第23章

"Please don't cry," he said gently, "you have borne up so bravely against this terrible blow; you must try and not let it overwhelm you."All her business-like calm had disappeared now she was that most distracting of all pictures of woman, a pretty girl overwhelmed with grief. She crouched curled upon the sofa, with shoulders heaving, sobbing as though her heart would break.

"Perhaps you would like me to leave you?" Desmond asked. "Let me ring for your friends... I am sure you would rather be alone!"She raised a tear-stained face to his, her long lashes glittering.

"No, no," she said, "don't go, don't go! I want your help. This is such a dark and dreadful business, more than I ever realized.

Oh, my poor daddy, my poor daddy!"

Again she hid her face in her hands and cried whilst Desmond stood erect by her aide, compassionate but very helpless.

After a little, she dabbed her eyes with a tiny square of cambric, and sitting up, surveyed the other.

"I must go to the Chief at once," she said, "it is most urgent.

Would you ring and ask the maid to telephone for a taxi?""I have one outside," answered Desmond. "But won't you tell me what has happened""Why," said Barbara, "it has only just dawned on me why our house was broken into last night and poor daddy so cruelly murdered!

Whoever robbed the house did not come after our poor little bits of silver or daddy's savings in the desk in the dining room. They came after something that I had!""And what was that" asked Desmond.

Then Barbara told him of her talk with Nur-el-Din in the dancer's dressing-room on the previous evening and of the package which Nur-el-Din had entrusted to her care.

"This terrible business put it completely out of my head," said Barbara. "In the presence of the police this morning, I looked over my bedroom and even searched my hand-bag which the police sent back to me this afternoon without finding that the burglars had stolen anything. It was only just now, when we were talking about our meeting in Nur-el-Din's room last night, that her little package suddenly flashed across my mind. And then I looked through my handbag again and convinced myself that it was not there.""But are you sure the police haven't taken it?""Absolutely certain," was the reply. "I remember perfectly what was in my hand-bag this morning when I went through it, and the same things are on that table over there now.""Do you know what was in this package!" said Desmond.

"Just a small silver box, oblong and quite plain, about so big,"she indicated the size with her hands, "about as large as a cigarette-box. Nur-el-Din said it was a treasured family possession of hers, and she was afraid of losing it as she traveled about so much. She asked me to say nothing about it and to keep it until the war was over or until she asked me for it.""Then," said Desmond, "this clears Nur-el-Din!""What do you mean," said Barbara, looking up.

"Simply that she wouldn't have broken into year place and killed your father in order to recover her own package...""But why on earth should Nur-el-Din be suspected of such a thing?""Have you heard nothing about this young lady from the Chief?""Nothing. I had not thought anything about her until daddy discovered an old friend in her last night and introduced me."The Chief's infernal caution again! thought Desmond, secretly admiring the care with which that remarkable man, in his own phrase, "sealed both ends of every connection.""If I'm to work with this girl," said Desmond to himself, "I'm going to have all the cards on the table here and now," so forthwith he told her of the Chief's suspicions of the dancer, the letter recommending her to Bellward found when the cheese merchant had been arrested, and lastly of the black hair which had been discovered on the thongs with which Barbara had been fastened.

"And now," Desmond concluded, "the very next thing we must do is to go to the Chief and tell him about this package of Nur-el-Din's that is missing." Barbara interposed quickly.

"It's no use your coming, " she said. "The Chief won't see you.

When he has sent a man on his mission, he refuses to see him again until the work has been done. If he wishes to send for you or communicate with you, he will. But it's useless for you to try and see him yourself. You can drop me at the office!"Desmond was inclined to agree with her on this point and said so.

"There is one thing especially that puzzles me, Miss Mackwayte,"Desmond observed as they drove westward again, "and that its, how anyone could have known about your having this box of Nur-el-Din's. Was there anybody else in the room when she gave you the package?""No," said Barbara:, "I don't think so. Wait a minute, though, Nur-el-Din's maid must have come in very shortly after for Iremember the opened the door when Captain Strangwise came to tell me daddy was waiting to take me home.""Do you remember if Nur-el-Din actually mentioned the package in the presence of the maid!""As far as I can recollect just as the maid opened the door to Captain Strangwise, Nur-el-Din was impressing on me again to take great care of the package. I don't think she actually mentioned the box but I remember her pointing at my bag where I had put the package.""The maid didn't see Nur-el-Din give you the box?""No, I'm sure of that. The room was empty save for us two. It was only just before Captain Strangwise knocked that I noticed Marie arranging Nur-el-Din's dresses. She must have come in afterwards without my seeing her.""Well then, this girl, Marie, didn't see the dancer give you the box but she heard her refer to it. Is that right?""Yes, and, of course, Captain Strangwise...""What about him?"

"He must have heard what Nur-el-Din was saying, too!"Desmond rubbed his chin.

"I say, you aren't going to implicate old Strangwise, too, are you?" he asked.

Barbara did not reflect his smile.

"He seems to know Nur-el-Din pretty well," she said, "and I'll tell you something else, that woman's afraid of your friend, the Captain!""What do you mean?" asked Desmond.