The Argosy — page 277: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

260 In the Dead of Night. to the object of our visit to Bath. To admire the ring is the first step: to ask to look at it the second.” A quarter of an hour later Lionel gripped Tom suddenly by the arm. ‘‘ Bristow,” he whispered, ‘‘ I have just remembered something. Osmond had that ruby ring on his finger the night before he was murdered! I have a distinct recollection of seeing it on his hand when we were playing that last game of billiards together.” “Tf this ring,” said Tom, “ prove to be the one you believe it to be, the finding of it will be another and a most important link in the chain of evidence.” ‘“‘ Yes—almost, if not quite, the last one that we shall need,” said Lionel. , At dinner that evening Janvard in person took in the wine. The eyes of both Lionel and Tom fixed themselves instinctively on his left hand. The ring was no longer there. “Can he suspect anything?” asked Lionel of Tom, as soon as they were alone. “T think not,” answered Tom. “ The fellow is evidently uneasy, and will continue to be so as long as you. stay under his roof. But the very openness of our proceedings, and. the frank way in which we have told him who we are, will go far to disarm any suspicions which he might otherwise have enniitintadd: ” Two or three days passed quietly over. Lionel drank the waters with regularity, and he and Tom drove out frequently in the neighbour- | hood of King Bladud’s beautiful city. Janvard always gave them a look in in the course of dinner to see that everything was to their satisfaction; but he still carefully abstained from wearing the ring. By-and-by there came a certain evening when Janvard failed to pu in his usual appearance at the dinner table. Said Tom to the man who waited upon them: “ Where is your master this evening? Notiill, I hope?” ‘‘ Gone to a masonic banquet, sir,” answered the man. “Then he won’t be home till late, I’ll wager.” ‘“‘ Not till eleven or twelve, I dare say, sir.” ‘‘ Gone in full fig, of course?” said Tom, laughingly. ‘‘ Yes, sir,” answered the man with a grin. “Diamond studs and ruby ring, and everything complete, eh went on Tom. | *T don’t know about diamond stati sir,” said the man, ‘‘ but he certainly had his ring on, for I saw it on his finger myself.” ‘““ Now is our time,” said Tom to Lionel, as soon as the man had left the room. ‘ We may not have such an opportunity again.” | It was close upon midnight when Pierre Janvard, alighting from a fly at the door of his hotel, found his two lodgers standing on the steps Eomicbooks. co