CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CONFERENCE
Purdie was already sufficiently acquainted with the geography of thePaddington district to be aware of the significance of Grayson'sremark. The Spring Street Post Office, at which Levendale's wire hadbeen handed in, was only a few minutes' walk from the house. It stood,in fact, between Purdie's hotel and Sussex Square, and he had passed iton his way to Levendale's. It was certainly odd that a man who waswithin five minutes' walk of his own house should send a telegramthere, when he had nothing to do but walk down one street and turn thecorner of another to give his message in person.
"Sent off, do you see, sir, twenty minutes ago," observed the butler,pointing to some figures in the telegram form. "So--Mr. Levendale musthave been close by--then!"
"Not necessarily," remarked Purdie. "He may have sent a messenger withthat wire--perhaps he himself was catching a train at Paddington."
Grayson shook his head knowingly.
"There's a telegraph office on the platform there, sir," he answered."However--there it is, and I suppose there's no more to be done."
He left the room again, and Purdie looked at the governess. She, too,looked at him: there was a question in the eyes of both.
"What do you make of that?" asked Purdie after a pause.
"What do you make of it?" she asked in her turn.
"It looks odd--but there may be a reason for it," he answered. "Lookhere!--I'm going to ask you a question. What do you know of Mr.Levendale? You've been governess to his children for some time, haven'tyou?"
"For six months before he left Cape Town, and ever since we all came toEngland, three years ago," she answered. "I know that he's very rich,and a very busy man, and a member of Parliament, and that he goes tothe City a great deal--and that's all! He's a very reserved man,too--of course, he never tells me anything. I've never had anyconversation with him excepting about the children."
"You're upset about this book affair?" suggested Purdie.
"Why should Mr. Levendale say that he left that book in the omnibus,when I myself saw him leave the 'bus with it in his hand, and go downPraed Street with it?" she asked. "Doesn't it look as if he were theperson who left it in that room--where the old man was found lyingdead?"
"That, perhaps, is the very reason why he doesn't want people to knowthat he did leave it there," remarked Purdie, quietly. "There's more inall this than lies on the surface. You wanted my advice? Very welldon't say anything to anybody till you see me again. I must gonow--there's a man waiting for me at my hotel. I may call again, mayn'tI?"
"Do!" she said, giving him her hand. "I am bothered about this--it'suseless to deny it--and I've no one to talk to about it. Come--anytime."
Purdie repressed a strong desire to stay longer, and to turn theconversation to more personal matters. But he was essentially abusiness man, and the matters of the moment seemed to be critical. Sohe promised to return, and then hurried back to his hotel--to findMelky Rubinstein pacing up and down outside the entrance.
Purdie tapped Melky's shoulder and motioned him to walk along PraedStreet.
"Look here!" he said. "I want you to take me to see your cousin--andthe pawnshop. We must have a talk--you said your cousin's a goodbusiness woman. She's the sort we can discuss business with, eh?"
"My cousin Zillah Wildrose, mister," answered Melky, solemnly, "is oneof the best! She's a better headpiece on her than what I have--andthat's saying a good deal. I was going to suggest you should comethere. Talk!--s'elp me, Mr. Purdie, it strikes me there'll be a lot ofthat before we've done. What about this here affair of lastnight?--I've just seen Mr. Ayscough, passing along--he's told me allabout it. Do you think it's anything to do with our business?"
"Can't say," answered Purdie. "Wait till we can discuss matters withyour cousin."
Melky led the way to the side-door of the pawnshop. Since the old man'sdeath, the whole establishment had been closed--Zillah had refused todo any business until her grandfather's funeral was over. She receivedher visitors in the parlour where old Daniel had been found dead: aftera moment's inspection of her, and the exchange of a few remarks aboutLauriston, Purdie suggested that they should all sit down and talkmatters over.
"Half-a-mo!" said Melky. "If we're going to have a cabinet council,mister, there's a lady that I want to bring into it--Mrs. Goldmark. Iknow something that Mrs. Goldmark can speak to--I've just beenconsidering matters while I was waiting for you, Mr. Purdie, and I'mgoing to tell you and Zillah, and Mrs. Goldmark, of a curious fact thatI know of. I'll fetch her--and while I'm away Zillah'll show you thatthere book what was found there."
Purdie looked with interest at the Spanish manuscript which seemed tobe a factor of such importance.
"I suppose you never saw this before?" he asked, as Zillah laid it onthe table before him. "And you're certain it wasn't in the place whenyou went out that afternoon, leaving your grandfather alone?"
"That I'm positive of," answered Zillah. "I never saw it in my lifeuntil my attention was drawn to it after he was dead. That book wasbrought in here during my absence, and it was neither bought norpawned--that's absolutely certain! Of course, you know whose book itis?"
"Mr. Spencer Levendale's," answered Purdie. "Yes I know all thoseparticulars--and about his advertisements for it, and a little more.And I want to discuss all that with you and your cousin. This Mrs.Goldmark--she's to be fully trusted?"
Zillah replied that Mrs. Goldmark was worthy of entire confidence, andan old friend, and Melky presently returning with her, Purdie suggestedthey should all sit down and talk--informally and in strict privacy.
"You know why I'm concerning myself in this?" he said, looking round athis three companions. "I'm anxious that Andie Lauriston should be fullyand entirely cleared! I've great faith in him--he's beginning what Ibelieve will be a successful career, and it would be a terrible thingif any suspicion rested on him. So I want, for his sake, to thoroughlyclear up this mystery about your relative's death."
"Mister!" said Melky, in his most solemn tones. "Speaking for my cousinthere, and myself, there ain't nothing what we wouldn't do to clear Mr.Lauriston! We ain't never had one moment's suspicion of him from thefirst, knowing the young fellow as we do. So we're with you in thatmatter, ain't we, Zillah?"
"Mr. Purdie feels sure of that," agreed Zillah, with a glance atLauriston's old schoolmate. "There's no need to answer him, Melky."
"I am sure!" said Purdie. "So--let's put our wits together--we'llconsider the question of approaching the police when we've talkedamongst ourselves. Now--I want to ask you some very private questions.They spring out of that rare book there. There's no doubt that bookbelongs to Mr. Levendale. Do either of you know if Mr. Levendale hadany business relations with the late Mr. Rubinstein?"
Zillah shook her head.
"None!--that I know of," she answered. "I've helped my grandfather inthis business for some time. I never heard him mention Mr. Levendale.Mr. Levendale never came here, certainly."
Melky shook his head, too.
"When Mr. Ayscough, and Mr. Lauriston, and me went round to SussexSquare, to see Mr. Levendale about that advertisement for his book," heremarked, "he said he'd never heard of Daniel Multenius. That's a fact,mister!"
"Had Mr. Multenius any private business relations of which he didn'ttell you?" asked Purdie, turning to Zillah.
"He might have had," admitted Zillah. "He was out a good deal. I don'tknow what he might do when he went out. He was--close. We--it's no usedenying it--we don't know all about it. His solicitor's making someenquiries--I expect him here, any time, today."
"It comes to this," observed Purdie. "Your grandfather met his death byviolence, the man who attacked him came in here during your absence.The question I want to get solved is--was the man who undoubtedly leftthat book here the guilty man? If so--who is he?"
Melky suddenly broke the silence which followed upon this question.
"I'm going to tell something that I ain't told to nobody as yet!" hesaid. "Not even to Zilla
h. After this here parlour had been cleared, Itook a look round. I've very sharp eyes, Mr. Purdie. I found thishere--half-hidden under the rug there, where the poor old man had beenlying." He pulled out the platinum solitaire, laid it on the palm ofone hand, and extended the hand to Mrs. Goldmark. "You've seen the likeof that before, ain't you?" asked Melky.
"Mercy be upon us!" gasped Mrs. Goldmark, starting in her seat. "I'vethe fellow to it lying in my desk!"
"And it was left on a table in your restaurant," continued Melky, "by aman what looked like a Colonial party--I know!--I saw it by accident inyour place the other night, and one o' your girls told me. Now then,Mr. Purdie, here's a bit more of puzzlement--and perhaps a clue. Thesehere platinum solitaire cuff-links are valuable--they're worth--well,I'd give a good few pounds for the pair. Now who's the man who lost onein this here parlour--right there!--and the other in Mrs. Goldmark'srestaurant? For--it's a pair! There's no doubt about that,mister!--there's that same curious and unusual device on each.Mister!--them studs has at some time or other been made to specialorder!"
Purdie turned the solitaire over, and looked at Zillah.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" he asked.
"Never!" said Zillah. "It's as Melky says--specially made."
"And you have its fellow--lost in your restaurant?" continued Purdie,turning to Mrs. Goldmark.
"Its very marrow," assented Mrs. Goldmark, fervently, "is in my desk!It was dropped on one of our tables a few afternoons ago by a man who,as Mr. Rubinstein says, looked like one of those Colonials. Leastways,my waitress, Rosa, she picked it up exactly where he'd been sitting. SoI put it away till he comes in again, you see. Oh, yes!"
"Has he been in again?" asked Purdie.
"Never was he inside my door before!" answered Mrs. Goldmarkdramatically. "Never has he been inside it since! But--I keep hisproperty, just so. In my desk it is!"
Purdie considered this new evidence in silence for a moment.
"The question now is--this," he said presently. "Is the man who seemsundoubtedly to have dropped those studs the same man who brought thatbook in here? Or, had Mr. Multenius two callers here during yourabsence, Miss Wildrose? And--who is this mysterious man who dropped thestuds--valuable things, with a special device on them? He'll have to betraced! Mrs. Goldmark--can you describe him, particularly?"
Before Mrs. Goldmark could reply, a knock came at the side-door, andZillah, going to answer it, returned presently with a middle-aged,quiet-looking, gold-spectacled gentleman whom she introduced to Purdieas Mr. Penniket, solicitor to the late Daniel Multenius.