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One
THE ADVENTURE OF “THE WESTERN STAR”
I was standing at theof Poirot’s roo out idly on the street below
“That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath
“What is, mon ami?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair
“Deduce, Poirot, fro lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat,up at the houses as she goes Unknown to her, she is being shadowed by three ed woman They have just been joined by an errand boy who points after the girl, gesticulating as he does so What drairl a crook, and are the shadows detectives preparing to arrest her? Or are they the scoundrels, and are they plotting to attack an innocent victireat detective say?”
“The great detective, mon ami, chooses, as ever, the simplest course He rises to see for himself” And my friend joined me at the
In a ave vent to an amused chuckle
“As usual, your facts are tinged with your incurable romanticis followed by a bevy of adnized her And, en passant, s, she is quite aware of the fact!”
I laughed
“So all is explained! But you get no nition”
“En vérité! And how many times have you seen Mary Marvell on the screen, mon cher?”
I thought
“About a dozen times perhaps”
“And I—once! Yet I recognize her, and you do not”
“She looks so different,” I replied rather feebly
“Ah! Sacré! ” cried Poirot “Is it that you expect her to promenade herself in the streets of London in a cowboy hat, or with bare feet, and a bunch of curls, as an Irish colleen? Alith you it is the nonessentials! Remember the case of the dancer, Valerie Saintclair”
I shrugged htly annoyed
“But console yourself,down “All cannot be as Hercule Poirot! I knoell”
“You really have the best opinion of yourself of anyone I ever knew!” I cried, divided between amusement and annoyance
“What will you? When one is unique, one knows it! And others share that opinion—even, if I mistake it not, Miss Mary
Marvell”
“What?”
“Without doubt She is co here”
“How do you make that out?”
“Very simply This street, it is not aristocratic, mon ami! In it there is no fashionable doctor, no fashionable dentist—still less is there a fashionable milliner! But there is a fashionable detective Oui, my friend, it is true—I am become the mode, the dernier cri! One says to another: ‘Coo to the little Belgian He is too oes! Courez!’ And they arrive! In flocks,below “What did I tell you? That is Miss Marvell”
As usual, Poirot was right After a short interval, the American film star was ushered in, and we rose to our feet
Mary Marvell was undoubtedly one of the most popular actresses on the screen She had only lately arrived in England in coory B Rolf, also a filo in the States and this was their first visit to England They had been given a great reception Everyone was prepared to go mad over Mary Marvell, her wonderful clothes, her furs, her jewels, above all one jewel, the great diamond which had been nicknamed, to match its owner, “The Western Star” Much, true and untrue, had been written about this famous stone which was reported to be insured for the enormous sum of fifty thousand pounds
All these details passed rapidly throughour fair client
Miss Marvell was s, with the wide innocent blue eyes of a child
Poirot dreard a chair for her, and she co at once
“You will probably think me very foolish, Monsieur Poirot, but Lord Cronshaas telling ht hoonderfully you cleared up the mystery of his nephew’s death, and I felt that I just ory says so—but it’s just worrying me to death”
She paused for breath Poirot beaement
“Proceed, madame You comprehend, I am still in the dark”
“It’s these letters” Miss Marvell unclasped her handbag, and drew out three envelopes which she handed to Poirot
The latter scrutinized them closely
“Cheap paper—the name and address carefully printed Let us see the inside” He drew out the enclosure
I had joined hi consisted of a single sentence, carefully printed like the envelope It ran as follows:
“The great diaod must return whence it came”
The second letter was couched in precisely the same terms, but the third was more explicit:
“You have been warned You have not obeyed Now the diamond will be taken from you At the full of the ht eye of the god shall return So it is written”
“The first letter I treated as a joke,” explained Miss Marvell “When I got the second, I began to wonder The third one came yesterday, and it seeht be ined”
“I see they did not come by post, these letters”
“No; they were left by hand—by a Chinahtens me”
“Why?”
“Because it was froht the stone three years ago”
“I see, madame, that you believe the diamond referred to to be—”
“ ‘The Western Star,’ ” finished Miss Marvell “That’s so At the tiory remembers that there was so out any inforory says he seeet rid of the thing He only asked about a tenth of its value It was Greg’s wedding present to me”
Poirot nodded thoughtfully
“The story seems of an almost unbelievable ros, hand me my little almanac”
I complied
“Voyons!” said Poirot, turning the leaves “When is the date of the full moon? Ah, Friday next That is in three days’ tiive it to you This belle histoire may be a hoax—but it may not! Therefore I counsel you to p
lace the dia until after Friday next Then we can take what steps we please”
A slight cloud passed over the actress’s face, and she replied constrainedly:
“I’m afraid that’s impossible”
“You have it with you—hein?” Poirot atching her narrowly
The girl hesitated a own, drawing out a long thin chain She leaned forward, unclosing her hand In the palm, a stone of white fire, exquisitely set in platinum, lay and winked at us solemnly
Poirot drew in his breath with a long hiss
“Épatant!” he murmured “You permit, madame?” He took the jewel in his own hand and scrutinized it keenly, then restored it to her with a little bow “A nificent stone—without a flaw Ah, cent tonnerres! and you carry it about with you, comme ça! ”
“No, no, I’m very careful really, Monsieur Poirot As a rule it’s locked up in my jewel case, and left in the hotel safe deposit We’re staying at the Magnificent, you know I just brought it along today for you to see”
“And you will leave it with me, n’est-ce pas? You will be advised by Papa Poirot?”
“Well, you see, it’s this way, Monsieur Poirot On Friday we’re going down to Yardly Chase to spend a few days with Lord and Lady Yardly”