Access every chapter of Economics 6th Edition Hubbard Test Bank with a fast PDF download.
Access every chapter of Economics 6th Edition Hubbard Test Bank with a fast PDF download.
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-6th-edition-hubbard-
solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/essentials-of-economics-6th-edition-
hubbard-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/essentials-of-economics-6th-edition-
hubbard-solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-3rd-edition-hubbard-test-
bank/
Economics 7th Edition Hubbard Test Bank
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-7th-edition-hubbard-test-
bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-4th-edition-hubbard-test-
bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-5th-edition-hubbard-test-
bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-2nd-edition-hubbard-test-
bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/macroeconomics-6th-edition-hubbard-
test-bank/
Economics 2017 (Hubbard/O'Brien)
Chapter 7 The Economics of Health Care
1) Over the past 160 years in the United States, life expectancy
A) has remained fairly constant.
B) has slightly declined.
C) has more than doubled.
D) increased up to the 1950s and then declined for the next 60 years.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
1
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
4) In the United States, doctors and hospitals that provide most health care are
A) primarily private firms.
B) primarily employed by the government.
C) split evenly between private firms and employed by the government.
D) 100 percent employed by the government.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
5) Between 1981 and 2013, the overall mortality rate in the United States
A) decreased by more than 25 percent.
B) slowly but steadily increased.
C) remained fairly constant.
D) was similar to the average rate in most low-income countries.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
2
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
7) In the United States from 1981 to 2013, deaths from all of the following declined substantially
except
A) cancer.
B) kidney disease.
C) heart attacks.
D) strokes.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
8) In the United States from 1981 to 2013, deaths from diabetes increased largely due to the
effects of
A) foreign-produced insulin.
B) stress in the workplace.
C) a larger immigrant population.
D) increasing obesity.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
9) The overall decline in death rates in the United States since 1981 was due to all of the
following except
A) a decline in smoking.
B) the decline in the population.
C) the availability of new prescription drugs.
D) new surgical techniques.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
3
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
10) Better health allows people to work harder, which raises a country's total income. This
indicates that in effect, better health
A) is a primary cause of price increases.
B) reduces the incentive to work.
C) shifts out a country's production possibilities frontier.
D) increases consumer surplus.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
11) In 2015, the average life expectancy at birth in the United Kingdom and other high-income
countries was around ________ years.
A) 60
B) 70
C) 80
D) 90
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218/148
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
12) In 2015, infant mortality in the United States was ________ per 1,000 live births.
A) 6.2
B) 45.4
C) 82.7
D) 228.9
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
4
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
13) On average, people in low-income countries ________ than people in high-income countries.
A) have a longer life expectancy
B) are subject to a lower infant mortality rate
C) are shorter
D) are exposed to fewer severe diseases
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218/148
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
14) In 2015, the average height of adult males in the United States was
A) 5' 7.0".
B) 5' 9.5".
C) 6' 0.0".
D) 6' 4.75".
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218/148
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
15) Between 1981 and 2013, deaths from kidney disease increased largely due to the effects of
A) increasing obesity.
B) increasing alcohol consumption.
C) increased smoking.
D) increased pollution.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
5
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
16) In the United States since 1900, life expectancy at birth has ________ and the death rate has
________.
A) increased; increased
B) increased; decreased
C) decreased; increased
D) decreased; decreased
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220/150
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
17) In the United States from 1981 to 2013, deaths from which of the following increased?
A) cancer
B) kidney disease
C) heart attacks
D) strokes
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
18) In the United States from 1981 to 2013, deaths from ________ increased largely due to the
effects of increasing obesity.
A) strokes
B) cancer
C) heart attacks
D) diabetes
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
6
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
19) Which of the following did not contributed to the overall decline in death rates in the United
States since 1981?
A) a decline in smoking
B) the decline in the population
C) the availability of new prescription drugs
D) new surgical techniques
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
20) Health problems prevent people from working harder, which can lower a country's total
income. This indicates that in effect, health problems
A) are a primary cause of price decreases.
B) increase the incentive to work.
C) shift a country's production possibilities frontier inward.
D) decrease consumer surplus.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220/150
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
21) Changes in the health of the average person are an important indicator of changes in the
standard of living.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
22) The overall mortality rate in the United States has remained fairly constant for the past 30
years.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
7
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
23) Life expectancy at birth in the United States has more than doubled since 1850.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
24) Between 1981 and 2013, deaths from cancer have increased in the United States.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
25) Changes in the health of the average person are relatively unimportant as an indicator of
changes in the standard of living.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 218/148
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
26) Since 1981, deaths from cardiovascular diseases have decreased in the United States.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
27) The overall mortality rate in the United States has declined for the past 30 years.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
8
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
28) Over time, people in the United States and other high-income countries have, on average,
become taller, which is an indication that their nutritional status has improved.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 220/150
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
29) How can changes over time of the average height of the people in a country help to indicate
the standard of living in a country?
Answer: A person's height partly relies on nutritional status, which depends on a person's food
intake relative to the work the person has to perform, whether the person is able to remain warm
in cold weather, and the diseases to which the person is exposed. Height, then, can be used as a
measure of health and well-being, and therefore a measure of the standard of living.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 218
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
9
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
31) Briefly describe the most important differences between the market for health care and the
market for other goods and services.
Answer: Doctors and hospitals that supply most health care are primarily private firms, as is true
in the market for other goods and services, but with health care, the government also provides
some services directly through the Veterans Health Administration, and indirectly through
Medicare and Medicaid. In the market for other goods and services, consumers pay the full
market price, but in the market for health care, a typical consumer does not pay the full price
because of health insurance.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 219
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
32) Briefly describe changes in life expectancy, average height, and infant mortality in the
United States since 1850.
Answer: Life expectancy has increased from 38.3 years in 1850 to 79.6 years in 2015. The
average height of adult males has increased from 5'7" in 1850 to 5'9.5" in 2015. Infant mortality
has dropped from 228.9 per 1,000 live births in 1850 to 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2015.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
10
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
34) Explain why the rates of death due to kidney disease and diabetes have slightly increased in
the United States since 1981.
Answer: An increase in obesity is generally believed to be the cause of the increase in death
rates for kidney disease and diabetes since 1981.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 219/149
Topic: Health in the United States
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-19: Explain the concept of efficiency in the economy and obstacles to
achieving it
AACSB: Analytical thinking
1) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of people with private health insurance was about
A) 17%.
B) 29%.
C) 74%.
D) 83%.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
2) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of people without any form of health insurance
was about
A) 10%.
B) 29%.
C) 64%.
D) 83%.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
11
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
3) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of people who received health insurance through
a government program was about
A) 10%.
B) 16%.
C) 36%.
D) 64%.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
4) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of firms that employed more than 200 workers
and offered health insurance as a fringe benefit to the workers was about
A) 29%.
B) 42%.
C) 61%.
D) 98%.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
5) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of firms that employed between 3 and 199
workers and offered health insurance as a fringe benefit to the workers was about
A) 29%.
B) 42%.
C) 54%.
D) 98%.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
12
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
6) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of people that directly purchased an individual or
family health insurance policy from an insurance company was about
A) 2%.
B) 15%.
C) 17%.
D) 26%.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
7) A contract under which a buyer agrees to make payments in exchange for the provider
agreeing to pay some or all of the buyer's medical bills is referred to as
A) a fee-for-service plan.
B) the Affordable Care Act.
C) a deductible.
D) health insurance.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
13
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
9) In the United States in 2014, about seventy percent of those who were not covered by health
insurance
A) are single and unemployed.
B) live in families in which at least one member has a job.
C) live in families in which all members are unemployed.
D) are retired from the workforce.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
10) In the United States in 2014, of those companies employing more than 200 workers that offer
health care to those workers, ________ of employees accept the coverage.
A) about 10 percent
B) roughly 36 percent
C) fewer than two-thirds
D) almost 98 percent
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
11) Health insurance plans which typically reimburse doctors mainly by paying a flat fee per
patient are known as
A) fee-for-service plans.
B) preferred provider organizations.
C) single-health-payer systems.
D) health maintenance organizations.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
AACSB: Analytical thinking
14
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
12) The health care system in Canada is referred to as ________, and is a system in which the
government provides national health insurance to all Canadian residents.
A) an out-of-pocket system
B) a single-payer health care system
C) a universal health insurance system
D) socialized medicine
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-5: List ways in which governments intervene in markets and explain
the consequences of such intervention
AACSB: Analytical thinking
13) The health care system in Japan is referred to as ________, under which every resident of
Japan is required to enroll in either a private, or the government-provided, health insurance
program.
A) an out-of-pocket system
B) a single-payer health care system
C) a universal health insurance system
D) socialized medicine
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-5: List ways in which governments intervene in markets and explain
the consequences of such intervention
AACSB: Analytical thinking
14) The health care system in the United Kingdom is referred to as ________, under which the
government owns most of the hospitals and employs most of the doctors.
A) an out-of-pocket system
B) a single-payer health care system
C) a universal health insurance system
D) socialized medicine
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-5: List ways in which governments intervene in markets and explain
the consequences of such intervention
AACSB: Analytical thinking
15
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
15) Most doctors and hospitals operate as private businesses in all of the following countries
except
A) Canada.
B) Japan.
C) the United Kingdom.
D) the United States.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
16) Health insurance typically pays for most preventive care procedures in all of the following
countries except
A) Canada.
B) Japan.
C) the United Kingdom.
D) the United States.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
17) In which of the following countries are substantial co-payments typically required as a part
of the health care system?
A) Canada and the United States
B) Japan and Canada.
C) the United States and Japan
D) the United States and the United Kingdom
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
16
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
18) The largest government-run health care system in the world, with 1.7 million employees, is
in
A) Canada.
B) Japan.
C) the United Kingdom.
D) the United States.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-23: Discuss the economics of public goods and common resources
19) Typically, the higher the level of income per person in a country, the higher the level of
spending per person on health care. This relationship between income and spending indicates
that health care is a
A) normal good.
B) inferior good.
C) luxury.
D) necessity.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-4: Explain how supply and demand function in competitive markets
AACSB: Analytical thinking
20) In the United States, health care spending per person based on income per person is
________ the average for most other countries.
A) slightly lower than
B) significantly higher than
C) significantly lower than
D) comparable to
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-11: Explain how to measure consumer preferences and discuss the
major theories about consumer choice
AACSB: Analytical thinking
17
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
21) Of the following high-income countries, which has the lowest life expectancy at birth?
A) Canada
B) Japan
C) the United Kingdom
D) the United States
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 224-225
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
22) Of the following high-income countries, which has the highest infant mortality rate?
A) Canada
B) Japan
C) the United Kingdom
D) the United States
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 224-225
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
23) Of the following high-income countries, which has the lowest mortality ratio for cancer?
A) Canada
B) Japan
C) the United Kingdom
D) the United States
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 224-225
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
18
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
24) Of the following high-income countries, which has the highest number of CT scanners per 1
million population?
A) Canada
B) Japan
C) the United Kingdom
D) the United States
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 224-225
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
25) Of the following high-income countries, which has the lowest number of MRI units per 1
million population?
A) Canada
B) Japan
C) the United Kingdom
D) the United States
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 224-225
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
26) The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that ________ fastest-growing occupations
over the next 10 years will be in health care.
A) over 95 percent of the
B) less than 2 of the 10
C) 13 of the 20
D) just under half of the
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 222-223
Topic: Health Care Around the World
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
Special Feature: Making the Connection: The Increasing Importance of Health Care in the U.S.
Economy
19
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
27) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of people who received health insurance through
their employer was about
A) 15%.
B) 36%.
C) 55%.
D) 83%.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221/151
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
28) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of people with some form of health insurance
was about
A) 10%.
B) 36%.
C) 55%.
D) 90%.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221/151
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
29) In the United States in 2014, the percentage of firms that employed more than 200 workers
and did not offer health insurance as a fringe benefit to the workers was about
A) 2%.
B) 29%.
C) 44%.
D) 98%.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 221/151
Topic: Health Care Around the World
*: Recurring
Learning Outcome: Micro-1: Identify the basic principles of economics and explain how to
think like an economist
20
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
CHAPTER VI
THE CRY IN THE NIGHT
Lady Margaret Cheyne awoke suddenly.
As Cleek had surmised, left to herself, she would have slept on
undisturbed for hours, but the sharp sound of opening and closing
doors, the buzz of voices, and blaze of light, caused the forget-me-
not blue eyes to open and stare dazedly round her. For the moment
she thought she was back in the seclusion of the convent.
"Am I late, sister?" she murmured drowsily. Then as she grew wider
awake, the recollection of the events of the last hours swept over
her, and with this came the memory of her journey, and all the
misery that it had entailed. With a little cry, half mental pain, half
physical tiredness, she started up, and her eyes fell on the figure of
the Honourable Miss Cheyne, who stood at the side of the chair, a
lamp in hand, looking anxiously down at her.
"Auntie," cried the girl joyfully, and grasping at the hand put out to
her, she remembered only just in time not to kiss her aunt, for Miss
Cheyne had invariably hated caresses.
"Oh, you are back at last. I missed you at the station——"
"So I should think, my dear," said Miss Cheyne, grimly. "I've had the
servants looking for you, such lazy devils as they are, gobblers all of
them. I've been looking for you, and I find you here all the time. I
want to know who the person was who brought you." She finished
as she turned to put the lamp down on a table.
"I don't know who he is, except that his name is Lieutenant Deland,"
cried Lady Margaret, "and that he is a friend of a lady who was on
the boat, Miss Ailsa Lorne, who was so good to me. Oh, Auntie, I
was so sick. I shall never go back again. I simple couldn't go
through it."
"No, no, you shan't, my dear," said Miss Cheyne, almost amiably for
her, "you shall have a good time over here, but now you are tired
out, and must get to bed. I don't keep any servants, so you'll have
to set to, and do for yourself—the lazy good-for-noughts, they eat
you out of house and home! John shall get you something to eat
and drink, my dear, and then to-morrow we'll have the house to
ourselves."
Lady Margaret was too tired to argue, even if she had thought of so
doing, and she knew of her aunt's parsimonious habits.
She certainly did not like the look of John, who leered into her face
as he brought a glass of what was presumably lemonade and a plate
of thickly cut bread and butter, which she could not touch. She was
thirsty, however, and carried the glass quickly to her lips, only to be
put down with a shudder as she detected the flavour of strong spirit.
"I don't think I want anything, Auntie, after all, only just to go to
bed."
"Nonsense, my girl, you drink it up sharp," was the response. "You'll
catch your death of cold driving about with strange men at night.
Come, down with it."
"Better hurry up," said John, significantly, and even Lady Margaret's
tired mind took in the strangeness of the remark coming as it did
from her aunt's butler.
With a little puzzled frown, the girl took a long gulp of the liquid,
then fled up the staircase, pausing at the first landing only long
enough to pick up a candle.
"Good-night, Auntie," she called down to the bejewelled and rouged
figure standing at the bottom. "I'll be better to-morrow."
With a little nod she vanished, and the listeners heard her light
footfall on the bare staircase of the second flight. A moment later
there came the click of a door shut to. Lady Margaret had retired for
the night.
A sigh of relief came from Miss Cheyne's lips and she met the
peculiar look of her servant with one equally significant.
"Send Aggie up to her," she commanded, "and don't forget to lock
her in."
With this remark she turned on her high-heeled shoes, and minced
painfully back to the dining room.
Whether it was the effects of her journey, or what was more likely
the strong spirit in the lemonade, Lady Margaret slept as soundly as
the proverbial top till close on mid-day, when she was awakened by
the rough entry of the person designated as "Aggie."
She was a queer-looking maid, Lady Margaret thought to herself,
with rough, unkept hair, and strangely roughened and stained
fingers.
She did not like the way the woman looked at her as she banged on
the table a cup of weak tea and some thick slices of bread and
butter.
"Here you are, Miss—yer ladyship, I mean," she said in harsh
cockney tones which made Lady Margaret wince unconsciously,
accustomed as she was to the soft, pure French of the good nuns at
Notre Dame. "An' the quicker you gets up and attends to yerself, the
better I shall like it," the woman continued, muttering more to
herself than to the girl. "It's a bit more than I bargained for."
"That will do very well. I shall not require anything more, and please
tell my aunt I shall be with her directly."
"I don't doubt you will," responded the blunt Aggie in a rather
surprising manner, then without another word she swung on her
heel, and stalked out of the room, banging the door behind her.
"What an awful creature," said Lady Margaret as she jumped lightly
out of her bed. "I shall get Auntie to discharge her very soon. Oh, I
am so thankful to be home," and she ran lightly to the window and
looked out. With all the resilience of youth, she seemed a different
being this morning from the worn-out, fragile child who had been
driven home last night by Lieutenant Deland.
A few minutes later she ran lightly down the staircase and into the
dining room where she found the Honourable Miss Cheyne deeply
absorbed in the morning newspapers.
She greeted her niece a little gruffly, but knowing her eccentric
ways, Lady Margaret took but scant notice. It was not long,
however, before she realized that her future life was not to be
entirely a bed of roses.
"I am going over to see Miss Lorne to-day, Auntie," she said
presently, "and to thank her for getting me out of my difficulties."
"Got us into them, you mean," snapped Miss Cheyne angrily. "She's
a designing adventuress trying to scrape acquaintance with you, so
that she can say she is a friend of Lady Margaret Cheyne! Oh, I
know the breed, she and her blessed accomplice, Beland, or Deland,
or whatever his name is, they were probably on the watch for you,
and managed to carry you off before I arrived on the scene. I forbid
you even to mention their names again, much less speak to them."
"Oh, Auntie!" pleaded poor Lady Margaret, her bright young face
clouding at this unexpected ban on a friendship to which she had
looked forward with such pleasure. "I am sure you are mistaken, and
Miss Lorne said that she was coming to see you to-day and explain
——"
"Well, if she has the impertinence to come here," snapped Miss
Cheyne angrily, "she will not be admitted. Don't you dare to argue
with me, child, or back to school you'll go. I'm not going to have you
drive about with strange men just as you like, so don't you think it
——"
"I told you last night how it happened," responded Lady Margaret in
a little gust of impatience. "I slept in the car all the time till I got
here. I don't know what I should have done had it not been for Miss
Lorne, anyway, and especially on board ship."
Miss Cheyne's thin lips set in a straight, grim line. "Well, the best
thing you can do is to forget her, or else send her some money,
probably she'll value that more," she retorted with heat, shaking a
finger in the girl's face. "Don't forget you have something more
important to think of than designing minxes and pert Lieutenants, if
he is really a genuine officer, which I doubt. Anyhow, I shall take you
up to town next week out of their reach, for one thing, and for
another to celebrate your coming of age. Then you will have all the
Cheyne jewels, don't forget that——"
Lady Margaret was young enough and human enough to forget
temporarily her grief for Miss Lorne's rejected friendship in the idea
of seeing, to say nothing of wearing, the famous treasures of her
family.
"Oh, Auntie!" she cried. "I had forgotten them, are you really going
to let me see them?"
"You shall do more than that, my dear," replied her aunt almost
amiably, "you shall wear them. I mean to have you presented at
Court, and you will certainly have to wear some jewellery then. I
don't suppose you know anything about the pieces themselves. I
myself have forgotten——"
"Oh, yes, I do," said Lady Margaret, "don't you remember the list
father gave me in his last letter, in case there was any trouble? I
don't remember all of them, but I know there were three strings of
pearls, a big diamond necklace and tiara, ever so many rings, and of
course the Purple Emperor!"
"Oh, yes, I had not forgotten that," said Miss Cheyne drily. "It is
something one is not likely to forget."
"But I don't think there's any need to have that out, Auntie; do
you?" asked Lady Margaret with a little tremor of fear in her voice.
"It's not particularly beautiful. In fact, I don't suppose it looks much
different from an amethyst, and father used to say it was best at the
bottom of the sea."
"That's because he knew no better and spoke like a fool," snapped
Miss Cheyne, her voice quivering with excitement, and as the girl
looked up at her, she saw a face that was changed out of all
recognition, distorted as it was with avarice and envy. "I want them
all, I tell you—all! They ought to have been mine and I want to see
them before I die. Do you hear me?"
"Oh, of course, Aunt Marion," said Lady Margaret, astonished at the
unexpected outburst. "You can have them and wear them, too. I
shan't want them, that is, until——" she broke off, her face
crimsoning.
"Until what, pray?" demanded Miss Cheyne, sharply, switching round
and looking at her.
"Until—well, until I get married. I meant to have told you before
long, but I am going to be married some day to Sir Edgar Brenton
——" She paused as if waiting for another outburst, but to her
intense amazement Miss Cheyne only laughed.
"Marry, well, so you shall, my dear, if you want to, and your jewels
will be a good wedding present." She gave a little chuckle which
mystified the girl still further.
"Meanwhile," went on Miss Cheyne, as if to change the subject to
other things, "you had better get upstairs and unpack your boxes.
Don't expect Aggie to help you, she has enough to do downstairs."
"Oh, I don't want Aggie's help," responded Lady Margaret quickly
with a wry little smile. "She wasn't exactly charming, and I must say
I don't quite like the look of her. Can't you get rid of her, Aunt? I'm
sure she is not honest, and that man, too. If we are going to have
the Cheyne jewels here——"
"We are," snapped Miss Cheyne, "and don't you trouble your head
about what doesn't concern you, my dear. You leave John and Aggie
alone. I'll settle them."
Lady Margaret said no more but ascended to her room, thinking in
her innermost heart of many things. She could only dimly remember
her aunt when she had been allowed to spend her holidays at
Cheyne Court, but she knew she was eccentric, and because she
herself had been jilted in her youth hated all men.
Still she did not mean to be made a prisoner of. She was determined
to visit not only Miss Lorne, to whom she had been undeniably
attracted, but also, and this she considered far more important, Lady
Brenton, the mother of the man she had pledged herself to marry in
those stolen interviews under the walls of Notre Dame.
Thanks to Miss Cheyne's many requests, Lady Margaret had little
time to pay visits or write letters that day, and when night did fall,
she was glad to crawl into bed and sleep the sleep of youth and
healthy fatigue.
She slept soundly for hours, but all at once she was rudely
awakened. From the depths below that supposedly sleeping
household came a queer bumping noise, and it seemed to the
terrified girl, as she sat up in bed, that the very house was being
torn to pieces.
Conquering her natural fears she rose, and donning a dressing
gown, unconsciously tried the handle of her door.
To her amazement it was locked on the outside, locked! She was a
prisoner in her own house!
Burglars were Lady Margaret's first thought, and she pulled
vigorously at the door. At first it resisted, but to her delight the old
lock, rotten with age, gave way under her vigorous onslaught. A
second later she was descending the staircase, bent on rousing Miss
Cheyne or obtaining assistance.
She had reached the bottom of the first flight, amid complete
silence, and for a moment she thought she had heard the sounds
only in her dream.
But at the head of the stairs she stood hesitating when from all
around her came a sound as of a soul in agony, a horrible moaning
cry that chilled her very heart. Startled and terrified she gave a
shriek, and losing her balance, came hurtling down the shallow
staircase. Her slim ankle was twisted under her, and she lay there for
some time, a little, moaning, writhing heap.
When Lady Margaret awoke to consciousness, it was to find herself
once more in her own room, with Aggie, the pert serving maid,
bending anxiously over her.
"What was it?" she cried out, clutching feverishly at the grimy, toil-
worn hand of the girl. "Oh, what was it? Didn't you hear it?" She
struggled to get up, but sank back with a moan at the pain in her
ankle.
"Hear what? Lawks o'mussy, but you gave us all a turn, Miss—yer
ladyship," said the woman roughly.
"But the horrible noise!" shuddered the girl.
"That? Why, it was one of the dogs. There's a dog ill down in the
cellar and that's what you heard," retorted Aggie. "A nice twist
you've given this ankle of yours. It's a good job; Auntie—the
mistress—I mean, knows something about sprains."
"Does she?" asked the girl wearily, her mind still bent on the horrible
sound. Appallingly human it was; no dog could have screamed like
that, she felt sure. It was the hurt cry of a human being in pain.
"Yes, you bet, and here she is." Aggie relinquished her place,
apparently only too gladly, to Miss Cheyne, who appeared with
lotions and bandages, and literally took possession of the patient.
Her long, slender fingers manipulated the swollen ankle with the
experience and precision of a trained hand.
"Now, my lady, you'll just have to be still and patient," she said
grimly. To Lady Margaret it seemed as if this eccentric relative were
by no means ill-pleased at the catastrophe which had overtaken her
niece.
"I thought it was burglars, Aunt Marion," said the girl, as Miss
Cheyne's eye fell on the splintered lock, "and that reminds me, I was
locked in——Did you know that? You won't dare to keep that woman
now——"
"You go off to sleep, and I'll inquire into it," was all Miss Cheyne
would say, and with that the girl was obliged to rest content. But
when she fell into an uneasy sleep, it was with the profound
intention to ask Edgar Brenton's advice at the earliest opportunity.
A sprained ankle is not a dangerous occurrence, but it is sufficiently
painful and depressing to be worthy of more anxiety than was
expended over Lady Margaret.
Rendered practically a prisoner she had only to rely on such books
and magazines as Miss Cheyne brought up to her and the days
passed very slowly indeed.
She wrote letters to Sir Edgar and to Miss Lorne, bribing Aggie with
such coins as she possessed to post them, unknown to her aunt.
No answer came to them, though Aggie swore that they had been
sent to the post, and later the girl was not surprised to find them in
the possession of Miss Cheyne, opened and mutilated.
At intervals she heard the dull, distant moans, but had schooled
herself to believe Aggie's statement.
On the first day that she could walk about her room she was almost
hysterical with delight.
For once, too, Miss Cheyne relaxed her firm manner.
"I suppose you know what to-morrow is, my dear," she said, looking
almost furtively at her niece.
Lady Margaret thought a moment, then gave a little cry of delight.
"Why, it's my birthday, of course, and I'm eighteen."
"Yes, and what is just as important," said Miss Cheyne, "you are the
owner of the Cheyne jewels. We're going up to town in the morning
to bring them back."
"Bring them all here?" cried Lady Margaret, startled at the odd look
in the black, flashing old eyes. "Do you think it safe enough? Thieves
might break in. Why not leave them, at least some of them, where
they are, Aunt Marion. It is safer, surely!"
"Because I want them. I want to see them," Miss Cheyne snapped
ferociously. "I'm curious, you know, more curious than you are. And
I mean to have them here."
"Just as you like, Aunt. I want to see them, too, only I was thinking
of the danger."
"There is no danger. I am having special safes made for them
downstairs," said Miss Cheyne. "If you have them here you can wear
them whenever you like without having to go up to those thieving
lawyers every time you happen to want them."
Lady Margaret agreed, but deep down in her own mind she felt that
she would prefer to leave the Cheyne jewels in the safe custody of
Messrs. Shallcott, Woodward & Company in London. On the other
hand, she had gained an unspoken victory in regard to her future
marriage.
Indeed it seemed to her as if Miss Cheyne had but one obsession: to
see the Cheyne Court jewels. Her inexplicable antipathy even against
Ailsa Lorne seemed to have died a natural death. When Lady
Margaret, albeit a trifle timidly, ventured to hint at a visit to her
newly found friend, Miss Cheyne said pleasantly enough:
"Yes, if you like my dear, after we come back from London, then
there is no reason at all why you should not see your friends."
To say that this lifted a load off the girl's mind, is to express the
matter in the mildest terms imaginable. Her failure to hear either
from Lady Brenton or her lover, as well as from Ailsa Lorne herself,
had filled Lady Margaret's mind with strange forebodings. She
almost felt that she would be willing to lose every stone among the
heirlooms if her aunt could be made so much pleasanter to live with.
And downstairs, Miss Cheyne said aloud with a queer little chuckle,
when the girl had left the room:
"See your friends? So you shall, my dear. After we come back!"
CHAPTER VII
IN THE TIGER'S CLUTCHES
Despite the mysterious fact that the Honourable Miss Cheyne's photo
had been found in the dirty little shop in Crown Court, Drury Lane,
Cleek could find no visible connection between it and the fact of the
murder. Its presence was also speedily accounted for, owing to the
information garrulously volunteered by Mrs. Malone. It appeared
that "Madame" had been in the service of the Honourable Miss
Cheyne. "Hupper 'ousemaid, she were," said that lady, "and when
she left to get married, the mistress gave her half-a-crown and her
photo to remind her wot a fool she was to do it. 'Er very own words,
sir, not but what she wasn't 'appy enough—— Still, it's a man wot's
killed 'er, so the old girl wasn't far out."
"How do you know that?" asked Cleek, to whom she was talking at
the time.
Mrs. Malone bit her lip.
"Stands to reason it was so, sir. I'll not be speaking the black word
against anybody, but sure an' I belave I know the man what did it
——"
"What's that? What do you mean?"
"Well, sir," said the woman, "I wasn't 'ere myself all day, but it might
have been the man who used to come in 'ere and pump 'er all about
'er old 'ome and 'er first place—which was 'er last, too. It were
Cheyne Court itself down on the river somewhere, I don't exactly
know where, but poor 'Madame' was bred and born there, and loved
the place like 'ome. This man was always a coming in, after he
spotted that dratted photograph there. Talk, talk, talk 'e would. What
was the place like and how far away was it? And ever so many more
such-like questions. But Madame always shut up and once when 'e
offered to buy the picture itself, she nearly broke his neck with a
broom handle."
Cleek sat very still, his eyes half closed. To all appearances he was
half asleep. But his thoughts were racing at topmost speed. So he
was right. There was some connection between this murder and the
Cheyne Court mystery; but what? What was it that this stranger
wanted to learn, and why had he been so persistent in his inquiries?
He could find no answer to his mental queries, and eventually he
was obliged to own himself beaten. But that in nowise prevented his
taking the impression of the finger-prints on the dagger with which
the grim deed had been perpetrated. The case was left in the hands
of the jury with the result that the verdict was one he had
prophesied, "wilful murder against someone or persons unknown."
Notwithstanding its practical passing into oblivion, Cleek felt that the
case was connected in some way with the Cheyne Court mystery,
and as he left the grimy regions of Drury Lane behind him his
thoughts went back to Lady Margaret.
Meanwhile, the object of his solicitude was apparently far from
needing it. "Lady Margaret Cheyne, the Honourable Miss Cheyne and
maid," the latter, the furtive-faced "Aggie," had registered their
arrival in a quiet little hotel in Craven Street, W. Once in London Miss
Cheyne had shown an amazing knowledge of its thoroughfares and
shopping centres, despatching the girl, in the company of Aggie, on
delightful expeditions that sent the child, for she was little more,
almost delirious with delight. After being pent up in the austere walls
of that convent abroad it was small wonder that to have all the
bewildering splendour of feminine fashions at her command turned
her head a little.
Only one little thing gave her cause for dissatisfaction, and that was
the presence of the ever-watchful Aggie.
"If only you would come, too, Auntie," she cried, on the third
morning of their stay, previous to setting forth on another whirl of
purchasing. "Aggie hasn't an atom of taste, you know. She would
cheerfully let me buy a green hat to go with a mauve skirt, and I
don't think even an orange blouse would upset her equanimity."
"Well, why should it?" demanded Miss Cheyne. "I like a bit of colour
myself."
This coming from her aunt, whose clothes were always of the
darkest and dowdiest combinations of gray or black that could be
imagined, left Lady Margaret almost breathless.
"Don't be too long to-day," said Miss Cheyne, apparently totally
unconscious of the effect her words had produced. "Don't forget that
we have an appointment with the solicitors this afternoon, and I
shall want all my energies to see you are not done out of those
jewels."
Lady Margaret laughed gaily.
"No, I don't suppose they will like giving them up after all these
years."
With a little nod she passed out and was soon on her way westward.
In Trafalgar Square she stopped to stare skyward at the Nelson
monument. So absorbed was she that she did not see the start of
glad surprise which a stalwart young man gave as he came rushing
to her side.
It was not, indeed, until the sound of her own name spoken in glad,
joyous tones fell on her ears that she came back once more to her
surroundings.
"Edgar," she said breathlessly, clapping her hands like a little child.
"Isn't this just wonderful; meeting you like this? Why, where did you
spring from, and why haven't you been near me?"
Without waiting for his reply she led him round till they found a seat
on the stone steps.
"I jolly well haven't had a chance of seeing you, my darling," said
the young man as he devoured the radiant young face with his eyes.
"I've fairly haunted the grounds of Cheyne Court but didn't dare to
face your old dragon after the drubbing she gave me last week. I
suppose she's all right?" he asked, a little irrelevantly.
Lady Margaret looked at him in surprise.
"Why, of course she is all right. She has been good to me, though
she seems queerer than ever. But, Edgar, what do you think, she
says my jewels will be a good wedding present for us! What do you
say to that?"
"What!" cried the young man. "Do you mean you tackled her—you
brave darling. I wonder she didn't snap your pretty head off."
"I did expect an outcry, when I said I was going to marry you," she
said, shaking her fair head, "but she said I might, and should have
the Cheyne Court jewels, too."
"Considering they're your own property, my darling, that's just like
her cheek," retorted Sir Edgar. "But I'm hanged if I can understand
it, for when I saw her last, as I told you, she abused me like a
pickpocket."
Lady Margaret laughed aloud in childish glee.
"Well, we'll just take the goods the gods send," said she. "She can
keep the old jewels if she likes, if only she gives her consent to our
marriage."
Her voice dropped tenderly upon the words, and the wild-rose colour
bloomed for a moment in her cheeks until Sir Edgar, impetuous
young man that he was, gave a hasty look round at the practically
empty square and snatched the kiss he had been longing for ever
since he had caught sight of her.
"And now," he said, when Lady Margaret, blushing deeper than ever,
had reproved him for his audacity, "what are you going to do next?"
"Go back to the hotel, Maxell's, in Craven Street, and get ready for
those horrid old lawyers," she responded, laughing, as she surveyed
Aggie's broad figure some distance away. "Auntie won't rest till she
gets those precious jewels home."
"Jove, Meg darling, but you don't mean to tell me you're going to be
mad enough to take the Cheyne jewels back to that old rookery of a
place?" exclaimed Sir Edgar.
"It does seem a bit of a risk," she admitted, "but Auntie is keen on it
and I don't care so long as she lets me see you. I really must go
now, Edgar. I shall have to go right back instead of shopping."
"I'm coming with you," Sir Edgar said, jumping to his feet. "I won't
let you out of my sight if I can help it."
"But you must. I don't want Auntie to be upset again; now be a
dear, sensible Edgar! See, here is Aggie, she's a new servant of
Auntie's and I can see she is getting cross. I will get back, and when
we return home this evening you must meet me on the terrace. I
will talk Auntie into playing the fairy godmother."
There was no gainsaying the wisdom of this line of reasoning, and
unwillingly enough the ardent young lover watched the figure of the
girl he loved run lightly across the great square and vanish, with a
parting wave, in the whirl of the Strand.
Meanwhile, Lady Margaret, back at the hotel, lost no time in
acquainting her aunt of this chance encounter with her lover, but
strangely enough, save for a gruff remark about the waste of time,
Miss Cheyne was apparently content to waive her dislike of the
Brenton family. The girl was too elated at this unexpected abeyance
to grumble at her aunt's non-attention, or the haste with which
lunch was partaken of in order to keep the dreaded legal
appointment.
Once in the lawyer's grimy office, Miss Cheyne was curiously
subdued, and her mien was that of one decidedly ill at ease.
It was Mr. Shallcott, the senior partner, a short-sighted old-fashioned
gentleman who shook hands with the ladies and congratulated Lady
Margaret on her "accession to her throne," as he jokingly put it.
His face, however, when she expressed her intentions of removing
all the precious heirlooms down to Cheyne Court, was a study in dire
dismay.
"But it's utter madness, my child!" he said gently. "Why, every jewel
thief in Europe will be after them, don't you agree with me, Miss
Cheyne?" he peered over at the old lady as she sat immersed in
shadow.
"To a certain extent I do," was the amazing response, and coming
from one who had been so intensely insistent on their removal it
caused Lady Margaret's blue eyes to widen to their fullest extent.
As in a dream she heard her aunt continue blandly:
"But I think the child's whim may be safely granted, Mr. Shallcott, for
I have had special safes made to hold them and they can be
returned into your safe custody directly Lady Margaret is presented."
"Well, of course, my dear lady, it is no business of mine," responded
the little lawyer tersely. "Your dear brother left them entirely at Lady
Margaret's disposal, and if she has made up her mind to have them,
well, I suppose a wilful young woman must have her way, eh?" he
smiled a little at Lady Margaret's preoccupied face. "Perhaps I can
persuade her to change her mind."
"No, no, certainly not," snapped Miss Cheyne. "Now, Margaret,
speak up, and don't act like a child. You do want them, do you not?"
She glared across at the girl, who, fearing the wrath that would
doubtless be vented upon her should she speak out, was impelled to
answer in the affirmative and Mr. Shallcott became reluctantly
content.
Therefore, orders were given to the clerk to get the cases out of the
safe wherein they had been placed when fetched from the Safe
Deposit Vault.
"There is no need for that ill-fated pendant, I hope?" he inquired
anxiously.
"The Purple Emperor?" said Miss Cheyne. "Oh, yes, let her have it as
well as the others; not a soul but ourselves will know of their
removal from here, and I promise you they will come to no harm.
You see," she whispered, "I am taking her to a big county ball next
week, and, well, youth is youth, after all. She can only be young
once."
Mr. Shallcott nodded in understanding, and with a little sigh of the
futility of argument with a woman, allowed the fatal stone to be
included.
Half an hour later an unpretentious, weather-stained portmanteau
was bundled into the four-wheeler in which Miss Cheyne insisted on
being driven to Waterloo Station. If the cabman had but known what
he was handling, a bag, cheap by reason of its contents at half a
million pounds sterling, he might have regarded it with more interest
than he did.
It was nearly five when they reached Hampton. Lady Margaret's
head ached unceasingly and she felt tired and worn with the strain
of things. But Miss Cheyne was curiously elated. She talked and
chuckled over her own jokes till the girl felt glad that it had given her
so much pleasure to gaze on the family jewels. They might very well
have been left to her during her own lifetime, even if they had to
pass on to her niece when the aunt had gone beyond earthly
vanities.
As they crawled down the lane in the cab, toward Cheyne Court,
they passed Sir Edgar Brenton who had travelled down by the same
train. His eyes met Lady Margaret's and she could have cried aloud
at the relief of her lover's nearness.
John was awaiting their arrival and again she felt that twinge of
doubt as she saw the ill-concealed maliciousness upon his face, and
caught his question: "All right?" as he lifted the bag into the hall.
"Quite," was Miss Cheyne's remark. "We are tired, and Lady
Margaret would like a cup of tea in her room, I am sure."
The girl started to deny this, but John had already vanished.
Depressed and filled with sore foreboding, Lady Margaret ascended
the staircase.
Once in her own room, she scolded herself for her doubts. "I am like
a nervous cat!" she said to herself. "I don't care what Auntie says
now, she may have the old jewels but I am going to meet Edgar."
Like a guilty schoolgirl, indeed she was little more than a child, she
sped down the stairs, stopping, however, to look into the small
ballroom whence issued sounds of uproarious laughter. And the sight
which met her eyes filled her with unspeakable horror. One
illuminating glance was enough. She turned and fled, speeding to
the dining-room window, where on the terrace outside she knew her
lover awaited her.
Her face was white and panic-stricken. Who were these dreadful
people who laughed, joked, and drank with her aunt as though they
were equal in station?
The horror of what she had seen seized her again. Forgetting all else
in her mad desire to break away from this house forever, she jumped
out upon the terrace, her shrill voice raised in despair:
"Edgar, Edgar, save me! save me!" she cried wildly and turned to fly.
But her entry into the ballroom had been noticed by the occupants.
They had stopped in their merriment and stared in dumb
amazement at her unexpected appearance.
Like a flash they were upon her heels out on the terrace, and Sir
Edgar himself, startled by the sudden turn of events, was only just in
time to see the figure of the woman he loved struggling in the arms
of a servant before she was dragged back and lost to his view. His
furious assault on the glass took him into the room but there he was
only to find a closed and locked door.
CHAPTER VIII
COMPLICATIONS AND COMPLEXITIES
The Cheyne Court affair, as it was to be called afterward in the days
of its publicity, had faded in Cleek's mind, but he was to be reminded
of it very speedily. Within three weeks of that memorable drive
through the moonlit lanes of Hampton he entered the sacred
precincts of Mr. Maverick Narkom's room to find him in deep
conversation with a fair-haired, slightly built young man in whom he
immediately recognized no less a person than Sir Edgar Brenton
himself.
In a second of time Cleek had altered his identity so suddenly and
completely that, thick-headed, dull-witted George Headland stood
where a moment before Cleek had been. Mr. Narkom was quick
enough to note the change, and introduced him accordingly. There
was an undercurrent of excitement visible in his tones that Cleek
was constantly aware of.
"This is Mr. George Headland, Sir Edgar, one of our sharpest men. I
don't mind telling you, he'll soon get to the bottom of your little
affair." He turned to Cleek and motioned with his hand in the young
man's direction. "This is Sir Edgar Brenton. He's come from Hampton
where there seems to be some mysterious goings on at a place——
What did you say its name was, Sir Edgar?"
"Cheyne Court, Mr. Narkom, the Honourable Miss Marion Cheyne's
place and the home of my fiancée Lady Margaret Cheyne. I tell you,"
he added excitedly, "she is in danger, and I mean to rescue her from
the clutches of that old harridan before another day is over."
Mr. Narkom set the tips of his fingers together and nodded blandly.
"So you shall, Sir Edgar," he assented, as he turned to smooth some
papers on his desk.
"Oho!" said Cleek to himself. "So there is that element in the case,
eh?" Then he bowed to Sir Edgar. "P'raps you'll be good enough to
tell me the facts, sir," he said, looking stolidly across the table.
Sir Edgar restrained himself with evident effort.
"They are only too few, Mr. Headland," he said irritably. "Lady
Margaret has just returned from a convent school in Paris. In fact,
she came back just three weeks ago to-morrow. I met her more
than a year ago when my mother and I—we are neighbours, by the
way—were staying in Paris, and we became engaged. I had no idea
that Peggy, Lady Margaret I mean, was to return to England till I
heard through my servant. For Miss Cheyne dislikes me intensely
and——"
"Any reason for that, sir?" queried Mr. Headland with an air of bland
politeness.
"Well, to a certain extent, yes," was the grudging reply. "My father, I
believe, was engaged to her at one time, but finding her temper
intolerable, made his escape, and Miss Cheyne has hated my mother
and myself in consequence. When she heard from Peggy that we
had met, and fallen in love with each other, she was furious, and
kept my dear girl almost imprisoned in that confounded convent. It
was impossible for us to hold any communication directly, but when
I heard she was expected back, like an ass I rushed over to Cheyne
Court, to beg permission to meet her at the station. This was
refused. Indeed, the old wretch went so far as to threaten me with a
revolver, and I believe she would have attacked me, too, had I not
snatched it from her, and beat a retreat."
"And what time did you say that was?" put in Cleek with ill-
concealed interest.
An innocent remark enough, but one Sir Edgar seemed to resent
strongly.
"What the devil's that to do with you, I should like to know?" he
demanded fiercely. "How dare you try to badger me with foolish
questions! As a matter of fact, it was quite early in the day.
Somewhere near lunch time, if you must know."
A little smile creased Cleek's face, but his tones were quite smooth
as he said, "I see, sir; and you didn't go back?"
Again Sir Edgar flushed and frowned.
"No, I did not, sir," he retorted savagely. "I was at a dinner-party.
And I haven't come here to be cross-examined by a common
policeman. I want to know how I can get my fiancée out of that
house."
Here Mr. Narkom flung himself into the breach.
"Has she come of age?" he asked quickly, and thereby voiced the
thought that was passing in Cleek's own mind.
"Legally, no, and that is just the difficulty. By Lord Cheyne's will she
takes possession of her property on her eighteenth birthday though
she can only marry with the consent of Miss Cheyne. Now yesterday
was her birthday, and by a sheer piece of good luck here in London I
came across Lady Margaret herself and without Miss Cheyne. When
she told me that they had come up to fetch all the family jewels and
to remove them to Cheyne Court, you can imagine my feelings."
"Good Heavens," blurted out Cleek, involuntarily startled by this
announcement. "Do you mean to tell me two helpless women have
risked burdening themselves with such priceless jewels down in a
lonely place like Cheyne Court? Why, every sneak thief in Europe
could attack it——" He broke off sharply, for Sir Edgar was looking at
him in a startled way that made Cleek mentally kick himself for
having been momentarily thrown off his guard and betraying his
own knowledge of the place in question. "Surely someone could
have prevented it!" he concluded weakly.
"No, that is just what they could not do," responded Sir Edgar. "I
saw the family lawyer but he told me that Peggy has the right to do
what she likes with her own fortune, the only thing Lord Cheyne had
to leave her, but I certainly agree with Mr. Shallcott that it was at
that old harridan of an aunt's instigation."
"What made him think that?" Cleek asked.
Sir Edgar frowned.
"Mr. Shallcott couldn't define it," he responded, "only he felt that if
he had seen her alone he could have persuaded her to have left
them or at least the bulk of them in safety. Especially the very
valuable pendant——"
"Not the Purple Emperor!" blurted out Cleek. Once more he betrayed
more knowledge than he had meant to in the beginning.
To his surprise it seemed as if the young man's face became almost
gray with fear. "You know of that stone, Mr. Headland?" Cleek
scratched his ear.
"Heard of it, sir? Lor, bless yer, we policemen have to pass a regular
examination in all the famous jewels of history and that stone is
amongst them," he lied glibly. "And if there are thieves who know
the 'Emperor' is loose, so to speak, the quicker your young lady and
it part company, the better for her, I say."
"Yes, that's it. She is in danger, that's why I came to the Yard. She
shrieked out to me, just as I broke the glass in the window."
"What's that?" rapped out Cleek. "Broke the glass of the window,
you say? Whose window and why did you break it?"
"Because she was afraid. Because she wanted me to run away with
her and keep her safe from those devils in Cheyne Court!"
Cleek's eyes shot a look of sympathy.
"Suppose you tell us all about it, Sir Edgar," he said in a kindly tone,
"then we'll be able to get to the bottom of it all the sooner."
"I ran from one side of the house to the other," Sir Edgar went on.
"But every door and window seemed to be bolted and barred. At last
I smashed in the dining-room door with a spade I found outside and
rushed through the house, but it was absolutely empty!"
"Empty!" chimed in Mr. Narkom, excitedly, while Cleek sucked in his
breath.
"Absolutely empty!" said Sir Edgar; "as regards human beings, that
is. I tell you, man, I went nearly mad with the horror of it, and the
fear for my darling girl! There was not a sign, no trap-doors or
panels, nothing, and I simply had to give up in the dark, and now I
want your help! By Heaven they shall suffer if a hair of that angel's
head is so much as touched—the devils. I don't care if Miss Cheyne
is killed, she deserves it, but Peggy——"
He broke down, turning his haggard face in his hands and his
shoulders shook spasmodically.
A brief moment and Sir Edgar pulled himself together with a jerk.
"Sorry," he gulped, apologetically, "made an ass of myself, but you
can't think what a night I've spent——"
"That's all right, sir," said Mr. Headland with an air of the proper
respect due from him. "But I don't think as there's anything to be
done till me and my mates come down and have a peep at the
place. That's about it, don't you think so, sir?" He turned to Mr.
Narkom, who, though puzzled by Cleek's strange aloofness, still
knew his methods too well to do anything else but agree with him.
"Certainly, Headland," he returned. "We'll go down to Hampton as
quickly as you like."
"I think it would be best for the young gentleman to get back to
Hampton first, and we'll come down and look round casual like," said
Mr. George Headland in an off-hand manner. "Ten chances to one
but wot the young lady's tied up in one of the upper rooms, don't
you know."
"Now I never thought of that!" threw in Sir Edgar quickly. "Yes,
you're right. I will get back and leave it in your hands."
"And you may safely do so," said Mr. Narkom, shaking the young
man's hand sympathetically as he took his departure.
"What do you think about it, Cleek?" he cried excitedly, when the
door had closed.
"Think? I think a good many things, my dear fellow," retorted that
gentleman serenely, "and one of them is, why didn't Sir Edgar break
the dining-room door down at once before he made that fruitless
rush around the house. He might have known that the doors would
be locked at evening time."
"I never thought of that!" said Mr. Narkom. "Still, I don't see what
that has to do with it. You are not insinuating that the man would
harm his own sweetheart? Where is the incentive?"
"The Purple Emperor might be, or its value," was the reply. "Mind, I
am not saying it is so, but I would like to know the young
gentleman's financial status. Secondly, I would like to know why he
has made no effort to see the girl this past fortnight since she has
been back. Don't forget I met him that night, when a murder was
committed at Cheyne Court. For I still hold that that woman was
dead when I found her in the ballroom and the young gentleman's
story about a revolver which he snatched away from her in the
afternoon is all tommy-rot. The weapon was lying by her side when I
saw her, and I'll take my oath there was a revolver in his own pocket
when I lurched up against him in the lane. No, my friend, there are
one or two points about Sir Edgar Brenton's tale that I should like to
see cleared up satisfactorily, and I think I'll betake myself down to
the Hampton Arms where you can join me."
Speaking, he gave a little friendly nod to Mr. Narkom, writhed his
features into their semblance of the stolid policeman once more, and
strode from the room.
Once outside the portals of Scotland Yard, Cleek looked keenly
around at the casual people who invariably appear to haunt the
precincts of the law. There was the usual street loafer and errand
boy, but half-concealed by an abutting arch there stood the figure of