"And I believe that he valued it more than
anything else that he owned."
Stillman laughed with pleasure.
"Now," said he to his visitors, "we are getting at it, indeed. Someone
probably knew of the value he attached to this painting and planned to
steal it, perhaps for a ransom. Hume has been suspected of doing this
sort of thing himself before now. He was supposed to have engaged
someone to do the actual work, I believe, as in the case of the
Whistler portrait of the Duchess of Winterton. Suppose this someone,"
and Stillman rapped his knuckles upon the edge of the desk excitedly,
"took the notion to go into the picture stealing business of his own
account. Hume himself with his much prized portrait of General Wayne
was ready at hand--and so," with a sweeping gesture, "what has
happened, has happened."
Pendleton, much impressed, looked at Ashton-Kirk. But the latter's
thoughts seemed far away; his eyes were fixed upon the wall; his
expression was of delighted anticipation.
Stillman also noticed this non-attention to his reasoning, and a
little wrinkle of discontent appeared between his brows. So he turned
his gaze upon Brolatsky and spoke rather sharply.
"Now, as to Mr. Hume's intimates? What do you know of them?"
Isidore Brolatsky shifted in his chair; his long fingers began to drum
upon his knees.
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