Dave Darrin on the Asiatic Station Part 29

The medallion itself still lay on the table, but to that the young wife now paid no heed.

So much did the disappearance of the note perplex her that Belle spent some minutes in the vain search for it.

At last, a perplexed frown on her face, she again picked up the lacquer box and stood gazing at the exquisite, precious medallion.

Below, Dave entered the hotel. He pa.s.sed quickly through, going to the stairs.

Not immediately did he go to his apartment. First of all he turned down a corridor on the second floor to speak to Lieutenant Barbes from the "Katahdin."

But the clerk, who saw Dave pa.s.s through the lobby, himself stepped into the parlor where the three j.a.panese lieutenants waited. Bowing very low, the clerk informed them that Mr. Darrin had returned and had gone to his apartment.

"The number of that apartment?" cried Toruma.

The clerk gave the number, forgetting to add that Mrs. Darrin was also there. Nor did the j.a.panese officers remember that Dave was married.

So, Toruma leading the way, the three filed up the stairs, sought the apartment, and knocked on the door.

Inside, Belle, the lacquer box in her hand, and supposing that it was a servant who had knocked, stepped over to open the door.

And there she stood in the doorway, the lacquer box in her hand, the medallion plainly showing.

The eyes of the three young officers immediately turned toward that priceless heirloom, not a betraying sign came to their faces.

"A thousand pardons, madam," begged Toruma. "We have knocked at the wrong door. We sought the apartment of Mr. Darrin."

"Then you have found the right door," smiled Belle. "I am Mrs. Darrin.

Unfortunately, my husband is out."

"We were wrongly informed that he had returned," apologized Toruma, bowing low. "We crave a thousand pardons, and hasten to withdraw."

"Shall I tell Mr. Darrin who called?" asked Belle.

"We shall do ourselves the honor to see Mr. Darrin soon after he returns," replied Lieutenant Toruma sweetly, in a voice in which there was no suspicion of menace.

"Who asks for me, gentlemen?" hailed a merry voice, as Ensign Dave Darrin rounded a turn in the corridor, and came upon the party.

"Toruma? Katura? Hata? This _is_ a pleasure."

"We shall go to the main parlor below," said Toruma courteously, taking the hand that Dave extended, as did the others. "May we hope to see you there, sir, at your own convenience?"

"I will be down inside of five minutes," Dave promised lightly, and the j.a.panese bowed themselves away.

Unconsciously Belle had thrown behind her the hand that held the lacquer box. For that reason Dave did not see it until he had stepped inside and had closed the door after him.

Then, of a sudden, young Mrs. Darrin remembered her surprise, and held forward the box in such a way as to display the medallion lying in it.

"I have something strange, Dave dear, to tell you about this," she announced.

With an astonished cry Dave caught up the box.

"Why it is-it must be-the heirloom that Katura showed me at the American Club this morning," he uttered.

"Mr. Katura's?" echoed Belle.

"Yes. And so he came here and offered it to you? Belle, my dear, we cannot accept such-"

"Oh, do you think it could have been Mr. Katura who sent it to me?" the young wife asked.

"Sent it to you? Don't you know who gave it to you?" Ensign Darrin asked, in amazement. "Didn't he hand it to you just now?"

"Oh, no, indeed!" Belle exclaimed. "Listen, Dave."

Thereupon Mrs. Darrin related all she knew of the matter. She and Dave spent some minutes together in hunting for the strange note, which could not be found.

"No use in looking any further," Darrin declared, at last. "Besides Katura is waiting for me below. I will take this medallion back to him.

Certainly he can clear up the matter for me."

Full of uprightness of purpose Dave Darrin started below, to face a storm that was certain to be past his comprehension.

CHAPTER XVIII-MR. KATURA DOES SOME ASTOUNDING

"Katura, my dear fellow, I'm immensely sorry to have kept you waiting,"

cried Dave genially, as he entered the parlor. His nod took in Toruma and Hata as well.

"The waiting has not been tiresome," replied Katura coldly, rising to his feet, as did his comrades in arms.

"And now, Katura," Dave went on, "I am going to ask you if you can clear up the mystery as to how this medallion, this magnificent heirloom of yours, fell into Mrs. Darrin's hands."

"I came to see if _you_ could account for that," replied the little lieutenant coldly, though his face still wore a smile.

"Why, what do you mean?" asked Dave. "All I know is that, upon my return, I found that Mrs. Darrin had been presented, under very strange circ.u.mstances, with this medallion, which I instantly recognized as yours."

"I saw it in her hand when she opened the door to us," Katura answered.

"Beyond that, about all that I know, Mr. Darrin, is that, upon my arrival at the Okugawa Bank, I found the box missing from the pocket in which I had placed it."

"Then it was not you who sent this box and its contents to Mrs.

Darrin?" the American ensign demanded.

"I did not send it to her," Katura rejoined.

"Then how did she come to receive it?"

"That is what I have come to ask you, Mr. Darrin," returned the little infantry lieutenant.

"What do you mean?" asked Dave, coloring slightly, for, despite the smiles on the three j.a.panese faces, there was something accusing in their manners.