The Chase of the Golden Plate
Jacques Futrelle
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The Chase of the Golden Plate
"'You really do not love him, anyway,' he ventured"]
The Chase of the Golden Plate
By Jacques Futrelle
With Illustrations by Will Grefe and Decorations by E. A. Poucher
New York Dodd, Mead & Company 1906
COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY DODD, MEAD & COMPANY
_Published, October, 1906_
To _Three Women I Love_:
FAMA, and MAYZIE, and BERTA
The Chase of the Golden Plate
PART I
THE BURGLAR AND THE GIRL
CHAPTER I
Cardinal Richelieu and the Mikado stepped out on a narrow balconyoverlooking the entrance to Seven Oaks, lighted their cigarettes andstood idly watching the throng as it poured up the wide marble steps.Here was an over-corpulent Dowager Empress of China, there an Indianwarrior in full paint and toggery, and mincing along behind him twogiggling Geisha girls. Next, in splendid robes of rank, came the Czar ofRussia. The Mikado smiled.
"An old enemy of mine," he remarked to the Cardinal.
A Watteau Shepherdess was assisted out of an automobile by ChristopherColumbus and they came up the walk arm-in-arm, while a Pierrette ranbeside them laughing up into their faces. D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, andPorthos swaggered along with insolent, clanking swords.
"Ah!" exclaimed the Cardinal. "There are four gentlemen whom I knowwell."
Mary Queen of Scots, Pocahontas, the Sultan of Turkey, and Mr. Micawberchatted amicably together in one language. Behind them came a figurewhich immediately arrested attention. It was a Burglar, with darklantern in one hand and revolver in the other. A black mask was drawndown to his lips, a slouch hat shaded his eyes, and a kit of the toolsof his profession swung from one shoulder.
"By George!" commented the Cardinal. "Now, that's clever."
"Looks like the real thing," the Mikado added.
The Burglar stood aside a moment, allowing a diamond-burdened QueenElizabeth to pass, then came on up the steps. The Cardinal and theMikado passed through an open window into the reception-room to witnesshis arrival.
"A figure which immediately arrested attention"]
"Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth!" the graven-faced servantannounced.
The Burglar handed a card to the liveried Voice and noted, with obviousamusement, a fleeting expression of astonishment on the stolid face.Perhaps it was there because the card had been offered in that handwhich held the revolver. The Voice glanced at the name on the card andtook a deep breath of relief.
"Bill, the Burglar!" he announced.
There was a murmur of astonishment and interest in the reception-halland the ballroom beyond. Thus it was that the Burglar found himself thecentre of attention for a moment, while a ripple of laughter ran around.The entrance of a Clown, bounding in behind him, drew all eyes away,however, and the Burglar was absorbed in the crowd.
It was only a few minutes later that Cardinal Richelieu and the Mikado,seeking diversion, isolated the Burglar and dragged him off to thesmoking-room. There the Czar of Russia, who was on such terms ofintimacy with the Mikado that he called him Mike, joined them, and theysmoked together.
"How did you ever come to hit on a costume like that?" asked theCardinal of the Burglar.
The Burglar laughed, disclosing two rows of strong, white teeth. A cleftin the square-cut, clean-shaven chin, visible below the mask, becamemore pronounced. A woman would have called it a dimple.
"I wanted something different," he explained. "I couldn't imagineanything more extraordinary than a real burglar here ready to dobusiness, so I came."
"It's lucky the police didn't see you," remarked the Czar.
Again the Burglar laughed. He was evidently a good-natured craftsman,despite his sinister garb.
"That was my one fear--that I would be pinched before I arrived," hereplied. "'Pinched,' I may explain, is a technical term in my professionmeaning jugged, nabbed, collared, run in. It seemed that my fears hadsome foundation, too, for when I drove up in my auto and stepped out acouple of plain-clothes men stared at me pretty hard."
He laid aside the dark lantern and revolver to light a fresh cigarette.The Mikado picked up the lantern and flashed the light on and offseveral times, while the Czar sighted the revolver at the floor.
"Better not do that," suggested the Burglar casually. "It's loaded."
"Loaded?" repeated the Czar. He laid down the revolver gingerly.
"Surest thing, you know," and the Burglar laughed quizzically. "I'm thereal thing, you see, so naturally my revolver is loaded. I think I oughtto be able to make quite a good haul, as we say, before unmasking-time."
"If you're as clever as your appearance would indicate," said theCardinal admiringly, "I see no reason why it shouldn't be worth while.You might, for instance, make a collection of Elizabethan jewels. Ihave noticed four Elizabeths so far, and it's early yet."
"Oh, I'll make it pay," the Burglar assured him lightly. "I'm prettyclever; practised a good deal, you know. Just to show you that I am anexpert, here is a watch and pin I took from my friend, the Czar, fiveminutes ago."
He extended a well-gloved hand in which lay the watch and diamond pin.The Czar stared at them a moment in frank astonishment; patted himselfall over in sudden trepidation; then laughed sheepishly. The Mikadotilted his cigar up to a level with the slant eyes of his mask, andlaughed.
"In the language of diplomacy, Nick," he told the Czar, "you are what isknown as 'easy.' I thought I had convinced you of that."
"Gad, you are clever," remarked the Cardinal. "I might have used youalong with D'Artagnan and the others."
The Burglar laughed again and stood up lazily.
"Come on, this is stupid," he suggested. "Let's go out and see what'sdoing."
"Say, just between ourselves tell us who you are," urged the Czar. "Yourvoice seems familiar, but I can't place you."
"Wait till unmasking-time," retorted the Burglar good-naturedly. "Thenyou'll know. Or if you think you could bribe that stone image who tookmy card at the door you might try. He'll remember me. I never saw a manso startled in all my life as he was when I appeared."
The quartet sauntered out into the ballroom just as the signal for thegrand march was given. A few minutes later the kaleidoscopic picturebegan to move. Stuyvesant Randolph, the host, as Sir Walter Raleigh, andhis superb wife, as Cleopatra, looked upon the mass of colour, andgleaming shoulders, and jewels, and brilliant uniforms, and found itgood--extremely good.
Mr. Randolph smiled behind his mask at the striking incongruities onevery hand: Queen Elizabeth and Mr. Micawber; Cardinal Richelieu and aPierrette; a Clown dancing attendance on Marie Antoinette. The Czar ofRussia paid deep and devoted attention to a light-footed Geisha girl,while the Mikado and Folly, a jingling thing in bells and abbreviatedskirts, romped together.
The grotesque figure of the march was the Burglar. His revolver wasthrust carelessly into a pocket and the dark lantern hung at his belt.He was pouring a stream of pleasing nonsense into the august ear of LadyMacbeth, nimbly seeking at the same time to evade the pompous train ofthe Dowager Empress. The grand march came to an end and the chatteringthrong broke up into little groups.
Cardinal Richelieu strolled along with a Pierrette on his arm.
&nb
sp; "Business good?" he inquired of the Burglar.
"Expect it to be," was the reply.
The Pierrette came and, standing on her tip-toes--silly, impracticalsort of toes they were--made a _moue_ at the Burglar.
"Oooh!" she exclaimed. "You are perfectly horrid."
"Thank you," retorted the Burglar.
He bowed gravely, and the Cardinal, with his companion, passed on. TheBurglar stood gazing after them a moment, then glanced around the room,curiously, two or three times. He might have been looking for someone.Finally he wandered away aimlessly through the crowd.
