CHAPTER XVIII
DOUBTS AND DIFFICULTIES
The Stanton girls and Mrs. Montrose came in early that afternoon. Theyhad heard rumors of the arrest of Jones and were eager to learn what hadoccurred. Patsy and Beth followed them to their rooms to give them everyknown detail and canvass the situation in all its phases.
"Goldstein has been an angel all afternoon," said Flo. "He grinnedand capered about like a schoolboy and some of us guessed he'd beenleft a fortune."
"He ought to be ashamed of himself." Patsy indignantly asserted. "The manadmitted to Uncle John that Ajo is the biggest stockholder in theContinental, the president, to boot; yet Goldstein wouldn't lift a fingerto help him and positively refused to obey his request to go to him afterhe was arrested."
"I know about that," said Aunt Jane, quietly. "Goldstein talked to meabout the affair this afternoon and declared his conviction that youngJones is really a pearl thief. He has taken a violent dislike to the boyand is delighted to think his stock will be taken away from him."
Maud had silently listened to this dialogue as she dressed for dinner.But now she impetuously broke into the conversation, saying:
"Something definite ought to be done for the boy. He needs intelligentassistance. I'm afraid his situation is serious."
"That is what Arthur thinks," said Beth. "He says that unless he canfurnish proof that he is not Jack Andrews, and that he came by thosepearls honestly, he will be shipped to Austria for trial. No one knowswhat those foreigners will do to him, but he would probably fare badlyin their hands."
"Such being the logical conclusion," said Maud, "we must make our fightnow, at the examination."
"Uncle John has engaged a lawyer," announced Patsy, "and if he provesbright and intelligent he ought to be able to free Ajo."
"I'd like to see that lawyer, and take his measure," answered Maud,musingly, and her wish was granted soon after they had finished dinner.Colby entered the hotel, jaunty as ever, and Arthur met him andintroduced him to the girls.
"You must forgive me for coming on a disagreeable mission," began theyoung attorney, "but I have promised the judge that I would produce allthe pearls Mr. Jones gave you, not later than to-morrow morning. He wantsthem as evidence, and to compare privately with Le Drieux's list,although he will likely have the expert at his elbow. So I can't promisethat you will ever get your jewels back again."
"Oh. You think, then, that Mr. Jones is guilty?" said Maud coldly.
"No, indeed; I believe he is innocent. A lawyer should never suspect hisclient, you know. But to win I must prove my case, and opposed to me isthat terrible Le Drieux, who insists he is never mistaken."
"Arthur--Mr. Weldon--says you understand pearls as well as Mr. Le Drieuxdoes," suggested Patsy.
"I thank him; but he is in error. I chattered to the judge aboutpearls, it is true, because I found he couldn't tell a pearl from aglass bead; and I believe I even perplexed Le Drieux by hinting at abroad knowledge on the subject which I do not possess. It was all a bitof bluff on my part. But by to-morrow morning this knowledge will be afact, for I've bought a lot of books on pearls and intend to sit up allnight reading them."
"That was a clever idea," said Uncle John, nodding approval.
"So my mission here this evening is to get the pearls, that I may studythem as I read," continued Colby. "Heretofore I've only seen the thingsthrough a plate glass window, or a show case. The success of our defensedepends upon our refuting Le Drieux's assertion that the pearls found inJones' possession are a part of the Countess Ahmberg's collection. He hasa full description of the stolen gems and I must be prepared to showthat none of the Jones' pearls is on the list."
"Can you do that?" asked Maud.
She was gazing seriously into the young man's eyes and this caused him toblush and stammer a little as he replied:
"I--I hope to, Miss Stanton."
"And are you following no other line of defense?" she inquired.
He sat back and regarded the girl curiously for a moment.
"I would like you to suggest some other line of defense," he replied."I've tried to find one--and failed."
"Can't you prove he is not Jack Andrews?"
"Not if the identity of the pearls is established," said the lawyer. "Ifthe pearls were stolen, and if Jones cannot explain how he obtainedpossession of them, the evidence is _prima facia_ that he _is_ JackAndrews, or at least his accomplice. Moreover, his likeness to thephotograph is somewhat bewildering, you must admit."
This gloomy view made them all silent for a time, each thoughtfullyconsidering the matter. Then Maud asked:
"Do you know the cash value of Mr. Jones' stock in the ContinentalFilm Company?"
Colby shook his head, but Uncle John replied:
"Goldstein told me it is worth millions."
"Ah!" exclaimed the girl. "There, then, is our proof."
The lawyer reflected, with knitted brows.
"I confess I don't quite see your point," said he.
"How much were those stolen pearls worth?" asked the girl.
"I don't know."
"You know they were not worth millions. Jack Andrews was an adventurer,by Le Drieux's showing; he was a fellow who lived by his wits andgenerally earned his livelihood by gambling with the scions of wealthyfamilies. Even had he stolen the Countess' pearls and disposed of thecollection at enormous prices--which a thief is usually unable to do--hewould still have been utterly unable to purchase a controlling interestin the Continental stock."
She spoke with quiet assurance, but her statement roused the group tosudden excitement.
"Hooray!" cried Patsy. "There's your proof, Mr. Colby."
"The logic of genius," commented Uncle John.
"Why, it's proof positive!" said Beth.
"It is certainly a strong argument in favor of the boy's innocence,"asserted Arthur Weldon.
"Maud's a wonder when she wakes up. She ought to have been a 'ladydetective,'" remarked Flo, regarding her sister admiringly.
Colby, at first startled, was now also regarding Maud Stanton with openadmiration; but there was an odd smile on his lips, a smile of indulgenttoleration.
"Le Drieux's statement connects Andrews with two other pearl robberies,"he reminded her. "The necklace of the Princess Lemoine is said to bepriceless, and the Grandison collection stolen in London was scarcelyless valuable than that of Countess Ahmberg."
"Allowing all that," said Mr. Merrick, "two or three hundred thousanddollars would doubtless cover the value of the entire lot. I am quitecertain, Mr. Colby, that Miss Stanton's suggestion will afford you anexcellent line of defense."
"I shall not neglect it, you may be sure," replied the lawyer. "TonightI'll try to figure out, as nearly as possible, the total cash value ofall the stolen pearls, and of course Jones will tell us what he paidfor his stock, or how much it is worth. But I am not sure this argumentwill have as much weight as Miss Stanton suggests it may. A boldgambler, such as Andrews, might have obtained a huge sum at Baden Badenor Monte Carlo; and, were he indeed so clever a thief as his recordindicates, he may have robbed a bank, or stolen in some way an immensesum of money. Logically, the question has weight and I shall present itas effectively as I can; but, as I said, I rely more on my ability todisprove the identity of the pearls, on which the expert Le Drieux laysso much stress. Jones will have a thorough and formal examinationwithin a few days--perhaps to-morrow--and if the judge considers thatAndrews the pearl thief has been captured, he will be held here pendingthe arrival from Washington of the extradition papers--say two orthree weeks longer."
"Then we shall have all that time to prove his innocence?" inquired Maud.
"Unfortunately, no. There will be no further trial of the prisoner untilhe gets to Vienna and is delivered to the authorities there. All our workmust be done previous to the formal examination."
"You do not seem very hopeful," observed Maud, a hint of reproachin her tone.
"Then appearances are against me, Miss Stanton," repl
ied the lawyer witha smile. "This is my first important case, and if I win it my future isassured; so I mean to win. But in order to do that I must consider thecharge of the prosecution, the effect of its arguments upon the judge,and then find the right means to combat them. When I am with you, thefriends of the accused, I may consider the seamy side of the fabric; butthe presiding judge will find me so sure of my position that he willinstinctively agree with me."
They brought him the pearls Jones had presented to them and then thelawyer bade them good night and went to his office to master the historyof pearls in general and those famous ones stolen from Countess Ahmbergin particular.
When he had gone Uncle John remarked:
"Well, what do you think of him?"
They seemed in doubt.
"I think he will do all he can," said Patsy.
"And he appears quite a clever young man," added Beth, as if toencourage them.
"Allowing all that," said Maud, gravely, "he has warned us of thepossibility of failure. I cannot understand how the coils of evidencehave wrapped themselves so tightly around poor Ajo."
"That," asserted Flo, "is because you cannot understand Ajo himself. Norcan I; nor can any of us!"