Kingdon's bell rang,found her key and returned it to her,and was out of the room when she unlocked the box.That was all he knew.
"Is he telling the truth?"Moriway asked Mrs Kingdon.
"Ye--es,I guess he is;but where are the diamonds?We must have them--you know--to-day,George,"she whispered.And then she turned and went upstairs,leaving Moriway to do the rest.
"There's only one thing to do,Major,"he said to the proprietor."Search 'em all and then--""Search me?It's an outrage!"cried the housekeeper.
"Search me if ye loike,"growled McCarthy,resentfully."Oi wasn't there but a minute;the lady herself can tell ye that."Katie,the chambermaid,flushed painfully,and there were indignant tears in her eyes,which,I'll tell you in confidence,made a girl named Nancy uncomfortable.
But the boy Nat;knowing that bell-boys have no rights,said nothing.But he thought.He thought,Tom Dorgan,a lot of things and a long way ahead.
The peppery old Major marched us all off to his private office.
Not much,girls,it hadn't come.For suddenly the annunciator rang out.
Out of the corner of his eye,Nat looked at the bell-boy's bench.
It was empty.There was to be a ball that night,and the bells were going it over all the place.
"Number Twenty-one!"shouted the clerk at the desk.
But Number Twenty-one didn't budge.His heart was beating like a hammer,and the ting--ng--ng of that bell calling him rang in his head like a song.
"Number Twenty-one!"yelled the clerk.
Oh,he's got a devil of a temper,has that clerk.Some day,Tom,when you love me very much,go up to the hotel and break his face for me.
"You.--boy--confound you,can't you hear?"he shouted.
That time he caught the Major's ear--the one that wasn't deaf.He looked from Powers'black face to the bench and then to me.And all the time the bell kept ringing like mad.
"Git!"he said to the boy."And come back in a hurry."Number Twenty-one got--but leisurely.It wouldn't do for a bell-boy to hurry,particularly when he had such good cause.
Oh,girls,those stone stairs,the servants'stairs at the St.
James!They're fierce.I tell you,Mag,scrubbing the floors at the Cruelty ain't so bad.But this time I was jolly glad bell-boys weren't allowed in the elevator.For there were those diamonds in my pants pocket,and I must get rid of 'em before Igot down to the office again.So I climbed those stairs,and every step I took my eye was searching for a hiding-place.
I could have pitched the little bag out of a window,but Nancy Olden wasn't throwing diamonds to the birds,any more than Mag here is likely to cut off the braids of red hair we used to play horse with when we drove her about the Cruelty yard.
One flight.
No chance.
Another.
Everything bare as stone and soap could keep it.
The third flight--my knees began to tremble,and not with climbing.The call came from this floor.But I ran up a fourth just on the chance,and there in a corner was a fire hatchet strapped to the wall.Behind that hatchet Mrs.Kingdon's diamonds might lie snug till evening.I put the ends of my fingers first in the little crack to make sure the little bag wouldn't drop to the floor,and then dived into my pocket and--And there behind me,stealthily coming up the last turn of the stairs was Mr.George Moriway!
Don't you hate a soft-walking man,Mag?That cute fellow was cuter than the old Major himself,and had followed me every inch of the way.
"There's something loose with this hatchet,sir,"I said,innocently looking down at him.
"Oh,there is?What an observing little fellow you are!Never mind the hatchet;just tell me what number you were sent to answer.""Number?"I repeated,as though I couldn't see why he wanted to know."Why--431.""Not much,my boy--331."
"'Scuse me,sir,ain't you mistaken?"
He looked at me for full a minute.I stared him straight in the eye.A nasty eye he's got--black and bloodshot and cold and full of suspicion.But it wavered a bit at the end.
"I may be,"he said slowly,"but not about the number.Just you turn around and get down to 331.""All right,sir.Thank you very much.It might have got me in trouble.The ladies are so particular about having the bells answered quick--"`I guess you'll get in trouble all right,"he said and stood watching--from where he stood he could watch me every inch of the way--till I got to 331,at the end of the hall,Mrs.Kingdon's door.
And the goods still on me,Tom,mind that.
My,but Mrs.Kingdon was wrathy when she saw me!
"Why did they send you?"she cried."Why did you keep me waiting so long?I want a chambermaid.I've rung a dozen times.
The whole place is crazy about that old ball to-night,and no one can get decent attention.""Can't I do what you want,ma'am?"I just yearned to get inside that door.
"No,"she snapped."I don't want a boy to fasten my dress in the back--""We often do,ma'am,"I said softly.
"You do?Well--"
"Yes'm."I breathed again.
"Well--it's indecent.Go down and send me a maid."She was just closing the door in my face--and Moriway waiting for me to watch me down again.
"Mrs.Kingdon--"
"Well,what do you want?"
"I want to tell you that when I get down to the office they'll search me."She looked at me amazed.
"And--and there's something in my pocket I--you wouldn't like them to find.""What in the world--my diamonds!You did take them,you little wretch?"She caught hold of my coat.But Lordy!I didn't want to get away a little bit.I let her pull me in,and then I backed up against the door and shut it.
`Diamonds!Oh,no,ma'am.I hope I'm not a thief.But--but it was something you dropped--this."I fished Moriway's letter out of my pocket and handed it to her.
