"We"ll take care of all that, if you just tell us to go ahead and clean up as we see fit," said the painter.
"All right; but don"t make us wait too long before we can move in. We are going to have a house-warming, here, next week," explained Eleanor, anxiously.
"I"ve got an extra man comin" on to-morrow, and we"ll be out of here by Sat.u.r.day. Especially if we work Sat"aday afternoon-but that means double pay, you know."
"Never mind that; finish the job as soon as possible, for we will save that much extra money in hotel bills," said Anne.
"All right! We"ll turn it over for you Sat"aday night!"
Everything seemed to be going so well, not only with their Studio-home, but with furnishings and decorators, that the girls felt elated.
The next day they again met Mr. Fabian at the Art Galleries, and he proved a very welcome member to their party, as he knew all about rugs, porcelains, and antiques. Having shown them and explained all about the few rare pieces still for sale in the auction rooms, he said:
"Some day you must go with me to some of the other places. There are dozens of these shops in New York, and each one seems to incline to some particular line of furnishing. Then, too, one can see more wonderful antiques in these shabby little shops along the avenue, than one would believe possible.
"I often pick up rare things in these places. They are run, mostly, by Hebrews who merely know when an object is antique, or in demand. But they seldom can tell you the period or name of many of their most valuable items. It was in this way that a friend of mine once discovered a treasure.
"His wife wanted a necklace for Christmas-something odd and different than any that her friends had. So he came to me and said: "Fabian, I can"t afford Tiffany prices, but I wish I could find something unusual.
I want to please my wife, because she has been such a good sport during the time I was hanging over the edge of bankruptcy. Now what would you suggest?"
"I offered to go with him. So we sauntered out of the Studio and walked over here, to Fourth avenue. We stopped in every little collector"s shop along the street, but could not find just what appealed to him. Then we entered that shop across the street-the one near the corner.
"I knew the old Hebrew well, having often looked over his trays filled with every old thing conceivable. So I said upon entering: "Got any odd kind of necklace or chain, Moses? Something to go around a lady"s neck, you know?" I had to demonstrate my words as I spoke.
""Ya, ya! Shure, I got a chain. I show him you?"
"It was a long antique-silver chain, the great flat links being beautifully filigreed. But it was not what my friend wanted, so I bought it for Nancy. Then the shop-keeper looked wistful.
""Ain"t I got it what you like? Tell me what for you want him?"
"My friend replied: "For my wife. She goes to b.a.l.l.s and like pearls, or other stones, in a necklace."
""Ah, ha! I got yust what you like. A pearl necklace vot come in las"
veek wid a lot of odder fine tings." Then the old man rooted around under the counter until he found the tray he wanted. It was coated with dust from the floor, but he blew this off and carelessly placed the heaped-up tray before us.
"Such a tangle of all kinds of jewelry I never _did_ see! Finally I got the string of pearls free from the snarls of ordinary gla.s.s beads and other trash, and handed it over to my friend. He curled a lip in scorn at the soiled trinket.
""Avery, drive a bargain with him for this. I honestly think those pearls are quite good. Let me rub one up on my sleeve, while you draw the fellow"s attention from what I am doing," I whispered.
"While Avery tried to bargain, I cleaned up one of the gems and felt sure they were unusually good even for artificial pearls.
"We actually bought the string for twelve dollars, but my friend feared lest he had been taken in. So I smiled and said: "Leave them with me and I"ll see that they are polished up like new by to-morrow night. I"ll take them to an old jeweler down the street and have them washed and the gold links cleaned. Your wife won"t know but that they came from Tiffany"s.
"Avery laughed and left them with me. So I hurried down to Union Square and showed them to the old jeweler I knew, there.
"He puckered his brow at first, then ran for his magnifying gla.s.ses.
After an unusually keen inspection he called to his a.s.sociate. Both of them then examined the string most carefully, and the old man finally looked up.
""If I didn"t know you to be an honest man I should say: "Where did you steal them?"-but I will ask: "How came you by these?"
"I was astonished, as you may know, but I tried to appear wise, so I laughingly replied: "They are not mine, my dear, sir. I only wish they were! I just got them from a friend to have someone, who is responsible, clean them nicely. I must hand them back as soon as you have finished."
""Mr. Fabian, I can"t undertake such a job. I have no bonded man to do such work and I dare not send them out. They may be subst.i.tuted, you know."
"Then I couldn"t help saying: "My good man! You don"t value them so highly as that, do you? Why, I carried them downtown in my pocket!"
""Ha, ha!" he laughed, "I never saw a better matched string of perfect pearls in my life and I am nigh onto sixty. If I had to handle that necklace, I should instantly insure it with a broker for a hundred thousand dollars."
"Fancy, my friends, how I felt! My knees gave way and I had to sit down.
I loosened my collar which seemed suddenly to grow too tight, but I couldn"t say a word."
Polly and Eleanor stood listening with eyes bulging and mouths half-open. Anne and her mother were also deeply interested.
Mr. Fabian smiled to himself before he continued his tale, "Well, I took the pearls and hailed a taxi. I was taken to Tiffany"s, and asked for the manager, at once. Of course they wanted to know why I wished to see him, and I said, courageously: "To turn over a valuable pearl necklace and insure it for a hundred thousand."
"That brought the manager running. We went to a small private room and I placed the string of pearls before him. He took it carefully, examined it casually, then more minutely. He seemed perturbed and got up. "Don"t leave this room and do not allow anyone to come in and see it. I"ll be back in a moment with our expert."
"I felt sure, then, that Avery had actually found a _real_ bargain. But I never dreamed of getting anything out of it for myself. The manager returned with, not only the gem expert, but also with the president of the company. He closed the door and locked it.
"The gem expert used all sorts of tests on the pearls and then said in a trembling tone: "M"sieur, I see like I nevair saw in my life! A string of perfect match pearls, each one well worth a fortune. But I see more, M"sieu! I will bring my acid to clean the engraved clasp set with diamonds. Maybe we find interesting fack."
"Everyone felt nervous during the intermission granted us, but we said not a word to each other. Then the Frenchman returned. He was so careful, almost reverent, I should say, in touching and cleaning the clasp, that I laughed to myself at the memory of Old Izaacs shelving the pearls with a heap of junk, on a tray that was shoved on the floor under a counter.
"After many minutes of impatient waiting on our side, and as long in a most delicate cleansing process of the pearls on the part of the expert, he said: "Ah! Now vee zee."
"He adjusted his eyegla.s.s and studied the lettering on the clasp. Then he jerked forward and peered breathlessly at it again. Suddenly he dropped the necklace upon the pad and leaned back in the chair. "Mon Dieu!" was all he could gasp.
"The president then caught up the pearls and adjusted the gla.s.s and studied the clasp. He also gasped and turned pale. The manager took the string from his superior and eagerly read the lettering aloud, "To my queen from Bonaparte." And then followed the date and year in tiny figures."
Mr. Fabian smiled as he saw the impression his story had made, and waited to be asked questions concerning the pearls.
"Oh, do finish the story!" cried Eleanor.
"Were they really that famous pearl necklace?" asked Anne.
But Polly was too amazed to ask anything.
"It was the famous necklace of purest pearls that had been lost for the past sixty years. It was worth about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, at the time it disappeared. To-day it would be worth much more.
But it belonged to the French Museum, and a reward of two hundred thousand francs had been offered for trace of it, or its return. So long ago had that reward been recorded in every civilized land, that the present generation had never heard of it-except in history.
"Well, I took a receipt from Tiffany for its safe-keeping, and they a.s.sured me that they would communicate with the French Amba.s.sador, without delay. Meanwhile I was to communicate with my friend Avery.
Naturally I withheld all information as to the manner in which the necklace had been discovered.
"I went to Avery"s office, immediately, and acted very sorry as I said: "Avery, if I were to tell you that I lost that necklace, what would you do to me?"
"He only laughed and said: "I"d make you buy my wife one as good, or one she _might_ prefer to that greasy one!"
"Then I said: "Avery, I never had, nor do I expect to have as much money as that necklace is worth! Man alive, it is now in Tiffany"s safe, insured for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, against fire or theft!"