Page:The Intrusion of Jimmy.djvu/233

Rh I expect he's lurking out in the passage now. Did you see him?"

"Did I! Boss! Why—"

Jimmy inspected Spike gravely.

"Spike," he said, "there's something on your mind. You're trying to say something. What is it? Out with it."

Spike's excitement vented itself in a rush of words.

"Gee, boss! There's bin doin's to-night fer fair. Me coco's still buzzin'. Sure t'ing! Why, say, when I was to Sir Tummas' dressin'-room dis afternoon—"

"What!"

"Surest t'ing you know. Just before de storm come on, when it was all as dark as could be. Well, I was—"

Jimmy interrupted.

"In Sir Thomas's dressing-room! What the—"

Spike looked somewhat embarrassed. He grinned apologetically, and shuffled his feet.

"I've got dem, boss!" he said, with a smirk.

"Got them? Got what?"

"Dese."

Spike plunged a hand in a pocket, and drew forth in a glittering mass Lady Julia Blunt's rope of diamonds.