“I shall inform the police, of course,” said Alison; “and the sooner the better.”
“If I may venture so far,” Staff said stiffly, “I advise you to do nothing of the sort.”
“And why not, if you please?”
“It’s rather a delicate case,” he said—“if you’ll pause to consider it. You must not forget that you yourself broke the law when you contrived to smuggle the necklace into this country. The minute you make this matter public, you lay yourself open to arrest and prosecution for swindling the Government.”
“Swindling!” Alison repeated with a flaming face.
Staff bowed, confirming the word. “It is a very serious charge these days,” he said soberly. “I’d advise you to think twice before you make any overt move.”
“But if I deny attempting to smuggle the necklace? If I insist that it was stolen from me aboard the Autocratic—stolen by this Mr. Ismay and this Searle woman—?”
“Miss Searle did not steal your necklace. If she had intended anything of the sort, she wouldn’t have telephoned me about it last night.”
“Nevertheless, she has gone away with it, arm-in-arm with a notorious thief, hasn’t she?”
“We’re not yet positive what she has done. For my part, I am confident she will communicate with us and return the necklace with the least possible delay.”