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He laid his fingers as though carelessly upon a small bronze ornament which reposed amongst others on a table by his side. If Mr. Lassen's fat and ugly hand should steal toward his pocket, Laverick was prepared to hurl the ornament at his head. "I am very sorry to hear you say that, Mr. Laverick," Lassen said slowly. "I hope very much that you will see your way clear to change your mind.
"To be an English Countess is dazzling, but I do think that I ought not to go on singing at Covent Garden." "To-morrow will be your last night," he reminded her. "I have asked Laverick and the dear little girl he is going to marry to come with me. Afterwards we must all have supper together." "How nice of you!" she exclaimed. "I don't know about that," Bellamy said, smiling.
One by one the young ladies of the chorus came out from the stage-door of the Universal, in most cases to be assisted into a waiting hansom or taxicab by an attendant cavalier. Laverick stood back in the shadows as much as possible, smiling now and then to himself at this, to him, somewhat novel way of spending the evening. Zoe was among the last to appear.
"I can see no reason whatever," Laverick answered, "why I should take you into my confidence as to how much I know and how much I do not know. I wish you good afternoon, Mr. Lassen! I shall be ready to wait upon Mademoiselle Idiale at any time she sends for me.
It certainly seemed probable. Even at that moment she touched her escort upon the arm, and he distinctly looked across at Laverick. It was obvious that he was the subject of her conversation. "I know the man," Laverick said. "He was at Harrow with me, and I have played cricket with him since. But I have certainly never met Mademoiselle Idiale. One does not forget that sort of person."
Curiously enough, the gleam of terror which Laverick caught in his white face reminded him of a similar look which he had seen in Morrison's eyes barely an hour ago. To gain time, Laverick moved across the room, took a cigarette from a box and lit it. A conviction was forming itself in his mind.
The waiter came forward and refilled them. "Bellamy," Laverick continued, "your career and mine lie far apart, and yet, at their backbone, as there is at the backbone of every man's life, there must be something of the same sort of ambition. My grandfather lived and died a member of the Stock Exchange, honored and well thought of. My father followed in his footsteps. I, too, was there.
Heaven knows how you found the pluck to use the money! But you did it, and you are a criminal a criminal as I am. Don't be a fool, Laverick. Make terms with these people. They want the document the document nothing but the document! They will let us keep the money." "And you?" Laverick asked, turning suddenly to Zoe. "What do you say about all this?" She looked at him fearlessly.
"I think that if I leave you with the contents of your safe, it will be wise for you to hand me that document." "I am inclined to do so," Laverick admitted. "The very fact that you knew of its existence would seem to give you a sort of claim to it. But, Mademoiselle Idiale, will you answer me a few questions?" "I think," she said, "that it would be better if you asked me none."
"My name is Stephen Laverick," he admitted. "I understood that I should find Mr. Arthur Morrison here." "Yes," the girl answered, "he sent for you. The note was from him. He is here." She made no movement to summon him. She still stood, in fact, with her back to the door. Laverick was distinctly puzzled.
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