EPILOGUE
THE AFFAIR OF THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN CALLED HAMILTON CLEEK
"Note for you, sir--messenger just fetched it. Addressed to 'CaptainBurbage,' so it'll be from The Yard," said Dollops, coming into the roomwith a doughnut in one hand and a square envelope in the other.
Cleek, who had been sitting at his writing-table, with a litter offolded documents, bits of antique jewellery, and what looked like oddsand ends of faded ribbon lying before him, swept the whole collectioninto the table drawer as Dollops spoke and stretched forth his hand forthe letter.
It was one of Narkom's characteristic communications, albeit somewhatshorter than those communications usually were--a fact which told Cleekat once that the matter was one of immense importance.
"My dear Cleek," it ran. "For the love of goodness don't let anythingtempt you into going out to-night. I shall call about ten. Foreigngovernment affair--reward simply enormous. Look out for me. Yours, inhot haste--MAVERICK NARKOM."
"Be on the lookout for the red limousine," said Cleek, glancing over atDollops, who stood waiting for orders. "It will be along about ten.That's all. You may go."
"Right you are, Gov'nor. I'll keep my eyes peeled, sir. Lor'! I do hopeit's summink to do with a restaurant or a cookshop this time. I could dowith a job of that sort--my word, yes! I'm fair famishin'. And, beggin'pardon, but you don't look none too healthy yourself this evening,Gov'nor. Ain't et summink wot's disagreed with you, have you, sir?"
"I? What nonsense! I'm as fit as a fiddle. What could make you thinkotherwise?"
"Oh, I dunno, sir--only--Well, if you don't mind my sayin' of it, sir,whenever you gets to unlocking of that draw and lookin' at them thingsyou keep in there--wotever they is--you always gets a sort ofsolemncholy look in the eyes; and you gets white about the gills, andyour lips has a pucker to 'em that I don't like to see."
"Tommy rot! Imagination's a splendid thing for a detective to possess,Dollops, but don't let yours run away with you in this fashion, my lad,or you'll never rise above what you are. Toddle along now, and look outfor Mr. Narkom's arrival. It's after nine already, so he'll soon behere."
"Anybody a-comin' with him, sir?"
"I don't know--he didn't say. Cut along, now; I'm busy!" said Cleek.Nevertheless, when Dollops had gone and the door was shut and he had theroom to himself again, and, if he really did have any business on hand,there was no reason in the world why he should not have set about it, heremained sitting at the table and idly drumming upon it with his fingertips, a deep ridge between his brows and a far-away expression in hisfixed, unwinking eyes. And so he was still sitting when, something liketwenty minutes later, the sharp "Toot-toot!" of a motor horn sounded.
Narkom's note lay on the table close to his elbow. He took it up,crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into his waste basket. "A foreigngovernment affair," he said with a curious one-sided smile. "A strangecoincidence, to be sure!" Then, as if obeying an impulse, he opened thedrawer, looked at the litter of things he had swept into it, shut it upagain and locked it securely, putting the key into his pocket and risingto his feet. Two minutes later, when Narkom pushed open the door andentered the room, he found Cleek leaning against the edge of themantelpiece and smoking a cigarette with the air of one whose feet trodalways upon rose petals, and who hadn't a thought beyond the affairs ofthe moment, nor a care for anything but the flavour of Egyptian tobacco.
"Ah, my dear fellow, you can't think what a relief it was to catch you.I had but a moment in which to dash off the note, and I was on thornswith fear that it would miss you; that on a glorious night like thisyou'd be off for a pull up the river or something of that sort," saidthe superintendent, as he bustled in and shook hands with him. "You aresuch a beggar for getting off by yourself and mooning."
"Well, to tell you the truth, Mr. Narkom, I came within an ace of doingthe very thing you speak of," replied Cleek. "It's full moon, for onething, and it's primrose time for another. Happily for your desire tocatch me, however, I--er--got interested in the evening paper, and thatdelayed me."
"Very glad, dear chap; very glad, indeed," began Narkom. Then, as hiseye fell upon the particular evening paper in question lying on thewriting-table, a little crumpled from use, but with a certain"displayed-headed" article of three columns length in full view, heturned round and stared at Cleek with an air of awe and mystification."My dear fellow, you must be under the guardianship of some uncannyfamiliar. You surely must, Cleek!" he went on. "Do you mean to tell methat is what kept you at home? That you have been reading about thepreparations for the forthcoming coronation of King Ulric ofMauravania?"
"Yes; why not? I am sure it makes interesting reading, Mr. Narkom. Thekingdom of Mauravania has had sufficient ups and downs to inspire anovelist, so its records should certainly interest a mere reader. To befrank, I found the account of the amazing preparations for thecoronation of his new Majesty distinctly entertaining. They are anexcitable and spectacular people, those Mauravanians, and this time theyseem bent upon outdoing themselves."
"But, my dear Cleek, that you should have chosen to stop at home andread about that particular affair! Bless my soul man, it's--it'samazing, abnormal, uncanny! Positively uncanny, Cleek!"
"My dear Narkom, I don't see where the uncanny element comes in, I mustconfess," replied Cleek with an indulgent smile. "Surely an Englishmanmust always feel a certain amount of interest in Mauravian affairs. Havethe goodness to remember that there should be an Englishman upon thatparticular throne. Aye, and there would be, too, but for one of thosemoments of weak-backed policy, of a desire upon the part of the'old-woman' element which sometimes prevails in English politics to keepfriendly relations with other powers at any cost. Brush up your history,Mr. Narkom, and give your memory a fillip. Eight-and-thirty years agoQueen Karma of Mauravania had an English consort and bore him twodaughters, and one son. You will perhaps recall the mad rebellion, theidiotic rising which disgraced that reign. That was the time for Englandto have spoken. But the peace party had it by the throat; they, withtheir mawkish cry for peace--peace at any price!--drowned the voices ofmen and heroes, and the end was what it was! Queen Karma wasdeposed--she and her children fled, God knows how, God knows where--fledand left a dead husband and father, slain like a hero and an Englishman,fighting for his own, and with his face to the foe. Avenge his death?Nonsense, declared the old women. He had no right to defy the will ofHeaven, no right to stir up strife with a friendly people and expect hiscountrymen to embroil themselves because of his lust for power. It wouldbe a lasting disgrace to the nation if England allowed a lot of howling,bloodthirsty meddlers to persuade it to interfere.
"The old women had their way. Queen Karma and her children vanished; heruncle Duke Sforza came to the throne as Alburtus III., and eight monthsago his son, the present King Ulric, succeeded him. The father had beena bad king, the son a bad crown-prince. Mauravania has paid the price.Let her put up with it! I don't think in the light of these things, Mr.Narkom, there is any wonder that an Englishman finds interest in readingof the affairs of a country over which an Englishman's son might, andought to, have ruled. As for me, I have no sympathy, my friend, withMauravania or her justly punished people."
"Still, my dear fellow, that should not count when the reward for takingup this case is so enormous--and I dare say it will not."
"Reward? Case?" repeated Cleek. "What do you mean by that?"
"That I am here to enlist your services in the cause of King Ulric ofMauravania," replied Narkom, impressively. "Something has happened,Cleek, which, if not cleared up before the coronation day--now only onemonth hence, as you must have read--will certainly result in hisMajesty's public disgrace, and may result in his overthrow and death!His friend and chief adviser, Count Irma, has come all the way fromMauravania, and is at this moment downstairs in this house, to put thecase in your hands and to implore you to help and to save his royalmaster!"
"His royal master? The son of the man who drove an Englishman's wife andan Englishman's children
into exile--poverty--misery--despair?" saidCleek, pulling himself up. "I won't take it, Mr. Narkom! If he offers memillions, I'll lift no hand to help or to save Mauravania's king!"
The response to this came from an unexpected quarter.
"But to save Mauravania's queen, monsieur? Will you do nothing for her?"said an excited and imploring voice. And as Cleek, startled by theinterruption, switched round and glanced in the direction of the sound,the half-dosed door swung inward and a figure, muffled to the very eyes,moved over the threshold into the room. "Have pardon, monsieur--I couldnot but overhear," went on the newcomer, turning to Narkom. "I shouldscarcely be worthy of his Majesty's confidence and favour had I remainedinactive. I simply had to come up unbidden. _Had_ to, monsieur"--turningto Cleek--"and so--" His words dropped off suddenly. A puzzled lookfirst expanded and then contracted his eyes, and his lips tightenedcuriously under the screen of his white, military moustache. "Monsieur,"he said, presently putting into words the sense of baffling familiaritywhich perplexed him. "Monsieur, you then are the great, the astonishingCleek? You, monsieur? Pardon, but surely I have had the pleasure ofmeeting monsieur before? No, not here, for I have never been in Englanduntil to-day; but in my own country--in Mauravania. Surely, monsieur, Ihave seen you there?"
"On the contrary," said Cleek, speaking the simple truth. "I have neverset foot in Mauravania in all my life, sir. And as you have overheard mywords you may see that I do not intend to even now. The difficulties ofMauravania's king do not in the least appeal to me."
"Ah, but Mauravania's queen, monsieur--Mauravania's queen."
"The lady interests me no more than does her royal spouse."
"But, monsieur, she must--she really must--if you are honest in what yousay, and your sympathies are all with the deposed and exiled ones--theex-queen Karma and her children. Surely, monsieur, you who seem to knowso well the history of that sad time cannot be ignorant of what hashappened since to her ex-Majesty and her children?"
"I know only that Queen Karma died in France, in extreme poverty,befriended to the last by people of the very humblest birth and of nottoo much respectability. What became of her son I do not know; but herdaughters, the two princesses, mere infants at the time, were sent, oneto England, where she subsequently died, and the other to Persia, where,I believe, she remained up to her ninth year, and then went no one seemsto know where."
"Then, monsieur, let me tell you what became of her. The late KingAlburtus discovered her whereabouts, and, to prevent any possibletrouble in the future, imprisoned her in the Fort of Sulberga up to theyear before his death. Eleven months ago she became the Crown PrinceUlric's wife. She is now his consort. And by saving her, monsieur, youwho feel so warmly upon the subject of the rights of her family'ssuccession, will be saving her, helping Mauravania's queen, anddefeating those who are her enemies."
Cleek sucked in his breath and regarded the man silently, steadily, fora long time. Then:
"Is that true, Count?" he asked. "On your word of honour as a soldierand a gentleman, is that true?"
"As true as Holy Writ, monsieur. On my word of honour. On my hopes ofheaven!"
"Very well, then," said Cleek quietly. "Tell me the case, Count. I'lltake it."
"Monsieur, my eternal gratitude. Also the reward is--"
"We will talk about that afterward. Sit down, please, and tell me whatyou want me to do."
"Oh, monsieur, almost the impossible," said the Count despairfully. "Theoutwitting of a woman who must in very truth be the devil's owndaughter, so subtle, so appalling are the craft and cunning of her.That, for one thing. For another, the finding of a paper, which, ifpublished--as the woman swears it shall be if her terms are not accededto--will be the signal for his Majesty's overthrow. And, for thethird"--emotion mastered him; his voice choked up and failed; hedeported himself for a moment like one afraid to let even his own earshear the thing spoken of aloud, then governed his cowardice and wenton--"For the third thing, monsieur," he said, lowering his tone until itwas almost a whisper, "the recovery--the restoration to its place ofhonour before the coronation day arrives--of that fateful gem,Mauravania's pride and glory--'the Rainbow Pearl!'"
Cleek clamped his jaws together like a bloodhound snapping and over hishardening face there came a slow-creeping, unnatural pallor.
"Has that been lost?" he said in a low, bleak voice. "Has he, thisprecious royal master of yours, this usurper--has he parted with thatthing--the wondrous Rainbow Pearl?"
"Monsieur knows of the gem, then?"
"Know of it? Who does not? Its fame is world-wide. Wars have been foughtfor it, lives sacrificed for it. It is more valuable than England'sKoh-i-noor, and more important to the country and the crown that possessit. The legend runs, does it not, that Mauravania falls when the RainbowPearl passes into alien hands. An absurd belief, to be sure, but who canargue with a superstitious people or hammer wisdom into the minds ofbabies? And _that_ has been lost--that gem so dear to Mauravania'speople, so important to Mauravania's crown?"
"Yes, monsieur--ah, the good God help my country!--yes!" said the Countbrokenly. "It has passed from his Majesty's hands; it is no longer amongthe crown jewels of Mauravania--a Russian has it."
"A Russian?" Cleek's cry was like to nothing so much as the snarl of awild animal. "A Russian to hold it--a Russian?--the sworn enemy ofMauravania--the race most hated of her people! God help your wretchedking, Count Irma, if this were known to his subjects."
"Ah, monsieur, it is that we dread--it is that against which westruggle," replied the Count. "If that jewel were missing on thecoronation day, if it were known that a Russian holds it--Dear God! thepopulace would rise--rise, monsieur, and tear his Majesty to pieces."
"He deserves no better!" said Cleek, through his close-shut teeth. "To aRussian--a Russian! As heaven hears me, but for his queen--Well, let itpass. Tell me, how did this Russian get the jewel, and when?"
"Oh, long ago, monsieur--long ago; many months before King Alburtusdied."
"Was it his hand that gave it up?"
"No, monsieur. He died without knowing of its loss, without suspectingthat the stone in the royal parure is but a sham and an imitation,"replied the count. "It all came of the youth, the recklessness, thefolly of the crown prince. Monsieur may have heard of his--his many wildescapades--his thoughtless acts, his--his--"
"Call them dissipations, Count, and give them their real name. His actsas crown prince were a scandal and a disgrace. To whom did he part withthis gem--a woman?"
"Monsieur, yes! It was during the time he was stopping inParis--incognito to all but a trusted few. He--he met the woman there,became fascinated with her--bound to her--an abject slave to her."
"A slave to a Russian? Mauravania's heir and--a Russian?"
"Monsieur, he did not know that until afterward. In a mad freak--therewas to be a masked ball--he yielded to the lady's persuasions to let herwear the famous Rainbow Pearl for that one night. He journeyed back toMauravania and abstracted it from among the royal jewels--putting a mereimitation in its place so that it should not be missed until he couldreturn the original. Monsieur, he was never able to return it at anytime, for, once she had got it, the Russian made away with it in somesecret manner and refused to give it up. Her price for returning it washis royal father's consent to ennoble her, to receive her at theMauravanian Court, and so to alter the constitution that it would bepossible for her to become the crown prince's wife."
"The proposition of an idiot. The thing could not possibly be done."
"No, monsieur, it could not. So the crown prince broke from her and bentall his energies upon the recovery of the pearl and the keeping of itsloss a secret from the king and his people. Bravos, footpads,burglars--all manner of men--were employed before he left Paris. Thewoman's house was broken into, the woman herself waylaid and searched,but nothing came of it--no clue to the lost jewel could be found."
"Why then did he not appeal to the police?"
"Monsieur, he--he dared not. In one of his moment
s of madnesshe--she--that is--Oh, monsieur, remember his youth! It appears that thewoman had got him to put into writing something which, if made public,would cause the people of Mauravania to rise as one man and to do withhim as wolves do with things that are thrown to them in their fury."
"The dog! Some treaty with a Russian, of course!" said Cleekindignantly. "Oh, fickle Mauravania, how well you are punished for yourtreasonable choice! Well, go on, Count. What next?"
"Of a sudden, monsieur, the woman disappeared. Nothing was heard of her,no clue to her whereabouts discovered for two whole years. She was asone dead and gone until last week."
"Oho! She returned, then?"
"Yes, monsieur. Without hint or warning she turned up in Mauravania,accompanied by a disreputable one-eyed man who has the manner andappearance of one bred in the gutters of Paris, albeit he is wellclothed, well-looked after, and she treats him and his wretchedcollection of parakeets with the utmost consideration."
"Parakeets?" put in Narkom excitedly. "My dear Cleek, couldn't aparakeet be made to swallow a pearl?"
"Perhaps; but not this one, Mr. Narkom," he made reply. "It is quite thesize of a pigeon's egg, I believe; is it not, Count?"
"Yes, monsieur, quite. To see it is to remember it always. It has thechanging lights of the rainbow, and--"
"Never mind that; go on with the story, please. This woman and thisone-eyed man appeared last week in Mauravania, you say?"
"Yes, monsieur; and with them a bodyguard of at least ten servants. Herdemand now is that his Majesty make her his morganatic wife; that heestablish her at the palace under the same roof with his queen; and thatshe be allowed to ride with them in the state carriage on the coronationday. Failing that, she swears that she will not only publish thecontents of that dreadful letter, but send the original to the chief ofthe Mauravanian police and appear in public with the Rainbow Pearl uponher person."
"The Jezebel! What steps have you taken, Count, to prevent this?"
"All that I can imagine, monsieur. To prevent her from getting intoclose touch with the public, I have thrown open my own house to her, andreceived her and her retinue under my own roof rather than allow them tobe quartered at an hotel. Also, this has given me the opportunity tohave her effects and those of her followers secretly searched; but noclue to the letter, no clue to the pearl has anywhere been discovered."
"Still she must have both with her, otherwise she could not carry outher threat. No doubt she suspects what motive you had in taking her intoyour own house, Count--a woman like that is no fool. But tell me, doesshe show no anxiety, no fear of a search?"
"None, monsieur. She knows that my people search her effects; indeed,she has told me so. But it alarms her not a whit. As she told me twodays ago, I shall find nothing; but if I did it would be useless, for,on the moment anything of hers was touched, her servants would see thatthe finder never carried it from the house."
"Oho!" said Cleek, with a strong rising inflection. "A little searchingparty of her own, eh? The lady is clever, at all events. The momenteither pearl or letter should be removed from its hiding-place herservants would allow nobody to leave the house without being searched tothe very skin?"
"Yes, monsieur. So if by any chance you were to discover either--"
"My friend, set your mind at rest," interposed Cleek. "If I find either,or both, they will leave the house with me, I promise you. Mr. Narkom--"he turned to the superintendent--"keep an eye on Dollops for me, willyou? There are reasons why I can't take him--can't take anybody--with mein the working out of this case. I may be a couple of days or I may be aweek--I can't say as yet; but I start with Count Irma for Mauravania inthe morning. And, Mr. Narkom!"
"Yes, old chap?"
"Do me a favour, please. Be at Charing Cross station when the firstboat-train leaves to-morrow morning, will you, and bring me a small potof extract of beef--a very small pot, the smallest they make--not biggerthan a shilling nor thicker than one if they make them that size. What'sthat? Hide the pearl in it? What nonsense! I don't want one half bigenough for that. Besides, they'd be sure to find it when they searchedme if I tried any such fool's trick as that. Dollops isn't the onlycreature in the world that gets hungry, my friend, and beef extract isvery sustaining, very, I assure you, sir."
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