“Um!” A dry smile twisted Potter’s lips. “The jeweler who conducted the sale must have talked. The evening paper gives a full account of your father’s valuable purchase, and a description of the ruby. Now, if only Miss Langdon were here we would soon find out how disinterested are her thieving propensities.”
“I have a great mind to punch your head!” said Duncan furiously. “Heaven only knows where the poor girl is tonight; and you stand there and dare insinuate—— Oh, come into the drawing-room and meet——” his voice died in his throat.
Standing receiving the guests, looking extremely beautiful in her low-cut evening dress, was Marjorie Langdon.
CHAPTER XXIV
THE KINGDOM OF THE BLIND
Marjorie saw them at the same instant and for a second faltered, then stepped quietly forward to meet them.
“Good evening,” she said. “Janet, here are the truants. I think you are to take me out to dinner, Dr. Potter,” and the hand she placed on the physician’s arm was steady.
Duncan, collecting his scattered wits, offered his arm to the pretty girl Janet had assigned to him, and followed the others out to the dining-room. Judging from appearances his father and Janet had accepted Marjorie’s return without audible comment. Janet, confused by the rapid trend of events, had quickly decided to let well enough alone. She feared to precipitate a disastrous scene if she asked Marjorie to withdraw. Her father, a complete man of the world, had quickly made up his mind to accept the situation, and postponed questioning Marjorie as to her disappearance and return until after the dinner was over.
Inwardly cursing his luck that he was not seated next to Marjorie so that he could question her and tell her of his discovery as to how the Lawrence codicil was lost, Duncan took the chair next his companion with an ill grace. There was some confusion in seating the guests, owing to Janet’s having changed her father’s accustomed seat at the end to one side of the long table. Paul Potter seized the opportunity to draw his host to one side.
“Has Janet had any return of——” he lowered his voice discreetly——“of the old trouble about which you consulted me when she was at boarding-school?”
Fordyce started. “Not to my knowledge,” he whispered. “What do you....” But Potter had slipped into his chair between Janet and Marjorie, and cogitating deeply, Fordyce made his way to his own place.