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“Well,” said McAllister, rather impa- tiently, ‘why don’t you have him unpack it, then?”? He couldn’t, for the life of him, see why they made such a row about a thing of that sort. It was clear enough that they were both more than half mad.
“Ah, that’s the point! It was sent to the station with the rest of the luggage last evening. Heaven knows it may all have been stolen by this time! Think of it, McAllister! ‘The Lyndhurst jewels,’ secured only by a miserable brass check with’ a number on it—and the railroad liable by express contract only to the ex- tent of one hundred dollars!” Before Uncle Basil had attained his present emi- nence he had been called to the bar, and his book on “Flotsam and Jetsam”’ is still an authority in those regions to which later works have not penetrated. “You see we’re leavin’ at three this afternoon, but what was the necessity of his sendin’ it all so early unless jor a purpose?” Lord Lyndhurst nodded conclusively. He had the air of one who had divined something.
But still ‘‘ Chubby” failed to see the con- nection. Someone, a valet evidently, had packed the jewelry in the wrong place, and then sent the load off a little ahead of time. What of it? He recalled with much vivid- ness the occasion when the jewels had been stuffed by mistake into the soiled-clothes basket, but had turned up safe enough at the end of the trip.
“Tf that is all,” replied McAllister, “all you have to do is to send your man over to the station and have the trunk brought back. Send the fellow who packed the trunk—this Morton—whoever he is.”
“No,” said his uncle, studiously knock- ing in the end of a boiled egg. ‘‘ There are reasons. I wish you would go, instead. The fact is I don’t wish Morton to leave the rooms this morning; I I need him.” Lord Lyndhurst again evaded the clubman’s inquiring glance, and eyed the egg in an embarrassed fashion.
McAllister laughed. “I guess your jew- elry’s all right,”’ said he cheerfully. “‘ Cer- tainly ’ll go. Don’t worry. I'll have the trunk and the jewels back here inside of fifty minutes. Who’s Morton, anyhow?”
“My valet,” replied Lord Lyndhurst, lowering his voice, and looking over his shoulder. “You wouldn’t recall him. I engaged the man at Kingston on the way
~The Governor-General’s Trunk
out. As a servant I have had absolutely no fault to find at all. You know it’s very hard to get a good man to go to the Trop- ics, but Morton has seemed perfectly con- tented. Up to the present time I haven’t had the slightest reason to suspect his honesty!”
“Well, I don’t see that you have any now,” said McAllister. “I guess ’ll start along. I haven’t had anythin’ to eat yet. Have you the check ?”
Uncle Basil gingerly handed him the bit of brass.
“T secured it from Morton,” he re- marked, attacking the egg viciously.
“Secured it?” exclaimed McAllister.
The Governor-General nodded ambig- uously.
Aunt Sophia during the course of the recital had become almost hysterical, and now sat wringing her hands in the greatest agitation. Suddenly she broke forth:
“‘T told Basil he had been too hasty! But he would have it that there was nothing else to do! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Why don’t you tell him what you’ve done?”
“What in thunder have you done?” asked McAllister, now convinced beyond peradventure that his uncle was a candi- date for the nearest insane asylum.
Lord Lyndhurst became very red, stam- mered, and jerked his thumb over his shoul- der.
“Ves, secured it! Morton, if you must know it, is locked in the clothes-closet! I locked him!”
“He’s in there!” suddenly wailed Aunt Sophia. ‘Basil puthimin! And now the jewelry’s no one knows where, and there’s a man in the room, and I’m afraid to stay and Basil’s afraid to go for fear he may get out, and fe
She was interrupted by a smothered voice that came from within the closet. McAllister was startled, for there was something faint- ly, vaguely familiar about it.
“Tt’s a bloomin’ houtrage, it is! Look ere, sir, I’ll ’ave you to hunderstand that I gives notice hat once, sir, ’ere and now, sir! It’s a great hindignity you are a-puttin’ me to, sir! Won’t you let me hout, sir?”” The voice ceased momentarily.
“Tsn’t it awful!” exclaimed Aunt Sophia. — “He’s been like that for over an hour!”
“Yes!” added Uncle Basil. “At times he’s beenactuallyabusive.” But McAllister
ow