The Yellow Face

by Fred M. White

"It is most mysterious," Claire said, "and almost impossible to believe that my guardian had anything to do with the matter. I dined very quietly at home last night, and sat up till long past one finishing a novel in which I was deeply interested. I can assure you of this--that from half-past nine till the time I went to bed Mr. Anstruther's violin practically did not cease. If I were brought into the case as a witness, I should be bound to swear that my guardian was in his study during the whole time that the burglary was taking place."

"That is another phase of the mystery that we have to solve," Jack said. "It is all very clever and very ingenious and very useful, but seeing is believing. After all, Anstruther was there last night, as three of us are prepared to testify."

"Then in that case I shall never see my jewels again," Lady Barmouth said. "But what are the police going to do about it, Mr. Masefield? The thing cannot be possibly allowed to remain here. If they were to arrest Mr. Carrington at once and search his safe----"

"But the police don't work quite in that way," Jack interrupted. "Besides, Carrington is not the only one. The chief villain in the play is Spencer Anstruther; and at the present moment he is in a position to prove a perfect alibi. It is not the slightest use laying Carrington by the heels till we are in a position to prove Anstruther's alibi to be nothing but an ingenious mechanical fraud. Don't you recollect the case of the Phœnix Park murders? In that case the police could have laid their hands upon half the culprits within a few days. They preferred to wait months, until every one of the gang were swept up in the meshes of the law. I will go and see Bates presently, and ascertain if he has anything fresh to tell us."

It was quite late in the afternoon before Jack managed to get a few words with the inspector. He seemed to be very cheerful and sanguine, and dropped a hint to the effect that his morning had not been altogether wasted.

"Oh, we are going on, right enough," he exclaimed in answer to Jack's question. "In the circumstances, they can do nothing else. Most of my morning has been spent in calling on the various unfortunate people whose valuables were deposited at Carrington's bank, and getting a full description of the same. After that I made the rounds of the principal pawnbrokers and such people as advance money on real property."

"Did you find anything of the missing stuff?" Jack asked eagerly. "I mean, did you see any of it?"

Bates explained that up to now he had been successful in three instances. He knew where to lay his hands upon the tiara of diamonds that had only been deposited with Carrington four days ago.

"It belongs to one of our fashionable society leaders," he explained, "and really is a most magnificent piece of work. Mind you, Carrington must have been a great fool, or he must have been desperately pressed for money, to pledge these things in London. He could have sent them to Amsterdam or Paris, where they could have been broken up and disposed of in such a manner that it would have been impossible to trace them. This might have entailed a financial sacrifice, but see how safe it would have been. I feel pretty sure that within the next two days I shall trace every atom of the lost property."

"But it is usual to pledge such valuable jewels in this casual way?" Jack asked.