LITMIR.BIZ

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five.’

      ‘All right, but I don’t see –’

      ‘Ça n’a pas d’importance,’ said Poirot kindly. ‘You will that I preserve for you your diamond, n’est-ce pas?’

      ‘Yes, but –’

      ‘Then do as I say.’

      A sadly bewildered nobleman left the room.

      It was half-past five when we arrived at Yardly Chase, and followed the dignified butler to the old panelled hall with its fire of blazing logs. A pretty picture met our eyes: Lady Yardly and her two children, the mother’s proud dark head bent down over the two fair ones. Lord Yardly stood near, smiling down on them.

      ‘Monsieur Poirot and Captain Hastings,’ announced the butler.

      Lady Yardly looked up with a start, for her husband came forward uncertainly, his eyes seeking instruction from Poirot. The little man was equal to the occasion.

      ‘All my excuses! It is that I investigate still this affair of Miss Marvell’s. She comes to you on Friday, does she not? I make a little tour first to make sure that all is secure. Also I wanted to ask Lady Yardly if she recollected at all the postmarks on the letters she received?’

      Lady Yardly shook her head regretfully. ‘I’m afraid I don’t. It’s stupid of me. But, you see, I never dreamt of taking them seriously.’

      ‘You’ll stay the night?’ said Lord Yardly.

      ‘Oh, milord, I fear to incommode you. We have left our bags at the inn.’

      ‘That’s all right.’ Lord Yardly had his cue. ‘We’ll send down for them. No, no – no trouble, I assure you.’

      Poirot permitted himself to be persuaded, and sitting down by Lady Yardly, began to make friends with the children. In a short time they were all romping together, and had dragged me into the game.

      ‘Vous êtes bonne mère,’ said Poirot, with a gallant little bow, as the children were removed reluctantly by a stern nurse.

      Lady Yardly smoothed her ruffled hair.

      ‘I adore them,’ she said with a little catch in her voice.

      ‘And they you – with reason!’ Poirot bowed again.

      A dressing-gong sounded, and we rose to go up to our rooms. At that moment the butler emerged with a telegram on a salver which he handed to Lord Yardly. The latter tore it open with a brief word of apology. As he read it he stiffened visibly.

      With an ejaculation he handed it to his wife. Then he glanced at my friend.

      ‘Just a minute, Monsieur Poirot, I feel you ought to know about this. It’s from Hoffberg. He thinks he’s found a customer for the diamond – an American, sailing for the States tomorrow. They’re sending down a chap tonight to vet the stone. By Jove, though, if this goes through –’ Words failed him.

      Lady Yardly had turned away. She still held the telegram in her hand.

      ‘I wish you wouldn’t sell it, George,’ she said, in a low voice. ‘It’s been in the family so long.’ She waited, as though for a reply, but when none came her face hardened. She shrugged her shoulders. ‘I must go and dress. I suppose I had better display “the goods”.’ She turned to Poirot with a slight grimace. ‘It’s one of the most hideous necklaces that was ever designed! George has always promised to have the stones reset for me, but it’s never been done.’ She left the room.

      Half an hour later, we three were assembled in the great drawing-room awaiting the lady. It was already a few minutes past the dinner hour.

      Suddenly there was a low rustle, and Lady Yardly appeared framed in the doorway, a radiant figure in a long white shimmering dress. Round the column of her neck was a rivulet of fire. She stood there with one hand just touching the necklace.

      ‘Behold the sacrifice,’ she said gaily. Her ill-humour seemed to have vanished. ‘Wait while I turn the big light on and you shall feast your eyes on the ugliest necklace in England.’

      The switches were just outside the door. As she stretched out her hand to them, the incredible thing happened. Suddenly, without any warning, every light was extinguished, the door banged, and from the other side of it came a long-drawn piercing woman’s scream.

      ‘My God!’ cried Lord Yardly. ‘That was Maude’s voice! What has happened?’

      We rushed blindly for the door, cannoning into each other in the darkness. It was some minutes before we could find it. What a sight met our eyes! Lady Yardly lay senseless on the marble floor, a crimson mark on her white throat where the necklace had been wrenched from her neck.

      As we bent over her, uncertain for the moment whether she was dead or alive, her eyelids opened.

      ‘The Chinaman,’ she whispered painfully. ‘The Chinaman – the side door.’

      Lord Yardly sprang up with an oath. I accompanied him, my heart beating wildly. The Chinaman again! The side door in question was a small one in the angle of the wall, not more than a dozen yards from the scene of the tragedy. As we reached it, I gave a cry. There, just short of the threshold, lay the glittering necklace, evidently dropped by the thief in the panic of his flight. I swooped joyously down on it. Then I uttered another cry which Lord Yardly echoed. For in the middle of the necklace was a great gap. The Star of the East was missing!

      ‘That settles it,’ I breathed. ‘These were no ordinary thieves. This one stone was all they wanted.’

      ‘But how did the fellow get in?’

      ‘Through this door.’

      ‘But it’s always locked.’

      I shook my head. ‘It’s not locked now. See.’ I pulled it open as I spoke.

      As I did so something fluttered to the ground. I picked it up. It was a piece of silk, and the embroidery was unmistakable. It had been torn from a Chinaman’s robe.

      ‘In his haste it caught in the door,’ I explained. ‘Come, hurry. He cannot have gone far as yet.’

      But in vain we hunted and searched. In the pitch darkness of the night, the thief had found it easy to make his getaway. We returned reluctantly, and Lord Yardly sent off one of the footmen post-haste to fetch the police.

      Lady Yardly, aptly ministered to by Poirot, who is as good as a woman in these matters, was sufficiently recovered to be able to tell her story.

      ‘I was just going to turn on the other light,’ she said, ‘when a man sprang on me from behind. He tore my necklace from my neck with such force that I fell headlong to the floor. As I fell I saw him disappearing through the side door. Then I realized by the pigtail and the embroidered robe that he was a Chinaman.’ She stopped with a shudder.

      The butler reappeared. He spoke in a low voice to Lord Yardly.

      ‘A gentleman from Mr Hoffberg’s, m’lord. He says you expect him.’

      ‘Good heavens!’ cried the distracted nobleman. ‘I must see him, I suppose. No, not here, Mullings, in the library.’

      I drew Poirot aside.

      ‘Look here, my dear fellow, hadn’t we better get back to London?’

      ‘You think so, Hastings? Why?’

      ‘Well’ – I coughed delicately – ‘things haven’t gone very well, have they? I mean, you tell Lord Yardly to place himself in your hands and all will be well – and then the diamond vanishes from under your very nose!’

      ‘True,’ said Poirot, rather crestfallen. ‘It was not one of my most striking triumphs.’

      This way of describing events almost caused me to smile, but I stuck to my guns.

      ‘So, having – pardon the expression – rather

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