The Adventure of āThe Western Starā
I was standing at the window of Poirotās rooms looking out idly on the street below.
āThatās queer,ā I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
āWhat is, mon ami?ā asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
āDeduce, Poirot, from the following facts! Here is a young lady, richly dressedāfashionable hat, magnificent furs. She is coming along slowly, looking up at the houses as she goes. Unknown to her, she is being shadowed by three men and a middle-aged woman. They have just been joined by an errand boy who points after the girl, gesticulating as he does so. What drama is this being played? Is the girl a crook, and are the shadowers detectives preparing to arrest her? Or are they the scoundrels, and are they plotting to attack an innocent victim? What does the great detective say?ā
āThe great detective, mon ami, chooses, as ever, the simplest course. He rises to see for himself.ā And my friend joined me at the window.
In a minute he gave vent to an amused chuckle.
āAs usual, your facts are tinged with your incurable romanticism. That is Miss Mary Marvell, the film star. She is being followed by a bevy of admirers who have recognized her. And, en passant, my dear Hastings, she is quite aware of the fact!ā
I laughed.
āSo all is explained! But you get no marks for that, Poirot. It was a mere matter of recognition.ā
āEn vĆ©ritĆ©! And how many times have you seen Mary Marvell on the screen, mon cher?ā
I thought.
āAbout a dozen times perhaps.ā
āAnd Iāonce! Yet I recognize her, and you do not.ā
āShe looks so different,ā I replied rather feebly.
āAh! SacrĆ©!ā cried Poirot. āIs 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? Always with you it is the non-essentials! Remember the case of the dancer, Valerie Saintclair.ā
I shrugged my shoulders, slightly annoyed.
āBut console yourself, mon ami,ā said Poirot, calming down. āAll cannot be as Hercule Poirot! I know it well.ā
āYou really have the best opinion of yourself of anyone I ever knew!ā I cried, divided between amusement and annoyance.
āWhat will you? When one is unique, one knows it! And others share that opinionāeven, if I mistake not, Miss Mary Marvell.ā
āWhat?ā
āWithout doubt. She is coming here.ā
āHow do you make that out?ā
āVery simply. This street, it is not aristocratic, mon ami! In it there is no fashionable doctor, no fashionable dentistāstill less is there a fashionable milliner! But there is a fashionable detective. Oui, my friend, it is trueāI am become the mode, the dernier cri! One says to another: āComment? You have lost your gold pencil-case? You must go to the little Belgian. He is too marvellous! Every one goes! Courez!ā And they arrive! In flocks, mon ami! With problems of the most foolish!ā A bell rang below. āWhat did I tell you? That is Miss Marvell.ā
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 company with her husband, Gregory B. Rolf, also a film actor. Their marriage had taken place about a year ago in the States and this was their first visit to England. They had been given a great reception. Every one 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, āthe Western Star.ā 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 through my mind as I joined with Poirot in greeting our fair client.
Miss Marvell was small and slender, very fair and girlish-looking, with the wide innocent blue eyes of a child.
Poirot drew forward a chair for her, and she commenced talking at once.
āYou will probably think me very foolish, Monsieur Poirot, but Lord Cronshaw was telling me last night how wonderfully you cleared up the mystery of his nephewās death, and I felt that I just must have your advice. I dare say itās only a silly hoaxāGregory says soābut itās just worrying me to death.ā
She paused for breath. Poirot beamed encouragement.
āProceed, Madame. You comprehend, I am still in the dark.ā
āItās these letters.ā Miss Marvell unclasped her handbag, and drew out three envelopes which she handed to Poirot.
The latter scrutinized them closely.
āCheap paperāthe name and address carefully printed. Let us see the inside.ā He drew out the enclosure.
I had joined him, and was leaning over his shoulder. The writing consisted of a single sentence, carefully printed like the envelope. It ran as follows:
āThe great diamond which is the left eye of the god must return whence it came.ā
The second letter was couched in precisely the same terms, but the third was more explicit:
āYou have been warned. You have not obeyed. Now the diamond will be taken from you. At the full of the moon, the two diamonds which are the left and right eye of the god shall return. So it is written.ā
āThe first letter I treated as a joke,ā explained Miss Marvell. āWhen I got the second, I began to wonder. The third one came yesterday, and it seemed to me that, after all, the matter might be more serious than I had imagined.ā
āI see they did not come by post, these letters.ā
āNo; they were left by handāby a Chinaman. That is what frightens me.ā
āWhy?ā
āBecause it was from a Chink in San Francisco that Gregory bought the stone three years ago.ā
āI see, madame, that you believe the diamond referred to to beāāā
āāThe Western Star,āā finished Miss Marvell. āThatās so. At the time, Gregory remembers that there was some story attached to the stone, but the Chink wasnāt handing out any information. Gregory says he seemed just scared to death, and in a mortal hurry to get rid of the thing. He only asked about a tenth of its value. It was Gregās wedding present to me.ā
Poirot nodded thoughtfully.
āThe story seems of an almost unbelievable romanticism. And yetāwho knows? I pray of you, Hastings, hand me my little almanac.ā
I complied.
āVoyons!ā said Poirot, turning the leaves.
āWhen is the date of the full moon? Ah, Friday next. That is in three daysā time. Eh bien, madame, you seek my adviceāI give it to you. This belle histoire may be a hoaxābut it may not! Therefore I counsel you to place the diamond in my keeping until after Friday next. Then we can take what steps we please.ā
A slight cloud passed over the actressās face, and she replied constrainedly:
āIām afraid thatās impossible.ā
āYou have it with youāhein?ā Poirot was watching her narrowly.
The girl hesitated a moment, then slipped her hand into the bosom of her gown, 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.
āĆpatant!ā he murmured. āYou permit, madame?ā He took the jewel in his own hand and scrutinized it keenly, then restored it to her with a little bow. āA magnificent stoneāwithout a flaw. Ah, cent tonnerres! and you carry it about with you, comme Ƨa!ā
āNo, no, Iām very careful really, Monsieur Poirot. As a rule itās locked up in my jewel-case, and left in the hotel safe deposit. Weāre staying at the Magnificent, you know. I just brought it along to-day for you to see.ā
āAnd you will leave it with me, nāest-ce pas? You will be advised by Papa Poirot?ā
āWell, you see, itās this way, Monsieur Poirot. On Friday weāre going down to Yardly Chase to spend a few days with Lord and Lady Yardly.ā
Her words awoke a vague echo of remembrance in my mind. Some gossipāwhat was it now? A few years ago Lord and Lady Yardly had paid a visit to the States, rumour had it that his lordship had rather gone the pace out there with the assistance of some lady friendsābut surely there was something more, some gossip which coupled Lady Yardlyās name with that of a āmovieā star in Californiaāwhy! it came to me in a flashāof course it was none other than Gregory B. Rolf.
āIāll let you into a little secret, Monsieur Poirot,ā Miss Marvell was continuing. āWeāve got a deal on with Lord Yardly. Thereās some chance of our arranging to film a play down there in his ancestral pile.ā
āAt Yardly Chase?ā I cried, interested. āWhy, itās one of the show places of England.ā
Miss Marvell nodded.
āI guess itās the real old feudal stuff all right. But he wants a pretty stiff price, and of course I donāt know yet whether the deal will go through, but Greg and I always like to combine business with pleasure.ā
āButāI demand pardon if I am dense, madameāsurely it is possible to visit Yardly Chase without taking the diamond with you?ā
A shrewd, hard look came into Miss Marvellās eyes which belied their childlike appearance. She looked suddenly a good deal older.
āI want to wear it down there.ā
āSurelyā I said suddenly, āthere are some very famous jewels in the Yardly collection, a large diamond amongst them?ā
āThatās so,ā said Miss Marvell briefly.
I heard Poirot murmur beneath his breath: āAh, cāest comme Ƨa!ā Then he said aloud, with his usual uncanny luck in hitting the bullās-eye (he dignifies it by the name of psychology): āThen you are without doubt already acquainted with Lady Yardly, or perhaps your husband is?ā
āGregory knew her when she was out West three years ago,ā said Miss Marvell. She hesitated a moment, and then added abruptly: āDo either of you ever see Society Gossip?ā
We both pleaded guilty rather shamefacedly.
āI ask because in this weekās number there is an article on famous jewels, and itās really very curiousāāā She broke off.
I rose, went to the table at the other side of the room and returned with the paper in question in my hand. She took it from me, found the article, and began to read aloud:
ā. . . Amongst other famous stones may be included the Star of the East, a diamond in the possession of the Yardly family. An ancestor of the present Lord Yardly brought it back with him from China, and a romantic story is said to attach to it. According to this, the stone was once the right eye of a temple god. Another diamond, exactly similar in form and size, formed the left eye, and the story goes that this jewel, too, would in course of time be stolen. āOne eye shall go West, the other East,...