But--he wanted funds; wanted them badly. He thereupon conceived the bold idea of getting a reward for his knowledge. He went to the police-station with a merely modest motive in his mind--fifty pounds would carry him to Vienna, where he knew how to dispose of the diamond at once, with no questions asked. But when he found the owners of the diamond and the bank-notes present he decided to play for higher stakes. He got what he asked for--and, if it had not been for that little Jew, he said malevolently, he would have got out of England that eventful afternoon. But--it was not so written--and the game was up. Only--what he had said was true. Now let them do what they could for him--but let them search for Chen Li's murderer.
The folk who had been chiefly concerned about the orange-yellow diamond and the eighty thousand pounds' worth of Bank of England notes were not so much troubled about proving the truth of Yada's strange story as Yada himself was--the main point to them was that they had recovered their property. Naturally they felt remarkably grateful to Melky Rubinstein for his astuteness in circumventing Yada at what might have been the last moment. And one day, at that portion of it when business was slack and everybody was feeling comfortable after dinner, Melky called on Mrs. Goldmark and became confidentially closeted with her in a little parlour behind her establishment which she kept sacred to herself. Mrs. Goldmark, who had quick eyes, noticed that Melky was wearing his best clothes, and a new silk hat, and new gloves, and had put his feet into patent-leather boots which she secretly and sympathizingly--felt to be at least a size too small for him. He sighed as he sat near her on the sofa--and Mrs. Goldmark looked at him with concern.
"Such a time you have lately, Mr. Rubinstein, don't you?" she said feelingly. "Such worries--such troubles! And the risk you ran taking that wicked young man all by yourself--so brave of you! You'd ought to have one of these medals what they give to folks, so!"
"You think that?" responded Melky, brightening suspiciously. "Oh, Mrs. Goldmark, your words is like wine--all my life I been wishing some beautiful woman would say them things to me! Now I feel like I was two foot taller, Mrs. Goldmark! But I don't want no medals--not me. Mr. Levendale and Mr. Purvis, they came to me and say they must give me a reward--handsome reward, you understand, for getting back their goods. So I say no--I won't have nothing for myself--nothing. But, I say, just so--there is one that should be rewarded. Mrs. Goldmark!--do you know what? I think of you when I say that!"