“Seeing that the Begum had given away jewels which should rightfully belong to the family I determined to find them. I came to England and went to Belstone, where the documents I mentioned informed me the Inderwicks lived. At the inn there I learned from a very voluble woman all that was to be known about the loss of the peacock. . . Afterwards I visited Mr. Sorley, who is, I understand, the guardian of Miss Inderwick, to whom the peacock is supposed to belong. He told me that the ornament was lost, but he did not say who had taken it from The Monastery.”
“Quite so,” said Alan, remembering that Sorley had withheld such information lest Miss Grison should give the peacock to the man; “but of course Mrs. Verwin at the inn hinted that the Grisons had the bird.”
“She did, sir and what is more she gave me the address of the boarding-house in Thimble Square. I returned to London in July last and took up my abode there, determined to learn all that I could.”
“Well?” asked Fuller, when the Indian paused.
“Well,” echoed the other, “I learned nothing particular.”
“Hum!” remarked Alan doubtfully, and looking hard at the speaker, “did you tell Miss Grison the story of your search?”
“Yes I did, at a later period when I had become more or less friendly with her. I even stated that it was reported how she and her brother had stolen the peacock.”
“What answer did she make?”
“She said nothing to the purpose, only stating that she believed there was such an ornament, but that she did not know where it was. Of course in the light of this interview,” added Bakche, placing his hand on the newspaper, “you can see that for her own ends she spoke falsely. Evidently Baldwin, her brother, was the thief, and possessed it the whole time. The wonder is, Mr. Fuller, that being desperately hard up as he was, he did not sell or pawn the peacock.”
“I rather think that the man hoped to learn the secret and get possession of the jewels. Did you ever see Grison?”