Descending, he tugged tentatively at
the other curtain, first with his right hand, then with his left;
then with both. The fabric gave a little at the last test. Jones
disappeared through the window.
When he returned, after five minutes, he held in his hand some
scrapings of the rusted iron which formed the balcony railing.
"You're a mining man, Mr. Kirby," he said. "Would you say that
assayed anything?"
Kirby examined the glinting particles. "Gold," he said decisively.
"Ah, then the necklace rubbed with some violence against the
railing. Now, Mrs. Hale, how long were you awake?"
"Ten or fifteen minutes. I remember that a continuous rattling of
wagons below kept up for a little while. And I heard one of the
drivers call out something about taking the air."
"Er--really!" Average Jones became suddenly absorbed in his seal
ring. He turned it around five accurate times and turned it back an
equal number of revolutions. "Did he--er--get any answer?"
"Not that I heard."
The young man pondered, then drew a chair up to, Mrs.
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