FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161  
162   163   164   165   >>  
"Very well, then," said Jimmy. "It's only this: That necklace is a fraud. The diamonds aren't diamonds at all. They're paste!" CHAPTER XXVII A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE If Jimmy had entertained any doubts concerning the effectiveness of this disclosure, they would have vanished at the sight of the other's face. Just as the rich hues of a sunset pale slowly into an almost imperceptible green, so did the purple of Sir Thomas's cheeks become, in stages, first a dull red, then pink, and finally take on a uniform pallor. His mouth hung open. His attitude of righteous defiance had crumpled. Unsuspected creases appeared in his clothes. He had the appearance of one who has been caught in the machinery. Jimmy was a little puzzled. He had expected to check the enemy, to bring him to reason, but not to demolish him in this way. There was something in this which he did not understand. When Spike had handed him the stones, and his trained eye, after a moment's searching examination, had made him suspicious, and when, finally, a simple test had proved his suspicions correct, he was comfortably aware that, though found with the necklace on his person, he had knowledge, which, communicated to Sir Thomas, would serve him well. He knew that Lady Julia was not the sort of lady who would bear calmly the announcement that her treasured rope of diamonds was a fraud. He knew enough of her to know that she would demand another necklace, and see that she got it; and that Sir Thomas was not one of those generous and expansive natures which think nothing of an expenditure of twenty thousand pounds. This was the line of thought that had kept him cheerful during what might otherwise have been a trying interview. He was aware from the first that Sir Thomas would not believe in the purity of his motives; but he was convinced that the knight would be satisfied to secure his silence on the subject of the paste necklace at any price. He had looked forward to baffled rage, furious denunciation, and a dozen other expressions of emotion, but certainly not to collapse of this kind. The other had begun to make strange, gurgling noises. "Mind you," said Jimmy, "it's a very good imitation. I'll say that for it. I didn't suspect it till I had the thing in my hands. Looking at it--even quite close--I was taken in for a moment." Sir Thomas swallowed nervously. "How did you know?" he muttered. Again, Jimmy was surprised. He had e
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161  
162   163   164   165   >>  



Top keywords:
Thomas
 

necklace

 

diamonds

 
finally
 

moment

 

cheerful

 

thought

 

pounds

 

calmly

 

announcement


treasured

 
demand
 

expenditure

 
twenty
 
natures
 

expansive

 

generous

 

thousand

 

looked

 

suspect


imitation

 

noises

 

gurgling

 

muttered

 

surprised

 
nervously
 

swallowed

 

Looking

 

strange

 

secure


satisfied

 

silence

 
subject
 

knight

 

purity

 

motives

 

convinced

 

communicated

 

forward

 

emotion


collapse
 
expressions
 

baffled

 

furious

 

denunciation

 
interview
 

handed

 
slowly
 
imperceptible
 

sunset