The Chestermarke Instinct
rawn forward. And the Earl, whose eyes had been wandering over the pile of documents on the senior partner's desk, glancing curiously at the
g?" he asked suddenly
ed his already
ed-I am astonished! Your lordship left the Countess's jewels w
t two days after the ball, and sailing direct from Kingsport to Hamburg, I didn't want the bother of going up to town with them, and I thought of Horbury. So I drove in here with them one evening-the night before we sailed, as a matter o
rmarke spread
out them!" he said. "I neve
rmed Joseph.
, and drew Lord Ellersd
," he said. "Neale-have you
e. "Mr. Horbury never
d towards the open do
ked. "There is nothing of that sort there-beyond what I and my
ed the Earl. "Where is
briel "The truth may as well be told-he's missing
another. His face flushed, almost as hotly
come!-you don't mean to tell me that Horbury's been p
l tell us all about the deposit of these jewels. And-there's an important matter which I must first mention. We have not the honou
ead at that, and the Earl stirre
s true I don't keep any account with you-it's never seemed-er, necessary, you know. But, of cou
with a bow. "You came to Mr. Hor
s in which he could deposit valuables in perfect safety," answered the Earl. "I never reflected for a moment on the nic
cise nature?"
value?" a
f which I suppose all the world's heard-heirloom, you know. It's a thing that can be worn in a lady's hair or as a pendant-d
watching everything with close attention, saw that his fingers trembled a little. He
nowledgment that he had received these jewels on de
nd Neale fancied that he saw a shade of
a man whom I knew as well as I knew-or thought I knew-Horbury. The whole thing was just
hat you were giving
fact, he'd never seen these things, and I took
them up?-in our strong room
about where he'd put them. That was understood. It was understood-
your return?" persisted Joseph, with the
ld be back," replied the Earl. "The
ds the hearth, and leaning against the man
at sort in there. There are two safes in the outer room of the bank-I should say that Mr.
Neale. "I neve
ked up from
rong room without my knowledge. They are certainly not there. The safes my nephew mention
as more surprised than angry: he looked around him as a man looks whos
n his own dining-room one evening some weeks ago," he sai
also certain is that our manager-trusted in more than he should have be
more bent over his papers. Once more there was silence. Then
u think Horbury may have put tho
arke smiled a l
nds' worth!" he said so
ple have a safe in their houses nowadays-they're so handy
for some years. But as we are desirous of giving your lordship what assistance we can, we will go into
l as she received him and the t
. Horbury one evening a few weeks ago," h
member your lordship calling on Mr. Horbury very well. One
g-room-an old-fashioned apartment which looked ou
in, "has Mr. Horbury a safe in this room, o
n the house. There was a plate-chest-there it was, stan
el. "It's about as unlikely as anything c
but what Gabriel expected to find the
ng-in which Mr. Horbury kept valuables?" he asked. "Any place i
she believed all its drawers were open. Her belief proved to be correct: Gabriel himself opened drawer after draw
assist your lordship," he said. "I
een gradually growing graver. "What, for instance, are you going to do, Mr. Chestermarke?
d, if Horbury took charge of your lordship's property, he did so as a private individual, not on
atter," said Joseph. "But as we have nev
true position of the case is that your lordship handed your prope
o do?" said the Earl. "I mean, not about m
his nephew: Jose
at. We are not yet fully aware of how things stand. We
pse before doing something?" exclaimed the Earl. "Bless my soul!-I'
recisely what you would not have done. We don't want it noised all over the town and neighbourh
oice which made the Earl turn and look at him with a sudden new interest. Before eith
hing, sir?" he said,
ted Gabriel hastily.
as fond of taking his walks in lonely places-there are plenty
Earl. "Gad! I wonder we never thought of that before! M
was heard speaking to some one without, and in walked a handsome young woman, who pulled he