But he discharged his own duties, and watched Yada
intently--and failed to see one single sign of anything beyond ordinary
interest in his impassive face.
"So there it is, sir," concluded Ayscough. "I've no doubt whatever that
Chen Li called at Multenius's shop to pay the rent; that he saw the
diamond in the old man's possession and swagged him for it; that Parslett
saw Chen Li slip away from that side-door and, hearing of Multenius's
death, suspected Chen Li of it and tried to blackmail him; that Chen Li
poisoned Parslett--and that Chen Li himself was knifed for that diamond.
Now--by whom? Chang Li has--disappeared!"
"You suspect Chang Li?" asked Yada.
"I do," exclaimed Ayscough. "A Chinaman--a diamond worth every penny of
eighty thousand pounds--Ah!" He suddenly lifted his eyes to Yada with a
quick enquiry. "How much do you know of these two?" he asked.
"Little--beyond the fact that they were fellow-students of mine," answered
Yada. "I occasionally visited them--occasionally they visited me--that is
all."
"Dr. Pittery says they weren't brothers?" suggested Ayscough.
"So I understood," assented Yada.
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