The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-05-17
THE
GIFT OF THE
EMPEROR

sure! was only SOrry TO see you
didn't recognize him too"
took my handkerchief to my face.
Now that l thought of it there had
been something familiar in the old
mans gait as we'll as something rather
youthful for his apparent years. His
very beard seemed unconvincing now
that / recalled it in the light of this
horrible revelation. 1 looked up and
down the deck, but the old man was
nowhere to be seen.
THAT'S the worst of it," said RatfleS.
81 saw him go into the captains cabin
twenty minutes ago"
But what can have brought him?"
I cried miserably "Can it be Il coinci-
dence. Is it somebody else he's after?"
Rallies shook his head.
Hardly this time"
s'Ihen you think he's after you?"
''Fve been afraid of it for some
weeks"
yet there you stand"
what am to do? don't want to
swim for it before must. 1 begin to
wish I'd taken your advice, Bunny, and
eft the ship at Genoa. But I've not
the smallest doubt that Mac was
watching both ship and station till the
last moment That's why he ran 1t so
fine"
He took a cigarette and handed me
the case, but shook my head impa
tiently.
II still don't understand" said l.
'Why should he be after you? He
couldn't come all this way about
Jewel which was perfectly safe for all
he knew. What's your own theory?'
Simply that he's been on my track
for some time, probably ever since
friend Crawshay slipped clean through
his fingers last November. There have
been other indications. I am really
not unprepared for this. But it can
only be pure suspicion. I'll defy him
to bring anything home, and I'll defy
him to find the pearl. Theory, my dear
Bunny? l know how he's got here as
we'll as though I'd been inside that
Scotchman's skin, and 1 know what
he'll do next. He found out I'd gone
abroad and looked for motive. He
found out about Won Heumann and
his mission, and there was his motive
cut and dried. Great chance-to nab
me on new job altogether. But he
won't do 1t, Bunny. Mark my words.
he'll search the ship and search us all
when the loss is known, but he'll
search in vain. And there's the skipper
reckoning the whippersnapper to his
cabin The fat will be in the fire in
five m1nutes!'
Yet there was no conflagration, no
fuss no searching Of the passengers,
no whisper Of what had happened in
the air. Instead Of stir there was
portentous peace, and 1t was clear to
me that Raffles was not little dis
turbed at the Justification Of all his
predictions. There was something sin
lister in silence under such loss, and
the silence was sustained for hours,
during which Mackenzie never reap
peared But he was abroad during the
luncheon hour-he was in our cabin!
/ had left my book in Rallies berth
and in taking it after lunch l touched
the quilt. 1t was warm from the re-
cent pressure Of flesh and blood, and
on an instinct sprang to the venti
lator. AS opened it the ventilatol
0pposite closed with snap.
waylaid Raffies. "All right! Let
him find the pearl"
"Have you dumped it overboard?"
"That's question shan't conde
scend to answer"
He turned on his heel, and at subse
auent intervals l saw him making thu
most of his last afternoon with the In
evitable; Miss Werner. remember
that she looked both cool and smar
In Quite simple AFFAIR of brown hol
lard. which toned well with her com
piexion and was cleverly relieved witt
touches Of scarlet. quite admiret
her that afternoon, for her eyes wer
really very good and so were her teeth
! yet had never admired her more di
rectly In my own despite. for passes
them again and again in order to get
word with RafIles. to tell him knew
there was danger In the wind. But b