Paul Quentin by Fred M. White — Read

Dugdale had no serious cause to suspect that Bassano was wilfully deceiving him. In ordinary circumstances he might have allowed the matter to drop, but there was something behind Bassano's lie which might concern him more deeply. To begin with, he could not see why the Italian should have shown so much anger because Paul Quentin had picked up the lid of a jar and asked a few questions about it, except that this particular lid bore a striking remembrance to that of the Dragon Vase. Dugdale had formed a theory which he determined to act upon. He had thought it out carefully, and it seemed so simple and logical that he wondered how it had not occurred to Lord Passmore. Be this as it might, Bassano had some powerful reason for getting rid of that curious piece of china. He had lied about it, for it was impossible to post it in the pillar-box at the gates. Dugdale thanked his stars that Mary Pearson had given Lord Passmore her letters to post that morning. Otherwise, he would not have known that Bassano was telling an untruth; indeed, the incident of the jar lid might have passed unheeded.

What had Bassano done with it, and what were his urgent reasons for concealing it? Beyond doubt, he was anxious that Quentin should not see it again. He must have hidden it somewhere at hand. Possibly he had taken it to the pillar-box; indeed, the probabilities were strong in that direction. And when he found he could not drop it through the slit he must have concealed it. To substantiate Dugdale's theory it became necessary to find where the lid was hidden. When the article was in his possession he would be able to settle definitely whether his theory was correct or not. And if he proved to be right, as he felt sure he was, his task would be immensely simplified.