have placed sufficient confidence in this arab to give him a situation; but she kept her wonderment to herself, and permitted him to go. She was sorry to lose the benefit of his acute intelligence, but personally she had no great love for this scampish hunchback; so she saw him depart without displaying much sorrow. Thus Bolker vanished from the pawn-shop and from Carby's Crescent, and ascended into higher spheres.
Nothing new happened after his departure. The mandarin remained untouched on the shelf, and the dust collected over his motionless figure. Hagar quite forgot about the toy and its pawner; and it was only when Larky Bill was released from prison and came to claim his property that she recalled the incident. She took down the figure, dusted it carefully, and set it swaying on the counter before Mr. Smith. Neither Bill nor Hagar noticed that it did not roll as easily and gracefully as usual.
"Here's the quid and interest and ticket," said Bill, tendering all three. "I'm glad to get this 'ere back again. No one's touched it, 'ave they?"
"No. It has been on that shelf ever since you pawned it. Where have you been?"
Larky Bill grinned. "I've been stayin' at a country 'ouse of mine fur my' ealth's sake," he said, tucking the mandarin under his arm. "Say, missus, a cove called Monkey didn't come smellin' round 'ere fur this h'image?"
"Not that I know of. Nobody asked for the toy."
"Guess it's all right," chuckled Bill, gleefully. "Lord, to think as how I've done that bloke! Won't he cuss when he knows as I've got em!"
What "them" were Mr. Smith did not condescend to explain at that particular moment. He nodded familiarly to Hagar, and went off, still chuckling with the mandarin in charge. Hagar put away the money, and thought that she had seen the last of Bill; but she reckoned wrongly. Two hours afterwards he was back in the shop, mandarin and all, with a pale face, a wild eye, and a mouth full of abuse. At first he swore at large without giving any explanation; so Hagar waited till the bad language was ended, and then asked him quietly what was the matter. For answer Bill plumped down the Chinese toy on the counter, and clutched his fur cap with both hands.
"Matter, cuss you!" he shrieked, furiously--"as if ye didn't know! I've been robbed!"
"Robbed! What nonsense are you talking And what have I to do with your being robbed?"
Bill gasped, and pointed to the mandarin, who was rolling complacently, with a fat smile on his porcelain visage. "That--that doll!" he spluttered. "I've been robbed!"
"Of the doll?" asked Hagar, impatiently.
"Y' young Jezebel! Of the dimins--dimins!"
"Diamonds!" echoed the girl, starting back in astonishment.
"Yes! Y' know, hang you, y' know! Twenty thousan' pount of dimins! They was in that doll--inside 'im. They ain't there now! Why not? 'Cause you've robbed me! Thief! Yah!"
"I did not know that there were any jewels concealed in the mandarin," said Hagar, calmly. "Had I known I should have informed the police."
"Blown the gaff, would ye? An' why?"
"Because a man in your position does not possess diamonds, unless he steals them. And now I think of it," added Hagar, quickly, "about the time you pawned this toy Lady Deacey's jewels were stolen. You stole them!"
"P'raps I did, p'raps I didn't!" growled Bill, mentally cursing Hagar for the acuteness of her understanding. "'Tany rate, 'twarn't your biz to prig 'em!"
"I tell you I never touched them! I did not know they were in there!"
"Then who did, cuss you? When I guv you the doll, the dimins were inside; now they ain't. Who took 'em?"
Hagar pondered. It was certainly odd that the diamonds should have been stolen. She had placed the mandarin on the shelf on the day of its pawning, and had not removed it again until she had returned it to its owner. Seeing her silent, Bill turned the toy upside down, and re--moved a square morsel of the lacquer, which fitted in so perfectly as to seem like one whole piece. Within was the dark hollow of the ball---empty.
"I put them dimins into 'ere with my own 'and," persisted Bill, pointing one grimy finger at the gap; "they were 'ere when I popped it; they ain't 'ere now. Where are they? Who's bin playing with my property?"
"Bolker!" cried Hagar, without thinking. It had just flashed across her mind that one day she had found Bolker amusing himself with the mandarin. At the time she had thought nothing of it, but had replaced the toy on its shelf, and forbidden the lad to meddle with it. But now, recalling the episode, and connecting it with Bolker's sudden departure, she felt convinced that the imp had stolen the concealed jewels. But--as she wondered--how had he become cognizant that twenty thousands pounds' worth of diamonds was hidden in the hollow body of the doll? The thing puzzled her.
"Bolker?" echoed Larky Bill, wrathfully. "And who may that cuss be?"
"He was my shop-boy; but he left three months ago to better himself."
"I dessay! With my dimins, I'll bet. Where is he, that I may cut his bloomin' throat!"
"I shan't tell you," said Hagar, alarmed by the brutal threat of the man, and already regretting that she had been so candid.
"I'll make you! I'll twist your neck!" raged Bill, mad with anger.
He placed his great hands on the counter to vault over; but the next moment he dropped back before the shining tube of a neat little revolver, which leveled itself in Hagar's hands. She had lately purchased it for defense.
"I keep this always by me," said she, calmly, "to protect myself against such rogues as you!"
Bill stared at her blankly, then turned on his heel and left the shop. At the door he paused and shook his fist.
"I'll find that Bolker, and smash the life out of him!" he said, hoarsely; "then, my fine madam, I'll come back to lay you out!" after which he vanished, leaving the mandarin, with its eternal smile, still rocking on the counter.
Hagar put away the pistol, and took up the figure. Now that she knew about the diamonds, and had forced Bill to admit, as he had done indirectly, that they had been stolen from Lady Deacey, she thought it possible that the Chinese toy might belong to the same owner. In spite of her fearlessness, Hagar was not altogether happy in her mind as regards the burglar. If he did not find the diamonds, he was quite capable of returning to murder her. On the whole, Hagar concluded that it would be just as well for society at large, and herself in particular, if Mr. Smith were restored to the prison whence he had lately emerged. After some consideration she resolved to see Vark, the lawyer, and tell him the episode of the mandarin, taking the image with her as evidence. Vark, if anyone, would be able to deal with the intricacies of the affair.
In the meantime, Bill Smith had repaired to the public-house which guarded the narrow entrance to Carby's Crescent, and there was drowning his regrets in strong drink. As he drained his tankard of ale, he fell into conversation with the fat landlord--a brutal-looking prize-fighter, who looked as though he had been in jail--quite a bird of Mr. Smith's feather. These two congenial spirits recognized each other, and became friendly--so friendly, indeed, that Bill thought it a good opportunity to extract information regarding the whereabouts of Bolker. He was too wise to explain his reason for making these inquiries.
"That's a fine gal in the pawn-shop, hay!" said he, with a leer.
"Wot--'Agar? She's a plum, ain't she?--but
