The Orange-Yellow Diamond Part 12

"My!--if you ain't the cute one, Mr. Rubinstein!" she exclaimed, clapping her plump hands. "As for me, now, I wouldn't have thought of that in a hundred years! But it's you that's the quick mind."

Melky laid a finger to the side of his nose.

"Do you know what, Mrs. Goldmark?" he said. "I ain't going to let them police fellows put a hand on young Lauriston, not me! I've my own ideas about this here business--wait till I put my hand on somebody, see?

Don't it all come out clear to you?--if I find the right man, then there ain't no more suspicion attaching to this young chap, ain't it?

Oh, I'm no fool, Mrs. Goldmark; don't you make no mistake!"

"I'm sure!" a.s.serted Mrs. Goldmark. "Yes, indeed--you don't carry your eyes in your head for nothing, Mr. Rubinstein!"

Zillah, who had listened abstractedly to these compliments suddenly turned on her cousin.

"What are you going to do then, Melky?" she demanded. "What's all this business about that book? And what steps are you thinking of taking?"

But Melky rose and, shaking his head, b.u.t.toned up his overcoat as if he were b.u.t.toning in a mult.i.tude of profound secrets.

"What you got to do, just now, Zillah--and Mrs. Goldmark too," he answered, "is to keep quiet tongues about what I done with young Lauriston. There ain't to be a word said! If any o' them police come round here, asking about him, you don't know nothing--see? You ain't seen him since he walked out o' that court with me--see? Which, of course--you ain't. And as for the rest, you leave that to yours truly!"

"Oh, what it is to have a mind!" exclaimed Mrs. Goldmark "I ain't no mind, beyond managing my business."

"Don't you show your mind in managing that?" said Melky, admiringly.

"What do I always say of you, Mrs. Goldmark? Don't I always say you're the smartest business woman in all Paddington? Ain't that having a mind? Oh, I think you've the beautifullest mind, Mrs. Goldmark!"

With this compliment Melky left Mrs. Goldmark and Zillah, and went away to his lodgings. He was aware of a taxi-cab drawn up at Mrs. Flitwick's door as he went up the street; inside Mrs. Flitwick's shabby hall he found that good woman talking to a stranger--a well-dressed young gentleman, who was obviously asking questions. Mrs. Flitwick turned to Melky with an air of relief.

"Perhaps you can tell this gentleman where Mr. Lauriston is, Mr.

Rubinstein?" she said. "I ain't seen him since he went out first thing this morning."

Melky looked the stranger over--narrowly. Then he silently beckoned him outside the house, and walked him out of earshot.

"You ain't the friend from Scotland?" asked Melky. "Him what sent the bank-note, last night?"

"Yes!" a.s.sented the stranger. "I see you're aware of that. My name is Purdie--John Purdie. Where is Lauriston? I particularly want to see him."

Melky tapped the side of his nose, and whispered.

"He's on his way to where you come from, mister!" he said. "Here!--I know who you are, and you'll know me in one minute. Come up to my sitting-room!"

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE FRIEND FROM PEEBLES

Melky, as princ.i.p.al lodger in Mrs. Flitwick's establishment, occupied what that lady was accustomed to describe as the front drawing-room floor--a couple of rooms opening one into the other. Into one of these, furnished as a sitting-room, he now led Lauriston's friend, hospitably invited him to a seat, and took a quiet look at him. He at once sized up Mr. John Purdie for what he was--a well-to-do, well-dressed, active-brained young business man, probably accustomed to controlling and dealing with important affairs. And well satisfied with this preliminary inspection, he immediately plunged into the affair of the moment.

"Mister," began Melky, pulling up a chair to Purdie's side, and a.s.suming a tone and manner of implicit confidence. "I've heard of you.

Me and Mr. Lauriston's close friends. My name's Mr. Rubinstein--Mr.

Melchior Rubinstein, commonly called Melky. I know all about you--you're the friend that Lauriston asked for a bit of help to see him through, like--ain't it? Just so--and you sent him twenty pounds to be going on with--which he got, all right, last night. Also, same time, he got another twenty quid for two of his lit'ry works--stories, mister. Mister!--I wish he'd got your money and the other money just an hour before it come to hand! S'elp me!--if them there letters had only come in by one post earlier, it 'ud ha' saved a heap o' trouble!"

"I haven't the remotest notion of what you're talking about, you know,"

said Purdie good-naturedly. "You evidently know more than I do. I knew Andie Lauriston well enough up to the time he left Peebles, but I've never seen or heard of him since until he wrote to me the other week.

What's it all about, and why has he gone back to Peebles? I told him I was coming up here any day now--and here I am, and he's gone!"

Melky edged his chair still nearer to his visitor, and with a cautious glance at the door, lowered his voice.

"I'm a-going to tell you all about it, mister," he said. "I know you Scotch gentlemen have got rare headpieces on you, and you'll pick it up sharp enough. Now you listen to me, Mr. Purdie, same as if I was one of them barrister chaps stating a case, and you'll get at it in no time."

John Purdie, who had already recognized his host as a character, as interesting as he was amusing, listened attentively while Melky told the story of Lauriston's doings and adventure from the moment of his setting out to p.a.w.n his watch at Multenius's pledge-office to that in which, on Melky's suggestion, he had made a secret and hurried departure for Peebles. Melky forgot no detail; he did full justice to every important point, and laid particular stress on the proceedings before the Coroner. And in the end he appealed confidently to his listener.

"And now I put it up to you, mister--straight!" concluded Melky. "Could I ha' done better for him than to give him the advice I did? Wasn't it best for him to go where he could get some evidence on his own behalf, than to run the risk of being arrested, and put where he couldn't do nothing for himself? What d'you say, now, Mr. Purdie?"

"Yes," agreed Purdie, after a moment's further thought. "I think you did well. He'll no doubt be able to find some old friends in Peebles who can surely remember that his mother did possess those two rings.

But you must bear this in mind--the police, you say, have shadowed him since yesterday afternoon. Well, when they find he's flown, they'll take that as a strong presumptive evidence of guilt. They'll say he's flying from justice!"

"Don't matter, mister, if Lauriston comes back with proof of his innocence," replied Melky.

"Yes, but they'll not wait for that," said Purdie. "They'll set the hue-and-cry on to him--at once. He's not the sort to be easily mistaken or overlooked--unless he's changed a lot this late year or two--he was always a good-looking lad."

"Is so now, mister," remarked Melky, "is so now!"

"Very well," continued Purdie. "Then I want to make a suggestion to you. It seems to me that the wisest course is for you and me to go straight to the police authorities, and tell them frankly that Lauriston has gone to get evidence that those rings are really his property, and that he'll return in a day or two with that evidence.

That will probably satisfy them--I think I can add a bit more that will help further. We don't want it to be thought that the lad's run away rather than face a possible charge of murder, you know!"

"I see your point, mister, I see your point!" agreed Melky. "I'm with you!--I ain't no objection to that. Of course, there ain't no need to tell the police precisely where he has gone--what?"

"Not a bit!" said Purdie. "But I'll make myself responsible to them for his re-appearance. Now--did you and he arrange anything about communicating with each other?"

"Yes," replied Melky. "If anything turns up this next day or two I'm to wire to him at the post-office, Peebles. If he finds what he wants, he'll wire to me, here, at once."

"Good!" said Purdie. "Now, here's another matter. You've mentioned Mr.

Spencer Levendale and this book which was so strangely left at the pledge-office. I happen to know Mr. Levendale--pretty well."

"You do, mister!" exclaimed Melky. "Small world, ain't it, now?"

"I met Mr. Spencer Levendale last September--two months ago," continued Purdie. "He was staying at an hotel in the Highlands, with his children and their governess: I was at the same hotel, for a month--he and I used to go fishing together. We got pretty friendly, and he asked me to call on him next time I was in town. Here I am--and when we've been to the police, I'm going to Suss.e.x Square--to tell him I'm a friend of Lauriston's, that Lauriston is in some danger over this business, and to ask him if he can tell me more about--that book!"

Melky jumped up and wrung his visitor's hand.

"Mister!--you're one o' the right sort," he said fervently. "That there book has something to do with it! My idea is that the man what carried that book into the shop is the man what scragged my poor old relative--fact, mister! Levendale, he wouldn't tell us anything much this morning--maybe he'll tell you more. Stand by Lauriston, mister!--we'll pull him through."

"You seem very well disposed towards him," remarked Purdie. "He's evidently taken your fancy."

"And my cousin Zillah's," answered Melky, with a confidential grin.

"Zillah--loveliest girl in all Paddington, mister--she's clear gone on the young fellow! And--a word in your ear, mister!--Zillah's been educated like a lady, and now that the old man's gone, Zillah'll have--ah! a fortune that 'ud make a n.i.g.g.e.r turn white! And no error about it! See it through, mister!"

"I'll see it through," said Purdie. "Now, then--these police. Look here--is there a good hotel in this neighbourhood?--I've all my traps in that taxi-cab downstairs--I drove straight here from the station, because I wanted to see Andie Lauriston at once."