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Van Koon?" asked Allerdyke, interrupting Fullaway's eloquence. "You've some theory?" "Well, I don't know about theory," answered Van Koon, "but I guess I've got some natural common sense. If Fullaway there thinks I'm suggesting that Delkin organized a grand conspiracy to rob James Allerdyke, Fullaway's wrong I'm not.
"What objection can you have?" Fullaway shook his head. "Oh, I don't know!" he said. "Except that it seems immaterial, and that I don't want to bother Delkin. I'm hoping that these jewels will be found, and that I'll be able to complete the transaction, and besides, I don't believe for one instant that Delkin would tell anybody. I only had two interviews with Delkin one at his hotel, one here.
He understood the affair was an entirely private and secret transaction." Mrs. Marlow suddenly raised her head, and spoke quickly. "You're forgetting something, Mr. Fullaway," she said. "You had a letter from Mr. Delkin confirming the provisional agreement, which was that he should have the first option of buying the Princess Nastirsevitch's jewels, then being brought by Mr.
And Fullaway pulled out his watch with an air of annoyance. "Too bad of Van Koon," he said. "Time's going, and I know Delkin lunches at two o'clock. Come on, Allerdyke," he continued, rising, "we'll go over to Delkin. If Van Koon comes, he'll find us. He's probably gone off with that other man, though he's an absent-minded chap in some things, and too much given to the affair of the moment.
Delkin, a Chicago man, whose only daughter is just about to marry an English nobleman. I knew that Mr. Delkin had a mind to give his daughter a really fine collection of jewels, and I went at once to him regarding the matter. In consequence of my interview with Mr. Delkin, I cabled to James Allerdyke on April 21st, saying "
What I am suggesting, and have been suggesting this last three days, is that Delkin should be asked a plain and simple question, which is this did he ever tell anybody of this proposed deal? If so whom did he tell? And if that isn't business," concluded Van Koon, "then I don't know business when I see it!" "What's your objection?" asked Allerdyke, looking across at Fullaway.
Van Koon," he said, "and as I'm James Allerdyke's cousin and his executor, I'm going to step round and see this Mr. Delkin at his hotel the Cecil, you said. It's no use trifling, Fullaway Delkin knew, and Mrs. Marlow now tells us his secretary knew. All right! my job is to see, in person, anybody who knew. Then, maybe, I myself shall get to know." Van Koon, too, rose.
There were three people here in England who knew that the jewels were on the way from Russia, in Mr. James Allerdyke's charge. Those three were this man Fullaway, his lady secretary, and Delkin, the Chicago millionaire! Now, then, Mr. Allerdyke how much, or what, do you know about any one of 'em?"
Come, now!" "Aye, but were they?" demanded Delkin, clapping his hands together with a smile of triumphantly suggestive doubt. "Were they? You don't know and the expert analysts don't know yet, and perhaps never will. I'll grant you that there's a strong probability that Ebers and the French maid were victims of the same murderer; but that doesn't prove that your cousin was.
And with his usual acuteness of perception he quickly separated the important from the momentarily unimportant. "You don't want to bother your head about what Mr. Delkin says just now, Mr. Allerdyke," he said, when Allerdyke had brought this story to an end. "Never mind his theories there may be a lot in 'em, and there mayn't be any more than his personal opinion in 'em.
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