Brian got it. The one with spring is a spare pressed into service. The one without spring came from this VH. The spring from this one is also broken from the rust bath.

The one big benefit to the use of coil springs is the fact that they will keep working even when broken and Parker advertised this fact. Many times I have pulled out unhooking slide springs that were in many pieces. There is a point where once they break enough times, that they start to loose their function.

Rarely have I encountered broken mainsprings. I think just once or twice. And never a top lever spring (in the later guns using coils, after about 1917).