Page:Barbour--Joan of the ilsand.djvu/213

Rh and—Joan—something else has happened—" "What is it?" asked the girl, deeply concerned. It was only too clear to her that Chester had received a shock. He spoke in a quick, nervous manner, and in spite of the tan on his face he had paled a little.

"The pearls have vanished. But don't worry about it just now," Chester said kindly. "It's nothing desperate, at any rate."

"I'm sorry," the planter went on a moment later, addressing Steel, as he subsided into a chair by the visitor's side. "I can't lay my hands on those pearls for the minute."

"So!" replied Steel thoughtfully. There was a tinge of suspicion in the way he said it, and an indefinable change crept into his manner. It was on the strength of those pearls that were to have been produced, that he had made a tentative offer to enter into a partnership. Chester noticed the effect of his announcement, but he did not blame Steel.

"It's devilish awkward. Sounds like a variety of the confidence trick, doesn't it?" he said with a forced laugh, though a frown hung on his forehead.

"Why, no," replied Steel politely. "It just occurred to me that I'd be willing to make a speculation if you'd got decent samples to show, though, of course, if you haven't it isn't—er—it isn't so attractive, is it?"