There was a recurring fear
which made her tremble. "Would Hugh Johnstone divulge the facts as
to the jewels to the Viceroy, and so gain his free rehabilitation-and
then defy her? No-no! He never would dare!" she answered. "My agents
are even now watching that bank. The bank would never give up the
sealed packages contents unknown, save on surrender of the carefully
drawn receipts." And then Berthe remembered her own secret work at
Calcutta. The Grindlays knew of the surreptitious attempts made by
the plausible Hugh Fraser to withdraw the deposit long before the
baronetcy episode. And Berthe laughed, in memory of her capture
of the receipts in the old days at Brighton, while looking for the
stolen letter.
Long before that rising star of fashion, Major Alan Hawke, returned
from General Willoughby's delightful dinner upon the day of Hugh
Johnstone's crafty surrender, he knew that Hugh Johnstone had astounded
Delhi by a personal exploitation of the Lady of the Silver Bungalow.
"By Gad! Hawke!" roared old Brigadier Willoughby, with his mouth
full of chutney, "Johnstone is going the pace! First he produces
a daughter, a hidden treasure, and now this wonderfully beautiful
French countess."
"I suppose, General," lightly said the Major, "the old nabob will
marry and retire to Europe on his coming baronetcy."
"Likely enough!" sputtered Willoughby. "You lucky young dog.
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