By constantly spending his evenings amid the gay crowd at Bevin’s he was able to watch Gilbert Farrer pretty closely. He often met the sprightly Beryl, who was never loth to dance with him, Geoffrey being an unusually good dancer, and good-looking into the bargain. So by being on friendly terms with the girl Falconer was enabled to keep Farrer under observation.
Farrer knew, of course, of Geoffrey’s friendship with the mining engineer, but that fact did not concern him now that he had purchased his interest in the re-discovered mine of the Pharaohs.
At Bevin’s, late one night, Geoffrey had been dancing with Beryl, Farrer being absent. He had not looked in all night, and it was already three o’clock in the morning. Geoffrey was about to return to his club when a white-haired, benevolent-looking old gentleman, whom he at once recognised as “Daddy” Whittaker, the notorious crook, came in and advanced to meet the girl, who, in turn, introduced him to her companion.
“Seen Gilbert to-night?” asked old Mr. Whittaker eagerly of Beryl.
“No; I haven’t seen him all day. He promised to take me to lunch at the Pall Mall, but he never turned up—and he didn’t ‘’phone’.”
“Ah! he’s busy,” replied the old man in a low voice. “He fixed up that little matter with Evenden this afternoon. They are sending out two experts to Egypt at the end of the week.”
“What!” cried the girl. “The Berenice Mine sold! Then Gilbert’s made his fortune! He always was a lucky fellow.”
“Yes; but he doesn’t want it known yet,” the old fellow went on confidentially. “So say nothing about it.”
“Farrer told me about his purchase of the mine,” Geoffrey remarked quite casually. “It’s most interesting—is it not? My friend, Jack Halliday, re-discovered it after the secret of its existence had been lost for two thousand years.”
At mention of Halliday the white-haired old man glanced at him quickly, but his manner did not alter in the least.