The Sins of Séverac Bablon

by Sax Rohmer

  CHAPTER VI

  THE SHADOW OF SEVERAC BABLON

  The mystery of personality is one which eludes research along the mostscientific lines. It is a species of animal magnetism as yetunclassified. Personality is not confined to the individual: it clingsto his picture, his garments, his writing; it has the persistency of acivet perfume.

  From this slip of cardboard lying upon Rohscheimer's famous oval tableemanated rays--unseen, but cogent. The magnetic words "Severac Bablon"seemed to glow upon the walls, as of old those other words had glowedupon a Babylonian wall.

  There were those present to whom the line "Who steals my purse stealstrash" appealed, as the silliest ever written. And it was at the pursesof these that the blow would be struck--_id est_, at the most vital andfonder part of their beings.

  "That card"--Julius Rohscheimer moistened his lips--"can't have droppedfrom the ceiling!"

  But he looked upward as he spoke; and it was evident that he creditedSeverac Bablon with the powers of an Indian fakir.

  "It would appear," said Antony Elschild, "that a phantom hand appearedin our midst!"

  The incident was eerie; a thousand times more so in that it wasassociated with Severac Bablon. Rohscheimer gave orders that the outerdoor was on no account to be opened, until the house had been thoroughlysearched. He himself headed the search party--whilst Mrs. Rohscheimerremained with the guests.

  All search proving futile, Rohscheimer returned and learnt that a newdiscovery had been made. He was met outside the dining-room door byBaron Hague.

  "Rohscheimer!" cried the latter, "my name on that card, it is underlinedin red ink!"

  Rohscheimer's rejoinder was dramatic.

  "The diamonds!" he whispered.

  Indeed, this latest discovery was significant. Baron Hague had broughtwith him, for Rohscheimer's examination, a packet of rough diamonds.Rohscheimer had established his fortunes in South Africa; and, be itwhispered, there were points of contact between his own early historyand the history of the packet of diamonds which Hague carried to-night.In both records there were I.D.B. chapters.

  The two men stared at each other--and sometimes glanced into the shadowsof the corridor.

  "He must be in league with the devil," continued Rohscheimer, "if he hasgot to know about those stones! But it certainly looks as though----"

  "Where can I hide them from _him_--from this man who I hear cannot bekept out of anywhere?"

  "Hague," said Rohscheimer, shakily, "you'd be safer at your hotel thanhere. He's held people up in my house once before!"

  As may be divined, Rohscheimer's chiefest fear was that _his_ name,_his_ house, should be associated with another mysterious outrage. Heknew Baron Hague to have about his person stones worth a small fortune,and he was all anxiety--first, to save them from Severac Bablon, thecommon enemy; second, if Baron Hague _must_ be robbed, to arrange thathe be robbed somewhere else!

  "I have not ordered my gar until twelve o'clock," said the Baron.

  "Mine can be got ready in----"

  "I won't wait! Gall me a gab!"

  That proposal fell into line with Rohscheimer's personal views, and hewasted not a moment in making the necessary arrangements.

  The library door opening, and Adeler, his private secretary, appearing,with a book under his arm, Mr. Rohscheimer called to him:

  "Adeler!"

  Adeler approached, deferentially. His pale, intellectual face was quiteexpressionless.

  "If you're goin' downstairs, Adeler, tell someone to call a cab for theBaron: Heard nothing suspicious while you've been in the library, haveyou?"

  "Nothing," said Adeler--bowed, and departed.

  The two plutocrats rejoined the guests. Sir Leopold Jesson was standingin a corner engaged in an evidently interesting conversation with SalomeHohsmann.

  "You positively saw the hand?"

  "Positively!" the girl assured him. "It just slipped the card into mineas Mr. Sheard leaned over and asked me if my diamond aigrette had beentraced--the one that was stolen from me here, in this house, by SeveracBablon."

  Sheard was standing near.

  "I saw you take the card, Miss Hohsmann!" he said; "though I was unableto see from whose hand you took it. Sir Leopold sat on your left,however, and there was no one else near at the time."

  Sir Leopold Jesson stared hard at Sheard. Sheard stared backaggressively. There was that between them that cried out for openconflict. Yet open conflict was impossible!

  "Now then, you two!" Rohscheimer's coarse voice broke in, "what's thegood o' fightin' about it?"

  But the atmosphere of uneasiness prevailed throughout the gilded salon.Mrs. Rohscheimer, clever hostess though admittedly she was, foundherself hard put to it to keep up the spirits of her guests--or those ofher guests whose names had appeared upon the mysterious "second notice."

  Lady Mary Evershed and Sir Richard Haredale sat under a drooping palmbehind a charming statuette representing Pandora in the familiarattitude with the casket.

  "It was through that door, yonder," said Haredale, pointing, "that themasked man came."

  "Yes," assented the girl. "I was over there--by the double doors."

  "You were," replied Haredale; "I saw you first of all, when I lookedup!"

  A short silence fell, then:

  "Do you know," said Lady Mary, "I cannot sympathise with any of thepeople who lost their property. They were all of them people who nevergave a penny away in their lives! In fact, Mr. Rohscheimer's particularset are all dreadfully mean! When you come to think of it, isn't itfunny how everybody visits here?"

  When he came to think of it, Haredale did not find it amusing in theslightest degree. Julius Rohscheimer was an octopus whose tentacles werefastened upon the heart of society. Haredale was so closely in the coilsthat, short of handing in his papers, he had no alternative but toappear as Rohscheimer's social _alter ego_. Lord and Lady Vignoles wereregular visitors to the house in Park Lane; and although the Marquess ofEvershed did not actually visit there, he countenanced the appearance ofhis daughter, chaperoned by Mrs. Wellington Lacey, at the millionaire'spalace. Moreover, Haredale knew why!

  What a wondrous power is gold!

  Haredale was watching the fleeting expressions which crossed Lady Mary'sbeautiful face as, with a little puzzled frown, she glanced about theroom.

  Baron Hague came to make his _adieux_. He was a man badly frightened.When finally he departed, Julius Rohscheimer conducted him downstairs.

  "Take care of yourself, Hague," he said with anxiety. "First thing inthe morning I should put the parcel in safe deposit till it's wanted."

  The Baron assured him that he should follow his advice.

  Outside, in Park Lane, a taxi-cab was waiting, and Adeler held the dooropen. Baron Hague made no acknowledgment of the attention, ignoring thesecretary as completely as he would have ignored a loafer who had openedthe door for him.

  Adeler seemed to expect no thanks, but turned and walked up the steps tothe house again.

  "Good-bye, Hague!" called Rohscheimer. "Don't forget what I told youabout the one with the brown stain!"

  The cab drove off.

  A cloud of apprehension had settled upon the house, it seemed. Severalothers of the party determined, upon one pretence or another, to returnhome earlier than they had anticipated doing. From this JuliusRohscheimer did nothing to discourage them.

  A family party was the next to leave, then, consisting of Lord and LadyVignoles, Mr. J. J. Oppner and Zoe. Mrs. Hohsmann and the MissesHohsmann followed very shortly. Mrs. Wellington Lacey, with Lady MaryEvershed, departed next, Sir Richard Haredale escorting them.

  "Half a minute, though, Haredale!" called the host.

  Haredale, in the hall-way, turned.

  "I suppose," continued Rohscheimer, half closing his eyes from thebottom upward--"you haven't got any sort of idea how the card trick wasdone, Haredale? Do you think I ought to let the police know?"

  "I haven't the slightest idea," was the reply. "In regard to the pol
ice,I should most certainly ring them up at once. Good night."

  Haredale escaped, well aware that Rohscheimer was seeking some excuse todetain him. Even at the risk of offending that weighty financier he wasnot going to be deprived of the drive, short though it was, with MaryEvershed, with the possibility of a delightful little intimate chat atthe end of it.

  "I endorse what Haredale says," came Sheard's voice.

  Rohscheimer turned. A footman was assisting the popular Fleet Street maninto his overcoat. Mr. Antony Elschild, already equipped, was lighting acigarette and evidently waiting for Sheard.

  "What's the name of the man who has the Severac Bablon case in hand?"asked the host.

  "Chief Inspector Sheffield."

  "Right-oh!" said Rohscheimer. "I'll give him a ring."

  Upstairs Sir Leopold Jesson was waiting for a quiet talk withRohscheimer.

  "Come into the library," said the latter. "Adeler's finished, so there'sno one to interrupt us."

  The pair entered the luxuriously appointed library, with its rows ofmorocco-bound, unopened works. Jesson stood before the fire looking downat Rohscheimer, who had spread himself inelegantly in a deep arm-chair,and lay back puffing at the stump of a cigar.

  "I distrust Sheard!" snapped Jesson suddenly.

  "Eh," grunted the other. "Pull yourself together! It ain't likely that aman who gets his livin', you might say, by keepin' in with the rightpeople" (he glanced down at his diamond studs) "is goin' to be mixed upwith a brigand like Bablon!"

  "I'm not so sure!" persisted Jesson. "My position is a peculiar one; butI'll go so far as to say that I don't trust him, and I won't go a stepfarther. I don't expect you," he added, "to quote my opinion toanybody."

  "I shan't," said Rohscheimer. "It's too damn silly! What would he haveto gain? He ain't one of us."

  "I'll say no more!" declared Jesson. "But keep your eyes open!"

  "I'll do that!" Rohscheimer assured him. "I suppose you haven't any ideawho worked the card trick?"

  "As to that--yes! I _have_ an idea--but I can only repeat that I'll sayno more."

  "I hope Hague is all right," growled Rohscheimer. "He's got some goodrough stuff on him to-night. Brought it over to show me. I didn't likethat red line under his name. Looked as if he was sort of number one onthe list!"

  "That's how it struck me. By the way, what became of the card?"

  "Don't know," was the reply. "Push that bell. I want a whisky and soda."

  Jesson pressed the bell, and Rohscheimer, tossing the stump into thegrate, dipped two fat fingers into his waistcoat pocket in quest of anew cigar. It was his custom to carry two or three stuck therein.

  "Hallo!"

  Jesson turned to him--and saw that he held a card in his hand.

  "Have you got the card?"

  "Yes," said Rohscheimer, and turned it over.

  Whereupon his face changed colour, and became an unclean grey.

  "What's the matter?" cried Jesson.

  His hand shaking slightly, Rohscheimer passed him the card. Jessonpeered at it anxiously.

  The message which it bore was the same as that borne by the mysteriouscard which had caused such a panic at the dinner table, but, upon theother side, only one name appeared.

  It was that of Julius Rohscheimer, and it was heavily underlined in red!