
I THE PRETTY PAWNBROKER - II MRS. GOLDMARK'S EATING-HOUSE - III THE DEAD MAN - IV THE PLATINUM SOLITAIRE - V THE TWO LETTERS - VI THE SPANISH MANUSCRIPT - VII THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT - VIII THE INQUEST - IX WHOSE WERE THOSE RINGS? - X MELKY INTERVENES - XI THE BACK DOOR - XII THE FRIEND FROM PEEBLES - XIII THE CALL FOR HELP - XIV THE PRIVATE LABORATORY - XV CONFERENCE - XVI THE DETECTIVE CALLS - XVII WHAT THE LAMPS SHONE ON - XVIII MR. STUYVESANT GUYLER - XIX PURDIE STANDS FIRM - XX THE PARSLETT AFFAIR - XXI WHAT MANNER OF DEATH? - XXII MR. KILLICK GOES BACK - XXIII MR. KILLICK'S OPINION - XXIV THE ORANGE-YELLOW DIAMOND - XXV THE DEAD MAN'S PROPERTY - XXVI THE RAT - XXVII THE EMPTY HOUSE - XXVIII THE L500 BANK NOTE - XXIX MR. MORI YADA - XXX THE MORTUARY - XXXI THE MIRANDOLET THEORY - XXXII ONE O'CLOCK MIDNIGHT - XXXIII SECRET WORK - XXXIV BAFFLED - XXXV YADA TAKES CHARGE - XXXVI PILMANSEY'S TEA ROOMS - XXXVII CHANG LI - XXXVIII THE JEW AND THE JAP - XXXIX THE DIAMOND NECKLACE - THE ORANGE-YELLOW DIAMOND - CHAPTER ONE - THE PRETTY PAWNBROKER
CHAPTER TWO - MRS. GOLDMARK'S EATING-HOUSE
CHAPTER THREE - THE DEAD MAN
CHAPTER FOUR - THE PLATINUM SOLITAIRE
CHAPTER FIVE - THE TWO LETTERS
CHAPTER SIX - THE SPANISH MANUSCRIPT
CHAPTER SEVEN - THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
CHAPTER EIGHT - THE INQUEST
CHAPTER NINE - WHOSE WERE THOSE RINGS?
CHAPTER TEN - MELKY INTERVENES
In the shadowed backstreets of Paddington, where soot‑stained roofs and cracked windows form a maze of weary lives, the city’s grandeur feels a world away. The rain‑slicked cobbles and the muffled chatter of taverns paint a picture of a neighbourhood that has forgotten how to laugh. Even the sparrows seem reluctant to lift their heads, as if the nearby gardens belong to a different realm entirely.
Amid this gloom lives a young man whose dreams of becoming a writer are as thread‑bare as his empty pockets. He spends his days staring out a grimy window, his stomach growling while the scent of frying herrings drifts up from the street below. A tentative knock brings a gaunt, nervous woman into his cramped room, setting off a chain of uneasy conversations that hint at secrets hidden beneath the soot‑covered façade—secrets that may involve a dazzling orange‑yellow diamond and a mystery waiting to be uncovered.
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (424K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2005-11-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1863–1935
A remarkably prolific English writer, he produced more than 230 books across journalism, history, poetry, and fiction, but is best remembered today for his detective stories. His mysteries helped shape the early 20th-century crime genre with brisk plotting and a strong sense of place.
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