"Mr. Killigrew," whispered Haggerty, "will you get Miss Kitty an'
Thomas int' th' study-end o' th' library?"
"Found anything?"
"Th' sapphires were in his trunk, all right. Tucked away in th' toes
of a pair o' shoes. Webb is in th' library now. Jus' get Miss Kitty."
"Very well," replied Killigrew, leaden-hearted.
Thomas had been busy all day. He was growing very tired, and often now
the point of his pen sputtered. The second man had brought in his
dinner and set it on a small stand which stood at the right of the
desk. It was growing cold on the tray. A sound. He glanced up
wearily. He saw Kitty and Killigrew, and behind them the sardonic
visage of Haggerty. Thomas got up slowly.
"Take it easy, Mr. Webb," warned Haggerty. "Go on, Miss Killigrew, an'
we'll see first if you've hit it."
Thomas stared, wide-eyed, from face to face. What in heaven's name had
happened? What was this blighter of a detective doing at the villa?
And why was Kitty so white?
"Mr. Webb," began Kitty, striving hard to maintain even tones, "on the
night of May 13, you and Lord Henry Monckton stood on the curb outside
my carriage, near the Garden, where I was blockaded in the fog. I
heard your voices. There was talk about a wager. The time imposed
upon the fulfilment of this wager was six months. Shortly after, Lord
Monckton entered my carriage under the pretense of getting into his own
and took my necklace of sapphires. He did it very cleverly. Then they
were turned over to you. You were to carry them for six months, find
out to whom they belonged, and return them."
"Thousands of miles away," said Haggerty confidently. "Nothing ever
happened like that."
"Is it not true?" asked Kitty, ignoring Haggerty's interpolation.
"Miss Killigrew, either I'm dreaming or you are. I haven't the
slightest idea what you are talking about." Thomas was now whiter than
Kitty. "The talk about a wager is true; but I never knew you had lost
any sapphires."
"How about this little chamois-bag which I found in your trunk, Mr.
Webb?" asked Haggerty ironically. He tossed the bag on the desk.
The bag hypnotized Thomas. Suddenly he came to life. He snatched up
the bag and thrust it into his pocket.
"Those are mine," he said quite calmly. "Mine, by every legal and
moral right in the world. Mine!"