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Updated: June 25, 2025
"A plain and a wide question, Mr. Levendale!" he answered, with a laugh. "I see that you are anxious to enlist my services. Evidently, you believe that I do know something. But you are not the owner of the diamond! Which of these gentlemen is?" Levendale made a half impatient gesture towards Stephen Purvis, who nodded at Yada but remained silent. "He is!" said Levendale, testily.
Levendale paused at this point of his story, and looked round the circle of attentive faces. He was quick to notice that two men were watching him with particularly close attention one was Ayscough, the other, the old solicitor. And as he resumed his account he glanced meaningly at Mr. Killick.
Multenius wasn't out of the shop at all yesterday afternoon I've made sure o' that fact from my cousin. He didn't find no book, gentlemen. It was brought there." Ayscough picked up one of the papers and turned to Melky and Lauriston. "Here!" he said. "We'll soon get some light on this. You two come with me we'll step round to Mr. Levendale."
They'd most likely been in here just before young Lauriston came in." "But where does Stephen Purvis come in then?" asked Mr. Penniket. "Can't say yet ," replied Ayscough, doubtfully. "But it may be that he and Levendale got an idea who the thieves were, and went off after them, and have got well, trapped, or, as John Purvis suggests, murdered. It's getting a nicer tangle than ever!"
Yada lifted his hands and began to check off points on the tips of his fingers. "Three items, then, Mr. Levendale," he replied cheerfully. "First the knowledge of who has got the diamond and the money. Second the knowledge of where he is at this moment, and will be for some hours. Third the knowledge of how you can successfully take him and recover your property.
Purdie learnt bit by bit that Levendale had made a great fortune in South Africa, that he had come home to England and gone into Parliament; that he was a widower and the father of two little girls he learnt, too, that the children's governess, Miss Elsie Bennett, a pretty and taking girl of twenty-two or three, had come with them from Cape Town.
Multenius appears to have come to his death by violence and I want to know if whoever took your book into his shop had anything to do with it." "Ah! however, I can't tell you any more," said Levendale. "Please see that my book's taken great care of and returned to me, sergeant. Good- morning." Outside, Ayscough consulted his watch and looked at his companions.
"Your brother's here!" said Purdie, who was standing by the window and keeping an eye on the street outside. "And Mr. Levendale with him hadn't you better have them straight in?" he went on, turning to the inspector. "They both look as if they'd things to tell." But Ayscough had already made for the door and within a moment was ushering in the new arrivals.
And Purdie was quick to note that the Levendale who entered, a sheaf of morning papers in his hand, was a vastly different Levendale to the man he had seen nine hours before, dirty, unkempt, and worn out with weariness.
"But you can do your talking to me. Again how much do you know in this matter?" "Enough to make it worth your while to negotiate with me," answered Yada. "Is that as plain as your question?" "It's what I expected," said Levendale. "You want to sell your knowledge." "Well?" assented Yada, "I am very sure you are willing to purchase."
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