The first and largest segment ended jaggedly where it
had evidently been snapped off from the rest of the ornament--if the
thing had formed part of an ornament. Stuart looked up, frowning in
a puzzled way.
"It is a most curious fragment of jewellery--possibly of Indian
origin," he said.
Inspector Dunbar lighted his pipe and tossed the match-end into the
fire. "But what does it represent?" he asked.
"Oh, as to that--I said a _curious_ fragment advisedly, because I
cannot imagine any woman wearing such a beastly thing. It is the _tail
of a scorpion._"
"Ah!" cried Dunbar, the tawny eyes glittering with excitement. "The
tail of a scorpion! I thought so! And Sowerby would have it that it
represented the stem of a Cactus or Prickly Pear!"
"Not so bad a guess," replied Stuart. "There _are_ resemblances--not
in the originals but in such a miniature reproduction as this. He was
wrong, however. May I ask where you obtained the fragment?"
"I'm here to tell you, doctor, for now that I know it's a scorpion's
tail I know that I'm out of my depth as well. You've travelled in
the East and lived in the East--two very different things. Now, while
you were out there, in India, China, Burma, and so on, did you ever
come across a religion or a cult that worshipped scorpions?"
Stuart frowned thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with the mouthpiece of
his pipe. Dunbar watched him expectantly.
"Help yourself to whiskey-and-soda, Inspector," said Stuart absently.
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