The unfortunate Mr. Johnson was so dazed by the many accusations that were made against him, that this last astonished him scarcely so much as it should have done. He stared at Captain Jacob in blank bewilderment, and it was some time before he made any reply. His silence was misunderstood by the blackmailer--for Shackel was nothing else--who proceeded with his attack in more explicit terms.
"I guess you ain't got brass enough to tell me I'm a liar," said Jacob, with a twinkle in his one eye. "When you came to me with that yarn of Tera lighting out for a place as you didn't know of, I thought it was a bit queer. I couldn't make out your game, but I made up my mind to keep an eye on you. That trip you came back here; but two weeks later you skedaddled to London."
"That is perfectly true," admitted Johnson, quietly. "I went up again to London in connection with some debts I owed."
"Oh, rats! You went up about them pearls."
"Let us waive that question for the moment, Captain Jacob. I admit that I was in London two weeks after my visit to you about the disappearance of Bithiah. May I ask how you knew?"
"Oh, there ain't no harm in telling that," answered the captain, graciously. "I didn't cotton to the idea of the Kanaka gal disappearing while she was in your house, so I wanted to see your game and spile it in the interests of justice. I dropped a line to Papa Brand, as was hanging out here, and asked him to keep an eye lifted your way. He wired as you were going to London by a certain train----"
"Korah Brand! He must have watched me!"
"You bet, he just did; and I did ditto t'other end. I saw you come out of Victoria Station and follered you. It was Hatton Garden as you made for, and you sneaked into a pop-shop when you thought no one was looking. I just thought to myself, arter the gal disappeared, as you'd be by way of sellin' them pearls, so I waited till you kim out, and dodged in on my own hook. The Sheeny--Abraham Moss is his name, and you know it--was just putting the pearls back in the bag, and I recognized them straight off."
"What! the pearls. Impossible!"
"Well," drawled Shackel, rather disconcerted, "if I didn't twig the pearls, I knew the bag was Tera's, 'cause she showed it to me when I brought you to England, and I knew the kind of tattoo mark as Buli put on it. Oh, the bag and pearls were Tera's, right enough, but I didn't surmise as you'd put the gal in her little wooden overcoat. No, sir! 'Pears now as you did, seeing as a perlice cove says she was murdered. If I'd knowed that," cried Jacob, with a show of virtuous wrath, "I'd yanked you into quod. I would, by thunder!"