“I believe that they tried to blackmail him about some of his old Eurasian love affairs, or else some official secret they had spied out. You see the niggers in the marble house were all Ram Lal’s friends, and any one of them could have left the murderers alone to do their work and then let ‘em out of the house. I believe that Hawke did the job, and Ram Lal got away with some of the missing crown jewels. I’ll tell you, Major Harry, General Willoughby and the magistrates had me under fire there for many a day.”
“See here, Simpson,” said Major Hardwicke, “a man who would murder the father, would rob the daughter! I’ll give you a thousand pounds if you instantly notify me, if Hawke ever is found creeping around here. There may be some ugly old family secrets, you know.”
“I’m your man! Pay or no pay!” cried Simpson. “Only they think of giving me a three months’ leave on pay to visit my people.”
“Don’t go! Don’t go! till I tell you!” cried the Major.
“I am glad this fellow Hawke, whom you say has been dropped, is now on his way back to India,” said Simpson.
“Yes, but he might show up here devilish strangely,” mused Hardwicke. “He is just the fellow for a dirty fluke. Watch over Nadine, Simpson,” cried Hardwicke, “for I’ve sworn to make her my wife, within three months, uncle or no uncle!”
“I will,” growled Simpson. “I’ve an old grudge to settle with the Major, and I’ll tell you some day,” said the veteran. “Let us go in. There are some curious people here. I’ll tell you all when I’m your own man, and the young mistress is Mrs. Major Hardwicke!”
On this very evening, as the gray mists hid the Jersey outline from the windows of Etienne Garcin’s den, Jack Blunt and Major Alan Hawke were seated in the Major’s bedroom in the cabaret. They were cheerfully discussing two steaming “grogs,” but there was doubt and a shifty lack of thorough confidence between the two scoundrels as yet.
“So you think the boat will do?” flatly demanded Jack Blunt, offering some exceptional cigars.
“Just the thing,” carefully replied the Major. “And your terms for a two weeks charter?”