E. Phillips Oppenheim

“ I've always paid my way and tipped the servants well, and they think I am a bit of a millionaire,"
"The whole thing," Mannister remarked, "seems absurdly easy, but why choose the night at all? Why not slip in when the girl's out during the afternoon?"
"Well," Dykes answered, sipping a fresh brandy and soda, "the girl has just enough sense to lock up her room when she goes out, and being on the first floor, there are servants passing the whole of the time. I could get a key to her room easy enough, but there'd always be a big chance of being seen going in or coming out. ”

“ Mannister declared.
"That's all right," Dykes went on. "All we've got to do is to fix upon a time. Then you pay the bill at your hotel, you bring your luggage, you stop your cab outside this place, you come up to my room to say good-bye to me. You tell them in the hall you will be down in a second, and you come down in five minutes or so with the diamonds in your pocket. You light a cigarette in the hall, give a small tip to the commissionaire who opens your cab door, and off you go to London. ”

“ Mannister, who had found the door, swung the girl out into the corridor. The other three men were already there. They turned on the lights and peered into the room. Dykes lay there a crumpled up mass, the revolver still locked in his hand.
"The man has shot himself," Mannister said calmly. "Quite the best thing he could do. This is your aunt here, is it not, Miss Dunster? You had better go to her." ”

“ Dykes straightened himself and frowned.
"I can pull myself together," he said quickly. "I'd rather have had a day or so to get straight in, but it can't be helped. I was afraid somehow that some meddling relative or other would suggest having the jeweller come down here, instead of waiting until they were in London. To tell you the truth, Mannister," he continued, leaning confidentially across the little table, "things have gone a bit queer with me lately, and I am relying upon this to pull me round. ”

“ They left the door open and I passed along the corridor a moment or two later, and there they all were upon the bed. Never in my whole life have I ever known such a soft thing. I heard one of the young women scold her for having the jewels up in her bed-room, and she only laughed, and said something about it being much safer to take no particular pains about them, because then no one would think they were valuable. I tell you it's just the easiest job I've ever known."
"What do you propose, then? "Mannister asked calmly,
"Well, I've got a key to the padlock," Dykes answered. ”

“ She had the pluck of a regiment of men, and it was not often that her nerve failed her.
"There are times, you know," she said, "when one does not want to see even one's best friends, and I am not sure," she added, more slowly, "whether I should ever dare to reckon you amongst my best friends."
"Dear lady," he said, looking at her with a peculiar light in his eyes, "exactly how much of friendship have you deserved of me?"
"Men do not pay women according to their deserts," she answered. ”

“ Mannister said, "is best for you, I am sure. We will say one more brandy and soda."
"It's in this way," Dykes said, leaning across the table after a careful glance around. "You know very well that although all of us run a bit close to the edge now and then, we're not a gang of thieves, and we do not care about getting on the wrong side of the law. This little affair comes perilously near it, which is why Hambledon and the others have kept me waiting here before they decided whether to go on or not. ”

“ He sat down, and lighting a cigarette, looked thoughtfully up toward the ceiling. Dykes was down here on business of some sort, and was waiting for Jacobs. His sudden idea of taking Jacobs' place had been accepted. Was it possible that remaining in absolute ignorance of whatever this particular piece of business might be, he could play Jacobs' part until he had learnt whether it was of sufficient importance to make his interference worth while? At any rate he was running no risk, and as regards his first mission to Brighton, he had already arrived at a cul-de-sac. ”

“ The waiter hurried away to serve some newcomers, and Mannister divided his attention between the paper which he held and the features of the man who lay on the couch before him. Certainly there was nothing in the appearance of Mr. John Dykes to appeal to the lover of the beautiful. ”

“ What's wrong, eh?" he broke off a little abruptly. "You look as though you were seeing things."
"Nothing is wrong," Mannister said calmly, "I can assure you I was listening intently. Of course you are speaking now of the Honourable Jack Dunster and his daughter."
John Dykes nodded.
"I see," he remarked, "that you have a good memory for names. Phil and the young woman must have got pretty thick, for she told him all about her going to Court this first drawing-room, and her coming to Brighton first to stay with her aunt. ”

“ Do you think it good enough?"
"What do you say is the value of the diamonds?" Mannister asked, thoughtfully.
"The girl told Rundermere," he answered, "that they were worth at least fifty thousand pounds."
"We both of us," Mannister remarked, "run a fair amount of risk. How many of us are there to stand in?"
"Five," Dykes answered. "Besides ourselves there are Rundermere, Jacobs and Hambledon. ”