| Show ibi pi CLOTHING I 1 by LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE WHEN THE CUSTOMS inspectors DISCOVER THAT MRS HAS BROUGHT IN A LOT OF IMITATION JEWELS THEY SUSPECT HER OF TRYING TO atay A SMUGGLING TRICK synopsis lydia craven triv cling as ancy carteret runs away from her anglish home to go to her fitly r thaddeus craven in new york whom she seen for five sears three days out on board the steamer alsatia she runs plump into craven making love to mrs Merrl lees a soung widow engaged to marry him liter craven explains his mister loua conduct and supposed bachelorhood by telling lydia he is a secret service agent in america she Is attacked at night and a box containing supposed valuable documents which he has given her to keep for him Is stolen this Is recovered for her by quoin an amateur detective when the party lands at new york lydia carrying the small box has no trouble passing the customs inspection when mrs Merrl lees declares a necklace the inspector tells her it Is worth about just an imitation ahls information astounds them and mrs raises a row CHAPTER X 11 the silence was short lived but while it lasted a power of scorn played like lightning round the demoted bead of the appraiser As tor lydia and peter who had just joined the group they gaped in open amazement while the inspector i looked sorry for charlie after lightning thunder remote maestoso are you mad ale io maam not a bit its nothing to me you know dont quibble it you julease I 1 want to know whether or not youre daft you know perfectly well that necklace Is worth ninety sixty thou sand dollars look at the 11 in ejector ep ector be good enough to show this person cottiers bill the appraiser examined the receipt with ostensible astonishment I 1 don t understand this maam be faltered nor 11 cottiers dont deal in imitations I 1 know he pursued with greater con all the same 11 inake my job that those are fish skin pearls paste brilliantz brilliants brilli ants and well the settings I 1 admit are genuine then your job la as good as lost I 1 shall file a complaint and have sou discharged for incompetence if you 11 birdon me I 1 dont believe you will mrs easy betty peter interposed perhaps hes right after all bo quiet peter hen I 1 want a our advice let iou know certainly I 1 ought to know when I 1 paid for that collar then you have been shamefully cheated mrs the inspector put in quite impossible I 1 know real gems from articles de paris and I 1 examined this necklace with the greit est care before I 1 purchased it since then it has never left this box which been out of my care an instant except when in the pursers safe im sorry but I 1 know what I 1 know if you re the judge ou think yourself maam I 1 can only suggest eliat you take this to the light and III lend you my glass thank you I 1 shant require it with a gesture of rage mrs merri lees snatched the case from tile ap pra hands and moved toward the patch of sunlight before she had readied it studying the collar atten on the wai lydia saw her alaci en pace and falter one short minute in that strong glare sufficed pale in alon she had previously been with ruath mrs returned 1 I owe you an apology she in formed the opp ralser in a shaking bolce its a palpable imitation alie box slipped from her grasp and w to the floor with a bump spilling its trashy contents and mrs lies flopped incontinently to a con trunk lydias ready arm round her shoulders but my dear 1 betty walled its perfectly preposterous the appraiser looked at once bored and dubious peter batted bewildered wil dered eyes then with a helpful air picked up the box and replaced its contents the inspector swung sharply round and made off w itar every evidence of inspired haste toward a distant quarter of tho pier let me think 1 mrs said in a stifled voice indenting her lower lp with a knuckle she fastened an ted stare on the tips of her mchoes lydia at a loss found nothing to say she coulden couldn t decently express too great concern over the disappear ance of something that bid been dedicated to her on her wedding day however remote that event yet she was bravely it unintelligibly distressed beneath her ready sympathy stirred a quam of peculiar uneasiness distracted by the of mens voices she looked up to find thai quoin had added himself to the graur and was studiously attending to pe tc e account of the counterfeit collar eyes met presently and lydic surprised b the bok he bent her a regard somehow faintly remi nascent of their parting subsequent to hei adventure of tho night before last she favored him with her shadowy enigmatic smile now vaguely tinted nith solicitude nodding briefly with a thoughtful air quoin returned his consideration to peter and the article de paris 1 I simply cannot understand it betty declared abandoning the puzzle as hopeless then catching sight of the detective she hailed him quoin do come here at once and immediately heedless of bystanders began to detail her perplexity la a high querulous voice after a moment or two lydia rose and joined peter poor dear 1 she said gently with a slight nod to correct any possible misconception as to the object of her sympathy im so sorry for her well said peter impressively of course betty can afford to lose these trinkets by the gross but granted she isn t faling its a pretty puzzle isn t it r aking lydia echoed resentfully ow dont get huffy please bett s a darling and everything like that but ashes got no conscientious scruples about smuggling none that soud notice and I 1 dont mind telling ou she above turning a trick like this acting up to it too ashes one wonderful soung comedienne if you dont know it turn a trick like this hat does that mean lydia demanded stiffly have her dog collar duplicated in pasta and fish scales substitute it for then you have been shamefully cheated mrs the tor put in the original article and pretend ashes been cockled e one clock mind sou I 1 don t say she has done that but tho little devil s got it in her I 1 don t bellev e ou I 1 there peter complained mw oure sore dian didn 11 tell i ou the other day the thing a could do was to tal e bilings seriously especially ally out loud burc lion id 1 the was childish but lidia t in a mood to search for one dignified she turned a frosty shoulder to tho young min but the seed of suspicion had been planted in the mind of one who forget how lightly bitty had confessed to prior exploits in the gentler omally art of smuggling and her laughing con that nothing but sheer w prevent her attempting again to outwit the custom house and even while this memory was troubling her the affair took a turn to fix doubt of betty firmly in lydias mind it began with the return of the in sp etor accompanied by alie custom house official in charge of the pier a middle aged man this one with a rither consequential manner gold rimmed a and a not unkindly expression mrs I 1 believe he asked with much urbanity mrs interrupted herscal abruptly to turn and examine the deputy with the eye of disfavor yes she asked brusquely the deputy introduced himself the inspector has just informed me of this cr unfortunate he pursued and I 1 thought I 1 might possibly be able to help straighten it out kind of you im sure but the tone of mrs Merrl lees completely be lied this statement bave you anything to propose if I 1 might hiye the privilege of word in private the deputy suggested blandly quoin made as it to withdraw walt please this Is mr quoin you may ha e heard of him who the deputy returned pleasantly proud to meet you sir mr quoin has kindly volunteered to help me in this outrage anything vou wish to say he may hear As you please madam but the glance of the deputy veered significant ly and lydia 0 o mrs Merrl lees insisted warmly you can have nothing to say that any of my friends may not hear then madam permit me to advise sou in all deference well it will save sou a great deal of trouble to produce the original collar pay the duty on it and quoin I 1 betty exclaimed in a tone of irritated perplexity what can this person mean quoin was silent 1 I dont mean the deputy pursued unabashed to but the inference Is unavoidable you are known to have purchased a valuable pearl collar in paris I 1 believe I 1 declared it 1 but upon examination you produce only a comparatively worthless imitation and assert that you have been robbed of the original 11 assert I 1 I 1 have asserted nothing mrs Merrl lees drew a long breath closed her teeth with a vindictive snap and reopened them to withering distinctness go aahl you are insolent you presume oh you annoy me I 1 do go before I 1 forget myself 1 we cant assess an imitation at the value of the real necklace of course and yet we know that the original Is coming into this country by this boat then permit me to recommend the other passengers to your attention well llo our best to overhaul them all I 1 promise you but if the goods don t turn ap pp TV 11 feel reluctantly compelled to make a thorough search pot only of your luggage but of yourself as well mrs Merrl lees quoin I 1 mrs Merrl lees appealed the investigator shook his head its too bad but I 1 really dont sed te be done about it these people have the power 0 o make bilings mighty unpleasant for you unless whit you too she hissed with vast dramatic expression no no quoin protested hastily don t misunderstand me I 1 m only afraid tint unless the necklace shows up have to submit very well a shrug of defiance mrs Merrl lees showed quoin in engra lous bick to the deputy slie added with blighting disdain go alicade and while you re finding noth ing in my trunks you may as well send for a female inspector to search me but evera one of sou will suffer for this or know the reason chyl im sorry madam but there much uneasiness in the deputy collector 8 man ner as lie signed to the inspector to do ills hateful duty the tin friends of mrs merillee Merr on tin othni hand were acutely uncomfortable for table quoin in disgrace final convinced that the deputy was right and consequently offid to meet betty eyes and lydia not only sore with misgivings but repelled by bettys attitude and this was the phase of the affair disclosed to craven when he bustled up with satisfaction hello people 1 im all clear had the deuce of n time the silly ass want cd to rook me for duds I 1 brought in as long ago as 1908 but the row this last was in a tone radically danged dunged and at the same instant his fiancee decided to acknowledge him on pip however rigidly she might elect to deny the rest of humanity so she unbent enough to beckon him with n bod and craven hurried on to get ills answer from the one roost con berned what is your solution of the mystery do you think that mrs trying to put over a trick ome mighty queer hap henings are described in the next installment TO BE CONTINUED |
