Okewood of the Secret Service [110]
suspicion away from the real criminal, yourself?"
Strangwise laughed a low, mellow laugh.
"You're devilish hard to convince," he remarked. "Perhaps you'll change your mind about it when I tell you that Nur-el-Din was sentenced to death by a general court-martial yesterday afternoon."
The blow struck Desmond straight between the eyes. The execution of spies followed hard on their conviction, he knew. Was he too late?
"Has... has she... has the sentence already been carried out?" he asked hoarsely.
Strangwise shrugged his shoulders.
"My information didn't go as far as that!" he replied. "But I expect so. They don't waste much time over these matters, old man! You see, then," he continued, "you've got the ringleader, and you shall have the other two members of the organization and save your own life into the bargain if you will be reasonable and treat with me."
Desmond looked straight at him; and Strangwise averted his eyes.
"Let me get this right," said Desmond slowly. "You let me go free--of course, I take it that my liberty includes the release of Miss Mackwayte as well--and in addition, you hand over to me your two accomplices, Bellward and the Malplaquet woman. That is your offer, isn't it? Well, what do you want from me in exchange?"
"The Star of Poland!" said Strangwise in a low voice.
"But," Desmond began. He was going to add "I haven't got it," but checked himself in time. Why should he show his hand?
Strangwise broke in excitedly.
"Man," he cried, "it was grandly done. When first I discovered the gem, I opened the package in which the silver box was wrapped and took the jewel from its case to make sure that it was there. Then I sealed it up again, silver box and all, with the firm intention that no other hand should break the seals but the hand of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince when I reported to him that I had fulfilled my mission. So you will understand that I was loth to open it to satisfy those blockheads that evening at the Mill House.
"I carried the package on me night and day and I could hardly believe my eyes when I discovered that a box of cigarettes had been substituted for the silver casket containing the jewel. I then suspected that Barbara Mackwayte, in collusion with Nur-el-Din, whom she had visited at the Dyke Inn that evening, had played this trick on me. But before I escaped from the Mill House I picked up one of the cigarettes which fell from the box when I broke the seals. Ah! There you made a slip, Desmond. When I looked at the cigarette I found it was a 'Dionysus'--your own particular brand--why, I have smoked dozens of them with you in France. The sight of the familiar name reminded me of you and then I remembered your unexpected visit to me at the Nineveh when I was packing up to go away on leave the evening you were going back to France. I remembered that I had put the package with the jewel on my table for a moment when I was changing my tunic. Your appearance drove it out of my head for the time, and you utilized the chance to substitute a similar package for mine. It was clever, Desmond, 'pon my word it was a stroke of genius, a master coup which in my country would have placed you at the very top of the tree in the Great General Staff!"
Desmond listened to this story in amazement. He did not attempt to speculate on the different course events would have taken had he but known that the mysterious jewel which had cost old Mackwayte his life, had been in his, Desmond's, possession from the very day on which he had assumed the guise and habiliments of Mr. Bellward. He was racking his brains to think what he had done with the box of cigarettes he had purchased at the Dionysus shop on the afternoon of the day he had taken the leave train back to France.
He remembered perfectly buying the cigarettes for the journey. But he didn't have them on the journey; for the captain of the leave boat had given him some cigars as Desmond had nothing to smoke. And then with a flash he remembered. He had packed the cigarettes in his kit--his kit which had
Strangwise laughed a low, mellow laugh.
"You're devilish hard to convince," he remarked. "Perhaps you'll change your mind about it when I tell you that Nur-el-Din was sentenced to death by a general court-martial yesterday afternoon."
The blow struck Desmond straight between the eyes. The execution of spies followed hard on their conviction, he knew. Was he too late?
"Has... has she... has the sentence already been carried out?" he asked hoarsely.
Strangwise shrugged his shoulders.
"My information didn't go as far as that!" he replied. "But I expect so. They don't waste much time over these matters, old man! You see, then," he continued, "you've got the ringleader, and you shall have the other two members of the organization and save your own life into the bargain if you will be reasonable and treat with me."
Desmond looked straight at him; and Strangwise averted his eyes.
"Let me get this right," said Desmond slowly. "You let me go free--of course, I take it that my liberty includes the release of Miss Mackwayte as well--and in addition, you hand over to me your two accomplices, Bellward and the Malplaquet woman. That is your offer, isn't it? Well, what do you want from me in exchange?"
"The Star of Poland!" said Strangwise in a low voice.
"But," Desmond began. He was going to add "I haven't got it," but checked himself in time. Why should he show his hand?
Strangwise broke in excitedly.
"Man," he cried, "it was grandly done. When first I discovered the gem, I opened the package in which the silver box was wrapped and took the jewel from its case to make sure that it was there. Then I sealed it up again, silver box and all, with the firm intention that no other hand should break the seals but the hand of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince when I reported to him that I had fulfilled my mission. So you will understand that I was loth to open it to satisfy those blockheads that evening at the Mill House.
"I carried the package on me night and day and I could hardly believe my eyes when I discovered that a box of cigarettes had been substituted for the silver casket containing the jewel. I then suspected that Barbara Mackwayte, in collusion with Nur-el-Din, whom she had visited at the Dyke Inn that evening, had played this trick on me. But before I escaped from the Mill House I picked up one of the cigarettes which fell from the box when I broke the seals. Ah! There you made a slip, Desmond. When I looked at the cigarette I found it was a 'Dionysus'--your own particular brand--why, I have smoked dozens of them with you in France. The sight of the familiar name reminded me of you and then I remembered your unexpected visit to me at the Nineveh when I was packing up to go away on leave the evening you were going back to France. I remembered that I had put the package with the jewel on my table for a moment when I was changing my tunic. Your appearance drove it out of my head for the time, and you utilized the chance to substitute a similar package for mine. It was clever, Desmond, 'pon my word it was a stroke of genius, a master coup which in my country would have placed you at the very top of the tree in the Great General Staff!"
Desmond listened to this story in amazement. He did not attempt to speculate on the different course events would have taken had he but known that the mysterious jewel which had cost old Mackwayte his life, had been in his, Desmond's, possession from the very day on which he had assumed the guise and habiliments of Mr. Bellward. He was racking his brains to think what he had done with the box of cigarettes he had purchased at the Dionysus shop on the afternoon of the day he had taken the leave train back to France.
He remembered perfectly buying the cigarettes for the journey. But he didn't have them on the journey; for the captain of the leave boat had given him some cigars as Desmond had nothing to smoke. And then with a flash he remembered. He had packed the cigarettes in his kit--his kit which had