CHAPTER SEVEN
THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Melky Rubinstein came out of the side-passage by Multenius's shop asLauriston neared it; he, too, had a newspaper bulging from his coatpocket, and at sight of Lauriston he pulled it out and waved itexcitedly.
"What'd I tell you, mister?" exclaimed Melky, as Lauriston joined him,the shadowing plain-clothes man in his rear. "D'ye see this?" Hepointed to an advertisement in his own paper, which he had marked withblue pencil. "There y'are, Mr. Lauriston!--that identical old bookwhat's inside the parlour--advertised for--handsome reward, too, in the_Daily Telegraph_! Didn't I say we'd hear more of it?"
Lauriston pulled out the _Times_ and indicated the Personal Column.
"It's there, too," he said. "This man, Mr. Levendale, is evidently veryanxious to recover his book. And he's lost no time in advertising forit, either! But--however did it get to Multenius's?
"Mister!" said Melky, solemnly. "We'll have to speak to thepolice--now. There's going to be a fine clue in that there book. Ididn't mean to say nothing to the police about it, just yet, but afterthis here advertisement, t'ain't no use keeping the thing to ourselves.Come on round to the police-station."
"That's just where I was going," replied Lauriston. "Let's get hold ofAyscough."
Ayscough was standing just inside the police-station when they went upthe steps; he, too, had a newspaper in his hands, and at sight of themhe beckoned them to follow him into an office in which two or threeother police officials were talking. He led Lauriston and Melky aside.
"I say!" he said. "Here's a curious thing! That book we noticed on thetable in Multenius's back room last night--that finely bound book--it'sadvertised for in the _Daily Mail_--handsome reward offered."
"Yes, and in the _Times_, too--and in the _Daily Telegraph_," saidLauriston. "Here you are--just the same advertisement. It's veryevident the owner's pretty keen about getting it back."
Ayscough glanced at the two newspapers, and then beckoned to aconstable who was standing near the door.
"Jim!" he said, as the man came up. "Just slip across to thenewsagent's over there and get me the _News_, the _Chronicle_, the_Standard_, the _Morning Post_. If the owner's as keen as all that," headded, turning back to Lauriston, "he'll have put that advertisement inall the morning papers, and I'd like to make sure. What's known aboutthat book at the shop?" he asked, glancing at Melky. "Does your cousinknow anything?"
Melky's face assumed its most solemn expression.
"Mister!" he said earnestly. "There ain't nothing known at the shopabout that there book, except this here. It wasn't there when my cousinZillah left the old man alone at a quarter to five yesterday afternoon.It was there when this here gentleman found the old man. But it hadn'tbeen pledged, nor yet sold, Mr. Ayscough--There'd ha' been an entry inthe books if it had been taken in pawn, or bought across thecounter--and there's no entry. Now then--who'd left it there?"
Another official had come up to the group--one of the men who hadquestioned Lauriston the night before. He turned to Lauriston as Melkyfinished.
"You don't know anything about this book?" he asked.
"Nothing--except that Mr. Ayscough and I saw it lying on the table inthe back room, close by that tray of rings," replied Lauriston. "I wasattracted by the binding, of course."
"Where's the book, now?" asked the official.
"Put safe away, mister," replied Melky. "It's all right. But this heregentleman what's advertising for it--"
Just then the constable returned with several newspapers and handedthem over to Ayscough, who immediately laid them on a desk and turnedto the advertisements, while the others crowded round him.
"In every one of 'em," exclaimed Ayscough, a moment later. "Word forword, in every morning newspaper in London! He must have sent thatadvertisement round to all the offices last night. And you'll notice,"he added, turning to the other official, "that this Mr. Levendale onlylost this book about four o'clock yesterday afternoon: therefore, itmust have been taken to Multenius's shop between then and when we sawit there."
"The old man may have found it in the 'bus," suggested a third policeofficer who had come up. "Looks as if he had."
"No, mister," said Melky firmly. "Mr. Multenius wasn't out of the shopat all yesterday afternoon--I've made sure o' that fact from my cousin.He didn't find no book, gentlemen. It was brought there."
Ayscough picked up one of the papers and turned to Melky and Lauriston.
"Here!" he said. "We'll soon get some light on this. You two come withme--we'll step round to Mr. Levendale."
Ten minutes later, the three found themselves at the door of one of thebiggest houses in Sussex Square; a moment more and they were beingushered within by a footman who looked at them with stolid curiosity.Lauriston gained a general impression of great wealth and luxury, softcarpets, fine pictures, all the belongings of a very rich man'shouse--then he and his companions were ushered into a large room, halfstudy, half library, wherein, at a massive, handsomely carved desk,littered with books and papers, sat a middle-aged, keen-eyed man, wholooked quietly up from his writing-pad at his visitors.
"S'elp me!--one of ourselves!" whispered Melky Rubinstein atLauriston's elbow. "Twig him!"
Lauriston was quick enough of comprehension and observation to knowwhat Melky meant. Mr. Spencer Levendale was certainly a Jew. His darkhair and beard, his large dark eyes, the olive tint of his complexion,the lines of his nose and lips all betrayed his Semitic origin. He wasevidently a man of position and of character; a quiet-mannered,self-possessed man of business, not given to wasting words. He glancedat the card which Ayscough had sent in, and turned to him with one word.
"Well?"
Ayscough went straight to the point.
"I called, Mr. Levendale, about that advertisement of yours whichappears in all this morning's newspapers," he said. "I may as well tellyou that that book of yours was found yesterday afternoon, understrange circumstances. Mr. Daniel Multenius, the jeweller andpawnbroker, of Praed Street--perhaps you know him, sir?"
"Not at all!" answered Levendale. "Never heard of him."
"He was well known in this part of the town," remarked Ayscough,quietly. "Well, sir--Mr. Multenius was found dead in his back-parlouryesterday afternoon, about five-thirty, by this young man, Mr.Lauriston, who happened to look in there, and I myself was on the spota few minutes later. Your book--for it's certainly the same--was lyingon the table in the parlour. Now, this other young man, Mr. Rubinstein,is a relation of Mr. Multenius's--from enquiries he's made, Mr.Levendale, it's a fact that the book was neither pawned nor sold atMultenius's, though it must certainly have been brought there betweenthe time you lost it and the time we found the old gentleman lyingdead. Now, we--the police--want to know how it came there. And so--I'vecome round to you. What can you tell me, sir?"
Levendale, who had listened to Ayscough with great--and, as it seemedto Lauriston, with very watchful--attention, pushed aside a letter hewas writing, and looked from one to the other of his callers.
"Where is my book?" he asked.
"It's all right--all safe, mister," said Melky. "It's locked up in acupboard, in the parlour where it was found, and the key's in mypocket."
Levendale turned to the detective, glancing again at Ayscough's card.
"All I can tell you, sergeant," he said, "is--practically--what I'vetold the public in my advertisement. Of course, I can supplement it abit. The book is a very valuable one--you see," he went on, with acareless wave of his hand towards his book-shelves. "I'm something of acollector of rare books. I bought this particular book yesterdayafternoon, at a well-known dealer's in High Holborn. Soon after buyingit, I got into a Cricklewood omnibus, which I left at Chapel Street--atthe corner of Praed Street, as a matter of fact: I wished to make acall at the Great Western Hotel. It was not till I made that call thatI found I'd left the book in the 'bus--I was thinking hard about abusiness matter--I'd placed the book in a corner behind me--and, ofcourse, I'd forgotten it, valuable thou
gh it is. And so, later on,after telephoning to the omnibus people, who'd heard nothing, I sentthat advertisement round to all the morning papers. I'm very glad tohear of it--and I shall be pleased to reward you," he concluded,turning to Melky. "Handsomely!--as I promised."
But Melky made no sign of gratitude or pleasure. He was eyeing the richman before him in inquisitive fashion.
"Mister!" he said suddenly. "I'd like to ask you a question."
Levendale frowned a little.
"Well?" he asked brusquely. "What is it?"
"This here," replied Melky. "Was that there book wrapped up? Was itbrown-papered, now, when you left it?"
It seemed to Lauriston that Levendale was somewhat taken aback. But ifhe was, it was only for a second: his answer, then, came promptlyenough.
"No, it was not," he said. "I carried it away from the shop where Ibought it--just as it was. Why do you ask?"
"It's a very fine-bound book," remarked Melky. "I should ha' thought,now, that if it had been left in a 'bus, the conductor would ha'noticed it, quick."
"So should I," said Levendale. "Anything else?" he added, glancing atAyscough.
"Well, no, Mr. Levendale, thank you," replied the detective. "At leastnot just now. But--the fact is, Mr. Multenius appears to have come tohis death by violence--and I want to know if whoever took your bookinto his shop had anything to do with it."
"Ah!--however, I can't tell you any more," said Levendale. "Please seethat my book's taken great care of and returned to me, sergeant.Good-morning."
Outside, Ayscough consulted his watch and looked at his companions.
"Time we were going on to the inquest," he remarked. "Come on--we'llstep round there together. You're both wanted, you know."
"I'll join you at the Coroner's court, Mr. Ayscough," said Melky. "I'vegot a few minutes' business--shan't be long."
He hurried away by a short cut to Praed Street and turned into Mrs.Goldmark's establishment.
Mrs. Goldmark herself was still ministering to Zillah, but the youngwoman whom Melky had seen the night before was in charge. Melky drewher aside.
"I say!" he said, with an air of great mystery. "A word with you,miss!--private, between you and me. Can you tell me what like was thatfellow what you believed to ha' lost that there cuff stud you showed mein Mrs. Goldmark's desk?--you know?"
"Yes!" answered the young woman promptly."Tall--dark--clean-shaved--very brown--looked like one of thoseColonials that you see sometimes--wore a slouch hat."
"Not a word to nobody!" warned Melky, more mysteriously than ever. Andnodding his head with great solemnity, he left the eating-house, andhurried away to the Coroner's Court.