He gathered odd bits of news of what was going on among the summer
colonists. The lady next to Killigrew, a Mrs. Wilberforce, had had a
strange adventure the night before. She and her maid had been
mysteriously overpowered by some strange fume, and later discovered
that her pearls were gone. She had notified the town police. This
brought the conversation around to the maharajah's emeralds. Hadn't he
and his attendants been overcome in the same manner? Thomas thought of
the sapphires. Since nobody knew he had them, he stood in no danger.
But there was Kitty's great fire-opal, glowing like a coal on her
breast, seeming to breathe as she breathed. It was almost as large as
a crown-piece.
During lulls Thomas dreamed. He was going to give himself until thirty
to make his fortune; and he was going to make it down there in the
wilds of South America. But invariably the sleepy mocking eyes of Lord
Monckton brought him back to earth, jarringly.
Once, Kitty caught Thomas gazing malevolently at Lord Monckton. No
love lost between them, evidently.
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