“No more,” said the Inspector promptly and decisively. “I’m perfectly satisfied.”
“There’s still that awkward will,” put in Charles Stewart. “That’s got to be faced.”
“Quite easy, Mr. Stewart,” said Anthony. “Miss Lennox will marry a very rich man, so that forfeiting her share of your father’s money will matter little to her. That will leave you free and unhampered to marry Miss Armitage—I think that’s the lady’s name, isn’t it? And when we remember that the metal-work screen—your property, Mr. Stewart—was the one that contained the ‘Cardinal’s Great Gift’—what better wedding present could you give Miss Marjorie Lennox than the ‘Black Twenty-Two’?” He pointed to the table. “Splendid compensation—you know.”
Charles Stewart smiled a little sadly—then shook him by the hand again.
“I’m jolly glad,” he exclaimed, “that old Thibaut Girardier picked the right screen in which to hide them.”
“So am I,” responded Mr. Bathurst.
The End
Transcriber Notes
This transcription follows the text of the second printing of the US edition published by Grosset & Dunlap in February, 1929. However, the following alterations have been made to correct what are believed to be unambiguous errors in the text:
- “Lawrence” has been corrected to “Laurence” (Chapter I);
- “propertly” has been corrected to “property” (Chapter I);
- an omitted em dash has been restored (Chapter V);
- “vis-a-vis” has been corrected to “vis-à-vis” (Chapter VIII);
- “mènage” has been corrected to “ménage” (Chapter XVI);
- two missing quotation marks have been restored (Chapters XIX & XX).