“Meanwhile, he had gone up to Lady Leake’s boudoir to implore her to use her influence with me, and he was still there when, after the stones had again answered to the acid test, I carried the necklace up there (to leave it in her charge for the brief time it would take me to prepare the tools and materials for the work in hand) and told her all about it. But I didn’t know that at the time, Mr. Cleek, for he was sitting in a deep, cushioned armchair at the far end of the room, and the tall back of that chair was turned toward me. Indeed, I hadn’t the faintest suspicion that there was anybody but Lady Leake and myself in the room until he got up suddenly and said, ‘Dad, you aren’t too busy to listen now! Won’t you let me ask you what I was going to do downstairs? Won’t you, dad? Please!’
Cleek hears that the fabulous “Ladder of Light” is back in London again.
Young Mawson overhears his parents discussing the problem of the jewel. “He is extravagant to the point of insanity,” said Sir Mawson.
“Of course he had heard what I had said, Mr. Cleek—although I never gave a thought to that at the time—and as Lady Leake had, womanlike, taken the gorgeous necklace out of the case, held it up to her neck and was then viewing herself in her dressing mirror, it followed that he also saw. But how could I dream of there being anything in that to regret, and he a son of mine? It was only—afterward—when it came back to my memory——Good God! it is too horrible to think of even now, much less to talk about!”
“Steady, steady, Sir Mawson!” sounded Cleek’s soothing voice. “Brakes on! Sidetrack your emotions if you can and stick to the mainline! Well, what followed?”
“I have no very clear recollection, Mr. Cleek, for just then Lady Leake chose to add her entreaties to his, and to ask me if I would permit her to draw her next quarter’s pin money in advance and let her take up the I. O. U. for him. But I was so furious at the thought of his skulking in like a beggar and a cad, and trying to ‘bleed’ her, that I flew into a violent rage, ordered him out of the room instantly, and forbade his stepmother to lend or give him one farthing either then or at any time thereafter. ‘There will be no gambler’s I. O. U.’s taken up for you by anybody in this house,’ I flung at him. ‘If you are in debt, get out of it in your own way and as best you can!’