason whatever for that, because he had neverfor a moment opposed their engagement. Yet girls were a trifle wildsometimes, he reflected, especially motherless girls like the daintyGwen.
After an hour, however, he bade farewell to Stevens, and re-entering his"taxi" in King's Avenue, drove back into London, refusing his friend'sinvitation to remain for luncheon.
He crossed Westminster Bridge, and alighted at the British Museum toinquire if the mysterious searcher had been seen there of late.
The assistant-keeper in the Oriental room replied in the affirmative.The old gentleman had been there three days before, and had