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thought for a moment before he replied.
"I shall. I've seen the Romanoff pearls on at least two occasions."
"So you've seen them, have you? I didn't know that. Where did you see them?"
Mr. Bennington hesitated again.
"That is a point about which, if you'll permit me to say so, Mr. Van Groot, you had better hot inquire. I think that, having seen a really remarkable pearl clearly once, I should always know it again. I could not make a mistake about the Romanoff pearls."
"Good. Then, Mr. Stewart, if Bennington approves of what this young lady is about to show us, and guarantees them to be genuine, he will take charge of them on my behalf and will hand you a million dollars."
"In cash or in the form of a cheque."
"The agreement was that you should be paid in cash, and you will be. Now, sir, will you be so good as to go with this young lady? She undertakes to be back inside fifteen minutes. I will wait twenty. I don't see, Isobel, why it is necessary that you should go. You don't know what you may be letting yourself in for."
"I don't that's why I'm going. Come along, Miss Fraser."
When the trio had gone, Mr. Van Groot said to Mr. Bennington:
"Do you think they'll come back with the pearls?"
As seemed to be his habit, Mr. Bennington considered before he replied.
"The situation is rather beyond me; I should not care to commit myself. If they do, Miss Fraser must be an extremely clever woman."
"She is!" exclaimed Mr. Beckwith from his Bath chair.
CHAPTER XXXIII
POSTE RESTANTE
MRS. PARKER VAN GROOT'S limousine was, as might be expected, one of the biggest, most powerful, most luxurious which could be bought for money. Usually, besides the chauffeur, there was a footman in front in gorgeous livery. On that occasion he had been left behind in the vestibule of Raymond's Hotel to make room for Mr. Stewart. The two ladies were inside. Mrs. Van Gro
