Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CG ay if x 390 ment and she yearned for the outer air and— . “ Where’s Towner, Graves?” Mrs. Stone was asking. ‘‘ Not dead, is he? Then— oh, you’re here, are you?” The butler bowed and even smiled faintly. ‘* Been entertaining some of your crooked friends, Towner, since last night—or late last night?” the elderly lady demanded. “So far as I know, I have no crooked friends, ma’am,”’ Towner responded, with the utmost good cheer. _“ Been in this room while I was out of it, since last night?” “This is the first time I’ve been here in two days, ma’am.” “Quite sure about that?” =_Owite:” “Well, somebody’s stolen my large dia- mond lace pin, Towner. Who did it?” There was a saint-like quality in the resignation of Towner’s smile as his eyes began a search of the floor. “Tf I may be permitted to say so, madam, it wasn’t stolen at all,” he sub- mitted. “I think most likely it’s fallen to the floor and been brushed into a corner or under something and—” “Hunt for it, then!” directed Mrs. Stone. - Grimly, majestically, she stood and waited, while maid and butler dropped to their knees and crawled about, lifting rugs, moving chairs, shaking the sparse draperies at the windows. Graves, muttering in- cessantly, made for the clothes-press and shook out gown after gown. ‘Towner, other possibilities exhausted, made an undisguised survey of Mrs. Stone herself, and then murmured rather blankly: “Well, it’s not about, ma’am!” “No, I know it isn’t; but it’s going to be!” the lady cried violently. “I like that pin, and I’m going to have it back! Pay attention tome! What strangers have been in this house since yesterday?” “ Why—why, none at all, ma’am. Mr. Forbes was here, and I brought up the messenger boy later, but he wasn’t at this end of the house, and, as you might say, he wasn’t out of my sight at any time. There hasn’t been a single stranger—”’ pur- sued Towner, and his kindly eye turned ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. suddenly on Cynthia Blair and, as sudden- ly, away from her again. ‘‘ Not what could be called a stranger, ma’am!” he concluded. His momentary glance had not been lost on Mrs. Stone, however. That lady’s eagle gaze, alive with amazed suspicion, whisked to Miss Blair, ‘Upon my soul! You're wot exactly an habituée of the place, are you?” she ob- served. ‘“* J—I—no, I’m not!” Cynthia stuttered, and for no reason under the sun turned a brilliant crimson. ‘‘ And there’s a very unpleasant implication in that remark of yours which I will not tolerate for an in- stant!” “* Well — hoity-toity!” cried Neville’s grandmother, and faced her squarely. “Cheeks all afire, eh? And tongue alto- gether too ready! Bad! Bad!” “Mrs. Stone,” the caller managed, “please do not dare suggest—” “Young woman, I dare anything that I choose to dare!” Mrs. Stone interrupted, too calmly. ‘‘ You’ve been accused of ab- solutely nothing, and you're defending yourself quite frantically. Which all but clinches the thing in itself, by gad!” said the lady, and came nearer to Cynthia. ‘“* Miss Blair, in just so many words, I de- mand that you return my lace pin!” ‘““{—I haven’t your beastly pin!” Cyn- thia choked. * You'll permit my maid to search you?” **T will not!” cried the visitor. “If you or your maid or your butler dares to lay just one finger on me—” ** Please yourself,” Mrs. Stone said brief- ly. ‘* Police matron ’Il probably make a better job of it, anyway. Telephone for a detective or an officer, Towner!” “Oh, but ma’am—such a young girl—” * Young or old, Towner, nobody can walk in here and steal three thousand dol- lars’ worth of jewelry and get away with it!” the forceful woman replied harshly. * Ring up the police!” In Cynthia’s make-up there was, fortu- nately enough, at least some of that quality which steadies one in the face of dire emer- gency. ‘Three seconds, and the whole im- mediate future flashed before her—the ghastly trip to a police station, the formal oO (EOPMIEL OO KSC)