The Yellow Face

by Fred M. White

GEMS OR PASTE?

It was a dramatic moment, especially for Claire and Jack, who fully appreciated the peril in which Carrington stood. The fact was not hidden to them that Carrington's excuse to Claire was but an ingenious way out of a terrible difficulty. On more than one occasion Claire had herself fetched her jewels from the bank, and no objections had been raised. Still, Carrington was clearly within his legal right, and Jack could not but admire the swiftness with which he had got himself out of the tangle. His own face was a model of absolute indifference; he just glanced at Claire to see if she expressed any suspicion. But Claire smiled in a way so natural and artless that Jack had no fears of her for the future.

With Lady Barmouth, however, it was quite a different matter. As yet, she knew nothing of the terrible straits in which Carrington found himself involved. She had come down for her jewels in the ordinary way, as she had done many times before, and expected to take them away with her. Carrington affected to be talking to somebody down the speaking tube, but in reality he was fighting to gain time and work out some ingenious excuse. Jack enjoyed his dismay with a feeling of grim satisfaction. But Carrington was not quite done with yet; evidently he had not sat at the feet of Anstruther for nothing. He looked up presently, and smiled with the air of a man who is only too willing to do anything for his client.

"Will you take a seat for a moment, Lady Barmouth?" he said politely. "I see that you know Miss Helmsley and Mr. Masefield. I must go and speak to our cashier for a moment."

"You cannot get the jewels yourself?" Lady Barmouth asked.

"No," Carrington explained. "Of course, we are bound to take precautions. I have no more power to open one of the safes by myself than one of my junior clerks."

"That would be awkward if you wanted anything out of bank hours," Jack suggested. "How do you manage then?"

"Well, we simply don't manage," Carrington said. He was quite himself again by this time. "I can no more get into the strong room that you could. I should have to get the manager and chief cashier before a safe could be opened."

All this sounded plausible enough, as Jack was bound to admit. Carrington went off with a jaunty step, as if he had all the millions of the Bank of England behind him. Jack wondered how he would get out of the mess. But the solution of the puzzle was quite easy. Carrington came back with a look of annoyance on his face.

"I am exceedingly sorry, Lady Barmouth," he apologized. "The fact is, Mr. Perkins has been called away on important business to our West-End branch. He cannot possibly get back in less than an hour. Do you want your jewels in such a hurry?"