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"I don't care whether it was worth twenty-five thousand pounds or twenty- five thousand pennies!" retorted I. "It belonged to Lady Orstline not to you or your daughter or to me. I know that you are a skillful conjurer and I won't ask you how it found its way into my pocket. I am only glad I have had an opportunity of returning it to its owner." Mr. Parker shook his head ponderously.
"The necklace," I replied, as severely as I could, "is by this time on its way to Lady Orstline if it is not actually in her hands." "You mean to say you have sent it back?" Mr. Parker exclaimed incredulously. "Certainly!" I replied. "I posted it to her early this morning." Mr. Parker's expression was one of blank bewilderment.
Almost directly underneath us in the stalls Mr. Parker and Eve were sitting; and next Mr. Parker was a woman wearing a pearl necklace. I asked my sister her name. She raised her lorgnette and looked over the side of the box. "Lady Orstline," she told me. "Her husband is a South African millionaire." "Are those real pearls she is wearing?" I inquired. "My dear Paul," she laughed, "why not?
We seemed to lose ground in the confusion, for a moment or two later I noticed Lady Orstline standing outside the door, and my heart sank as I realized that her neck was bare. Almost at the same instant I saw her hand fly up and heard her voice. "My necklace!" she called out. "Policeman, don't let any one pass out! My necklace has been stolen my pearls!"
His lips were drawn closely together; his opera hat was well over his forehead; his eyes never left Mr. Parker. He looked to me there like a lean-faced rat preparing for its spring. I followed the exact direction of his steadfast gaze and I became cold with apprehension. Lady Orstline was just in front of me; by her side was Eve, and immediately behind her Mr.
I watched them at the opera house to-night. At the entrance they were both of them hustling Lady Orstline. As you may have heard, she cried out suddenly that her pearl necklace had been stolen. I rushed for these two, but by some means or other they got away.
The inspector dipped his pen in the ink. "What is your name?" he asked Mr. Parker. "Joseph H. Parker," was the reply. "I am an American citizen and this is my daughter. Mr. Cullen appears to be a person of observation. It is true we were at the opera. It is perfectly true we were within a few yards of Lady Orstline when she called out that her necklace was stolen.
I dare say it looked simple enough to you, but it was really quite a complicated business. Never mind, Eve has her pearls and that's the great thing." Then he thrust his hand into his trousers pocket and, without the least attempt at concealment, produced and plumped upon the table in front of him the pearl necklace which only a few minutes before I had seen upon the neck of Lady Orstline.
Parker or Eve, for neither of them left their places and they were in the middle of a row; but I took good care that we were close together in the vestibule toward the end. With a little shiver I saw that Lady Orstline was there too next Mr. Parker. I was a few feet behind them both, with my sister. I found myself watching almost feverishly.
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