Okewood of the Secret Service [26]
of cambric, and sitting up, surveyed the other.
"I must go to the Chief at once," she said, "it is most urgent. Would you ring and ask the maid to telephone for a taxi?"
"I have one outside," answered Desmond. "But won't you tell me what has happened"
"Why," said Barbara, "it has only just dawned on me why our house was broken into last night and poor daddy so cruelly murdered! Whoever robbed the house did not come after our poor little bits of silver or daddy's savings in the desk in the dining room. They came after something that I had!"
"And what was that" asked Desmond.
Then Barbara told him of her talk with Nur-el-Din in the dancer's dressing-room on the previous evening and of the package which Nur-el-Din had entrusted to her care.
"This terrible business put it completely out of my head," said Barbara. "In the presence of the police this morning, I looked over my bedroom and even searched my hand-bag which the police sent back to me this afternoon without finding that the burglars had stolen anything. It was only just now, when we were talking about our meeting in Nur-el-Din's room last night, that her little package suddenly flashed across my mind. And then I looked through my handbag again and convinced myself that it was not there."
"But are you sure the police haven't taken it?"
"Absolutely certain," was the reply. "I remember perfectly what was in my hand-bag this morning when I went through it, and the same things are on that table over there now."
"Do you know what was in this package!" said Desmond.
"Just a small silver box, oblong and quite plain, about so big," she indicated the size with her hands, "about as large as a cigarette-box. Nur-el-Din said it was a treasured family possession of hers, and she was afraid of losing it as she traveled about so much. She asked me to say nothing about it and to keep it until the war was over or until she asked me for it."
"Then," said Desmond, "this clears Nur-el-Din!"
"What do you mean," said Barbara, looking up.
"Simply that she wouldn't have broken into year place and killed your father in order to recover her own package..."
"But why on earth should Nur-el-Din be suspected of such a thing?"
"Have you heard nothing about this young lady from the Chief?"
"Nothing. I had not thought anything about her until daddy discovered an old friend in her last night and introduced me."
The Chief's infernal caution again! thought Desmond, secretly admiring the care with which that remarkable man, in his own phrase, "sealed both ends of every connection."
"If I'm to work with this girl," said Desmond to himself, "I'm going to have all the cards on the table here and now," so forthwith he told her of the Chief's suspicions of the dancer, the letter recommending her to Bellward found when the cheese merchant had been arrested, and lastly of the black hair which had been discovered on the thongs with which Barbara had been fastened.
"And now," Desmond concluded, "the very next thing we must do is to go to the Chief and tell him about this package of Nur-el-Din's that is missing." Barbara interposed quickly.
"It's no use your coming, " she said. "The Chief won't see you. When he has sent a man on his mission, he refuses to see him again until the work has been done. If he wishes to send for you or communicate with you, he will. But it's useless for you to try and see him yourself. You can drop me at the office!"
Desmond was inclined to agree with her on this point and said so.
"There is one thing especially that puzzles me, Miss Mackwayte," Desmond observed as they drove westward again, "and that its, how anyone could have known about your having this box of Nur-el-Din's. Was there anybody else in the room when she gave you the package?"
"No," said Barbara:, "I don't think so. Wait a minute, though, Nur-el-Din's maid must have come in very shortly after for I remember the opened the door when Captain Strangwise came to tell me daddy was waiting to take me home."
"Do you remember if Nur-el-Din actually mentioned
"I must go to the Chief at once," she said, "it is most urgent. Would you ring and ask the maid to telephone for a taxi?"
"I have one outside," answered Desmond. "But won't you tell me what has happened"
"Why," said Barbara, "it has only just dawned on me why our house was broken into last night and poor daddy so cruelly murdered! Whoever robbed the house did not come after our poor little bits of silver or daddy's savings in the desk in the dining room. They came after something that I had!"
"And what was that" asked Desmond.
Then Barbara told him of her talk with Nur-el-Din in the dancer's dressing-room on the previous evening and of the package which Nur-el-Din had entrusted to her care.
"This terrible business put it completely out of my head," said Barbara. "In the presence of the police this morning, I looked over my bedroom and even searched my hand-bag which the police sent back to me this afternoon without finding that the burglars had stolen anything. It was only just now, when we were talking about our meeting in Nur-el-Din's room last night, that her little package suddenly flashed across my mind. And then I looked through my handbag again and convinced myself that it was not there."
"But are you sure the police haven't taken it?"
"Absolutely certain," was the reply. "I remember perfectly what was in my hand-bag this morning when I went through it, and the same things are on that table over there now."
"Do you know what was in this package!" said Desmond.
"Just a small silver box, oblong and quite plain, about so big," she indicated the size with her hands, "about as large as a cigarette-box. Nur-el-Din said it was a treasured family possession of hers, and she was afraid of losing it as she traveled about so much. She asked me to say nothing about it and to keep it until the war was over or until she asked me for it."
"Then," said Desmond, "this clears Nur-el-Din!"
"What do you mean," said Barbara, looking up.
"Simply that she wouldn't have broken into year place and killed your father in order to recover her own package..."
"But why on earth should Nur-el-Din be suspected of such a thing?"
"Have you heard nothing about this young lady from the Chief?"
"Nothing. I had not thought anything about her until daddy discovered an old friend in her last night and introduced me."
The Chief's infernal caution again! thought Desmond, secretly admiring the care with which that remarkable man, in his own phrase, "sealed both ends of every connection."
"If I'm to work with this girl," said Desmond to himself, "I'm going to have all the cards on the table here and now," so forthwith he told her of the Chief's suspicions of the dancer, the letter recommending her to Bellward found when the cheese merchant had been arrested, and lastly of the black hair which had been discovered on the thongs with which Barbara had been fastened.
"And now," Desmond concluded, "the very next thing we must do is to go to the Chief and tell him about this package of Nur-el-Din's that is missing." Barbara interposed quickly.
"It's no use your coming, " she said. "The Chief won't see you. When he has sent a man on his mission, he refuses to see him again until the work has been done. If he wishes to send for you or communicate with you, he will. But it's useless for you to try and see him yourself. You can drop me at the office!"
Desmond was inclined to agree with her on this point and said so.
"There is one thing especially that puzzles me, Miss Mackwayte," Desmond observed as they drove westward again, "and that its, how anyone could have known about your having this box of Nur-el-Din's. Was there anybody else in the room when she gave you the package?"
"No," said Barbara:, "I don't think so. Wait a minute, though, Nur-el-Din's maid must have come in very shortly after for I remember the opened the door when Captain Strangwise came to tell me daddy was waiting to take me home."
"Do you remember if Nur-el-Din actually mentioned