“I am not insinuating anything. I am merely trying to get at the bottom of the matter. How much money did you have in your purse?”
“Not a cent in money, but I had a fortune in jewels! Forty thousand dollars’ worth of jewels, mostly diamonds, and they didn’t belong to me!”
There was a surprised chorus of “oh’s” from those who had gathered about, and at once many of the diners began to search the floor and nearby tables. No trace of the handbag was found.
“I regret that such a thing has happened in my tea room,” the manager said, with a troubled frown. “But of course it was very unwise of you to bring such an amount into the dining room. We provide a safe for our customers’ valuables. Since you did not choose to make use of it, the management is in no way responsible for your loss. However, I will do everything in my power to help you recover the jewels.”
“They were stolen by someone in this room!” Mrs. Willoughby cried excitedly. “I insist that every person be searched.”
The manager hesitated, for she felt that such a procedure might arouse the ire of her customers, especially those who were socially prominent.
“I for one am willing to submit to a search,” a feminine guest declared quickly.
Others expressed their willingness to subject themselves to the ordeal. Of all the guests, only two women insisted that the search would be an indignity. One of these, the dark woman who had attracted the attention of Mrs. Willoughby and Mrs. Potter some time before, tried to slip out of the door.
“Don’t let her go!” Mrs. Potter cried. “She must be searched with the others!”