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diff --git a/old/68237-0.txt b/old/68237-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b5dad46..0000000 --- a/old/68237-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11231 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Unravelled Knots, by Baroness Emmuska -Orczy - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Unravelled Knots - -Author: Baroness Emmuska Orczy - -Release Date: June 4, 2022 [eBook #68237] -[Most recently updated: October 6, 2022] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNRAVELLED KNOTS *** - - - - - - - -UNRAVELLED KNOTS - - -BY - -BARONESS ORCZY - - - -NEW YORK - -GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1923, 1924, 1925, AND 1926, - BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - COPYRIGHT, 1924, - BY THE METROPOLITAN MAGAZINE COMPANY - - UNRAVELLED KNOTS - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -CONTENTS - - -I THE MYSTERY OF THE KHAKI TUNIC - -II THE MYSTERY OF THE INGRES MASTERPIECE - -III THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARL NECKLACE - -IV THE MYSTERY OF THE RUSSIAN PRINCE - -V THE MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY IN BISHOP'S ROAD - -VI THE MYSTERY OF THE DOG'S TOOTH CLIFF - -VII THE TYTHERTON CASE - -VIII THE MYSTERY OF BRUDENELL COURT - -IX THE MYSTERY OF THE WHITE CARNATION - -X THE MYSTERY OF THE MONTMARTRE HAT - -XI THE MISER OF MAIDA VALE - -XII THE FULTON GARDENS MYSTERY - -XIII A MOORLAND TRAGEDY - - - - - By BARONESS ORCZY - - UNRAVELLED KNOTS - PIMPERNEL AND ROSEMARY - THE HONOURABLE JIM - THE TRIUMPH OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL - NICOLETTE - CASTLES IN THE AIR - THE FIRST SIR PERCY - HIS MAJESTY'S WELL-BELOVED - THE LEAGUE OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL - FLOWER O' THE LILY - THE MAN IN GREY - LORD TONY'S WIFE - LEATHERFACE - THE BRONZE EAGLE - A BRIDE OF THE PLAINS - THE LAUGHING CAVALIER - "UNTO CAESAR" - EL DORADO - MEADOWSWEET - THE NOBLE ROGUE - THE HEART OF A WOMAN - PETTICOAT RULE - - New York: George H. Doran Company - - - - - -UNRAVELLED KNOTS - - - -I - -THE MYSTERY OF THE KHAKI TUNIC - - -§1 - -I cannot pretend to say how it all happened. I can but relate what -occurred, leaving those of my friends who are versed in psychic -matters to find a plausible explanation for the fact that on that -horrible foggy afternoon I chanced to walk into that blameless -teashop at that particular hour. - -Now, I had not been inside a teashop for years, and I had almost -ceased to think of the Old Man in the Corner--the weird, spook-like -creature with the baggy trousers, the huge horn-rimmed spectacles, -and the thin claw-like hands that went on fidgeting, fidgeting, -fidgeting with a piece of string, tying it with nervy deliberation -into innumerable and complicated knots. - -And yet, when I walked into that teashop and saw him sitting in the -corner by the fire, I was hardly conscious of surprise, but I did not -think that he would recognise me. So I sat down at the next table to -him, and when I thought that he was most intent on fidgeting with his -piece of string, I stole surreptitious glances at him. The years -seemed to have passed him by; he was just the same; his face no more -wrinkled; his fingers were as agile and restless as they had been -when last I saw him twenty years ago. - -Then all at once he spoke, just as he used to do, in the same cracked -voice with the dry, ironic chuckle. - -"One of the most interesting cases it has ever been my good fortune -to investigate," he said. I had not realised that he had seen me, -and I gave such a startled jump that I spilt half a cup of tea on my -frock. With a long, bony finger he was pointing to a copy of the -_Express Post_, which lay beside his plate, and almost against my -will my eyes wandered to the flaring headline: "The Mystery of the -Khaki Tunic." - -Then I looked up inquiringly at my pixy-like interlocutor. It never -occurred to me to make a conventional little speech about the lapse -of time since last we met; for the moment I had the feeling as if I -had seen him the day before. - -"You are still interested in criminology, then?" I asked. - -"More than ever," he replied with a bland smile, "and this case has -given me some of the most delightful moments I have ever experienced -in connection with my studies. I have watched the police committing -one blunder after another, and to-day, when they are completely -baffled and the public has started to write letters to the papers -about another undetected crime and another criminal at large, I am -having the time of my life." - -"Of course, you have made up your mind," I retorted with what I felt -was withering sarcasm. - -"I have arrived at the only possible solution of the mystery," he -replied, unperturbed, "and you will do the same when I have put the -facts clearly and logically before you. As for the police, let 'em -flounder," he went on complacently. "For me it has been an exciting -drama to watch from beginning to end. Every one of the characters in -it stands out before me like a clear-cut cameo. - -"There was Miss Mary Clarke, a quiet, middle-aged woman who rented -Hardacres from Lord Foremeere. She had taken the place soon after -the Armistice, and ran a poultry farm there on a small scale with the -occasional assistance of her brother Arthur, an ex-officer in the -East Glebeshires, a young man who had an excellent war-record, but -who seemed, like so many other young men of his kind, to have fallen -into somewhat shiftless and lazy ways since the glorious peace. - -"No doubt you know the geography of the place. The halfpenny papers -have been full of maps and plans of Hardacres. It is rather a lonely -house on the road between Langford and Barchester, about -three-quarters of a mile from Meere village. Meere Court is another -half-mile or so farther on, the house hidden by clumps of stately -trees, above which can be perceived the towers of Barchester -Cathedral. - -"Very little seems to have been known about Miss Clarke in the -neighbourhood; she seemed to be fairly well-to-do and undoubtedly a -cut above the village folk, but, equally obviously, she did not -belong to the county set. Nor did she encourage visitors, not even -the vicar; she seldom went to church, and neither went to parties nor -ever asked any one to tea; she did most of her shopping herself, in -Meere, and sold her poultry and eggs to Mr. Brook, the local dealer, -who served all the best houses for miles around. Every morning at -seven o'clock a girl from the village, named Emily Baker, came in to -do the housework at Hardacres, and left again after the mid-day -dinner. Once a week regularly, Miss Clarke called at Meere Court. -Always on a Friday. She walked over in the afternoon, whatever the -weather, brought a large basket of eggs with her, and was shown, -without ever being kept waiting, straight into Lady Foremeere's -sitting-room. The interview lasted about ten minutes, sometimes -more, and then she would be shown out again. - -"Mind you," the funny creature went on glibly, and raising a long, -pointed finger to emphasise his words, "no one seems to have thought -that there was anything mysterious about Miss Clarke. The fact that -'she kept 'erself to 'erself' was not in itself a sign of anything -odd about her. People, especially women, in outlying country -districts, often lead very self-centred, lonely lives; they arouse a -certain amount of curiosity when they first arrive in the -neighbourhood, but after a while gossip dies out if it is not fed, -and the hermit's estrangement from village life is tacitly accepted. - -"On the other hand, Miss Clarke's brother Arthur was exceedingly -gregarious. He was a crack tennis player and an excellent dancer, -and these two accomplishments procured him his entrée into the best -houses in the county--houses which, before the war, when people were -more fastidious in the choice of their guests, would no doubt have -not been quite so freely opened to him. - -"It was common gossip that Arthur was deeply in love with April St. -Jude, Lord Foremeere's beautiful daughter by a previous marriage, but -public opinion was unanimous in the assertion that there never could -be any question of marriage between an extemporary gentleman without -money or property of any kind and the society beauty who had been -courted by some of the smartest and richest men in London. - -"Nor did Arthur Clarke enjoy the best of reputations in the -neighbourhood. He was over-fond of betting and loafing about the -public-houses of Barchester. People said, that he might help his -sister in the farm more than he did, seeing that he did not appear to -have a sixpence of his own, and that she gave him bed and board, but -as he was very good-looking and could make himself very agreeable if -he chose, the women, at any rate, smiled at his misdeeds and were -content to call Arthur 'rather wild, but not really a bad boy.' - -"Then came the tragedy. - -"On the twenty-eighth of December last, when Emily Baker came to work -as usual, she was rather surprised not to see or hear Miss Clarke -moving about the place. As a rule she was out in the yard by the -time Emily arrived; the chickens would have had their hot mash and -the empty pans would have been left for Emily to wash up. But this -morning nothing. In the girl's own words there was a creepy kind of -lonely feeling about the house. She knew that Mr. Clarke was not at -home. The day before the servants at Meere Court had their annual -Christmas party, and Mr. Clarke had been asked to help with the tree -and to entertain the children. He had announced his intention of -putting up afterwards at the Deanery Hotel for the night, a thing he -was rather fond of doing whenever he was asked out to parties and did -not know what time he might be able to get away. - -"Emily, when she arrived, had found the front door on the latch, as -usual, therefore, she reflected, Miss Clarke must have been -downstairs and drawn the bolts. But where could she be now? Never, -never would she have gone out before feeding her chickens, on such a -cold morning, too! - -"At this point Emily gave up reflecting, and proceeded to action. -She went up to her mistress's room. It was empty, and the bed had -not been slept in. Genuinely alarmed now, she ran down again, her -next objective being the parlour. The door was, as usual, locked on -the outside, but, contrary to precedent, the key was not in the lock; -thinking it had dropped out, the girl searched for it, but in vain, -and at one moment, when she moved the small mat which stood before -the door of the locked room, she at once became aware of an -over-powering smell of gas. - -"This proved the death-blow to Emily's fortitude; she took to her -heels and ran out of the house and down the road toward the village, -nor did she halt until she came to the local police-station, where -she gave as coherent an account as she could of the terrible state of -things at Hardacres. - -"You will remember that when the police broke open the door of the -parlour, the first thing they saw was the body of Miss Clarke lying -full-length on the floor. The poor woman was quite dead, suffocated -by the poisonous fumes of gas which was fully turned on in the -old-fashioned chandelier above her head. The one window had been -carefully latched, and the thick curtains closely drawn together; the -chimney had been stuffed up with newspaper and paper had been thrust -into every aperture so as to exclude the slightest possible breath of -air. There was a wad of it in the keyhole, and the mat on the -landing outside had been carefully arranged against the door with the -same sinister object. - -"The news spread like wildfire and soon the entire neighbourhood was -gloating over a sensation the like of which had not come its way for -generations past." - - -§2 - -"The London evening papers got hold of the story for their noonday -edition," the Old Man in the Corner went on, after a slight pause, -"and I with my passion for the enigmatical and the perplexing, made -up my mind then and there to probe the mystery on my own account, -because I knew well enough that this was just the sort of case which -would send the county police blundering all over the wrong track. - -"I arrived at Barchester on the Tuesday, in time for the inquest, but -nothing of much importance transpired that day. Medical evidence -went to prove that the deceased had first been struck on the back of -the head by some heavy instrument, a weighted stick or something of -the sort, which had no doubt stunned her, but she actually died of -gas poisoning, which she inhaled in large quantities while she was -half-conscious. The medical officer went on to say that Miss Clarke -must have been dead twelve hours or more when he was called in by the -police at about eight o'clock in the morning. - -"After this, a couple of neighbours testified to having seen Miss -Clarke at her front door at about half-past five the previous -evening. It was a very dark night, if you remember, and a thick -Scotch mist was falling. When the neighbours went by, Miss Clarke -had apparently just introduced a visitor into her house, the gas was -alight in the small hall, and they had vaguely perceived the outline -of a man or woman, they could not swear which, in a huge coat, -standing for a moment immediately behind Miss Clarke; the neighbours -also heard Miss Clarke's voice speaking to her visitor, but what she -said they could not distinguish. The weather was so atrocious that -every one who was abroad that night hurried along without taking much -notice of what went on around. - -"Evidence of a more or less formal character followed, and the -inquest was then adjourned until the Friday, every one going away -with the feeling that sensational developments were already in the -air. - -"And the developments came tumbling in thick and fast. To begin -with, it appears that Arthur Clarke, when first questioned by the -police, had made a somewhat lame statement. - -"'I was asked,' he said, 'to help with the servants' Christmas party -at Meere Court. I walked over to Barchester at about three o'clock -in the afternoon, with my suit-case, as I was going to spend the -night at the Deanery Hotel. I went on to Meere Court soon after -half-past three, and stayed until past seven; after which I walked -back to the Deanery, had some dinner, and went early to bed. I never -knew that anything had happened to my sister until the police -telephoned to me soon after eight o'clock the next morning. And,' he -added, 'that's all about it!' - -"But it certainly was not 'all about it,' because several of the -servants at Meere Court who were asked at what time Mr. Clarke went -away that night, said that he must have gone very soon after five -o'clock. They all finished their tea about that time, and then the -gramophone was set going for dancing; they were quite sure that they -had not seen Mr. Clarke after that. - -"On the other hand, Miss St. Jude said that the servants were -mistaken; they were far too deeply engrossed in their own amusements -to be at all reliable in their statements. As a matter of fact, Mr. -Clarke went away, as he said, at about seven o'clock; she herself had -danced with him most of the time, and said good-night to him in the -hall at a few minutes after seven. - -"Here was a neat little complication, do you see--a direct conflict -of evidence at the very outset of this mysterious case. Can you -wonder that amateur detectives already shrugged their shoulders and -raised their eyebrows, declaring that the Hon. April St. Jude was -obviously in love with Arthur Clarke, and was trying to shield him, -well knowing that he had something to hide. - -"Of course the police themselves were very reticent, but even they -could not keep people from gossiping. And gossip, I can assure you, -had enough and to spare to feed on. At first, of course, the crime -had seemed entirely motiveless. The deceased had not an enemy, or, -as far as that goes, many acquaintances in the world. In the drawer -of the desk, in the parlour, the sum of twenty pounds odd in notes -and cash were found, and in a little box by the side of the money -poor Mary Clarke's little bits of jewellery. - -"But twenty-four hours later no one could remain in doubt as to the -assassin's purpose. You will remember that on the day following the -adjourned inquest there had arrived from the depths of Yorkshire an -old sister of the deceased, a respectable spinster, to whom Arthur -himself, it seems, had communicated the terrible news. She had come -to Barchester for the funeral. This elder Miss Clarke, Euphemia by -name, though she could not say much that was informative, did, at any -rate, throw light upon one dark passage in her sister's history. - -"'For the past four years,' she told the police, 'my sister had an -allowance of four pounds a week from a member of the aristocracy. I -did not know much about her affairs, but I do know that she had a -packet of letters on which she set great store. What these letters -were I have not the slightest idea, nor do I know what Mary -ultimately did with them. On one occasion, before she was actually -settled at Hardacres, she met me in London and asked me to take care -of this packet for her, and she told me then that they were very -valuable. I also know that she and my brother Arthur had most heated -arguments together on the subject of these letters. Arthur was -always wanting her to give them up to him, and she always refused. -On one occasion she told me that she could, if she wanted, sell that -packet of letters for five thousand pounds. "Why on earth don't -you?" I asked her. But she replied: "Oh, Arthur would only get the -money out of me! It's better as it is."' - -"This story, as you may well imagine, gave food enough for gossip; at -once a romance was woven of blackmail and drama of love and passion, -whilst the name of a certain great lady in the neighbourhood, to whom -Miss Clarke had been in the habit of paying mysterious weekly visits, -already was on everybody's lips. - -"And then the climax came. By evening it had transpired that in -Arthur Clarke's room at Hardacres, the detectives had found an old -khaki tunic stuffed away at the bottom of a drawer, and in the pocket -of the tunic the key of the locked parlour door. It was an officer's -tunic, which had at some time had its buttons and badges taken off; -its right sleeve was so torn that it was nearly out at its armhole; -the cuff was all crumpled, as if it had been crushed in a damp, hot -hand, and there was a small piece of the cloth torn clean out of it. -And I will leave you to guess the importance of this fact--in the -tightly-clenched hand of the murdered woman was found the small piece -of khaki cloth which corresponded to a hair's-breadth with the -missing bit in the sleeve of the tunic. - -"After that the man in the street shook his head and declared that -Arthur Clarke was as good as hung already." - - -§3 - -The Old Man in the Corner had drawn out of his capacious pocket a -fresh piece of string. And now his claw-like fingers started to work -on it with feverish intentness. I watched him, fascinated, well -knowing that his keen mind was just as busy with the Hardacres -mystery as were his hands in the fashioning of some intricate and -complicated knot. - -"I am not," he said after a while, "going to give you an elaborate -description of the inquest and of the crowds that collected both -inside and out of the court-room, hoping to get a glimpse of the -principal actors in the exciting drama. By now, of course, all those -who had talked of the crime being without apparent motive had -effectually been silenced. To every amateur detective, as well as to -the professional, the murderer and his nefarious object appeared -absolutely revealed to the light of day. Every indication, every -scrap of evidence collected up to this hour, both direct and -circumstantial, pointed to Arthur Clarke as the murderer of his -sister. There were the letters, which were alleged to be worth five -thousand pounds, to the mysterious member of the aristocracy who was -paying Miss Clarke a weekly pittance, obviously in order to silence -her; there was the strong love motive--the young man in love with the -girl far above him in station and wanting to get hold of a large sum -of money, no doubt, to embark on some profitable business which might -help him in his wooing; and there, above all, was the damning bit of -khaki cloth in the murdered woman's hand, and the tunic with the key -of the locked door in its pocket found in a drawer in Clarke's own -room. - -"No, indeed, the inquest was not likely to be a dull affair, more -especially as no one doubted what the verdict would be, whilst a good -many people anticipated that Clarke would at once be arrested on the -coroner's warrant and committed for trial at the next assizes on the -capital charge. - -"But though we all knew that the inquest would not be dull, yet we -were not prepared for the surprises which were in store for us, and -which will render that inquest a memorable one in the annals of -criminal investigation. To begin with we already knew that Arthur -Clarke had now the assistance of Mr. Markham, one of the leading -solicitors of Barchester, in his difficult position. Acting on that -gentleman's advice Clarke had amplified the statement which he had -originally made as to his movements on the fatal afternoon. This -amplified statement he now reiterated on oath, and though frankly no -one believed him, we were bound to admit that if he could -substantiate it, an extraordinary complication would arise, which -though it might not eventually clear him altogether, in the minds of -thinking people, would at any rate give him the benefit of the doubt. -What he now stated was in substance this: - -"'The servants at Meere Court,' he said, 'are quite right when they -say that I left the party soon after five o'clock. I was rather -tired, and after a last dance with Miss St. Jude, I went upstairs to -pay my respects to Lady Foremeere. Her ladyship, however, kept me -talking for some considerable time on one subject and another, until, -to my astonishment, I saw that it was close on seven o'clock, when I -hastily took my leave. - -"'While I was looking for my coat in the hall, I remember that Lord -Foremeere came out of the smoking-room and asked me if I knew whether -the party downstairs had broken up. "These things are such a bore," -he said, "but I will see if I can get one of them to come up and show -you out." I told his lordship not to trouble. However, he rang the -bell, and presently the butler, Spinks, came through from the -servants' quarters, and his lordship then went upstairs, I think. A -minute or two later Miss St. Jude came, also from the servants' -quarters; she sent Spinks away, telling him that she would look after -me; we talked together for a few moments, and then I said good-night, -and went straight back to the hotel.' - -"Now we had already learned from both the hall-porter and the head -waiter at the Deanery that Mr. Clarke was back at the hotel soon -after seven o'clock, that he had his dinner in the restaurant at -half-past, and that after spending an hour or so in the lounge after -dinner, he went up to his room, and did not go out again until the -following morning. Therefore, all that was needed now was a -confirmatory statement from Lady Foremeere to prove Arthur Clarke's -innocence, because in that case every hour of his time would be -accounted for, from half-past three onwards, whilst Miss Clarke was -actually seen alive by two neighbours when she introduced a visitor -into her house at half-past five. - -"The question would then resolve itself into, Who was that visitor? -leaving the more important one of the khaki tunic as a baffling -mystery, rather than as damning evidence. - -"The entire courtroom was on the tiptoe of expectation when Lady -Foremeere was formally called. I can assure you that the ubiquitous -pin could have been heard to drop during the brief moment's silence -when the elegant Society woman stood up and disposed her exquisite -sable cape about her shoulders and then swore to tell the whole truth -and nothing but the truth. - -"She answered the coroner's questions in a clear, audible voice, and -never wavered in her assertions. She said that her step-daughter had -come up to her boudoir and asked her if she would see Mr. Arthur -Clarke for a few moments; he had something very important to say to -her. - -"'I was rather surprised at the strange request,' Lady Foremeere -continued with the utmost composure, 'and suggested that Mr. Clarke -should make his important communication to Lord Foremeere, but my -step-daughter insisted, and to please her I agreed. I thought that I -would get my husband to be present at this mysterious interview, but -his lordship was having a short rest in the smoking-room, so on -second consideration I decided not to disturb him. - -"'A minute or two later, Mr.--er--Clarke presented himself, and at -once I realised that he had had too much to drink. He talked wildly -about his desire to marry Miss St. Jude, and very excitedly about -some compromising letters which he alleged were in his possession, -and which he threatened to show to Lord Foremeere if I did not at -once give him so many thousand pounds. Naturally, I ordered him out -of the place. But he wouldn't go for a long time; he got more and -more incoherent and excited, and it was not until I threatened to -fetch Lord Foremeere immediately that he sobered down and finally -went away. He had been in my room about half an hour.' - -"'About half an hour?' was the coroner's earnest comment on this -amazing piece of evidence, 'But Mr. Clarke said that when he left -your ladyship it was close on seven.' - -"'Mr.--er--Clarke is in error,' her ladyship asserted firmly. 'The -clock had just struck half-past five when I succeeded in ridding -myself of him.' - -"You can easily imagine how great was the excitement at this moment -and how intensified it became when Lord Foremeere gave evidence in -his turn and further confused the issues. He began by corroborating -Arthur Clarke's statement about his having spoken to him in the hall -at _seven o'clock_. It was almost unbelievable! Everybody gasped -and the coroner almost gave a jump: - -"'But her ladyship has just told us,' he said, 'that Clarke left her -at half-past five!' - -"'That, no doubt, is accurate,' Lord Foremeere rejoined in his stiff, -prim manner, 'since her ladyship said so. All I know is that I was -asleep in front of the fire in the smoking-room when I heard a loud -bang issuing from the hall. I went to see what it was and there I -certainly saw Clarke. He was just coming through the glass door -which divides the outside vestibule from the hall, and he appeared to -me to have come straight out of the wet and to have left his hat and -coat in the outer vestibule.' - -"'But,' the coroner insisted, 'what made your lordship think that he -had come from outside?' - -"'Well, for one thing his face and hands were quite wet, and he was -wiping them with his handkerchief when I first caught sight of him. -His boots, too, were wet, and so were the edges of his trousers. And -then, as I said, he was coming into the hall from the outer -vestibule, and it was the banging of the front door which had roused -me.' - -"'And the hour then was?' - -"'The clock had not long since struck seven. But my butler will be -able to confirm this.' - -"And Spinks the butler did confirm this portion of his lordship's -statement, though he could say nothing about Mr. Clarke's boots being -wet, nor did he help Mr. Clarke on with his coat and hat, or open the -door for him. Miss St. Jude had practically followed Spinks into the -hall, and had at once dismissed him, saying she would look after Mr. -Clarke. His lordship in the meanwhile had gone upstairs, and Spinks -went back into the servants' hall. - -"Of course, Miss St. Jude was called. You remember that she had -previously stated that Clarke had only left the party at about seven -o'clock, that she herself had danced with him most of the time until -then, and finally said good-bye to him in the hall. But as this -statement was not even corroborated by Clarke's own assertions, and -entirely contradicted by both Lord and Lady Foremeere's evidence, she -was fortunately advised not to repeat it on oath. But she hotly -denied the suggestion that Clarke had come in from outside when she -said good-bye to him in the hall. She saw him put on his hat and -coat, and they were quite dry. But nobody felt that her evidence was -of any value because she would naturally do her utmost to help her -sweetheart. - -"Finally, one of the most interesting moments in that memorable -inquiry was reached when Lady Foremeere was recalled and asked to -state what she knew of Miss Clarke's antecedents. - -"'Very little,' she replied. 'I only knew her in France when she -worked under me in a hospital. I was very ill at one time and she -nursed me devotedly; ever since that I helped her financially as much -as I could.' - -"'You made her a weekly allowance?' her ladyship was asked. - -"'Not exactly,' she replied. 'I just bought her eggs and poultry at -a higher figure than she would get from any one else.' - -"'Do you know anything about some letters that she thought were so -valuable?' - -"'Oh, yes!' the lady replied with a kindly smile. 'Mary had a -collection of autograph letters which she had collected whilst she -was nursing in France. Among them were some by august, and others by -very distinguished, personages. She had the idea that these were -extraordinarily valuable.' - -"'Do you know what became of those letters?' - -"'No,' her ladyship replied, 'I do not know.' - -"'But there were other letters, were there not?' the coroner -insisted, 'in which you yourself were interested? The ones Mr. -Clarke spoke to you about?' - -"'They existed only in Mr. Clarke's imagination, I fancy,' Lady -Foremeere replied, 'but he was in such a highly excited state that -afternoon that I really could not quite make out what it was that he -desired to sell to me.' - -"Lady Foremeere spoke very quietly and very simply, without a single -note of spite or acerbity in her soft, musical voice. One felt that -she was stating quite simple facts that rather bored her, but to -which she did not attach any importance. And later on when Miss -Euphemia Clarke retold the story of the packet of letters and of the -quarrels which the deceased and her brother had about them, and when -the damning evidence of the khaki tunic stood out like an avenging -Nemesis pointing at the unfortunate young man, those in court who had -imagination, saw--positively saw--the hangman's rope tightening -around his neck." - - -§4 - -"And yet the verdict was one of wilful murder against some person or -persons unknown," I said, after a slight pause, waiting for the funny -creature to take up his narrative again. - -"Yes," he replied, "Arthur Clarke has been cleared of every -suspicion. He left the court a free man. His innocence was proved -beyond question through what every one thought was the most damnatory -piece of evidence against him--the evidence of the khaki tunic. The -khaki tunic exonerated Arthur Clarke as completely as the most -skilful defender could do. Because it did not fit him. Arthur -Clarke was a rather heavy, full-grown, broad-shouldered man, the -khaki tunic would only fit a slim lad of eighteen. Clarke had -admitted the tunic was his, but he had never thought of examining it, -and certainly, not of trying it on. It was Miss St. Jude who thought -of that. Trust a woman in love for getting an inspiration. - -"When she was called at the end of the day to affirm the statements -which she had previously made to the police and realised that these -statements of hers were actually in contradiction with Clarke's own -assertions, she worked herself up into a state bordering on hysteria, -in the midst of which she caught sight of the khaki tunic on the -coroner's table. Of course, she, like every one else in the -neighbourhood, knew all about the tunic, but when April St. Jude -actually saw it with her own eyes and realised what its existence -meant to her sweetheart, she gave a wild shriek. - -"'I'll not believe it,' she cried, 'I'll not believe it. It can't -be. It is not Arthur's tunic at all.' Then her eyes dilated, her -voice sank to a hoarse whisper, and with a trembling hand she pointed -at the tunic. 'Why,' she murmured, 'it is so small--so small! -Arthur! Where is Arthur? Why does he not show them all that he -never could have worn that tunic?' - -"Proverbially there is but a narrow dividing line between tragedy and -farce: While some people shuddered and gasped and men literally held -their breath, marvelling what would happen next, quite a number of -women fell into hysterical giggling. Of course you remember what -happened. The papers have told you all about it. Arthur Clarke was -made to try on the khaki tunic, and he could not even get his arms -into the sleeves. Under no circumstances could he ever have worn -that particular tunic. It was several sizes too small for him. Then -he examined it closely and recognised it as one he wore in his school -O.T.C. when he was a lad. When he was originally confronted with it, -he explained, he was so upset, so genuinely terrified at the -consequences of certain follies which he undoubtedly had committed, -that he could hardly see out of his eyes. The tunic was shown to -him, and he had admitted that it was his, for he had quite a -collection of old tunics which he had always kept. But for the -moment he had forgotten the one which he had worn more than eight -years ago at school. - -"And so the khaki tunic, instead of condemning Clarke, had entirely -cleared him, for it now became quite evident that the miscreant who -had committed the dastardly murder had added this hideous act to his -greater crime, and deliberately set to work to fasten the guilt on an -innocent man. He had gone up to Clarke's room, opened the wardrobe, -picked up a likely garment, no doubt tearing a piece of cloth out of -it whilst so doing, and thus getting the fiendish idea of inserting -that piece of khaki between the fingers of the murdered woman. -Finally, after locking the parlour door, he put the key in the pocket -of the tunic and stuffed the latter in the bottom of a drawer. - -"It was a clever and cruel trick which well nigh succeeded in hanging -an innocent man. As it is, it has enveloped the affair in an almost -impenetrable mystery. I say 'almost' because I know who killed Miss -Clarke, even though the public has thrown out an erroneous -conjecture. 'It was Lady Foremeere,' they say, 'who killed Miss -Clarke.' But at once comes the question: 'How could she?' And the -query: 'When?' - -"Arthur Clarke says he was with her until seven, and after that hour -there were several members of her household who waited upon her, -notably her maid who it seems came up to dress her at about that -time, and she and Lord Foremeere sat down to dinner as usual at eight -o'clock. - -"That there had been one or two dark passages in Lady Foremeere's -life, prior to her marriage four years ago, and that Miss Clarke was -murdered for the sake of letters which were in some way connected -with her ladyship were the only actual undisputable facts in that -mysterious case. That it was not Arthur Clarke who killed his sister -has been indubitably proved; that a great deal of the evidence was -contradictory every one has admitted. And if the police do not act -on certain suggestions which I have made to them, the Hardacres -murder will remain a mystery to the public to the end of time." - -"And what are those suggestions?" I asked, without the slightest -vestige of irony, for, much against my will, the man's personality -exercised a curious fascination over me. - -"To keep an eye on Lord Foremeere," the funny creature replied with -his dry chuckle, "and see when and how he finally disposes of a wet -coat, a dripping hat and soaked boots, which he has succeeded in -keeping concealed somewhere in the smoking-room, away from the prying -eyes even of his own valet." - -"You mean----" I asked, with an involuntary gasp. - -"Yes," he replied. "I mean that it was Lord Foremeere who murdered -Miss Clarke for the sake of those letters which apparently contained -matter that was highly compromising to his wife. - -"Everything to my mind points to him as the murderer. Whether he -knew all along of the existence of the compromising letters, or -whether he first knew of this through the conversation between her -ladyship and Clarke the day of the servants' party, it is impossible -to say; certain it is that he did overhear that conversation and that -he made up his mind to end the impossible situation then and there, -and to put a stop once and for all to any further attempt at -blackmail. - -"It was easy enough for him on that day to pass in and out of the -house unperceived. No doubt his primary object in going to Hardacres -was to purchase the letters from Miss Clarke, money down; perhaps she -proved obstinate, perhaps he merely thought that dead men tell no -tales. This we shall never know. - -"After the hideous deed, which must have revolted his otherwise -fastidious senses, he must have become conscious of an overwhelming -hatred for the man who had, as it were, pushed him into crime, and my -belief is that the elaborate _mise en scène_ of the khaki tunic, and -the circumstantial lie that when he came out of the smoking-room -Arthur Clarke had obviously just come in from outside was invented, -not so much with the object of averting any suspicion from himself, -as with the passionate desire to be revenged on Clarke. - -"Think it over," the Old Man in the Corner concluded, as he stuffed -his beloved bit of string into his capacious pocket; "time, -opportunity, motive, all are in favour of my theory, so do not be -surprised if the early editions of to-morrow's evening papers contain -the final sensation in this interesting case." - -He was gone before I could say another word, and all that I saw of -him was his spook-like figure disappearing through the swing-door. -There was no one now in the place, so a moment or two later I too -paid my bill and went away. - - -§5 - -The Old Man in the Corner proved to be right in the end. At eleven -o'clock the next morning the street corners were full of newspaper -placards with the flaring headlines: "Sudden death of Lord Foremeere." - -It was reported that on the previous evening his lordship was -examining a new automatic which he had just bought and explaining the -mechanism to his valet. At one moment he actually made the remark: -"It is all right, it isn't loaded," but apparently there was one -cartridge left in one of the chambers. His lordship, it seems, was -looking straight down the barrel and his finger must accidentally -have touched the trigger; anyway, according to the valet's story, -there was a sudden explosion, and Lord Foremeere fell shot right -between the eyes. - -The verdict at the inquest was, of course, one of accidental death, -the coroner and jury expressing the greatest possible sympathy with -Lady Foremeere and Miss St. Jude. It was only subsequently that one -or two facts came to light which appeared obscure and unimportant to -the man in the street, but which for me, in the light of my -conversation with the Old Man in the Corner, bore special -significance. - -It seems that an hour or two before the accident, the chief -superintendent of police had called with two constables at Meere -Court and were closeted for a considerable time with Lord Foremeere -in the smoking-room. And Spinks, the butler, who subsequently let -the three men out, noticed that one of the constables was carrying a -coat and a hat, which Spinks knew were old ones belonging to his -lordship. - -Then I knew that the funny creature in the loud check tweeds and -baggy trousers had found the true solution of the Hardacres mystery. - -Oh, and you wish to know what was the sequel to the pretty love story -between April St. Jude and Arthur Clarke. Well, you know, she -married Amos Rottenberg, the New York banker, last year, and Clarke -runs a successful garage now somewhere in the North. A kind friend -must have lent him the capital wherewith to make a start. I can make -a shrewd guess who that kind friend was. - - - - -II - -THE MYSTERY OF THE INGRES MASTERPIECE - - -§1 - -I did not see the Old Man in the Corner for several weeks after that -strange meeting in the blameless teashop. The exigencies of my work -kept me busy, and somehow the sensational suicide of Lord Foremeere -which had appeared like the logical sequence of the spook-like -creature's deductions, had left a painful impression on my mind. -Entirely illogically, I admit, I felt that the Old Man in the Corner -had had something to do with the tragedy. - -But when in March of that year we were all thrilled by the mystery of -the valuable Ingres picture, and wherever one went one heard -conjectures and explanations of that extraordinary case, my thoughts -very naturally reverted to the funny creature and his bit of string, -and I found myself often wondering what his explanation of what -seemed a truly impenetrable mystery could possibly be. - -The facts certainly were very puzzling in themselves. When first I -was deputed by the _Express Post_ to put them clearly and succinctly -before its readers, I found the task strangely difficult; this, for -the simple reason that I myself could not see daylight through it -all, and often did I stand in front of the admirable reproduction -which I possess of the Ingres "La Fiancée" wondering if those smiling -lips would not presently speak and tell me how an original and -exquisite picture could possibly have been at two different places at -one and the same time. - -For that, in truth, was the depth of the puzzle. We will, if you -please, call the original owners of the picture the Duc and Duchesse -Paul de Rochechouart. That, of course, is not their name, but, as -you all know who they really are, it matters not what I call them for -the purpose of recording their singular adventure. - -His Grace had early in life married a Swedish lady of great talent -and singular beauty. She was an artist of no mean order, having -exhibited pictures of merit both at the Paris Salon and at the Royal -Academy in London; she was also an accomplished musician, and had -published one or two very charming volumes of poetry. - -The Duke and his wife were devoted to one another; they lived for the -greater part of the year at their beautiful château on the Oise, not -far from Chantilly, and here they entertained a great deal, more -after the homely and hospitable manner of English country houses than -in the more formal fashion. Here, too, they had collected some rare -furniture, tapestries, and objects of art and vertu, amongst which -certain highly-prized pictures of the French School of the Nineteenth -Century. - -The war, we may imagine, left the Duc de Rochechouart and his -charming wife a good deal poorer, as it left most other people in -France, and soon it became known amongst the art dealers of London, -Paris and New York that they had decided to sell one or two of their -most valuable pictures; foremost amongst these was the celebrated "La -Fiancée" by Ingres. - -Immediately there was what is technically known as a ramp after the -picture. Dealers travelled backwards and forwards from all the great -Continental cities to the château on the Oise to view the picture. -Offers were made for it by cable, telegram and telephone, and the -whole art world was kept in a flutter over what certainly promised to -be a sensational deal. - -Alas! as with most of the beautiful possessions of this impoverished -old world, the coveted prize was destined to go to the country that -had the longest purse. A certain Mr. Aaron Jacobs, the Chicago -multi-millionaire, presently cabled an offer of half a million -dollars for the picture, an offer which, rumour had it, the Duc de -Rochechouart had since accepted. Mr. Jacobs was said to be a -charming, highly-cultured man, a great art connoisseur and a great -art lover, and presently one heard that he had already set sail for -Europe with the intention of fetching away his newly-acquired -treasure himself. - -On the very day following Mr. Jacobs's arrival as the guest of the -Duc and Duchesse de Rochechouart at the latter's château, the -world-famous picture was stolen in broad daylight by a thief or -thieves who contrived to make away with their booty without leaving -the slightest clue, so it was said, that might put the police on -their track. The picture was cut clean out of the frame, an -operation which must have taken at least two or three minutes. It -always used to hang above the tall chimneypiece in the Duchesse's -studio, but that self-same morning it had been lifted down and placed -on an easel in the dining-hall, no doubt for closer inspection by the -purchaser. This easel stood in a corner of the hall, close to one of -the great windows that overlooked the gardens of the château. - -The amazing point in this daring theft was that a garden fête and -tennis tournament were in progress at the time. A crowd of guests -was spread all over the lawns and grounds in full view of the windows -of the hall, and, as far as the preliminary investigations were able -to establish, there were not more than twenty or twenty-five minutes -at most during which some servant or other inmate of the château had -not either actually been through the hall or had occasion to observe -the windows. - -The dining-hall itself has monumental doors which open on the great -central vestibule, and immediately facing it similar doors give on -the library. The marble vestibule runs right through the centre of -the main building, it has both a front and a garden entrance, and all -the reception rooms open out of it, right and left. Close to the -front door entrance is one of the main ways into the kitchens and -offices. - -Now right away until half-past four on that fateful afternoon the -servants were up and down the vestibule, busy with arrangements for -tea which they were serving outside on the lawns. The tennis -tournament was then drawing to a close, the Duchesse was on the lawn -with her guests, dispensing tea, and at half-past four precisely the -Duc de Rochechouart came into the château by way of the garden -entrance, went across the vestibule and into the library to fetch the -prizes which were to be distributed to the victors in the tournament, -and which were locked up in his desk. The doors of the dining-hall -were wide open and the Duc walking past them peeped into the room. -The picture was in its place then, and he gave a glance at it as he -passed, conscious of a pang of regret at the thought that he must -needs part with this precious treasure. It took the Duc some little -time to sort the prizes, and as in the meanwhile the afternoon post -had come in and a few letters had been laid on his desk, he could not -resist the desire to glance through his correspondence. On the whole -he thought that he might have been in the library about a quarter of -an hour or perhaps more. He had closed the door when he entered the -room, and when he came out again he certainly noticed that the doors -of the dining-hall were shut. But there was nothing in this to -arouse his suspicions, and with the neatly tied parcels containing -the prizes under his arm, he recrossed the vestibule and went once -more into the garden. - -At five o'clock M. Amédé, the chief butler, had occasion to go into -the dining-hall to fetch a particular silver tray which he required. -He owned to being astonished at finding the doors closed, because he -had been past them a quarter of an hour before that and they were -wide open then. However, he entered the room without any serious -misgivings, but the next moment he nearly fainted with horror at -sight of the empty frame upon the easel. The very first glance had -indeed revealed the nefarious deed. The picture had not been moved -out of its frame, it was the canvas that had been cut. M. Amédé, -however, knowing what was due to his own dignity did not disturb the -entire household then and there; he made his way quietly back into -the garden where the distribution of prizes after the tournament was -taking place and, seizing a favourable opportunity, he caught M. le -Duc's eye and imparted to him the awful news. - -Even so nothing was said until after the guests had departed. By the -Duc's orders the doors leading into the dining-hall were locked, and -to various enquiries after the masterpiece made by inquisitive -ladies, the evasive answer was given that the picture was in the -hands of the packers. - -There remained the house party, which, of course, included Mr. Aaron -Jacobs. There were also several ladies and gentlemen staying at the -château, and before they all went up to their rooms to dress for -dinner, they were told what had happened. In the meanwhile the -police had already been sent for, and M. le Commissaire was -conducting his preliminary investigations. The rooms and belongings -of all the servants were searched, and, with the consent of the -guests themselves, this search was extended to their rooms. A work -of art worth half a million dollars could not thus be allowed to -disappear and the thief to remain undetected for the sake of social -conventions, and as the law stands in France any man may be guilty of -a crime until he be proved innocent. - - -§2 - -The theft of the Ingres masterpiece was one of those cases which -interest the public in every civilised country, and here in England -where most people are bitten with the craze for criminal -investigation it created quite a sensation in its way. - -I remember that when we all realised for the first time that the -picture had in very truth disappeared, and that the French police, -despite its much vaunted acumen, had entirely failed to find the -slightest trace of the thief, we at once began to look about for a -romantic solution of the mystery. M. le Duc de Rochechouart and his -pretty Duchesse had above all our deepest sympathy, for it had very -soon transpired that neither the Ingres masterpiece, nor indeed any -of the Duc's valuable collection of art works, was insured. This -fact seems almost incredible to English minds, with whom every kind -of insurance is part and parcel of the ordinary household routine. -But abroad the system is not nearly so far-reaching or so extended, -and there are numberless households in every degree of the social -scale who never dream of spending money on insurances save, perhaps, -against fire. - -Be that as it may, the fact remained that "La Fiancée" was not -insured against theft, and that through the action of an unknown -miscreant the Duc and Duchesse de Rochechouart would, unless the -police did ultimately succeed in tracing the stolen masterpiece, find -themselves the poorer by half a million dollars. With their usual -lack of logic, readers of the halfpenny Press promptly turned their -attention to Mr. Aaron Jacobs, the intending purchaser. Being a -Chicago multi-millionaire does not, it appears, render a man immune -from the temptation of acquiring by dishonest means the things which -he covets. Anyway, the public decided that Mr. Jacobs was not so -rich as he was reputed to be, but that, on the other hand, being as -greedy for the possession of European works of art as any ogre for -human flesh, he had stolen the picture which he could not afford to -buy; and ten, or mayhap fifteen years hence, when the story of the -mysterious theft will have been consigned to oblivion, Mr. Jacobs -would display the masterpiece in his gallery. How this was to be -accomplished without the subsequent intervention of the police those -wiseacres did not attempt to explain. - -The mystery remained impenetrable for close on two years. Many other -sensations, criminal or otherwise, had, during that time, driven the -affair of the Ingres masterpiece out of the public mind. Then -suddenly the whole story was revived and in a manner which proved far -more exciting than any one had surmised. It was linked--though the -European public did not know this--with the death in July, 1919, of -Charles B. Tupper, the head of one of the greatest cinematograph -organisations in the States--a man who for the past few years had -controlled over two thousand theatres, and had made millions in his -day. Some time during the war he had married the well-known cinema -star, Anita Hodgkins, a beautiful entirely uneducated girl who hailed -from Upper Tooting. The will of Mr. Charles B. Tupper was proved for -a fabulous sum, and, as soon as his affairs were settled, Mrs. -Tupper, who presumably had remained Cockney at heart as well as in -speech, set sail for England with the intention of settling down once -more in the country of her birth. She bought Holt Manor, a -magnificent house in Buckinghamshire, sent for all her splendid -furniture and belongings from America, and, early in 1920, when her -palatial residence was ready for occupation, she married Lord -Polchester, a decadent young nincompoop, who was said to have fallen -in love with her when he first saw her on the screen. - -Presumably Mrs. Anita Tupper _née_ Hodgkins hugged herself with the -belief that once she was styled my lady she would automatically -become a social star as she had been a cinema one in the past. But -in this harmless ambition she was at first disappointed. Though she -had furnished her new house lavishly, though paragraphs appeared in -all the halfpenny and weekly Press giving details of the sumptuous -establishment of which the new Lady Polchester was queen, though she -appeared during the London season of 1920 at several official -functions and went to an evening Court that year, wearing pearls that -might have been envied by an empress, she found that in -Buckinghamshire the best people were shy of calling on her, and the -bits of pasteboard that were from time to time left at her door came -chiefly from the neighbouring doctors, parsons, or retired London -tradespeople, or from mothers with marriageable daughters who looked -forward to parties at the big house and consequent possible -matrimonial prizes. - -This went on for a time and then Lady Polchester, wishing no doubt to -test the intentions of the county towards her, launched out -invitations for a garden party! The invitations included the London -friends she had recently made, and a special train from Paddington -was to bring those friends to the party. Among these was Mr. Aaron -Jacobs. He had known the late Charles B. Tupper over in the States, -and had met Lady Polchester more recently at one of the great -functions at the United States Embassy in London. She had interested -him with a glowing account of her splendid collection of works of -art, of pictures and antique furniture which she had inherited from -her first husband and which now adorned her house in Buckinghamshire, -and when she asked him down to her party he readily accepted, more I -imagine out of curiosity to see the objects in which he was as keenly -interested as ever than from a desire to establish closer -acquaintanceship with the lady. - -The garden party at Holt Manor, as the place was called, does not -appear to have been a great social success. For one thing it rained -the whole afternoon, and the military band engaged for the occasion -proved too noisy for indoor entertainment. But some of the guests -were greatly interested in the really magnificent collection of -furniture, tapestries, pictures and works of art which adorned the -mansion, and after tea Lady Polchester graciously conducted them all -over the house, pointing out herself the most notable pieces in the -collection and never failing to mention the price at which the late -Mr. Charles B. Tupper purchased the work of art in question. - -And that is when the sensation occurred. Following their hostess, -the guests had already seen and duly admired two really magnificent -Van Dycks that hung in the hall, when she turned to them and said, -with a flourish of her plentifully be-gemmed hands: - -"You must come into the library and see the picture for which Mr. -Tupper gave over half a million dollars. I never knew I had it, as -he never had it taken out of its case, and I never saw it until this -year when it came over with all my other things from our house in New -York. Lord Polchester had it unpacked and hung in the library. I -don't care much about it myself, and the late Mr. Tupper hadn't the -time to enjoy his purchase, because he died two days after the -picture arrived in New York, and, as I say, he never had it unpacked. -He bought it for use in a commercial undertaking which he had in mind -at one time, then the scheme fell through, and I am sure I never -thought any more about the old picture." - -With that she led the way into the library, a nobly-proportioned room -lined with books in choice bindings, and with a beautiful Adam -chimneypiece, above which hung a picture. - -Of course there were some people present who had never heard of the -stolen Ingres, but there must have been a few who, as they entered -the room, must literally have gasped with astonishment, for there it -certainly was. "La Fiancée" with her marvellously painted Eastern -draperies, her exquisitely drawn limbs and enigmatic smile, was -smiling down from the canvas, just as if she had every right to be in -the house of the ex-cinema star, and as if there had not been a -gigantic fuss about her throughout the whole art world of Europe. - -We may take it that the person by far the most astonished at that -moment was Mr. Aaron Jacobs. But he was too thoroughly a gentleman -and too much a man of the world to betray his feelings then, and I -suppose that those who, like himself, had thought they recognised the -stolen masterpiece, did not like to say anything either until they -were more sure: English people in all grades of society being -proverbially averse to being what they call "mixed up" in any kind of -a fuss. Certain it is that nothing was said at the moment to disturb -Lady Polchester's complacent equanimity, and after a while the party -broke up and the guests departed. - -Of course people thought that Mr. Aaron Jacobs should have informed -Lord Polchester of his intentions before he went to the police. But -Lord Polchester was such a nonentity in his own household, such a -frivolous fool, and, moreover, addicted to drink and violent fits of -temper, that those who knew him easily realised how a sensible -business man like Mr. Aaron Jacobs would avoid any personal -explanation with him. - -Mr. Jacobs went straight to the police that self-same evening, and -the next day Lady Polchester had a visit from Detective Purley, one -of the ablest as he was one of the most tactful men on the staff. -But indeed he had need of all his tact in face of the infuriated -cinema star when that lady realised the object of his visit. - -"How dared they come and ask her such impertinent questions?" she -stormed. "Did they imagine she had stolen a beastly picture which -she would as soon throw on the dust heap as look at again? She, who -could buy up all the pictures in any gallery and not feel the -pinch..." and so on and so on. The unfortunate Purley had a very -unpleasant quarter of an hour, but after a while he succeeded in -pacifying the irate lady and got her to listen calmly to what he had -to say. - -He managed to make her understand that without casting the slightest -aspersion upon her honourability or that of the late Charles B. -Tupper, there was no getting away from the fact that the picture now -hanging in the library of Holt Manor was the property of the Duc de -Rochechouart from whose house in France it was stolen over two years -before--to be quite accurate it was stolen on July twenty-fifth, 1919. - -"Then," retorted the lady, by no means convinced or mollified, "I can -prove you all to be liars, for the late Mr. Charles B. Tupper bought -the old thing long before that. He had been on the Continent in the -spring of 1919 and landed in New York again on May eighteenth. He -told me then that he had made some interesting purchases in Europe, -amongst them there was a picture for which he had paid half a million -dollars. I scolded him about it, as I thought he was throwing his -money away on such stuff, but he said that he wanted to make use of -the picture for some wonderful advertising scheme he had in his mind, -so I said no more about it. But that is the picture you say was -stolen from some duke or other in July, when I tell you that it had -been shipped for New York a month at least before that." - -Perhaps at this point Detective Purley failed to conceal altogether a -slight look of incredulity, for Lady Polchester turned on him once -more like a fury. - -"So you still think I stole the dirty old picture, do you?" she -cried, using further language that is quite unprintable, "and you -think that I am such a ninny and that I will give it up simply -because you are trying to bully me. But I won't, so there! I can -prove the truth of every word I say, and I don't care if I have to -spend another million dollars to put your old duke in prison for -talking such rot about me." - -Once again Purley's tact had to come into play, and after a while he -succeeded in soothing the lady's outraged feelings. With infinite -patience he gradually got her to view the matter more calmly and -above all not to look upon him as an enemy, but as a friend whose one -desire was to throw light upon what certainly seemed an extraordinary -mystery. - -"Very well, then," she said, after a while, "I'll tell you all I can. -I don't know when the picture was shipped from Europe but I do know -that a case addressed to Mr. Charles B. Tupper and marked 'valuable -picture with great care' was delivered at our house in New York on -July eighteenth. I can't mistake the date because Mr. Tupper was -already very ill when the case arrived and he died two days later, -that is on July twentieth, 1919. That you can ascertain easily -enough, can't you?" Lady Polchester added tartly. Then as Purley -offered no comment she went on more quietly: - -"That's all right, then. Now let me tell you that the case -containing this picture was in my house two days before Mr. Tupper -died, and that I never had it undone until a couple of months ago, -here in this house. I had it shipped from New York, not along with -all my things, but by itself; and there is the lawyer over there, Mr. -George F. Topham, who can tell you all about the case. I was too -upset what with Mr. Tupper's illness and then his death, and the will -and the whole bag of tricks to trouble much about it myself, but I -told the lawyer that it contained a picture for which Mr. Tupper had -paid half a million dollars, and it was put down for probate for that -amount; the lawyer took charge of the old thing, and he can swear, -and lots of other people over in the States can swear that the case -was never undone. And the shipping company can swear that it never -was touched whilst it was in their charge. They delivered it here -and their men opened the case for us and helped us to place the -picture. - -"And now," concluded Lady Polchester, not because she had nothing -more to say but presumably because she was out of breath, "now -perhaps you'll tell me how a picture which was over in New York on -the eighteenth of July can have been stolen from France on the -twenty-fifth; and if you can't tell me that, then I'll trouble you to -clear out of my house, for I've no use for Nosey Parkers about the -place." - -The unfortunate Purley had certainly, by all accounts, rather a rough -time of it with the lady. Nor could he arrive at any satisfactory -arrangement with her. Needless to say that she absolutely refused to -give up the picture unless she were forced to do so by law, and even -then, she dared say, she could make it very unpleasant for some -people. - - -§3 - -The next event of any importance in this extraordinary case was the -action brought by the Duc and Duchesse de Rochechouart here in -England against Lady Polchester for illegal detention of their -property. - -It very soon transpired that several witnesses had come over from the -States in order to corroborate tie lady's assertions with regard to -her rightful ownership of the picture, and the public was once more -on the tiptoe of expectation. - -The case came on for hearing in March and lasted only two days. The -picture was in court and was identified first by the Duc and Duchesse -de Rochechouart and then by two or three experts as the genuine work -of Ingres: "La Fiancée" known throughout the entire art world as -having been purchased by the Duc's grandfather from the artist -himself in 1850, and having been in the family uninterruptedly ever -since. The Duc himself had last seen it in his own château at -half-past four on the afternoon of July twenty-fifth, 1919. - -A well-known peculiarity about the masterpiece was that it had -originally been painted on a somewhat larger canvas, and that the -artist himself, at the request of the original purchaser, had it cut -smaller and re-strained on a smaller stretcher; this alteration was, -of course, distinctly visible on the picture. The frame was new; it -was admittedly purchased by Lady Polchester recently. When the -picture came into her possession it was unframed. - -On that lady's behalf on the other hand there was a formidable array -of witnesses, foremost amongst these being Mr. Anthony Kleeberger, -who was the late Charles B. Tupper's secretary and manager. He was -the first to throw some light on the original transaction, whereby -"La Fiancée" first came into his employer's possession. - -"Mr. Tupper," he explained, "was the inventor of a new process of -colour photography which he desired to test and then to advertise all -over the world by means of reproduction from some world-famous -masterpiece, and when during the spring of 1919 I accompanied him to -Europe, one of the objects he had in mind was the purchase of a -picture suitable for his purpose. It pretty soon was known all over -the art world of the Continent what we were after and that Mr. Tupper -was prepared to pay a big price for his choice. You would be -surprised if I were to tell you of some of the offers we had in -Vienna, in London, even in Rome. - -"At last, when we were staying in Paris, Mr. Tupper came to me one -day and told me he had at last found the very picture he wanted. He -had gone to the studio of a picture restorer who had written to him -and offered him a genuine Ingres. He had seen the picture and liked -it, and had agreed to give the owner half a million dollars for it. -I thought this a terrific price and frankly I was a little doubtful -whether my employer had a sufficient knowledge of art to enter into a -transaction of this sort. I feared that he might be badly had, and -buying some spurious imitation rather than a masterpiece. But Mr. -Tupper was always a queer man in business. Once he had made up his -mind there was no arguing with him. 'I like the picture,' was all -that he ever said to me in response to some timid suggestion on my -part that he should seek expert advice, 'and I have agreed to buy it -for half a million dollars, simply because the fellow would not part -with it for less. I believe it to be genuine. But if it is not I -don't care. It will answer my purpose and there it is.' - -"He then gave me instructions to see about the packing and forwarding -of the picture and this I did. I must say that I had terrible -misgivings about the whole affair. I certainly thought the picture -magnificent, but of course I am no judge. It had a worthless frame -around it which I discarded in order to facilitate the packing. The -picture restorer's studio was up a back street in the Montmartre -quarter. He and his wife saw to the packing themselves. I never saw -anybody else in the place. I arranged for the forwarding of the -case, for the insurance and so on, and I myself handed over to the -vendor, whose name was given to me as Matthieu Vignard, five hundred -thousand-dollar bills in the name and on account of my employer, Mr. -Charles B. Tupper. Of course, I presumed that the snuffy old man and -his blousey wife were acting for some personage who desired to remain -unknown, and as time went on and there was no talk in the art world -or in the newspapers then about any great masterpiece being stolen, I -soon forgot my misgivings, and a couple of months later I set out on -Mr. Tupper's business for Central America where I remained for close -on two years. - -"Half the time during those years I was up country in Costa Rica, -Venezuela and so on where newspapers are scarce, and when the hue and -cry was after a picture stolen from the house of the Duc de -Rochechouart, I knew nothing about it. But this picture now in court -is certainly the one which Mr. Tupper bought in Paris at the end of -June, 1919, and which I myself saw packed and nailed down in its case -and forwarded to New York where it arrived two days before Mr. -Tupper's death." - -That was the substance of Mr. Kleeberger's evidence, by far the most -important heard on the first day of the action. After that the -testimony of other witnesses went to confirm the whole story. There -was the well-known New York solicitor, Mr. George F. Topham, who took -charge of the picture after the death of his client, Mr. Tupper, and -the managing director of the Nebraska Safe Deposit Company where it -was stored until Lady Polchester sent for it. There were the -managers of the shipping companies who forwarded the picture from -Paris to New York in June-July, 1919, and from New York to Holt Manor -in the following year, and there were the removal men and servants -who saw the picture unpacked and taken into the library at the Manor. - -It took two days to go through all that evidence, but it was never -either conflicting or doubtful. Yet the one supreme, mysterious -contradiction remained, namely, that the picture now in court, the -wonderful Ingres masterpiece, was bought by Mr. Tupper in Paris in -June, 1919, and then and there shipped over to him to New York, and -that, nevertheless, it was stated never to have left the Duc de -Rochechouart's possession from the day when his grandfather bought it -more than seventy years ago until that memorable twenty-fifth of -July, 1919, when it was stolen on the very day it was about to pass -into the possession of Mr. Aaron Jacobs. One felt one's head reeling -when one thought out this amazing puzzle, and the decision of the -learned judge was awaited with palpitating curiosity. - -But after the second day of the action, just before it was adjourned, -counsel on both sides were able to announce that their respective -clients had come to an exceedingly satisfactory arrangement. All -aspersions as to the honourability of the late Charles B. Tupper or -of Lady Polchester would be publicly withdrawn and a notice to that -effect would appear in all the leading newspapers of London, Paris -and New York; and Lady Polchester would now remain in undisputed -possession of the Ingres masterpiece, having paid its rightful owner -the Duc de Rochechouart the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand -pounds for it. - -So both parties we may take it were completely satisfied; at one time -it had looked as if the unfortunate duke would be done both out of -his picture and out of the money, and another as if Lady Polchester -would be so defrauded. But now all was well and the learned judge -declared himself pleased with the agreement. Not so the public who -were left to face a mystery which every one felt would never now be -cleared up. - -I for one felt completely at sea, so much so indeed that my thoughts -instinctively flew to the curious creature in the blameless tea-shop -who I felt sure would have a theory of his own which would account -for what was puzzling us all. - -And a day or two later I saw him, weaving a fantastic design of knots -in a piece of string. He saw that I wished to hear his explanation -of the mystery of the Ingres masterpiece, but he kept me on -tenter-hooks for some time, wearing out my patience with his sharp, -sarcastic comments. - -"Do you admit," he asked me at one time, with his exasperating -chuckle, "that the Ingres masterpiece could have been in two places -at one and the same time?" - -"No, of course," I replied, "I do not admit such nonsense." - -"Very well, then," he resumed, "what is the logical conclusion?" - -"That there were two pictures," I said coldly. - -"Of course there were two pictures. And as the great Mr. Ingres did -not presumably paint his masterpiece in duplicate, we must take it -that one picture was the original and the other the copy." - -Now it was my turn to grow sarcastic and I retorted drily: - -"Having done that, we are no nearer a solution of the mystery than we -were before." - -"Are we not?" he rejoined with a cackle like an old hen. "Now it -seems to me that when we have admitted that one of the pictures was a -copy of the other, and when we know that the picture which Mr. -Charles B. Tupper bought was the original, because that was the one -that was produced in court, we must come to the conclusion that the -one which was stolen from the château in France could only have been -the copy." - -"Why, yes," I admitted, "but then again we have been told that the -grandfather of the present Duc de Rochechouart bought the picture -from the artist himself, and that it has been in the uninterrupted -possession of his family ever since." - -"And I am willing to admit that the picture was in the uninterrupted -possession of the Duc de Rochechouart until the present holder of the -title or some one who had access to it in the same way as himself -sold it to Mr. Charles B. Tupper in June, 1919." - -"But you don't mean----" - -"Surely," the funny creature went on with his dry cackle, "it was not -such a very difficult little bit of dishonesty to perpetrate, seeing -that Mme. la Duchesse was such an accomplished artist. Can you not -imagine the lady being like many of us, very short of money, and then -hearing of Mr. Charles B. Tupper, the American business man who was -searching Europe through for a world-famous masterpiece; can you not -see her during one of her husband's pleasure trips to Paris or -elsewhere setting to work to make an exact replica of 'La Fiancée'? -We know that it always hung in her studio until the day when it was -moved to the dining-hall. Think how easy it was for her to -substitute her own copy for the original. The only difficulty would -be the conveying of the picture to Paris, but an artist knows how to -take a canvas off its stretcher, to roll it up and re-strain it. - -"Here I think that she must have had a confederate, probably some -down-at-heel friend of her artistic days, a man whom she paid -lavishly both for his help and his silence. Who that man was I -suppose we shall never know. The so-called Matthieu Vignard and his -'blousey wife,' as Mr. Kleeberger picturesquely described her, have -completely disappeared; no trace of them was ever found. They hired -the studio at Montmartre for one month, paid the concierge the rent -in advance, and at the end of that time they decamped and have never -been heard of since, but unless I am much mistaken, they must at the -present moment be carrying on a very lucrative little blackmailing -business, because it must have been Vignard who conveyed the picture -to Paris in the same way as we know it was he who first approached -Charles B. Tupper and ultimately sold him the picture." - -"But surely," I objected, for the funny creature had paused a moment, -and I could not deny that his arguments were sound, "surely it would -have been more practical to have sold the copy--which we suppose must -have been perfect--to Mr. Tupper who was a layman and an outsider, -and to have kept the original in the château, as the Duc was even -then negotiating for its sale, and most of the art dealers were -coming to have a look at it." - -He did not reply immediately but remained for a while deeply absorbed -in the contemplation of his beloved bit of string. - -"That," he admitted with complacent condescension, "would be a sound -argument if we admit at once that the Duchesse knew for a certainty -that her husband intended to sell 'La Fiancée.' But my contention is -that at the time that she sold the picture to Mr. Tupper she had no -idea that the Duc had any such intentions. No doubt when she knew -this for a fact, she must have been beside herself with horror; no -doubt also that she had a hard fight with her own terror before she -made a clean breast of her misdeed to her husband. Apparently she -did not do this until the very last moment, until the day when the -picture was actually taken out of her studio and placed upon an easel -in the dining-hall for closer inspection. Then discovery was -imminent and we must suppose that she made a full confession. - -"The Duc, like a gallant gentleman, at once set his wits thinking how -best to save his wife's reputation without endangering his own. To -have admitted to Mr. Aaron Jacobs and to the other experts and art -dealers who had come to see the masterpiece that a Duc de -Rochechouart was trying to sell a spurious imitation whilst having -already disposed of the original was, of course, unthinkable; and -thus the idea presented itself to their Graces that the copy must be -made to disappear effectually. A favourable circumstance for the -success of this scheme was the garden fête which was to take place -that afternoon, when the house would be full of guests, of strangers -and of servants, when surveillance would be slack and the comings and -goings of the master of the house would easily pass unperceived. - -"The Duc, in my opinion, chose the one quarter of an hour when he was -alone in the house to cut the picture out of its frame. He then hid -the canvas sufficiently skilfully that it was never found. Probably -he thought at the time that there the matter would end, but equally -probably he never gave the future another thought. His own position -was unassailable seeing he was not insured against loss, and it was -the present alone that mattered: the fact that a Duc de Rochechouart -was trying to sell a spurious picture for half a million dollars. To -many French men and women ever since the war, America is a far -country, and no doubt the Duc and Duchesse both hoped that the whole -transaction, including the Ingres masterpiece, would soon lie buried -somewhere at the bottom of the sea. - -"Fate and Lady Polchester proved too strong for them; they ordained -that 'La Fiancée' should be brought back to Europe, and that the -whole of its exciting history be revived. But fate proved kind in -the end, and I think that you will agree with me that two such daring -and resourceful adventurers as their Graces deserve the extra half -million dollars which, thanks to Lady Polchester's generosity and -ostentation, they got so unexpected. - -"Soon afterwards you will remember that the Duc and Duchesse de -Rochechouart sold their château on the Oise together with the bulk of -their collection of pictures and furniture. - -"They now live in Sweden, I understand, where the Duchesse has many -friends and relations and where the law of libel will not trouble you -much if you publish my deductions in your valuable magazine. - -"Think it all out," the Old Man in the Corner concluded glibly, "and -from every point of view, and you will see that there is not a single -flaw in my argument. I have given you the only possible solution of -the mystery of the Ingres masterpiece." - -"You may be right----" I murmured thoughtfully. - -"I know I am," he answered dryly. - - - - -III - -THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARL NECKLACE - - -§1 - -The Old Man in the Corner had a very curious theory about that -mysterious affair of the pearl necklace, and though it all occurred a -few years ago, I am tempted to put his deductions down on record, -because, as far as I know, neither the police of this or any other -country, nor the public, have ever found a satisfactory solution for -what was undoubtedly a strange and mystifying adventure. - -I remembered the case quite well when first he spoke to me about it -one afternoon in what had become my favourite tea-haunt in Fleet -Street; the only thing I was not quite certain of was the identity of -the august personage to whom the pearl necklace was to be presented. -I did know, of course, that she belonged to one of the reigning -families of Europe and that she had been an active and somewhat -hotheaded and bitter opponent of the Communist movement in her own -country, in consequence of which both she and her exalted husband had -been the object of more than one murderous attack by the other side. - -It was on the occasion of the august lady's almost miraculous escape -from a peculiarly well-planned and brutal assault that a number of -ladies in England subscribed the sum of fifteen thousand pounds for -the purchase of an exquisite pearl necklace to be presented to her as -a congratulatory gift. - -Rightly or wrongly, the donors of this princely gift feared that a -certain well-known political organisation on the Continent would -strive by every means in its power, fair or foul, to prevent this -token of English good-will from reaching the recipient, and also, as -it chanced to happen, there had been during the past few months a -large number of thefts of valuables on Continental railways, and it -became a question who should be entrusted by the committee of -subscribers with the perilous risk of taking the necklace over for -presentation; the trouble being further enhanced by the fact that in -those days the Insurance Companies barred one or two European -countries from their comprehensive policies against theft and petty -larceny, and that it was to one of those countries thus barred that -the bearer of the fifteen thousand pound necklace would have to -journey. - -Imagine the excitement, the anxiety, which reigned in the hearts of -the thousands of middle-class English women who had subscribed their -mite to the gift! Their committee sat behind closed doors discussing -the claims of various volunteers who were ready to undertake the -journey: these worthy folk were quite convinced that certain -well-known leaders of anarchical organisations would be on the -lookout for the booty and would have special facilities for the theft -of it at the frontier during the course of those endless customs and -passport formalities for which that particular country was ever -famous. - -Finally the committee's choice fell upon a certain Captain Arthur -Saunders, nephew of Sir Montague Bowden, who was chairman of the -ladies' committee. Captain Saunders had, it seems, travelled abroad -a great deal, and his wife was foreign--Swedish so it was understood; -it was thought that if he went abroad now in the company of his wife, -the object of their journey might be thought to be a visit to Mrs. -Saunders's relations, and the conveying of the pearl necklace to its -destination might thus remain more or less a secret. - -The choice was approved of by all the subscribers, and it was decided -that Captain and Mrs. Saunders. should start by the ten a.m. train -for Paris on the sixteenth of March. Captain Saunders was to call -the previous afternoon at a certain bank in Charing Cross, where the -necklace was deposited, and there receive it as an almost sacred -trust from the hands of the manager. Further, it was arranged that -Mrs. Saunders should, immediately on arrival in Paris, send a wire to -Mrs. Berners, a great friend of hers who was the secretary of the -committee, and in fact that she should keep the committee informed of -Captain Saunders's well-being at all the more important points of -their journey. - -And thus they started. - -But no news came from Paris on the sixteenth. At first no anxiety -was felt on that score, every one being ready to surmise that the -Calais-Paris train had been late in, and that the Saunderses had -perhaps only barely time to clear their luggage at the customs and -catch the train de luxe which would take them on, via Cologne, -without a chance of sending the promised telegram. But soon after -midday of the seventeenth, Sir Montague Bowden had a wire from Mrs. -Saunders from Paris saying: "Arthur disappeared since last night. -Desperately anxious. Please come at once. Have booked room for you -here. Mary. Hotel Majestic." - -The news was terrifying; however, Sir Montague Bowden, with -commendable zeal, at once wired to Mary announcing his immediate -departure for Paris, and as it was then too late for him to catch the -afternoon Continental train, he started by the evening one, -travelling all night and arriving at the Hotel Majestic in the early -morning. - -As soon as he had had a bath and some breakfast he went in search of -information. He found that the French police already had the -"affaire" in hand, but that they had not so far the slightest clue to -the mysterious disappearance of le Capitaine Saunders. He found the -management of the Majestic in a state of offended dignity, and Mrs. -Saunders, in one that verged on hysteria, but fortunately, he also -found at the hotel a Mr. Haasberg, brother of Mrs. Saunders, a -Swedish business man of remarkable coolness and clearness of -judgment, who promptly put him _au fait_ with what had occurred. - -It seems that Mr. Haasberg was settled in business in Paris, and that -he had hoped to catch a glimpse of his sister and brother-in-law on -the evening of the sixteenth at the Gare du Nord on their way through -to the East, but that on that very morning he had received a telegram -from Mary asking him to book a couple of rooms--a bedroom and a -sitting-room--for one night for them at the Hotel Majestic. This Mr. -Haasberg did, glad enough that he would see something more of his -sister than he had been led to hope. - -On the afternoon of the sixteenth he was kept late at business, and -was unable to meet the Saunderses at the station, but towards nine -o'clock he walked round to the Majestic, hoping to find them in. -Their room was on the third floor. Mr. Haasberg went up in the lift, -and as soon as he reached No. 301 he became aware of a buzz of -conversation coming from within, which, however, ceased as soon as he -had pushed open the door. - -On entering the room he saw that Captain Saunders had a visitor, a -tall, thick-set man, who wore an old-fashioned, heavy moustache and -large, gold-rimmed spectacles. At sight of Mr. Haasberg the man -clapped his hat--a bowler--on his head, pulled his coat-collar over -his ears, and with a hasty: "Well, s'long, old man. I'll wait till -to-morrow!" spoken with a strong foreign accent, he walked rapidly -out of the room and down the corridor. - -Haasberg stood for a moment in the doorway to watch the disappearing -personage, but he did this without any ulterior motive or thought of -suspicion; then he turned back into the room and greeted his -brother-in-law. - -Saunders seemed to Haasberg to be nervous and ill-at-ease; in -response to the latter's inquiry after Mary, he explained that she -had remained in her room as he had a man to see on business. -Haasberg made some casual remark about this visitor, and then Mary -Saunders came in. She, too, appeared troubled and agitated, and as -soon as she had greeted her brother, she turned to her husband and -asked very eagerly: - -"Well, has he gone?" - -Saunders, giving a significant glance in Haasberg's direction, -replied with an obvious effort at indifference: - -"Yes, yes, he's gone. But he said he would be back to-morrow." - -At which Mary seemed to give a sigh of relief. - -Scenting some uncomfortable mystery, Haasberg questioned her, and -also Saunders, about their visitor, but could not elicit any -satisfactory explanation. - -"Oh, there is nothing mysterious about old Pasquier," was all that -either of them would say. - -"He is an old pal of Arthur's," Mary added lightly, "but he is such -an awful bore that I got Arthur to say that I was out, so that he -might get rid of him more quickly." - -Somehow Haasberg felt that these explanations were very lame. He -could not get it out of his head, that there was something mysterious -about the visitor, and knowing the purpose of the Saunderses' -journey, he thought it as well to give them a very serious word of -warning about Continental hotels generally, and to suggest that they -should, after this stay in Paris, go straight through in the train de -luxe and never halt again until the fifteen thousand pound necklace -was safely in the hands of the august lady for whom it was intended. -But both Arthur and Mary laughed at these words of warning. - -"My dear fellow," Arthur said, seemingly rather in a huff, "we are -not such mugs as you think us. Mary and I have travelled on the -Continent at least as much as you have, and are fully alive to the -dangers attendant upon our mission. As a matter of fact, the moment -we arrived, I gave the necklace in its own padlocked tin box, just as -I brought it over from England, in charge of the hotel management, -who immediately locked it up in their strong-room, so even if good -old Pasquier had designs on it--which I can assure you he has not--he -would stand no chance of getting hold of it. And now, sit down, -there's a good chap, and talk of something else." - -Only half reassured, Haasberg sat down and had a chat. But he did -not stay long. Mary was obviously tired, and soon said good-night. -Arthur offered to accompany his brother-in-law to the latter's -lodgings in the Rue de Moncigny. - -"I would like a walk," he said, "before going to bed." - -So the two men walked out together, and Haasberg finally said -good-night to Arthur just outside his own lodgings. It was then -close upon ten o'clock. The little party had agreed to spend the -next day together, as the train de luxe did not go until the evening, -and Haasberg had promised to take a holiday from business. Before -going to bed he attended to some urgent correspondence, and had just -finished a letter when his telephone bell rang. To his horror he -heard his sister's voice speaking. - -"Don't keep Arthur up so late, Herman," she said. "I am dog tired, -and can't go to sleep until he returns." - -"Arthur?" he replied. "But Arthur left me at my door two hours ago!" - -"He has not returned," she insisted, "and I am getting anxious." - -"Of course you are, but he can't be long now. He must have turned -into a café and forgot the time. Do ring me up as soon as he comes -in." - -Unable to rest, however, and once more vaguely anxious, Haasberg went -hastily back to the Majestic. He found Mary nearly distracted with -anxiety, and as he himself felt anything but reassured, he did not -know how to comfort her. - -At one time he went down into the hall to ascertain whether anything -was known on the hotel about Saunders's movements earlier in the -evening; but at this hour of the night there were only the night -porter and the watchman about, and they knew nothing of what had -occurred before they came on duty. - -There was nothing for it but to await the morning as calmly as -possible. This was difficult enough, as Mary Saunders was evidently -in a terrible state of agitation. She was quite certain that -something tragic had happened to her husband, but Haasberg tried in -vain to get her to speak of the mysterious visitor who had from the -first aroused his own suspicions. Mary persisted in asserting that -the visitor was just an old pal of Arthur's and that no suspicion of -any kind could possibly rest upon him. - -In the early morning Haasberg went off to the nearest commissariat of -police. They took the matter in hand without delay, and within the -hour had obtained some valuable information from the personnel of the -hotel. To begin with, it was established that at about ten minutes -past ten the previous evening, that is to say a quarter of an hour or -so after Haasberg had parted from Arthur Saunders outside his own -lodgings, the latter had returned to the Majestic, and at once asked -for the tin box which he had deposited in the bureau. There was some -difficulty in acceding to his request, because the clerk who was in -charge of the keys of the strong-room could not at once be found. -However, M. le Capitaine was so insistent that search was made for -the clerk, who presently appeared with the keys, and after the usual -formalities, handed over the tin box to Saunders, who signed a -receipt for it in the book. Haasberg had since then identified the -signature which was quite clear and incontestable. - -Saunders then went upstairs, refusing to take the lift, and five -minutes later he came down again, nodded to the hall porter, and went -out of the hotel. No one had seen him since, but during the course -of the morning, the valet on the fourth floor had found an empty tin -box in the gentlemen's cloakroom. This box was produced, and to her -unutterable horror Mary Saunders recognised it as the one which had -held the pearl necklace. - -The whole of this evidence as it gradually came to light was a -staggering blow both to Mary and to Haasberg himself, because until -this moment neither of them had thought that the necklace was in -jeopardy: they both believed that it was safely locked up in the -strong-room of the hotel. - -Haasberg now feared the worst. He blamed himself terribly for not -having made more certain of the mysterious visitor's identity. He -had not yet come to the point of accusing his brother-in-law in his -mind of a conspiracy to steal the necklace, but frankly, at this -stage, he did not know what to think. Saunders's conduct had--to say -the least--been throughout extremely puzzling. Why had he elected to -spend the night in Paris, when all arrangements had been made for him -and his wife to travel straight through? Who was the mysterious -visitor with the walrus moustache, vaguely referred to by both Arthur -and Mary as "old Pasquier"? And above all why had Arthur withdrawn -the necklace from the hotel strong-room where it was quite safe, and, -with it in his pocket, walked about the streets of Paris at that hour -of the night? - -Haasberg was quite convinced that "old Pasquier" knew something about -the whole affair, but, strangely enough, Mary persisted in asserting -that he was quite harmless and an old friend of Arthur's who was -beyond suspicion. When further pressed with questions, she declared -that she had no idea where the man lodged, and that, in fact, she -believed that he had left Paris the self-same evening _en route_ for -Brussels, where he was settled in business. - -Enquiry amongst the personnel of the hotel revealed the fact that -Captain Saunders's visitor had been seen by the hall porter when he -came soon after half-past eight, and asked whether le Capitaine -Saunders had finished dinner; his question being answered in the -affirmative, he went upstairs, refusing to take the lift. Half an -hour or so later he was seen by one of the waiters in the lounge -hurriedly crossing the hall, and finally by the two boys in -attendance at the swing doors when he went out of the hotel. All -agreed that the man was very tall and thick-set, that he wore a heavy -moustache and a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. He had on a bowler -hat and an overcoat with the collar pulled right up to his ears. The -hall porter, who himself spoke English fairly well, was under the -impression that the man was not English, although he made his -enquiries in that language. - -In addition to all these investigations, the commissaire de police, -on his second visit to the hotel, was able to assure Haasberg that -all the commissariats in and around Paris had been communicated with -by telephone so as to ascertain whether any man answering to -Saunders's description had been injured during the night in a street -accident, and taken in somewhere for shelter; also that a description -of the necklace had already been sent round to all the Monts-de-Piété -throughout the country. The police were also sharply on the lookout -for the man with the walrus moustache, but so far without success. - -And Mary Saunders obstinately persisted in her denial of any -knowledge about him. "Arthur," she said, "sometimes saw 'old -Pasquier' in London"; but she did not know anything about him, -neither what his nationality was, nor where he lodged. She did not -know when he had left London, nor where he could be found in Paris. -All that she knew, so she said, was that his name was Pasquier, and -that he was in business in Brussels; she therefore concluded that he -was Belgian. - -Even to her own brother she would not say more, although he succeeded -in making her understand how strange her attitude must appear both to -the police and to her friends, and what harm she was doing to her -husband, but at this she burst into floods of tears and swore that -she knew nothing about Pasquier's whereabouts, and that she believed -him to be innocent of any attempt to steal the necklace or to injure -Arthur. - -There was nothing more to be said for the present and Haasberg sent -the telegram in his sister's name to Sir Montague Bowden because he -felt that some one less busy than himself should look after the -affair and be a comfort to Mary, whose mental condition appeared -pitiable in the extreme. - -In this first interview he was able to assure Sir Montague that -everything had been done to trace the whereabouts of Arthur Saunders, -and also of the necklace of which the unfortunate man had been the -custodian; and it was actually while the two men were talking the -whole case over that Haasberg received an intimation from the police -that they believed the missing man had been found: at any rate would -Monsieur give himself the trouble to come round to the commissariat -at once. - -This, of course, Haasberg did, accompanied by Sir Montague, and at -the commissariat to their horror they found the unfortunate Saunders -in a terrible condition. Briefly the commissaire explained to them -that about a quarter past ten last night an _agent de police_, making -his rounds, saw a man crouching in the angle of a narrow blind alley -that leads out of the Rue de Moncigny. On being shaken up by the -agent the man struggled to his feet, but he appeared quite dazed and -unable to reply to any questions that were put to him. He was then -conveyed to the nearest commissariat, where he spent the night. - -He was obviously suffering from loss of memory, and could give no -account of himself, nor were any papers of identification found upon -him, not even a visiting card, but close behind him, on the pavement -where he was crouching, the _agent_ had picked up a handkerchief -which was saturated with chloroform. The handkerchief bore the -initials A.S. The man, of course, was Arthur Saunders. What had -happened to him it was impossible to ascertain. He certainly did not -appear to be physically hurt, although from time to time when Mr. -Haasberg or Sir Montague tried to question him, he passed his hand -across the back of his head, and an expression of pathetic puzzlement -came into his eyes. - -His two friends, after the usual formalities of identification, were -allowed to take him back to the Hotel Majestic where he was restored -to the arms of his anxious wife; the English doctor, hastily -summoned, could not find any trace of injury about the body, only the -head appeared rather tender when touched. The doctor's theory was -that Saunders had probably been sandbagged first, and then rendered -more completely insensible by means of the chloroformed handkerchief, -and that excitement, anxiety and the blow on the head had caused -temporary loss of memory which quietude and good nursing would soon -put right. - -In the meanwhile, of the fifteen thousand pound necklace there was -not the slightest trace. - - -§2 - -Unfortunately the disappearance of so valuable a piece of jewellery -was one of those cases that could not be kept from public knowledge. -The matter was of course in the hands of the French police and they -had put themselves in communication with their English confrères, and -the consternation--not to say the indignation--amongst the good -ladies who had subscribed the money for the gift to the august lady -was unbounded. - -Everybody was blaming everybody else; the choice of Captain Saunders -as the accredited messenger was now severely criticised; pointed -questions were asked as to his antecedents, as to his wife's foreign -relations, and it was soon found that very little was known about -either. - -Of course everybody knew that he was Sir Montague Bowden's nephew, -and that, thanks to his uncle's influence, he had obtained a -remunerative and rather important post in the office of one of the -big Insurance Companies. But what his career had been before that no -one knew. Some people said that he had fought in South Africa and -later on had been correspondent for one of the great dailies during -the Russo-Japanese war; altogether there seemed no doubt that he had -been something of a rolling stone. - -Rather tardily the committee was taken severely to task for having -entrusted so important a mission to a man who was either a coward or -a thief, or both, for at first no one doubted that Saunders had met a -confederate in Paris and had handed over the necklace to him, whilst -he himself enacted a farce of being waylaid, chloroformed and robbed, -and subsequently of losing his memory. - -But presently another version of the mystery was started by some -amateur detective, and it found credence with quite a good many -people. This was that Sir Montague Bowden had connived at the theft -with Mrs. Saunders's relations; that the man with the walrus -moustache did not exist at all or was in very truth a harmless old -friend of Captain Saunders, and that it was Haasberg who had induced -his brother-in-law to withdraw the necklace from the hotel -strong-room and to bring it to the Rue de Moncigny; that in fact it -was that same perfidious Swede who had waylaid the credulous -Englishman, chloroformed and robbed him of the precious necklace. - -In the meanwhile the police in England had, of course, been -communicated with by their French confrères, but before they could -move in the matter or enjoin discretion on all concerned, an -enterprising young man on the staff of the _Express Post_ had -interviewed Miss Elizabeth Spicer, who was the parlour-maid at the -Saunderses' flat in Sloane Street. - -That young lady, it seems, had something to say about a gentleman -named Pasquier, who was not an infrequent visitor at the flat. She -described him as a fine, tall gentleman, who wore large gold-rimmed -spectacles, and a full military moustache. It seems that the last -time Miss Elizabeth saw him was two days before her master and -mistress's departure for abroad. Mr. Pasquier called late that -evening and stayed till past ten o'clock. When Elizabeth was rung -for in order to show him out, he was saying good-bye to the captain -in the hall, and she heard him say, "in his funny foreign way," as -she put it: - -"Well, I shall be in Paris as soon as you. Tink it over, my friend." - -And on the top of that came a story told by Henry Tidy, Sir Montague -Bowden's butler. According to him Captain Saunders called at Sir -Montague Bowden's house in Lowndes Street on the afternoon of the -fifteenth. The two gentlemen remained closeted together in the -library for nearly an hour, when Tidy was summoned to show the -visitor out. Sir Montague, it seems, went to the front door with his -nephew, and as the latter finally wished him good-bye, Sir Montague -said to him: - -"My dear boy, you can take it from me that there's nothing to worry -about, and in any case I am afraid that it is too late to make any -fresh arrangements." - -"It's because of Mary," the captain rejoined. "She has made herself -quite ill over it." - -"The journey will do her good," Sir Montague went on pleasantly, "but -if I were you I would have a good talk with your brother-in-law. He -must know his Paris well. Take my advice and spend the night at the -Majestic. You can always get rooms there." - -This conversation Tidy heard quite distinctly, and he related the -whole incident both to the journalist and to the police. After that -the amateur investigators of crime were divided into two camps: there -were those who persisted in thinking that Pasquier and Saunders, and -probably Mrs. Saunders also, had conspired together to steal the -necklace, and that Saunders had acted the farce of being waylaid and -robbed, and losing his memory; they based their deductions on -Elizabeth Spicer's evidence and on Mary Saunders's extraordinary -persistence in trying to shield the mysterious Pasquier. - -But other people, getting hold of Henry Tidy's story, deduced from it -that it was indeed Sir Montague Bowden who had planned the whole -thing in conjunction with Haasberg, since it was he who had persuaded -Saunders to spend the night in Paris, thus giving his accomplice the -opportunity of assaulting Saunders and stealing the necklace. To -these wise-acres "old Pasquier" was indeed a harmless old pal of -Arthur's, whose presence that evening at the Majestic was either a -fable invented by Haasberg, or one quite innocent in purpose. In -vain did Sir Montague try to explain away Tidy's evidence. Arthur, -he said, had certainly called upon him that last afternoon, but what -he seemed worried about was his wife's health; he feared that she -would not be strong enough to undertake the long journey without a -break, so Sir Montague advised him to spend the night in Paris and in -any case to talk the matter over with Mary's brother. - -The conversation overheard by Tidy could certainly admit of this -explanation, but it did not satisfy the many amateur detectives who -preferred to see a criminal in the chairman of the committee rather -than a harmless old gentleman, as eager as themselves to find a -solution to the mystery. And while people argued and wrangled there -was no news of the necklace, and none of the man with the walrus -moustache. No doubt that worthy had by now shaved off his hirsute -adornment and grown a beard. He had certainly succeeded in evading -the police; whether he had gone to Brussels or succeeded in crossing -the German frontier no one could say, his disappearance certainly -bore out the theory of his being the guilty party with the connivance -of Saunders, as against the Bowden-Haasberg theory. - -As for the necklace it had probably been already taken to pieces and -the pearls would presently be disposed of one by one to some -unscrupulous Continental dealers, when the first hue and cry after -them had died away. - -Captain Saunders was said to be slowly recovering from his loss of -memory and subsequent breakdown. Every one at home was waiting to -hear what explanation he would give of his amazing conduct in taking -the necklace out of the hotel strong-room late that night and -sallying forth with it into the streets of Paris at that hour. The -explanation came after about a fortnight of suspense in a letter from -Mary to her friend Mrs. Berners. - -Arthur, she said, had told her that on the fateful evening, after he -parted from Mr. Haasberg in the Rue de Moncigny, he had felt restless -and anxious about what the latter had told him on the subject of -foreign hotels, and he was suddenly seized with the idea that the -necklace was not safe in the care of the management of the Majestic, -because there would come a moment when he would have to claim the tin -box, and this would probably be handed over to him when the hall of -the hotel was crowded, and the eyes of expert thieves would then -follow his every movement. Therefore he went back to the hotel, -claimed the tin box, and as the latter was large and cumbersome he -got rid of it in one of the cloak-rooms of the hotel, slipped the -necklace, in its velvet case, in the pocket of his overcoat, and went -out with the intention of asking Haasberg to take care of it for him, -and only to hand it back to him when on the following evening the -train de luxe was on the point of starting. He had been in sight of -Haasberg's lodgings when, without the slightest warning, a dull blow -on the back of his head, coming he knew not whence, robbed him of -consciousness. - -This explanation, however, was voted almost unanimously to be very -lame, and it was, on the whole, as well that the Saunderses had -decided to remain abroad for a time. The ladies especially--and -above all those who had put their money together for the -necklace--were very bitter against him. On the other hand Sir -Montague Bowden was having a very rough time of it; he had already -had one or two very unpleasant word-tussles with some outspoken -friends of his, and there was talk of a slander action that would -certainly be a _cause célèbre_ when it came on. - -Thus the arguments went on in endless succession until one day--well -do I remember the excitement that spread throughout the town as soon -as the incident became known--there was a terrible row in one of the -big clubs in Piccadilly. Sir Montague Bowden was insulted by one of -his fellow members: he was called a thief, and asked what share he -was getting out of the sale of the necklace. Of course the man who -spoke in this unwarranted fashion was drunk at the time, but -nevertheless it was a terrible position for Sir Montague, because as -his opponent grew more and more abusive and he himself more and more -indignant, he realised that he had practically no friends who would -stand by him in the dispute. Some of the members tried to stop the -row, and others appeared indifferent, but no one sided with him, or -returned abuse for abuse on his behalf. - -It was in the very midst of this most unedifying scene--one perhaps -unparalleled in the annals of London club life--that a club servant -entered the room, and handed a telegram to Sir Montague Bowden. - -Even the most sceptical there, and those whose brains were almost -fuddled with the wrangling and the noise, declared afterwards that a -mysterious Providence had ordained that the telegram should arrive at -that precise moment. It had been sent to Sir Montague's private -house in Lowndes Street; his secretary had opened it and sent it on -to the club. As soon as Sir Montague had mastered its contents he -communicated them to the members of the club, and it seems that there -never had been such excitement displayed in any assembly of sober -Englishmen as was shown in that club room on this momentous occasion. - -The telegram had come all the way from the other end of Europe, and -had been sent by the august lady in whose hands the priceless -necklace, about which there was so much pother in England and France, -had just been safely placed. It ran thus: - - -"Deeply touched by exquisite present just received through kind -offices of Captain Saunders, from English ladies. Kind thoughts and -beautiful necklace equally precious. Kindly convey my grateful -thanks to all subscribers." - - -Having read out the telegram, Sir Montague Bowden demanded an apology -from those who had impugned his honour, and I understand that he got -an unqualified one. After that, male tongues were let loose; the -wildest conjectures flew about as to the probable solution of what -appeared a more curious mystery than ever. By evening the papers had -got hold of the incident, and all those who were interested in the -affair shook their heads and looked portentously wise. - -But the hero of the hour was certainly Captain Saunders. From having -been voted either a knave or a fool, or both, he was declared all at -once to be possessed of all the qualities which had made England -great: prudence, astuteness, and tenacity. However, as a matter of -fact, nobody knew what had actually happened; the august lady had the -necklace and Captain Saunders was returning to England without a -stain on his character, but as to how these two eminently -satisfactory results had come about not even the wise-acres could -say. Captain and Mrs. Saunders arrived in England a few days later; -every one was agog with curiosity, and the poor things had hardly -stepped out of the train before they were besieged by newspaper men -and pressed with questions. - -The next morning the _Express Post_ and the _Daily Thunderer_ came -out with exclusive interviews with Captain Saunders, who had made no -secret of the extraordinary adventure which had once more placed him -in possession of the necklace. It seems that he and his wife on -coming out of the Madeleine Church on Easter Sunday were hustled at -the top of the steps by a man whose face they did not see, and who -pushed past them very hastily and roughly. Arthur Saunders at once -thought of his pockets, and looked to see if his notecase had not -disappeared. To his boundless astonishment his hand came in contact -with a long, hard parcel in the outside pocket of his overcoat, and -this parcel proved to be the velvet case containing the missing -necklace. - -Both he and his wife were flabbergasted at this discovery, and, -scarcely believing in this amazing piece of good luck, they managed -with the help of Mr. Haasberg, despite its being Easter Sunday, to -obtain an interview with one of the great jewellers in the Rue de la -Paix, who, well knowing the history of the missing necklace, was able -to assure them that they had indeed been lucky enough to regain -possession of their treasure. That same evening they left by the -train de luxe, having been fortunate enough to secure seats; needless -to say that the necklace was safely stowed away inside Captain -Saunders's breast pocket. - -All was indeed well that ended so well. But the history of the -disappearance and reappearance of the pearl necklace has remained a -baffling mystery to this day. Neither the Saunderses nor Mr. -Haasberg ever departed one iota from the circumstantial story which -they had originally told, and no one ever heard another word about -the man with the walrus moustache and the gold-rimmed spectacles: the -French police are still after him in connection with the assault on -le Capitaine Saunders, but no trace of him was ever found. - -To some people this was a conclusive proof of guilt, but then, having -stolen the necklace, why should he have restored it? Though the -pearls were very beautiful and there were a great number of them -beautifully matched, there was nothing abnormal about them either in -size or colour; there never could be any difficulty for an expert -thief to dispose of the pearls to Continental dealers. The same -argument would of course apply to Mr. Haasberg, whom some wiseacres -still persisted in accusing. If he stole the necklace why should he -have restored it? Nothing could be easier than for a business man -who travelled a great deal on the Continent to sell a parcel of -pearls. And there always remained the unanswered question: Why did -Saunders take the pearls out of the strong-room, and where was he -taking them to when he was assaulted and robbed? - -Did the man with the walrus moustache really call at the Majestic -that night? And if he was innocent, why did he disappear? Why, why, -why? - - -§3 - -The case had very much interested me at the time, but the mystery was -a nine days' wonder as far as I was concerned, and soon far more -important matters than the temporary disappearance of a few rows of -pearls occupied public attention. - -It was really only last year when I renewed my acquaintance with the -Old Man in the Corner, that I bethought myself once more of the -mystery of the pearl necklace, and I felt the desire to hear what the -spook-like creature's theory was upon the subject. - -"The pearl necklace?" he said with a cackle. "Ah, yes, it caused a -good bit of stir in its day. But people talked such a lot of -irresponsible nonsense that thinking minds had not a chance of -arriving at a sensible conclusion." - -"No," I rejoined amiably. "But you did." - -"Yes, you are right there," he replied, "I knew well enough where the -puzzle lay, but it was not my business to put the police on the right -track. And if I had I should have been the cause of making two -innocent and clever people suffer more severely than the guilty -party." - -"Will you condescend to explain?" I asked, with an indulgent smile. - -"Why should I not?" he retorted, and once again his thin fingers -started to work on the inevitable piece of string. "It all lies in a -nutshell, and is easily understandable if we realise that 'old -Pasquier,' the man with the walrus moustache, was not the friend of -the Saunderses, but their enemy." - -I frowned. "Their enemy?" - -"An old pal shall we say?" he retorted, "who knew something in the -past history of one or the other of them that they did not wish their -newest friends to know: really a blackmailer who, under the guise of -comradeship, sat not infrequently at their fireside, watching an -opportunity for extorting a heavy price for his silence and his -good-will. Thus he could worm himself into their confidence; he knew -their private life; he heard about the necklace, and decided that -here was the long sought for opportunity at last. - -"Think it all over and you will see how well the pieces of that -jig-saw puzzle fit together and make a perfect picture. Pasquier -calls on the Saunderses a day or two before their departure and -springs his infamous proposal upon them then. For the time being -Arthur succeeds in giving him the slip, his journey is not yet ... -the necklace is not yet in his possession ... but he knows the true -quality of the blackmailer now, and he is on the alert. - -"He begins by going to Sir Montague Bowden and begging him to entrust -the mission to somebody else. Judging by the butler's evidence, he -even makes a clean breast of his troubles to Sir Montague who, -however, makes light of them and advises consultation with Mr. -Haasberg, who perhaps would undertake the journey. In any case it is -too late to make fresh arrangements at this hour. Very reluctantly -now, and hoping for the best, the Saunderses make a start. But the -blackmailer, too, is on the alert, he has succeeded in spying upon -them and in tracing them to the Majestic in Paris. The situation now -has become terribly serious, for the blackmailer has thrown off the -mask and demands the necklace under threats which apparently the -Saunderses did not dare defy. - -"But they are both clever and resourceful, and as soon as Haasberg's -arrival rids them temporarily their tormentor, they put their heads -together and invent a plot which was destined to free them for ever -from the threats of Pasquier and at the same time would enable them -to honour the trust which had been placed in them by the committee. -In any case, they had until the morrow to make up their minds. -Remember the words which Mr. Haasberg overheard on the part of -Pasquier: 'S'long, old man. I'll wait till to-morrow!' Anyway, -Pasquier must have gone off that evening confident that he had -Captain Saunders entirely in his power, and that the wretched man -would on the morrow hand over the necklace without demur. - -"Whether Arthur Saunders confided in Haasberg or not is doubtful. -Personally I think not. I believe that he and Mary did the whole -thing between them. Arthur having parted from his brother-in-law -went back to the hotel, took the necklace out of the strong-room and -then left it in Mary's charge. He threw the tin box away, there -where it would surely be found again. Then he went as far as the Rue -de Moncigny and crouched, seemingly unconscious, in the blind alley, -having previously taken the precaution of saturating his handkerchief -with chloroform. - -"Thus the two clever conspirators cut the ground from under the -blackmailer's feet, for the latter now had the police after him for -an assault, which he might find very difficult to disprove, even if -he cleared himself of the charge of having stolen the necklace. -Anyway he would remain a discredited man, and his threats would in -the future be defied, because if he dared come out in the open after -that, public feeling would be so bitter against him for a crime which -he had not committed that he would never be listened to if he tried -to do Captain Saunders an injury. And it was with a view of keeping -public indignation at boiling pitch against the supposed thief that -the Saunderses kept up the comedy for so long. To my mind that was a -very clever move. Then they came out with the story of the -restoration of the necklace and became the heroes of the hour. - -"Think it over," the funny creature went on, as he finally stuffed -his bit of string back into his pocket and rose from the table, -"think it over and you will realise at once that everything happened -just as I have related, and that it is the only theory that fits in -with the facts that are known; you'll also agree with me, I think, -that Captain and Mrs. Saunders chose the one way of ridding -themselves effectually of a dangerous blackmailer. The police were -after him for a long time, as they still believed that he had -something to do with the theft of the necklace and with the assault -on M. le Capitaine Saunders. But presently 1914 came along and what -became of the man with the walrus moustache no one ever knew. What -his nationality was was never stated at the time, but whatever it -was, it would, I imagine, be a bar against his obtaining a visa on -his passport for the purpose of visiting England and blackmailing -Arthur Saunders. - -"But it was a curious case." - - - - -IV - -THE MYSTERY OF THE RUSSIAN PRINCE - - -§1 - -There had been a great deal of talk about that time, in newspapers -and amongst the public, of the difficulty an inexperienced criminal -finds in disposing of the evidences of his crime--notably of course -of the body of his victim. In no case perhaps was this difficulty so -completely overcome--at any rate as far as was publicly known--as in -that of the murder of the individual known as Prince Orsoff. I am -thus qualifying his title because as a matter of fact the larger -public never believed that he was a genuine Prince--Russian or -otherwise--and that even if he had not come by such a violent and -tragic death the Smithsons would never have seen either their ten -thousand pounds again or poor Louisa's aristocratic bridegroom. - -I had been thinking a great deal about this mysterious affair, indeed -it had been discussed at most of the literary and journalistic clubs -as a possible subject for a romance or drama, and it was with -deliberate intent that I walked over to Fleet Street one afternoon, -in order to catch the Old Man in the Corner in his accustomed -teashop, and get him to give me his views on the subject of the -mystery that to this very day surrounds the murder of the Russian -Prince. - -"Let me just put the whole case before you," the funny creature began -as soon as I had led him to talk upon the subject, "as far as it was -known to the general public. It all occurred in Folkestone, you -remember, where the wedding of Louisa Smithson, the daughter of a -late retired grocer, to a Russian Prince whom she had met abroad, was -the talk of the town. - -"It was on a lovely day in May, and the wedding ceremony was to take -place at Holy Trinity Church. The Smithsons--mother and -daughter--especially since they had come into a fortune, were very -well known in Folkestone, and there was a large crowd of relatives -and friends inside the church and another out in the street to watch -the arrival of guests and to see the bride. There were camera men -and newspaper men, and hundreds of idlers and visitors, and the -police had much ado to keep the crowd in order. - -"Mrs. Smithson had already arrived looking gorgeous in what I -understand is known as amethyst crêpe-de-chine, and there was a -marvellous array of Bond Street gowns and gorgeous headgears, all of -which kept the lookers-on fully occupied during the traditional -quarter of an hour's grace usually accorded to the bride. - -"But presently those fifteen minutes became twenty, the clergy had -long since arrived, the guests had all assembled, the bridesmaids -were waiting in the porch: but there was no bridegroom. Neither he -nor his best man had arrived; and now it was half an hour after the -time appointed for the ceremony, and, oh, horror! the bride's car was -in sight. The bride in church waiting for the bridegroom!--such an -outrage had not been witnessed in Folkestone within the memory of the -oldest inhabitants. - -"One of the guests went at once to break the news to the elderly -relative who had arranged to give the bride away, and who was with -her in the car, whilst another, a Mr. Sutherland Ford, jumped into -the first available taxi, having volunteered to go to the station in -order to ascertain whether there had been any breakdown on the line, -as the bridegroom was coming down by train from London with his best -man. - -"The bride, hastily apprised of the extraordinary contretemps, -remained in the car, with the blinds pulled down, well concealed from -the prying eyes of the crowd, whilst the fashionable guests, -relatives and friends had perforce to possess their soul in patience. - -"And presently the news fell like a bombshell in the midst of this -lively throng. A taxi drove up, and from it alighted first Mr. -Sutherland Ford, who had volunteered to go to the station for -information, and then John and Henry Carter, the two latter -beautifully got up in frock-coats, striped trousers, top hats, and -flowers in their buttonholes, looking obviously like belated wedding -guests. But still no bridegroom, and no best man. - -"The three gentlemen, paying no heed to the shower of questions that -assailed them, as soon as they had jumped out of the taxi ran -straight into the church, leaving every one's curiosity unsatisfied -and public excitement at fever pitch. - -"'It was John and Henry Carter,' the ladies whispered agitatedly; -'fancy their being asked to the wedding!' - -"And those who were in the know whispered to those who were less -favoured that young Henry had at one time been engaged to Louisa -Smithson, before she met her Russian Prince, and that when she threw -him over he was in such dire despair that his friends thought he -would commit suicide. - -"A moment or two later Mrs. Smithson was seen hurriedly coming out of -church, her face pale and drawn, and her beautiful hat all awry. She -made straight for the bride's car, stepped into it, and the car -immediately drove off, whilst the wedding guests trooped out of the -church, and the terrible news spread like wildfire through the crowd, -and was presently all over the town. - -"It seems that when the midday train, London to Folkestone, stopped -at Swanley Junction, two passengers who were about to enter a -first-class compartment in one of the corridor carriages were -horrified to find it in a terrible state of disorder. They hastily -called the guard, and on examination the carriage looked indeed as if -it had been the scene of a violent struggle: the door on the off side -was unlatched, two of the window straps were wrenched off, the -anti-macassars were torn off the cushions, one of the luggage racks -was broken, and the net hung down in strips, and over some of the -cushions were marks unmistakably made by a blood-stained hand. - -"The guard immediately locked the compartment and sent for the local -police. No one was allowed in or out of the station until every -passenger on the train had satisfied the police as to his or her -identity. Thus the train was held up for over two hours whilst -preliminary investigations were going on. - -"There appeared no doubt that a terrible murder had been committed, -and telephonic communication all along the line presently established -the fact that it must have been done somewhere in the neighbourhood -of Sydenham Hill, because a group of men who were at work on the 'up' -side of the line at Penge, when the down train came out of the tunnel -noticed that the door of one of the first-class carriages was open. -It swung to again just before the train steamed through the station. - -"A preliminary search was at once made in and about the tunnel; it -revealed on the platform of Sydenham Hill station a first-class -single ticket of that day's issue, London to Folkestone, crushed and -stained with blood, and on the permanent way, close to the entrance -of the tunnel on the Penge side, a soft black hat, and a broken pair -of pince-nez. But as to the identity of the victim there was for the -moment no clue. - -"After a couple of wearisome and anxious hours the passengers were -allowed to proceed on their journey. Among these passengers, it -appears, were John and Henry Carter, who were on their way to the -Smithson wedding. Until they arrived in Folkestone they had no more -idea than the police who the victim of the mysterious train murder -was: but in the station they caught side of Mr. Sutherland Ford, whom -they knew slightly. Mr. Ford was making agitated enquiries as to any -possible accident on the line. The Carters put him _au fait_ of what -had occurred, and as there was no sign of the Russian Prince amongst -the passengers who had just arrived, all three men came to the -horrifying conclusion that it was indeed the bridegroom elect who had -been murdered. - -"They communicated at once with the police, and there were more -investigations and telephonic messages up and down the line before -the Carters and Mr. Ford were at last allowed to proceed to the -church and break the awful news to those most directly concerned. - -"And in this tragic fashion did Louisa Smithson's wedding-day draw to -its end; nor, as far as the public was concerned, was the mystery of -that terrible murder ever satisfactorily cleared up. The local -police worked very hard and very systematically, but, though -presently they also had the help of one of the ablest detectives from -Scotland Yard, nothing was seen or found that gave the slightest clue -either as to the means which the murderer or murderers adopted for -removing the body of their victim, or in what manner they made good -their escape. The body of the Russian Prince was never found, and, -as far as the public knows, the murderer is still at large; and -although, as time went on, many strange facts came to light, they -only helped to plunge that extraordinary crime into darker mystery." - - -§2 - -"The facts in themselves were curious enough, you will admit," the -Old Man in the Corner went on after a while. "Many of these were -never known to the public, whilst others found their way into the -columns of the halfpenny Press, who battened on the 'Mystery of the -Russian Prince' for weeks on end, and, as far as the unfortunate -Smithsons were concerned, there was not a reader of the _Express -Post_ and kindred newspapers who did not know the whole of their -family history. - -"It seems that Louisa Smithson is the daughter of a grocer in -Folkestone, who had retired from business just before the War, and -with his wife and his only child led a meagre and obscure existence -in a tiny house in Warren Avenue somewhere near the tram road. They -were always supposed to be very poor, but suddenly old Smithson died -and it turned out that he had been a miser, for he left the handsome -little fortune of fifteen thousand pounds to be equally divided -between his daughter and his widow. - -"At once Mrs. Smithson and Louisa found themselves the centre of an -admiring throng of friends and relatives all eager to help them spend -their money for their especial benefit; but Mrs. Smithson was shrewd -enough not to allow herself to be exploited by those who in the past -had never condescended to more than a bowing acquaintance with her. -She turned her back on most of those sycophants, but at the same time -she was determined to do the best for herself and for Louisa, and to -this end she admitted into her councils her sister, Margaret Penny, -who was saleswoman at a fashionable shop in London, and who -immediately advised a journey up to town so that the question of -clothes might at once be satisfactorily settled. - -"In addition to valuable advice on that score, this Miss Penny seems -to have succeeded in completely turning her sister's head. Certain -it is that Mrs. Smithson left Folkestone a quiet, sensible, motherly -woman, and that she returned, six weeks later, an arrogant, -ill-mannered parvenue, who seemed to think that the possession of a -few thousand pounds entitled her to ride rough-shod over the feelings -and sentiments of those who had less money than herself. - -"She began by taking a suite of rooms at the Splendide Hotel for -herself, her daughter, and her maid. Then she sold her house in -Warren Avenue, bought a car, and, though she and Louisa were of -course in deep mourning, they were to be seen everywhere in wonderful -Bond Street dresses and marvellous feathered hats. Finally, they -announced their intention of spending the coming winter on the -Riviera, probably Monte Carlo. - -"All this extravagant behaviour made some people smile, others -shrugged their shoulders and predicted disaster: but there was one -who suffered acutely through this change in the fortune of the -Smithsons. This was Henry Carter, a young clerk employed in an -insurance office in London. He and his brother were Folkestone men, -sons of a local tailor in a very small way of business, who had been -one of old Smithson's rare friends. The elder Carter boy had long -since cut his stick and was said to be earning a living in London by -free-lance journalism. The younger one, Henry, remained to help his -father with the tailoring. He was a constant visitor in the little -house in Warren Avenue, and presently became engaged to Louisa. -There could be no question of an immediate marriage, of course, as -Henry had neither money nor prospects. However, presently old Carter -died, the tailoring business was sold for a couple of hundred pounds, -and Henry went up to London to join his brother and to seek his -fortune. Presently he obtained a post in an insurance office, but -his engagement to Louisa subsisted: the young people were known to be -deeply in love with one another, and Henry spent most weekends and -all his holidays in Folkestone in order to be near his girl. - -"Then came the change in the fortune of the Smithsons, and an -immediate coolness in Louisa's manner toward young Henry. It was all -very well in the past to be engaged to the son of a jobbing tailor, -while one was poor oneself, and one had neither wit nor good looks, -but now...! - -"In fact already when they were in London Mrs. Smithson had intimated -to Henry Carter that his visits were none too welcome, and when he -appealed to Louisa she put him off with a few curt words. The young -man was in despair, and, indeed, his brother actually feared at one -time that he would commit suicide. - -"It was soon after Christmas of that same year that the curtain was -rung up on the first act of the mysterious tragedy which was destined -to throw a blight for ever after upon the life of Louisa Smithson. -It began with the departure of herself and her mother for the -Continent, where they intended to remain until the end of March. For -the first few weeks their friends had no news of them, but presently -Miss Margaret Penny, who had kept up a desultory correspondence with -a pal of hers in Folkestone, started to give glowing accounts of the -Smithsons' doings in Monte Carlo. - -"They were staying at the Hotel de Paris, paying two hundred francs a -day for their rooms alone. They were lunching and dining out every -day of the week. They had been introduced to one or two of the -august personages who usually graced the Riviera with their presence -at this time of year, and they had met a number of interesting -people. According to Miss Penny's account, Louisa Smithson was being -greatly admired, and, in fact, several titled gentlemen of various -nationalities had professed themselves deeply enamoured of her. - -"All this Miss Penny recounted in her letters to her friends with a -wealth of detail and a marvellous profusion of adjectives, and -finally in one of her letters there was mention of a certain Russian -grandee--Prince Orsoff by name--who was paying Louisa marked -attention. He, also, was staying at the Paris, appeared very -wealthy, and was obviously of very high rank for he never mixed with -the crowd which was more than usually brilliant this year in Monte -Carlo. This exclusiveness on his part was all the more flattering to -the Smithsons, and, when he apprised them of his intention to spend -the season in London, they had asked him to come and visit them in -Folkestone, where Mrs. Smithson intended to take a house presently -and there to entertain lavishly during the summer. - -"After this preliminary announcement from Miss Penny, Louisa herself -wrote a letter to Henry Carter. It was quite a pleasant chatty -letter, telling him of their marvellous doings abroad and of her own -social successes. It did not do more, however, than vaguely hint at -the Russian prince, his distinguished appearance and obvious wealth. -Nevertheless it plunged the unfortunate young man into the utmost -depths of despair, and according to his brother John's subsequent -account, the latter had a terrible time with young Henry that winter. -John himself was very busy with journalistic work which kept him away -sometimes for days and weeks on end from the little home in London -which the two brothers had set up for themselves with the money -derived from the sale of the tailoring business. And Henry's state -of mind did at times seriously alarm his brother, for he would either -threaten to do away with himself, or vow that he would be even with -that accursed foreigner. - -"At the end of March, the Smithsons returned to England. During the -interval Mrs. Smithson had made all arrangements for taking The -Towers, a magnificently furnished house facing the Leas at -Folkestone, and here she and Louisa installed themselves preparatory -to launching their invitations for the various tea and tennis -parties, dinners and dances which they proposed to give during the -summer. - -"One might really quite truthfully say that the eyes of all -Folkestone were fixed upon the two ladies. Their Paris dresses, -their hats, their jewellery, was the chief subject of conversation at -tea-tables, and of course every one was talking about the Russian -Prince, who--Mrs. Smithson had confided this to a bosom friend--was -coming over to England for the express purpose of proposing to Louisa. - -"There was quite a flutter of excitement on a memorable Friday -afternoon when it was rumoured that Henry Carter had come down for a -week-end, and had put up at a small hotel down by the harbour. Of -course, he had come to see Louisa Smithson; every one knew that, and -no doubt he wished to make a final appeal to her love for him which -could not be entirely dead yet. - -"Within twenty-four hours, however, it was common gossip that young -Henry had presented himself at The Towers and been refused -admittance. The ladies were out, the butler said, and he did not -know when they would be home. This was on the Saturday. On the -Sunday Henry walked about on the Leas all the morning, in the hope of -seeing Louisa or her mother, and as he failed to do so he called -again in the early part of the afternoon: he was told the ladies were -resting. Later he came again, and the ladies had gone out, and on -the Monday, as presumably business called him back to town, he left -by the early-morning train without having seen his former fiancée. -Indeed people from that moment took it for granted that young Henry -had formally been given his congé. - -"Toward the middle of April Prince Orsoff arrived in London. Within -two days he telephoned to Mrs. Smithson to ask her when he might come -to pay his respects. A day was fixed, and he came to The Towers to -lunch. He came again, and at his third visit he formally proposed to -Miss Louisa Smithson, and was accepted. The wedding was to take -place almost immediately, and the very next day the exciting -announcement had gone the round of the Smithsons' large circle of -friends--not only in Folkestone but also in London. - -"The effect of the news appears to have been staggering as far as the -unfortunate Henry Carter was concerned. In the picturesque language -of Mrs. Hicks, the middle-aged charlady who 'did' for the two -brothers in their little home in Chelsea, ''e carried on something -awful.' She even went so far as to say that she feared he might 'put -'is 'ead in the gas oven,' and that, as Mr. John was away at the -time, she took the precaution every day when she left to turn the gas -off at the meter. - -"The following week-end Henry came down to Folkestone and again took -up his quarters in the small hotel by the harbour. On the Saturday -afternoon he called at The Towers, and refused to take 'no' for an -answer when he asked to see Miss Smithson. Indeed, he seems -literally to have pushed his way into the drawing-room where the -ladies were having tea. According to statements made subsequently by -the butler, there ensued a terrible scene between Henry and his -former fiancée, at the very height of which, as luck would have it, -who should walk in but Prince Orsoff. - -"That elegant gentleman, however, seems to have behaved on that -trying occasion with perfect dignity and tact, making it his chief -business to reassure the ladies, and paying no heed to Henry's -recriminations, which presently degenerated into vulgar abuse and -ended in violent threats. At last, with the aid of the majestic -butler, the young man was thrust out of the house, but even on the -doorstep he turned and raised a menacing fist in the direction of -Prince Orsoff and said loudly enough for more than one person to hear: - -"'Wait! I'll be even with that ---- foreigner yet!' - -"It must indeed have been a terrifying scene for two sensitive and -refined ladies like Mrs. and Miss Smithson to witness. Later on, -after the Prince himself had taken his leave, the butler was rung for -by Mrs. Smithson who told him that under no circumstances was Mr. -Henry Carter ever to be admitted inside The Towers. - -"However, a Sunday or two afterwards, Mr. John Carter called and Mrs. -Smithson saw him. He said that he had come down expressly from -London in order to apologise for his brother's conduct. Harry, he -said, was deeply contrite that he should thus have lost control over -himself, his broken heart was his only excuse. After all, he had -been and still was deeply in love with Louisa, and no man, worth his -salt, could see the girl he loved turning her back on him without -losing some of that equanimity which should of course be the -characteristic of every gentleman. - -"In fact, Mr. John Carter spoke so well and so persuasively that Mrs. -Smithson and Louisa, who were at bottom quite a worthy pair of women, -agreed to let bygones be bygones, and said that, if Henry would only -behave himself in the future, there was no reason why he should not -remain their friend. - -"This appeared a quite satisfactory state of things, and over in the -little house in Chelsea Mrs. Hicks gladly noted that 'Mr. 'Enry -seemed more like 'isself, afterwards.' The very next week-end the -two brothers went down to Folkestone together, and they called at The -Towers so that Henry might offer his apologies in person. The two -gentlemen on that occasion were actually asked to stay to tea. - -"Indeed, it seems as if Henry had entirely turned over a new leaf, -and when presently the gracious invitation came for both brothers to -come to the wedding, they equally graciously accepted. - - -§3 - -"The day fixed for the happy event was now approaching. The large -circle of acquaintances, friends, and hangers-on which the Smithsons -had gathered around them were all agog with excitement, wedding -presents were pouring in by every post. A kind of network of romance -had been woven around the personalities of the future bride, her -mother, and the Russian Prince. The wealth of the Smithsons had been -magnified an hundredfold, and Prince Orsoff was reputed to be a -brother of the late Czar who had made good his escape out of Russia, -bringing away with him most of the Crown jewels, which he would -presently bestow upon his wife. And so on, _ad infinitum_. - -"And upon the top of all that excitement and that gossip, and -marvellous tales akin to the Arabian Nights, came the wedding-day -with its awful culminating tragedy. - -"The Russian Prince had been murdered and his body so cleverly -disposed of that in spite of the most strenuous efforts on the part -of the police, not a trace of it could be found. - -"That robbery had been the main motive of the crime was quickly -enough established. The Smithsons--mother and daughter--had at once -supplied the detective in charge of the case with proofs as to that. - -"It seems that as soon as the unfortunate Prince had become engaged -to Louisa, he asked that the marriage should take place without -delay. He explained that his dearest friend, Mr. Schumann, the great -international financier, had offered him shares in one of the -greatest post-war undertakings which had ever been floated in Europe, -and which would bring in to the fortunate shareholders a net income -of not less than ten thousand pounds yearly for every ten thousand -pounds invested; Mr. Schumann himself owned one-half of all the -shares, and had, by a most wonderful act of disinterested generosity, -allowed his bosom friend, Prince Orsoff, to have a few--a concession, -by the way, which he had only granted to two other favoured -personages, one being the Prince of Wales and the other the President -of the French Republic. Of course to receive ten thousand pounds -yearly for every ten thousand pounds invested, was too wonderful for -words; the President of the French Republic had been so delighted -with this chance of securing a fortune that he had put two million -francs into the concern, and the Prince of Wales had put in five -hundred thousand pounds. - -"And it was so wonderfully secure, as otherwise the British -Government would not have allowed the Prince of Wales to invest such -a sum of money if the business was only speculative. Security and -fortune beyond the dreams of thrift! It was positively dazzling. - -"No wonder that this vision of untold riches made poor Mrs. -Smithson's mouth water, the more so as she was quite shrewd enough to -realise that, at the rate she was going, her share in the fifteen -thousand pounds left by the late worthy grocer would soon fade into -nothingness. In the past few months she and Louisa had spent -considerably over four thousand pounds between them, and once her -daughter was married to a quasi-royal personage, good old Mrs. -Smithson did not see herself retiring into comparative obscurity on a -few hundreds a year to be jeered at by all her friends. - -"So she and Louisa talked the matter over together, and then they -talked it over with Prince Orsoff on the occasion of his visit about -ten days before the wedding. The Prince at first was very doubtful -if the great Mr. Schumann would be willing to make a further -sacrifice in the cause of friendship. He was an international -financier accustomed to deal in millions; he would not look -favourably--the Prince feared--at a few thousands. Mrs. Smithson's -entire fortune now only consisted of about five thousand pounds; this -she was unwilling to admit to the wealthy and aristocratic future -son-in-law. So the two ladies decided to pool their capital and then -they begged that Prince Orsoff should ask the great Mr. Schumann -whether he would condescend to receive ten thousand pounds for -investment in Mrs. Smithson's name in his great undertaking. - -"Fortunately the great financier did condescend to do this--he really -was more a philanthropist than a business man--but, of course, he -could not be kept waiting, the money must reach him in Paris not -later than May twentieth, which was the very day fixed for the -wedding. - -"It was all terribly difficult; and Mrs. Smithson was at first in -despair as she feared she could not arrange to sell out her -securities in time, and the difficulties were increased an -hundredfold because, as Prince Orsoff explained to her, Mr. Schumann -would even at the eleventh hour refuse to allow her to participate in -the huge fortune if he found that she had talked about the affair -over in England. The business had to be kept a profound secret for -international reasons, in fact, if any detail relating to the -business and to Mr. Schumann's participation in it were to become -known, the whole of Europe would once more be plunged into war. - -"To make a long story short, Mrs. Smithson and Louisa sold out all -their securities, amounting between them to ten thousand pounds. -Then they went up to London, drew the money out of their bank, -changed it themselves into French money--so as to make it more -convenient for Mr. Schumann--and handed the entire sum over to Prince -Orsoff on the eve of the wedding. - -"Of course such fatuous imbecility would be unbelievable if it did -not occur so frequently: vain, silly women, who have never moved -outside their own restricted circle, are always the ready prey of -plausible rascals. - -"Anyway, in this case the Smithsons returned to Folkestone that day, -perfectly happy and with never a thought of anything but contentment -for the present and prosperity in the future. The wedding was to be -the next day; the bridegroom-elect was coming down by the midday -train with his best man, whom he vaguely described as secretary to -the Russian Embassy, and the bridal pair would start for Paris by the -afternoon boat. - -"All this the Smithsons related to the police inspector in charge of -the case and subsequently to the Scotland Yard detective, with a -wealth of detail and a profusion of lamentations not unmixed with -expletives directed against the unknown assassin and thief. For -indeed there was no doubt in the minds of Louisa and her mother that -the unfortunate Prince, on whom the girl still lavished the wealth of -her trustful love, had been murdered for the sake of the money which -he had upon his person. - -"It must have amounted to millions of francs, Mrs. Smithson declared, -for he had the Prince of Wales's money upon him also, and probably -that of the President of the French Republic, and at first she and -Louisa fastened their suspicions upon the anonymous best man, the -so-called secretary of the Russian Embassy. Even when they were -presently made to realise that there was no such thing as a Russian -Embassy in London these days, and that minute enquiries both at home -and abroad regarding the identity of a Prince Orsoff led to no result -whatever, they repudiated with scorn the suggestion put forth by the -police that their beloved Russian Prince was nothing more or less -than a clever crook who had led them by the nose, and that in all -probability he had not been murdered in the train but had succeeded -in jumping out of it and making good his escape across country. - -"This the Smithson ladies would not admit for a moment, and with -commendable logic they argued that if Prince Orsoff had been a crook -and had intended to make away with their money he could have done -that easily enough without getting into a train at Victoria and -jumping out of it at Sydenham Hill. - -"Pressed with questions, however, the ladies were forced to admit -that they knew absolutely nothing about Prince Orsoff, they had never -been introduced to any of his relations, nor had they met any of his -friends. They did not even know where he had been staying in London. -He was in the habit of telephoning to Louisa every morning, and any -arrangements for his visits down to The Towers or the ladies' trips -up to town were made in that manner. As a matter of fact Louisa and -her future husband had not met more than a dozen times altogether, on -some five or six occasions in Monte Carlo, and not more than six in -England. It had been a case of love at first sight. - -"The question of Mr. Schumann's vast undertaking was first discussed -at The Towers. After that the ladies wrote to their bank to sell out -their securities, and subsequently went up to town for a couple of -days to draw out their money, change it into French currency, and -finally hand it over to Prince Orsoff. On that occasion he had met -them at Victoria Station and taken them to a quiet hotel in -Kensington, where he had engaged a suite of rooms for them. All -financial matters were then settled in their private sitting-room. - -"In answer to enquiries at that hotel, one or two of the employees -distinctly remembered the foreign-looking gentleman who had called on -Mrs. and Miss Smithson, lunched with them in their sitting-room that -day, and saw them into their cab when they went away the following -afternoon. One or two of the station porters at Victoria also -vaguely remembered a man who answered to the description given of -Prince Orsoff by the Smithson ladies: tall, with a slight stoop, -wearing pince-nez, and with a profusion of dark, curly hair, bushy -eyebrows, long, dark moustache, and old-fashioned imperial, which -made him distinctly noticeable, he could not very well have passed -unperceived. - -"Unfortunately, on the actual day of the murder, not one man employed -at Victoria Station could swear positively to having seen him, either -alone or in the company of another foreigner; and the latter has -remained a problematical personage to this day. - -"But the Smithson ladies remained firm in their loyalty to their -Russian Prince. Had they dared they would openly have accused Henry -Carter of the murder; as it was they threw out weird hints and -insinuations about Henry who had more than once sworn that he would -be even with his hated rival, and who had actually travelled down in -the same train as the Prince on that fateful wedding morning, -together with his brother John, who no doubt helped him in his -nefarious deed. I believe that the unfortunate ladies actually spent -some of the money which now they could ill spare in employing a -private detective to collect proofs of Henry Carter's guilt. - -"But not a tittle of evidence could be brought against him. To begin -with, the train in which the murder was supposed to have been -committed was a non-stop to Swanley. Then how could the Carters have -disposed of the body? The Smithsons suggested a third miscreant as a -possible confederate; but the same objection against that theory -subsisted in the shape of the disposal of the body. The murder--if -murder there was--occurred in broad daylight in a part of the country -that certainly was not lonely. It was not possible to suppose that a -man would stand waiting on the line close to Sydenham Hill station -until a body was flung out to him from the passing train, and then -drag that body about until he found a suitable place in which to bury -it: and all that without being seen by the workmen on the line or -employees on the railway, or in fact any passer-by. Therefore the -hypothesis that Henry Carter or his brother murdered the Russian -Prince with or without the help of a confederate was as untenable as -that the Prince had travelled from Victoria to Sydenham Hill and -there jumped out of the train, at risk of being discovered in the -act, rather than disappear quietly in London, shave off his luxuriant -hair, or assume any other convenient disguise, until he found an -opportunity for slipping back to the Continent. - -"But the Smithsons remained firm in their belief in the genuineness -of their Prince and in their conviction that he had been murdered--if -not by the Carters, then by the mysterious secretary to the Russian -Embassy or any other Russian or German emissary, for political -reasons. - -"And thus the public was confronted with the two hypotheses, both of -which led to a deadlock. No sensible person doubted that the -so-called Russian Prince was a crook, and that he had a confederate -to help him in his clever plot, but the mystery remained as to how -the rascal or rascals disappeared so completely as to checkmate every -investigation. The travelling by train that morning and setting the -scene for a supposed murder was, of course, part of the plan, but it -was the plan that was so baffling, because to an ordinary mind that -disappearance could have been effected so much more easily and with -far less risk without the train journey. - -"Of course there was not a single passenger on that train who was not -the subject of the closest watchfulness on the part of the police, -but there was not one--not excluding the Carters--who could by any -possible chance have known that the Prince carried a large sum of -money upon his person. He was not likely to have confided the fact -to a stranger, and the mystery of the vanished body was always there -to refute the theory of an ordinary murderous attack for motives of -robbery." - - -§4 - -The Old Man in the Corner ceased talking, and became once more -absorbed in his favourite task of making knots in a bit of string. - -"I see in the papers," I now put in thoughtfully, "that Miss Louisa -Smithson has overcome her grief for the loss of her aristocratic -lover by returning to the plebeian one." - -"Yes," the funny creature replied dryly, "she is marrying Henry -Carter. Funny, isn't it? But women are queer fish! One moment she -looked on the man as a murderer, now, by marrying him, she actually -proclaims her belief in his innocence." - -"It certainly was abundantly proved," I rejoined, "that Henry Carter -could not possibly have murdered Prince Orsoff." - -"It was also abundantly proved," he retorted, "that no one else -murdered the so-called Prince." - -"You think, of course, that he was an ordinary impostor?" I asked. - -"An impostor, yes," he replied, "but not an ordinary one. In fact I -take off my hat to as clever a pair of scamps as I have ever come -across." - -"A pair?" - -"Why, yes! It could not have been done alone!" - -"But the police..." - -"The police," the spook-like creature broke in with a sharp cackle, -"know more in this case than you give them credit for. They know -well enough the solution of the puzzle which appears so baffling to -the public, but they have not sufficient proof to effect an arrest. -At one time they hoped that the scoundrels would presently make a -false move and give themselves away, in which case they could be -prosecuted for defrauding the Smithsons of ten thousand pounds, but -this eventuality has become complicated through the master-stroke of -genius which made Henry Carter marry Louisa Smithson." - -"Henry Carter?" I exclaimed. "Then you do think the Carters had -something to do with the case?" - -"They had everything to do with the case. In fact, they planned the -whole thing in a masterly manner." - -"But the Russian Prince at Monte Carlo?" I argued. "Who was he? If -he was a confederate, where has he disappeared to?" - -"He is still engaged in free-lance journalism," the Old Man in the -Corner replied drily, "and in his spare moments changes parcels of -French currency back into English notes." - -"You mean the brother!" I ejaculated with a gasp. - -"Of course I mean the brother," he retorted dryly, "who else could -have been so efficient a collaborator in the plot? John Carter was -comparatively his own master. He lived with Henry in the small house -in Chelsea, waited on by a charwoman who came by the day. It was -generally given out that his reporting work took him frequently and -for lengthened stays out of London. The brothers, remember, had -inherited a few hundreds from their father, while the Smithsons had -inherited a few thousands. We must suppose that the idea of -relieving the ladies of those thousands occurred to them as soon as -they realised that Louisa, egged on by her mother, would -cold-shoulder her fiancé. - -"John Carter, mind you, must be a very clever man, else he could not -have carried out all the details of the plot with so much sang-froid. -We have been told, if you remember, that he had early in life cut his -stick and gone to seek fortune in London, therefore the Smithsons, -who had never been out of Folkestone, did not know him intimately. -His make-up as the Prince must have been very good, and his -histrionic powers not to be despised: his profession and life in -London no doubt helped him in these matters. Then, remember also -that he took very good care not to be a great deal in the Smithsons' -company--even in Monte Carlo he only let them see him less than half -a dozen times, and as soon as he came to England he hurried on the -wedding as much as he could. - -"Another fine stroke was Henry's apparent despair at being cut out of -Louisa's affections, and his threats against his successful rival: it -helped to draw suspicion on himself--suspicion which the scoundrels -took good care could easily be disproved. Then take a pair of vain, -credulous, unintelligent women and a smart rascal who knows how to -flatter them, and you will see how easily the whole plot could be -worked. Finally, when John Carter had obtained possession of the -money, he and Henry arranged the supposed tragedy in the train and -the Russian Prince's disappearance from the world as suddenly as he -had entered it." - -I thought the matter over for a moment or two. The solution of the -mystery certainly appealed to my dramatic sense. - -"But," I said at last, "one wonders why the Carters took the trouble -to arrange a scene of a supposed murder in the train: they might -quite well have been caught in the act, and in any case it was an -additional unnecessary risk. John Carter might quite well have been -content to shed his role of Russian Prince, without such an elaborate -setting." - -"Well," he admitted, "in some ways you are right there, but it is -always difficult to gauge accurately the mentality of a clever -scoundrel. In this case I don't suppose that the Carters had quite -made up their minds about what they would do when they left London, -but that the plan was in their heads is proved by the hat, pince-nez, -and railway ticket which they took with them when they started, and -which, if you remember, were found on the line: but it was probably -only because the train was comparatively empty, and they had both -time and opportunity in the non-stop train, that they decided to -carry their clever comedy through. - -"Then think what an immense advantage in their future plans would be -the Smithsons' belief in the death of their Prince. Probably Louisa -would never have dreamed of marrying if she thought her aristocratic -lover was an impostor and still alive: she would never have let the -matter rest; her mind would for ever have been busy with trying to -trace him, and bring him back, repentant, to her feet. You know what -women are when they are in love with that type of scoundrel, they -cling to them with the tenacity of a leech. But once she believed -the man to be dead, Louisa Smithson gradually got over her grief and -Henry Carter wooed and won her on the rebound. She was poor now, and -her friends had quickly enough deserted her: she was touched by the -fidelity of her simple lover, and he thus consolidated his position -and made the future secure. - -"Anyway," the Old Man in the Corner concluded, "I believe that it was -with a view to making a future marriage possible between Louisa and -Henry that the two brothers organised the supposed murder. Probably -if the train had been full and they had seen danger in the -undertaking they would not have done it. But the _mise en scène_ was -easily enough set and it certainly was an additional safeguard. Now -in another week or so Louisa Smithson will be Henry Carter's wife, -and presently you will find that John in London, and Henry and his -wife, will be quite comfortably off. And after that, whatever -suspicions Mrs. Smithson may have of the truth, her lips would have -to remain sealed. She could not very well prosecute her only child's -husband. - -"And so the matter will always remain a mystery to the public: but -the police know more than they are able to admit because they have no -proof. - -"And now they never will have. But as to the murder in the train, -well!--the murdered man never existed." - - - - -V - -THE MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY IN BISHOP'S ROAD - - -§1 - -The Old Man in the Corner was in a philosophising mood that -afternoon, and all the while that his thin, claw-like fingers -fidgeted with the inevitable piece of string, he gave vent to -various, disjointed, always sententious remarks. - -Suddenly he said: - -"We know, of course, that the world has gone dancing mad! But I -doubt if the fashionable craze has ever been responsible before for -so dark a tragedy as the death of old Sarah Levison. What do you -think?" - -"Well," I replied guardedly, for I knew that, whatever I might say, I -should draw an avalanche of ironical remarks upon my innocent head, -"I never have known what to think, and all the accounts of that -brutal murder as they appeared in the cheaper Press only made the -obscurity all the more obscure." - -"That was a wise and well-thought-out reply," the aggravating -creature retorted with a dry chuckle, "and a non-committal one at -that. Obscurity is indeed obscure for those who won't take the -trouble to think." - -"I suppose it is all quite clear to you?" I said, with what I meant -to be withering sarcasm. - -"As clear as the proverbial daylight," he replied undaunted. - -"You know how old Mrs. Levison came by her death?" - -"Of course I do. I will tell you, if you like." - -"By all means. But I am not prepared to be convinced," I added -cautiously. - -"No," he admitted, "but you soon will be. However, before we reach -that happy conclusion, I shall have to marshal the facts before you, -because a good many of these must have escaped your attention. Shall -I proceed?" - -"If you please." - -"Well, then, do you remember all the personages in the drama?" he -began. - -"I think so." - -"There were, of course, young Aaron Levison and his wife, -Rebecca--the latter young, pretty, fond of pleasure, and above all of -dancing, and he, a few years older, but still in the prime of life, -more of an athlete than a business man, and yet tied to the shop in -which he carried on the trade of pawnbroking for his mother. The -latter, an old Jewess, shrewd and dictatorial, was the owner of the -business: her son was not even her partner, only a well-paid clerk in -her employ, and this fact we must suppose rankled in the mind of her -smart daughter-in-law. At any rate, we know that there was no love -lost between the two ladies; but the young couple and old Mrs. -Levison and another unmarried son lived together in the substantial -house over the shop in Bishop's Road. - -"They had three servants and we are told that they lived well, old -Mrs. Levison bearing the bulk of the cost of housekeeping. The -younger son, Reuben, seems to have been something of a bad egg; he -held at one time a clerkship in a bank, but was dismissed for -insobriety and laziness; then after the war he was supposed to have -bad health consequent on exposure in the trenches, and had not done a -day's work since he was demobilised. But in spite, or perhaps -because, of this, he was very markedly his mother's favourite; where -the old woman would stint her hard-working, steady elder son, she -would prove generous, even lavish, toward the loafer, Reuben; and -young Mrs. Levison and he were thick as thieves. - -"What money Reuben extracted out of his mother he would spend on -amusements, and his sister-in-law was always ready to accompany him. -It was either the cinema or dancing--oh, dancing above all! Rebecca -Levison was, it seems, a beautiful dancer, and night after night she -and Reuben would go to one or other of the halls or hotels where -dancing was going on, and often they would not return until the small -hours of the morning. - -"Aaron Levison was indulgent and easy-going enough where his young -wife was concerned: he thought that she could come to no harm while -Reuben was there to look after her. But old Mrs. Levison, with the -mistrust of her race for everything that is frivolous and thriftless, -thought otherwise. She was convinced in her own mind that her -beloved Reuben was being led astray from the path of virtue by his -brother's wife, and she appears to have taken every opportunity to -impress her thoughts and her fears upon the indulgent husband. - -"It seems that one of the chief bones of contention between the old -and the young Mrs. Levison was the question of jewellery. Old Mrs. -Levison kept charge herself of all the articles of value that were -pawned in the shop, and every evening after business hours Aaron -would bring up all bits of jewellery that had been brought in during -the day, and his mother would lock them up in a safe that stood in -her room close by her bedside. The key of the safe she always -carried about with her. For the most part these bits of jewellery -consisted of cheap rings and brooches, but now and again some -impoverished lady or gentleman would bring more valuable articles -along for the purpose of raising a temporary loan upon them, and at -the time of the tragedy there were some fine diamond ornaments -reposing in the safe in old Mrs. Levison's room. - -"Now young Mrs. Levison had more than once suggested that she might -wear some of this fine jewellery when she went out to balls and -parties. She saw no harm in it, and neither, for a matter of that, -did Reuben. Why shouldn't Rebecca wear a few ornaments now and again -if she wanted to?--they would always be punctually returned, of -course, and they could not possibly come to any harm. But the very -suggestion of such a thing was anathema to the old lady, and in her -flat refusal ever to gratify such a senseless whim she had the -whole-hearted support of her eldest son: such a swerving from -traditional business integrity was not to be thought of in the -Levison household. - -"On that memorable Saturday evening young Mrs. Levison was going with -her brother-in-law to one of the big charity balls at the Kensington -Town Hall, and her great desire was to wear for the occasion a set of -diamond stars which had lately been pledged in the shop, and which -were locked up in the old lady's safe. Of course, Mrs. Levison -refused, and it seems that the two ladies very nearly came to blows -about this, the quarrel being all the more violent as Reuben hotly -sided with his sister-in-law against his mother." - - -§2 - -"That then was the position in the Levison household on the day of -the mysterious tragedy," the Old Man in the Corner went on presently; -"an armed truce between the two ladies--the lovely Rebecca sore and -defiant, pining to gratify a whim which was being denied her, and old -Mrs. Levison more bitter than usual against her, owing to Reuben's -partisanship. Egged on by Rebecca, he was furious with his mother -and vowed that he was sick of the family and meant to cut his stick -in order to be free to lead his own life, and so on. It was all -tall-talk, of course, as he was entirely dependent on his mother, but -it went to show the ugliness of his temper and the domination which -his brother's wife exercised over him. Aaron, on the other hand, -took no part in the quarrel, but the servants remarked that he was -unwontedly morose all day, and that his wife was very curt and -disagreeable with him. - -"Nothing, however, of any importance occurred during the day until -dinner-time, which as usual was served in the parlour at the back of -the shop at seven o'clock. It seems that as soon as the family sat -down to their meal, there was another violent quarrel on some subject -or other between the two ladies, Rebecca being hotly backed up by -Reuben, and Aaron taking no part in the discussion; in the midst of -the quarrel, and following certain highly offensive words spoken by -Reuben, old Mrs. Levison got up abruptly from the table and went -upstairs to her own room which was immediately overhead at the back -of the house, next to the drawing-room, nor did she come downstairs -again that evening. - -"At half-past nine the three servants went up to bed according to the -rule of the house. Old Mrs. Levison, who was a real autocrat in the -management of the household, expected the girls to be down at six -every morning, but they were free to go to bed as soon as their work -was done, and half-past nine was their usual time. - -"Two of the girls slept at the top of the house, and the housemaid, -Ida Griggs by name, who also acted as a sort of maid to old Mrs. -Levison, occupied a small slip room on the half-landing immediately -above the old lady's bedroom. On the floor above this there was a -large bedroom at the back, and a bathroom and dressing-room in front, -all occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Aaron, and over that the two maids' -room, and one for Mr. Reuben, and a small spare room in which Mr. -Aaron would sleep now and again when his wife was likely to be out -late and he did not want to get his night's rest broken by her -home-coming, or if he himself was going to be late home on a holiday -night after one of those country excursions on his bicycle of which -he was immensely fond and in which he indulged himself from time to -time. - -"On this fateful Saturday evening Aaron was kept late in the shop, -but he finally went up to bed soon after ten, after he had seen to -all the doors below being bolted and barred, with the exception of -the front door which had to be left on the latch, Mrs. Aaron having -the latchkey. Thus the house was shut up and every one in bed by -half-past ten. - -"In the meanwhile the lovely Rebecca and Reuben had dressed and gone -to the ball. - -"The next morning at a little before six, Ida Griggs, the housemaid, -having got up and dressed, prepared to go downstairs: but when she -went to open her bedroom door she found it locked--locked on the -outside. At first she thought that the other girls were playing her -a silly trick, and, presently hearing the patter of their feet on the -stairs, she pounded against the door with her fists. It took the -others some time to understand what was amiss, but at last they did -try the lock on the outside, and found that the key had been turned -and that Ida was indeed locked in. - -"They let her out, and then consulted what had best be done, but for -the moment it did not seem to strike any of the girls that this -locking of a door from the outside had a sinister significance. -Anyway, they all went down into the kitchen and Ida prepared old Mrs. -Levison's early cup of tea. This she had to take up every morning at -half-past six; on this occasion she went up as usual, knocked at her -mistress's door, and waited to be let in, as the old lady always -slept behind locked doors. But no sound came from within, though Ida -knocked repeatedly and loudly called her mistress by name. - -"Soon she started screaming, and her screams brought the household -together: the two girls came up from the kitchen, Mr. Aaron came down -from the top floor brandishing a poker, and presently Mrs. Aaron -opened her door and peeped out clad in a filmy and exquisite -nightgown, her eyes still heavy with sleep, and her beautiful hair -streaming down her back. But of old Mrs. Levison there was no sign. - -"Mr. Aaron, genuinely alarmed, glued his ear to the keyhole, but not -a sound could he hear. Behind that locked door absolute silence -reigned. Fearing the worst, he set himself the task of breaking open -the door, which after some effort and the use of a jemmy, he -succeeded in doing: and here the sight that met his eyes filled his -soul with horror, for he saw his mother lying on the floor of her -bedroom in a pool of blood. - -"Evidently an awful crime had been committed. The unfortunate woman -was fully dressed, as she had been on the evening before; the door of -the safe was open with the key still in the lock, but no other piece -of furniture appeared to be disturbed; the one window of the room was -wide open, and the one door had been locked on the inside; the other -door, the one which gave on the front drawing-room, being permanently -blocked by a heavy wardrobe; and below the open window the bunch of -creepers against the wall was all broken and torn, showing plainly -the way that the miscreant had escaped. - -"After a few moments of awe-stricken silence Aaron Levison regained -control of himself and at once telephoned--first for the police and -then for the doctor, but he would not allow anything in the room to -be touched, not even his mother's dead body. - -"For this precaution he was highly commended by the police inspector -who presently appeared upon the scene, accompanied by a constable and -the divisional surgeon; the latter proceeded to examine the body. He -stated that the unfortunate woman had been attacked from behind, the -marks of fingers being clearly visible round her throat: in her -struggle for freedom she must have fallen backwards and in so doing -struck her head against the corner of the marble washstand, which -caused her death. - -"In the meanwhile the inspector had been examining the premises: he -found that the back door which gave on the yard and the one that gave -on the front area were barred and locked just as Mr. Aaron had left -them before he went up to bed the previous night; on the other hand -the front door was still on the latch, young Mrs. Levison having -apparently failed to bolt it when she came home from the ball. - -"In the backyard the creeper against the wall below the window of -Mrs. Levison's room was certainly torn, and the miscreant undoubtedly -made his escape that way, but he could not have got up to the window -save with the aid of a ladder, the creeper was too slender to have -supported any man's weight, and the brick wall of the house offered -no kind of foothold even to a cat. The yard itself was surrounded on -every side by the backyards of contiguous houses, and against the -dividing walls there were clumps of Virginia creeper and anæmic -shrubs such as are usually found in London backyards. - -"Now neither on those walls nor on the creepers and shrubs was there -the slightest trace of a ladder being dragged across, or even of a -man having climbed the walls or slung a rope over: there was not a -twig of shrub broken or a leaf of creeper disturbed. - -"With regard to the safe, it must either have been open at the time -that the murderer attacked Mrs. Levison, or he had found the key and -opened the safe after he had committed that awful crime. Certainly -the contents did not appear to have been greatly disturbed, no -jewellery or other pledged goods of value were missing: Mr. Aaron -could verify this by his books, but whether his mother had any money -in the safe he was not in a position to say. - -"There was no doubt at first glance the crime did not seem to have -been an ordinary one; whether robbery had been its motive, or its -corollary, only subsequent investigation would reveal: for the moment -the inspector contented himself with putting a few leading questions -to the various members of the household, and subsequently questioning -the neighbours. The public, of course, was not to know what the -result of these preliminary investigations was, but the midday papers -were in a position to assert that no one, with perhaps the exception -of Ida Griggs, had seen or heard anything alarming during the night, -and that the most minute enquiries in the neighbourhood failed to -bring forth the slightest indication of how the murderer effected an -entrance into the house. - -"The papers were also able to state that young Mrs. Levison returned -from the ball in the small hours of the morning, but that Mr. Reuben -Levison did not sleep in the house at all that night. - - -§3 - -"Fortunately for me," my eccentric friend went on glibly, "I was up -betimes that morning when the papers came out with an early account -of the mysterious crime in Bishop's Road. I say fortunately, -because, as you know, mysteries of that sort interest me beyond -everything, and for me there is no theatre in the world to equal in -excitement the preliminary investigations of a well-conceived and -cleverly executed crime. I should indeed have been bitterly -disappointed had circumstances prevented me from attending that -particular inquest. From the first, one was conscious of an -atmosphere of mystery that hung over the events of that night in the -Bishop's Road household: here indeed was no ordinary crime; the -motive for it was still obscure, and one instinctively felt that -somewhere in this vast city of London there lurked a criminal of no -mean intelligence who would probably remain unpunished. - -"Even the evidence of the police was not as uninteresting as it -usually is, because it established beyond a doubt that this was not a -case of common burglary and housebreaking. Certainly the open window -and the torn creeper suggested that the miscreant had made his escape -that way, but how he effected an entrance into Mrs. Levison's room -remained an unsolved riddle. The absence of any trace of a man's -passage on the surrounding walls of the backyard was very mysterious, -and it was firmly established that the back door and the area door -were secured, barred and bolted from the inside. A burglar might, of -course, have entered the house by the front door, which was on the -latch, using a skeleton key, but it still remained inconceivable how -he gained access into Mrs. Levison's room. - -"From the first the public had felt that there was a background of -domestic drama behind the seemingly purposeless crime, for it did -appear purposeless, seeing that so much portable jewellery had been -left untouched in the safe. But it was when Ida Griggs, the -housemaid, stood up in response to her name being called that one -seemed to see the curtain going up on the first act of a terrible -tragedy. - -"Griggs was a colourless, youngish woman, with thin, sallow face, -round blue eyes, and thin lips, and directly she began to speak one -felt that underneath her placid, old-maidish manner there was an -under-current of bitter spite, and even of passion. For some reason -which probably would come to light later on, she appeared to have -conceived a hatred for Mrs. Aaron; on the other hand she had -obviously been doggedly attached to her late mistress, and in the -evidence she dwelt at length on the quarrels between the two ladies, -especially on the scene of violence that occurred at the dinner-table -on Saturday, and which culminated in old Mrs. Levison flouncing out -of the room. - -"'Mrs. Levison was that upset,' the girl went on, in answer to a -question put to her by the coroner, 'that I thought she was going to -be ill, and she says to me that women like Mrs. Aaron were worse than ----- as they would stick at nothing to get a new gown or a bit of -jewellery. She also says to me----' - -"But at this point the coroner checked her flow of eloquence, as, of -course, what the dead woman had said could not be admitted as -evidence. But nevertheless the impression remained vividly upon the -public that there had been a terrible quarrel between those two, and -of course we all knew that young Mrs. Levison had been seen at the -ball wearing those five diamond stars; we did not need the sworn -testimony of several witnesses who were called and interrogated on -that point. We knew that Rebecca Levison had worn the diamond stars -at the ball, and that Police Inspector Blackshire found them on her -dressing-table the morning after the murder. - -"Nor did she deny having worn them. At the inquest she renewed the -statement which she had already made to the police. - -"'My brother-in-law, Reuben,' she said, 'was a great favourite with -his mother, and when we were both of us ready dressed he went into -Mrs. Levison's room to say good-night to her. He cajoled her into -letting me wear the diamond stars that night. In fact he always -could make her do anything he really wanted, and they parted the best -of friends.' - -"'At what time did you go to the ball, Mrs. Levison?' the coroner -asked. - -"'My brother-in-law,' she replied, 'went out to call a taxi at -half-past nine, and he and I got into it the moment one drew up.' - -"'And Mr. Reuben Levison had been in to say good-night to his mother -just before that?' - -"'Yes, about ten minutes before.' - -"'And he brought you the stars then,' the coroner insisted, 'and you -put them on before he went out to call the taxi?' - -"For the fraction of a second Rebecca Levison hesitated, but I do not -think that any one in the audience except myself noted that little -fact. Then she said quite firmly: - -"'Yes, Mr. Reuben Levison told me that he had persuaded his mother to -let me wear the stars, he handed them to me and I put them on.' - -"'And that was at half-past nine?' - -"Again Rebecca Levison hesitated, this time more markedly; her face -was very pale and she passed her tongue once or twice across her lips -before she gave answer. - -"'At about half-past nine,' she said, quite steadily. - -"'And about what time did you come home, Mrs. Levison?' the coroner -asked her blandly. - -"'It must have been close on one o'clock,' she replied. 'The dance -was a Cinderella, but we walked part of the way home.' - -"'What! in the rain?' - -"'It had ceased raining when we came out of the town hall.' - -"'Mr. Reuben Levison did not accompany you all the way?' - -"'He walked with me across the Park, then he put me into a taxicab, -and I drove home alone. I had my latchkey.' - -"'But you failed to bolt the door after you when you returned. How -was that?' - -"'I forgot, I suppose,' the lovely Rebecca replied, with a defiant -air. 'I often forget to bolt the door.' - -"'And did you not see or hear anything strange when you came in?' - -"'I heard nothing. I was rather sleepy and went straight up to my -room. I was in bed within ten minutes of coming in.' - -"She was speaking quite firmly now, in a clear though rather harsh -voice: but that she was nervous, not to say frightened, was very -obvious. She had a handkerchief in her hand, with which she fidgeted -until it was nothing but a small, wet ball, and she had a habit of -standing first on one foot then on the other, and of shifting the -position of her hat. I do not think that there was a single member -of the jury who did not think that she was lying, and she knew that -they thought so, for now and again her fine dark eyes would -scrutinise their faces and dart glances at them either of scorn or of -anxiety. - -"After a while she appeared very tired, and when pressed by the -coroner over some trifling matters, she broke down and began to cry. -After which she was allowed to stand down, and Mr. Reuben Levison was -called. - -"I must say that I took an instinctive dislike to him as he stood -before the jury with a jaunty air of complete self-possession. He -had a keen, yet shifty eye, and sharp features very like a rodent. -To me it appeared at once that he was reciting a lesson rather than -giving independent evidence. He stated that he had been present at -dinner during the quarrel between his mother and sister-in-law, and -his mother was certainly very angry at the moment, but later on he -went upstairs to bid her good-night. She cried a little and said a -few hard things, but in the end she gave way to him as she always -did: she opened the safe, got out the diamond stars and gave them to -him, making him promise to return them the very first thing in the -morning. - -"'I told her,' Reuben went on glibly, 'that I would not be home until -the Monday morning. I would see Rebecca into a taxi after the ball, -but I had the intention of spending a couple of nights and the -intervening Sunday with a pal who had a flat at Haverstock Hill. I -thought then that my mother would lock the stars up again, -however--she was always a woman of her word--once she had said a -thing she would stick to it--and so as I said she gave me the stars -and Mrs. Aaron wore them that night.' - -"'And you handed the stars to Mrs. Aaron at half-past nine?' - -"The coroner asked the question with the same earnest emphasis which -he had displayed when he put it to young Mrs. Levison. I saw -Reuben's shifty eye flash across at her, and I know that she answered -that flash with a slight drop of her eyelids. Whereupon he replied -as readily as she had done: - -"'Yes, sir, it must have been about half-past nine.' - -"And I assure you that every intelligent person in that room must -have felt certain that Reuben was lying just as Rebecca had done -before him." - - -§4 - -The Old Man in the Corner paused in his narrative. He drank half a -glass of milk, smacked his lips, and for a few moments appeared -intent on examining one of the complicated knots which he had made in -his bit of string. Then after a while he resumed. - -"The one member of the Levison family," he said, "for whom every one -felt sorry was the eldest son Aaron. Like most men of his race he -had been very fond of his mother, not because of any affection she -may have shown him but just because she was his mother. He had -worked hard for her all his life, and now through her death he found -himself very much left out in the cold. It seems that by her will -the old lady left all her savings, which, it seems, were -considerable, and a certain share in the business, to Reuben, whilst -to Aaron she only left the business nominally, with a great many -charges on it in the way of pensions and charitable bequests and -whatever was due to Reuben. - -"But here I am digressing, as the matter of the will was not touched -upon until later on, but there is no doubt that Aaron knew from the -first that it would be Reuben who would primarily benefit by their -mother's death. Nevertheless, he did not speak bitterly about his -brother, and nothing that he said could be construed into possible -suspicion of Reuben. He looked just a big lump of good nature, -splendidly built, with the shoulders and gait of an athlete, but with -an expression of settled melancholy in his face, and a dull, rather -depressing voice. Seeing him there, gentle, almost apologetic, -trying to explain away everything that might in any way cast a -reflection upon his wife's conduct, one realised easily enough the -man's position in the family--a kind of good-natured beast of burden, -who would do all the work and never receive a 'thank you' in return. - -"He was not able to throw much light on the horrible tragedy. He, -too, had been at the dinner-table when the quarrel occurred, but -directly after dinner he had been obliged to return to the shop, it -being Saturday night and business very brisk. He had only one -assistant to help him, who left at nine o'clock, after putting up the -shutters: but he himself remained in the shop until ten o'clock to -put things away and make up the books. He heard the taxi being -called, and his wife and brother going off to the ball; he was not -quite sure as to when that was, but he dared say it was somewhere -near half-past nine. - -"As nothing of special value had been pledged that day in the course -of business, he had no occasion to go and speak with his mother -before going up to bed and, on the whole he thought that, as she -might still be rather sore and irritable, it would be best not to -disturb her again, he did just knock at her door and called out -'good-night, mother.' But hearing no reply he thought she must -already have been asleep. - -"In answer to the coroner Aaron Levison further said that he had -slept in the spare room at the top of the house for some time, as his -wife was often very late coming home, and he did not like to have his -night's rest broken. He had gone up to bed at ten o'clock and had -neither seen nor heard anything in the house until six o'clock in the -morning when the screams of the maid down below had roused him from -his sleep and made him jump out of bed in double-quick time. - -"Although Aaron's evidence was more or less of a formal character, -and he spoke very quietly without any show either of swagger or of -spite, one could not help feeling that the elements of drama and of -mystery connected with this remarkable case were rather accentuated -than diminished by what he said. Thus one was more or less prepared -for those further developments which brought one's excitement and -interest in the case to their highest point. - -"Recalled, and pressed by the coroner to try and memorise every -event, however trifling, that occurred on that Saturday evening, Ida -Griggs, the maid, said that, soon after that she had dropped to -sleep, she woke with the feeling that she had heard some kind of -noise, but what it was she could not define: it might have been a -bang, or a thud, or a scream. At the time she thought nothing of it, -whatever it was, because while she lay awake for a few minutes -afterwards, the house was absolutely still; but a moment or two later -she certainly heard the window of Mrs. Levison's room being thrown -open. - -"'There did not seem to you anything strange in that?' the coroner -asked her. - -"'No, sir,' she replied, 'there was nothing funny in Mrs. Levison -opening her window. I remember that it was raining rather heavily, -for I heard the patter against the window-panes, and Mrs. Levison may -have wanted to look at the weather. I went to sleep directly after -that and thought no more about it.' - -"'And you don't know what it was that woke you in the first instance?' - -"'No, sir, I don't,' the girl replied. - -"'And you did not happen to glance at the clock at the moment?' - -"'No, sir,' she said, 'I did not switch on the light.' - -"But having disposed of that point, Ida Griggs had yet another to -make, and one that proved more dramatic than anything that had gone -before. - -"'While I was clearing away the dinner things,' she said, 'Mr. Reuben -and Mrs. Aaron were sitting talking in the parlour. At half-past -eight Mrs. Aaron rang for me to take up her hot water as she was -going to dress. I took up the water for her and also for Mrs. -Levison, as I always did. I was going to help Mrs. Levison to -undress, but she said she was not going to bed yet as she had some -accounts to go through. She kept me talking for a bit, then while I -was with her there was a knock at the door and I heard Mr. Reuben -asking if he might come in and say good-night. Mrs. Levison called -out "good-night, my boy," but she would not let Mr. Reuben come in, -and I heard him go downstairs again. - -"'A quarter of an hour or so afterwards Mrs. Levison dismissed me and -I heard her locking her door after me. I went downstairs on my way -to the kitchen: Mrs. Aaron was in the parlour then, fully dressed and -with her cloak on; and Mr. Reuben was there, too, talking to her. -The door was wide open, and I saw them both and I heard Mrs. Aaron -say quite spiteful like: "So she would not even see you, the old cat! -She must have felt bad." And Mr. Reuben he laughed and said: "Oh -well, she will have to get over it." Then they saw me and stopped -talking, and soon afterwards Mr. Reuben went out to call a taxi, and -we girls went up to bed.' - -"'It is all a wicked lie!' here broke in a loud, high-pitched voice, -and Mrs. Aaron, trembling with excitement, jumped to her feet. 'A -lie, I say. The woman is spiteful, and wants to ruin me.' - -"The coroner vainly demanded silence, and after a moment or two of -confusion and of passionate resistance the lovely Rebecca was -forcibly led out of the room. Her husband followed her, looking -bigger and more meek and apologetic than ever before; and Ida Griggs -was left to conclude her evidence in peace. She reaffirmed all that -she had said and swore positively to the incident just as it had -occurred in Mrs. Levison's room. Asked somewhat sharply by the -coroner why she had said nothing about all this before, she replied -that she did not wish to make mischief, but that truth was truth, and -whoever murdered her poor mistress must swing for it, and that's all -about it. - -"Nor could any cross-examination upset her: she looked like a -spiteful cat, but not like a woman who was lying. - -"Reuben Levison had sat on, serene and jaunty, all the while that -these damaging statements were being made against him. When he was -recalled he contented himself with flatly denying Ida Griggs's story, -and reiterating his own. - -"'The girl is lying,' he said airily, 'why she does so I don't know, -but there was nothing in the world more unlikely than that my mother -should at any time refuse to see me. Ask any impartial witness you -like,' he went on dramatically, 'they will all tell you that my -mother worshipped me: she was not likely to quarrel with me over a -few bits of jewellery.' - -"Of course Mrs. Aaron, when she was recalled, corroborated Reuben's -story. She could not make out why Ida should tell such lies about -her. - -"'But there,' she added, with tears in her beautiful dark eyes, 'the -girl always hated me.' - -"Yet one more witness was heard that afternoon whose evidence proved -of great interest. This was the assistant in the shop, Samuel Kutz. -He could not throw much light on the tragedy, because he had not been -out of the shop from six o'clock, when he finished his tea, to nine, -when he put up the shutters and went away. But he did say that, -while he was having his tea in the back parlour, old Mrs. Levison was -helping in the front shop, and Mr. Reuben was there, too, doing -nothing in particular, as was his custom. When witness went back to -the shop Mrs. Levison went through into the back parlour, and, as -soon as she had gone, he noticed that she had left her bag on the -bureau behind the counter. Mr. Reuben saw it, too; he picked up the -bag, and said with a laugh: 'I'd best take it up at once, the old -girl don't like leaving this about.' Kutz told him he thought Mrs. -Levison was in the back parlour, but Mr. Reuben was sure she had -since gone upstairs. - -"'Anyway,' concluded witness, 'he took the bag and went upstairs with -it.' - -"This may have been a valuable piece of evidence or it may not," the -Old Man in the Corner went on with a grin, "in view of the tragedy -occurring so much later, it did not appear so at the time. But it -brought in an altogether fresh element of conjecture, and while the -police asked for an adjournment pending fresh enquiries, the public -was left to ponder over the many puzzles and contradictions that the -case presented. Whichever line of argument one followed, one quickly -came to a dead stop. - -"There was, first of all, the question whether Reuben Levison did -cajole his mother into giving him the diamond stars, or whether he -was peremptorily refused admittance to her room; but this was just a -case of hard swearing between one party and the other, and here I -must admit, that public opinion was inclined to take Reuben's version -of the story. Mrs. Levison's passionate affection for her younger -son was known to all her friends, and people thought that Ida Griggs -had lied in order to incriminate Mrs. Aaron. - -"But in this she entirely failed, and here was the first dead stop. -You will remember that she said that, after she left Mrs. Levison, -she went downstairs and saw Mrs. Aaron and Mr. Reuben fully dressed -in the back parlour, and that afterward she heard Mr. Reuben call a -taxi: obviously, therefore, Mrs. Aaron had the diamonds in her -possession then, since she was wearing them at the ball, and it is -not conceivable that either of those two would have gone off in the -taxi, leaving the other to force an entrance into Mrs. Levison's -room, strangle her, and steal the diamonds. As Mrs. Aaron could not -possibly have done all that in her evening-dress, making her way -afterwards from a first floor window down into the yard by clinging -to a creeper in the pouring rain, the hideous task must have devolved -on Reuben, and even the police, wildly in search of a criminal, could -not put the theory forward that a man would murder his mother in -order that his sister-in-law might wear a few diamond stars at a ball. - -"It was, in fact, the motive of the crime that seemed so utterly -inadequate, and therefore public argument fell back on the theory -that Reuben had stolen the diamond stars just before dinner after he -had found his mother's handbag in the shop, and that the subsequent -murder was the result of ordinary burglary, the miscreant having -during the night entered Mrs. Levison's room by the window while she -was asleep. It was suggested that he had found the key of the safe -by the bedside and was in the act of ransacking the place when Mrs. -Levison woke, and the inevitable struggle ensued resulting in the old -lady's death. The chief argument, however, against this theory was -the fact that the unfortunate woman was still dressed when she was -attacked, and no one who knew her for the careful, thrifty woman she -was could conceive that she would go fast asleep leaving the safe -door wide open. This, coupled with the fact that not the slightest -trace could be found anywhere in the backyard of the house, or the -adjoining yards and walls of the passage, of a miscreant armed with a -ladder, constituted another dead stop on the road of public -conjecture. - -"Finally, when at the adjourned inquest Reuben Levison was able to -bring forward more than one witness who could swear that he arrived -at the ball at the Kensington Town Hall in the company of his -sister-in-law somewhere about ten o'clock, and others who spoke to -him from time to time during the evening, it seemed clear that he, at -any rate, was innocent of the murder. Mr. Aaron had not gone up to -bed until ten o'clock, and, if Reuben had planned to return and -murder his mother, he could only have done so at a later hour, when -he was seen by several people at the Kensington Town Hall. - -"Subsequently the jury returned an open verdict and that abominable -crime has remained unpunished until now. Though it appeared so -simple and crude at first, it proved a terribly hard nut for the -police to crack. We may say that they never did crack it. They are -absolutely convinced that Reuben Levison and Mrs. Aaron planned to -murder the old lady, but how they did it, no one has been able to -establish. As for proofs of their guilt, there are none and never -will be, for though they are perhaps a pair of rascals, they are not -criminals. It is not they who murdered Mrs. Levison." - -"You think it was Ida Griggs?" I put in quickly, as the Old Man in -the Corner momentarily ceased talking. - -"Ah!" he retorted, with his funny, dry cackle, "you favour that -theory, do you?" - -"No, I do not," I replied. "But I don't see----" - -"It is a foolish theory," he went on, "not only because there was -absolutely no reason why Ida Griggs should kill her mistress--she did -not rob her, nor had she anything to gain by Mrs. Levison's -death--but as she was neither a cat, nor a night moth, she could not -possibly have ascended from a first floor window to another window on -the half-landing above, and entered her own room that way, for we -must not lose sight of the fact that her bedroom door was the next -morning found locked on the outside, and the key left in the lock." - -"Then," I argued, "it must have been a case of ordinary burglary." - -"That has been proved impossible," he riposted--"proved to the hilt. -No man could have climbed up the wall of the house without a ladder, -and no man could have brought a ladder into that backyard without -leaving some trace of his passage, however slight: against the walls, -around the yard, there were creepers and shrubs--it would be -impossible to drag a heavy ladder over those walls without breaking -some of them." - -"But some one killed old Mrs. Levison," I went on with some -exasperation--"she did not strangle herself with her own fingers." - -"No, she did not do that," he admitted, with a dry laugh. - -"And if the murderer escaped through the window, he could not vanish -into thin air." - -"No," he admitted again, "he could not do that." - -"Well then?" I retorted. - -"Well then, the murder must have been committed by one of the inmates -of the house," he said; and now I knew that I was on the point of -hearing the solution of the mystery of the five diamond stars, -because his thin, claw-like fingers were working with feverish -rapidity upon his beloved bit of string. - -"But neither Mrs. Aaron," I argued, "nor Reuben Levison----" - -"Neither," he broke in decisively. "We all know that. It was not -conceivable that a woman could commit such a murder, nor that Reuben -would kill his mother in order to gratify his sister-in-law's whim. -That, of course, was nonsense, and every proof, both of time and -circumstance, both of motive and opportunity, was entirely in their -favour. No. We must look for a deeper motive for the hideous crime, -a stronger determination, and above all a more powerful physique and -easier opportunity for carrying the plot through. Personally, I do -not believe that there was a plot to murder; on the other hand, I do -believe in the man who idolised his young wife, and had witnessed a -deadly quarrel between her and his mother, and I do believe in his -going presently to the latter in order to try to soothe her anger -against the woman he loved." - -"You mean," I gasped, incredulous and scornful, "that it was Aaron -Levison?" - -"Of course I mean that," he replied placidly. "And if you think over -all the circumstances of the case you will readily agree with me. We -know that Aaron Levison loved and admired his wife; we know that he -was very athletic, and altogether an outdoor man. Bear these two -facts in mind, and let your thoughts follow the man after the -terrible quarrel at the dinner-table. - -"For a while he is busy in the shop, probably brooding over his -mother's anger and the unpleasant consequences it might have for the -lovely Rebecca. But presently he goes upstairs determined to speak -with his mother, to plead with her. Dreading that Ida Griggs, with -the habit of her kind, might sneak out of her room, and perhaps glue -her ear to the keyhole, he turns the key in the lock of the girl's -bedroom door. He knows that the interview with his mother will be -unpleasant, that hard words will be spoken against Rebecca, and these -he does not wish Ida Griggs to hear. - -"Then he knocks at his mother's door, and asks admittance on the -pretext that he has something of value to remit to her for keeping in -her safe. She would have no reason to refuse. He goes in, talks to -his mother; she does not mince her words. By now she knows the -diamond stars have been extracted from the safe, stolen by her -beloved Reuben for the adornment of the hated daughter-in-law. - -"Can't you see those two arguing over the woman whom the man loves -and whom the older woman hates? Can't you see the latter using words -which outrage the husband's pride and rouses his wrath till it gets -beyond his control? Can't you see him in an access of unreasoning -passion gripping his mother by the throat, to smother the insults -hurled at his wife?--and can you see the old woman losing her -balance, and hitting her head against the corner of the marble -wash-stand and falling--falling--whilst the son gazes down, frantic -and horror-struck at what he has done? - -"Then the instinct of self-preservation is roused. Oh, the man was -cleverer than he was given credit for! He remembers with -satisfaction locking Ida Griggs's door from the outside; and now to -give the horrible accident the appearance of ordinary burglary! He -locks his mother's door on the inside, switches out the light, then -throws open the window. For a youngish man who is active and -athletic the drop from a first floor window, with the aid of a -creeper on the wall, presents but little difficulty, and when a man -is faced with a deadly peril, minor dangers do not deter him. - -"Fortunately, everything has occurred before he has bolted and barred -the downstairs door for the night. This, of course, greatly -facilitates matters. He lets himself down through the window, jumps -down into the yard, lets himself into the house through the back -door, then closes up everything, and quietly goes upstairs to bed. - -"There has not been much noise, even his mother's fall was -practically soundless, and--poor thing!--she had not the time to -scream; the only sound was the opening of the window; it certainly -would not bring Ida Griggs out of her bed--girls of her class are -more likely to smother their heads under their bedclothes if any -alarming noise is heard. And so the unfortunate man is able to sneak -up to his room unseen and unheard. - -"Whoever would dream of casting suspicion on him? - -"He was never mixed up in any quarrel with his mother, and he had -nothing much to gain by her death. At the inquest every one was -sorry for him; but I could not repress a feeling of admiration for -the coolness and cleverness with which he obliterated every trace of -his crime. I imagine him carefully wiping his boots before he went -upstairs, and brushing and folding up his clothes before he went to -bed. Cannot you? - -"A clever criminal, what?" the whimsical creature concluded, as he -put his piece of string in the pocket of his funny tweed coat. -"Think of it--you will see that I am right. As you say, Mrs. Levison -did not strangle herself, and a burglar from the outside could not -have vanished into thin air." - - - - -VI - -THE MYSTERY OF THE DOG'S TOOTH CLIFF - -The Old Man in the Corner was more than usually loquacious that day: -he had a great deal to say on the subject of the strictures which a -learned judge levelled against the police in a recent murder case. - -"Well deserved," he concluded, with his usual self-opinionated -emphasis, "but not more so in this case than in many others, where -blunder after blunder is committed and the time of the courts wasted -without either judge or magistrate, let alone the police, knowing -where the hitch lies." - -"Of course, _you_ always know," I remarked dryly. - -"Nearly always," he replied, with ludicrous self-complacence. "Have -I not proved to you over and over again that with a little reasonable -common-sense and a minimum of logic there is no such thing as an -impenetrable mystery in criminology. Criminology is an exact science -to which certain rules of reasoning invariably apply. The trouble is -that so few are masters of logic and that fewer still know how to -apply its rules. Now take the case of that poor girl, Janet Smith. -We are likely to see some startling developments in it within the -next two or three days. You'll see if we don't, and they will open -the eyes of the police and public alike to what has been clear as -daylight to me ever since the first day of the inquest." - -I hastened to assure the whimsical creature that though I was -acquainted with the main circumstances of the tragedy, I was very -vague as to detail, and that nothing would give me greater pleasure -than that he should enlighten my mind on the subject--which he -immediately proceeded to do. - -"You know Broxmouth, don't you?" he began, after a while--"on the -Wessex coast. It is a growing place, for the scenery is superb, and -the air acts on jaded spirits like sparkling wine. The only -drawback--that is, from an artistic point of view--to the place is -that hideous barrack-like building on the West Cliff. It is a huge -industrial school recently erected and endowed by the trustees of the -Woodforde bequest for the benefit of sons of temporary officers -killed in the war, and is under the presidency of no less a personage -than General Sir Arkwright Jones, who has a whole alphabet after his -name. - -"The building is certainly an eyesore, and before it came into being, -Broxmouth was a real beauty spot. If you have ever been there, you -will remember that fine walk along the edge of the cliffs, at the end -of which there is a wonderful view as far as the towers of Barchester -Cathedral. It is called the Lovers' Walk, and is patronised by all -the young people in the neighbourhood. They find it romantic as well -as exhilarating: the objective is usually Kurtmoor, where there are -one or two fine hotels for plutocrats in search of rural -surroundings, and where humble folk like you and I and the aforesaid -lovers can get an excellent cup of tea at the Wheatsheaf in the main -village street. - -"But it is a daylight walk, for the path is narrow and in places the -cliffs fall away, sheer and precipitous, to the water's edge, whilst -loose bits of rock have an unpleasant trick of giving way under one's -feet. If you were to consult one of the Broxmouth gaffers on the -advisability of taking a midnight walk to Kurtmoor, he would most -certainly shake his head and tell you to wait till the next day and -take your walk in the morning. Accidents have happened there more -than once, though Broxmouth holds its tongue about that. Rash -pedestrians have lost their footing and tumbled down the side of the -cliff before now, almost always with fatal results. - -"And so, when a couple of small boys hunting for mussels at low tide -in the early morning of May fifth last, saw the body of a woman lying -inanimate upon the rocks at the foot of the cliffs, and reported -their discovery to the police, every one began by concluding that -nothing but an accident had occurred, and went on to abuse the town -Council for not putting up along the more dangerous portions of the -Lovers' Walk some sort of barrier as a protection to unwary -pedestrians. - -"Later on, when the body was identified as that of Miss Janet Smith, -a well-known resident of Broxmouth, public indignation waxed high: -the barrier along the edge of the Lovers' Walk became the burning -question of the hour. But during the whole of that day the -'accident' theory was never disputed; it was only towards evening -that whispers of 'suicide' began to circulate, to be soon followed by -the more ominous ones of 'murder.' - -"And the next morning Broxmouth had the thrill of its life when it -became known throughout the town that Captain Franklin Marston had -been detained in connection with the finding of the body of Janet -Smith, and that he would appear that day before the magistrate on a -charge of murder. - -"Properly to appreciate the significance of such an announcement, it -would be necessary to be oneself a resident of Broxmouth where the -Woodforde Institute, its affairs and its personnel are, as it were, -the be-all and end-all of all the gossip in the neighbourhood. To -begin with the deceased was head matron of the institute, and the man -now accused of the foul crime of having murdered her was its -secretary; moreover the secretary and the pretty young matron were -known to be very much in love with one another, and, as a matter of -fact, Broxmouth had of late been looking forward to a very -interesting wedding. The idea of Captain Marston--who by the way was -very good-looking, very smart, and a splendid tennis player--being -accused of murdering his sweetheart was in itself so preposterous, so -impossible, that his numerous friends and many admirers were aghast -and incredulous. 'There is some villainous plot here somewhere,' the -ladies averred, and wanted to know what Major Gubbins's attitude was -going to be under these tragic circumstances. - -"Major Gubbins, if you remember, was headmaster of the school, and, -what's more, he, too, had been very much in love with Janet Smith, -but it appeared that his friendship with Captain Marston had prompted -him to stand aside as soon as he realised which way the girl's -affections lay. Major Gubbins was not so popular as the Captain, he -was inclined to be off-hand and disagreeable, so the ladies said, -and, moreover, he did not play tennis, and, with the sublime -inconsequence of your charming sex, they seemed to connect these -defects with the terrible accusation which was now weighing upon the -Major's successful rival. - -"The executive of the institute consisted, in addition to the three -persons I have named, of its president, General Sir Arkwright Jones, -who, it seems, took little if any interest in the concern. It seemed -as if, by giving it the prestige of his name, he had done all that he -intended for the furtherance of the institute's welfare. Then there -were the governors, a number of amiable local gentlemen and ladies -who played tennis all day and attended innumerable tea-parties, and -knew as much about administering a big concern as a terrier does of -rabbit-rearing. - -"In the midst of this official supineness, the murder of the young -matron, followed immediately by the arrest of the secretary, had come -as a bombshell, and now wise heads began to wag and ominous murmurs -became current that for some time past there had been something very -wrong in the management of the Woodforde Institute. Whilst, at the -call of various august personages, money was pouring in from the -benevolent public, the commissariat was being conducted on -parsimonious lines that were a positive scandal. The boys were -shockingly underfed, and the staff of servants was constantly being -changed because girls would not remain on what they called a -starvation régime. - -"Then again, no proper accounts had been kept since the inception of -the Institute five years ago; entries were spasmodic, irregular and -unreliable; books were never audited; no one, apparently, had the -slightest idea of profit and loss or of balances; no one knew from -week to week where the salaries and wages were coming from, or from -quarter to quarter if there would be funds enough to meet rates and -taxes; no one, in fact, appeared to know anything about the affairs -of the Institute, least of all the secretary himself, who had often -remarked quite jocularly that he had never in all his life known -anything about book-keeping, and that his appointment by the -governors rested upon his agreeable personality rather than upon his -financial and administrative ability. - -"As you see, the Captain's position was, in consequence of this, a -very serious one; it became still more so when presently two or three -ominous facts came to light. To begin with, it seemed that he could -give absolutely no account of himself during the greater part of the -night of May fifth. He had left the Institute at about seven -o'clock; he told the headmaster then that he was going for a walk -which seemed strange as it was pouring with rain. On the other hand -the landlady at the room where he lodged told the police that when -she herself went to bed at eleven o'clock, the Captain had not come -in: she hadn't seen him since morning, when he went to his work, and -at what time he eventually came home she couldn't say. - -"But there was worse to come: firstly, a stick was found on the beach -some thirty yards or less from the spot where the body itself was -discovered; and secondly, the police produced a few strands of wool -which were, it seems, clinging to the poor girl's hatpin, and which -presumably were torn out of a muffler during the brief struggle which -must have occurred when she was first attacked and before she lost -her footing and fell down the side of the cliff. - -"Now the stick was identified as the property of Captain Marston, and -he had been seen on the road with it in his hand in the early part of -the evening. He was then walking alone on the Lovers' Walk; two -Broxmouth visitors met him on their way back from Kurtmoor. Knowing -him by sight, they passed the time of day. These witnesses, however, -were quite sure that Captain Marston was not then wearing a muffler, -on the other hand they were equally sure that he carried the stick; -they had noticed it as a very unusual one, of what is known as -Javanese snake-wood with a round heavy knob and leather strap which -the Captain carried slung upon his arm. - -"Of course, the matter interested me enormously; it is not often that -a person of the social and intellectual calibre of Captain Marston -stands accused of so foul a crime. If he was guilty, then indeed, he -was one of the vilest criminals that ever defaced God's earth, and in -the annals of crime there were few crimes more hideous. The poor -girl, it seems, had been in love with him right up to the end and, -according to some well-informed gossips, the wedding-day had actually -been fixed. - -"The unsuccessful rival, Major Gubbins, too, was an interesting -personality, and it was difficult to suppose that he was entirely -ignorant of the events which must of necessity have led up to the -crime. Supposedly there had been a quarrel between the lovers; -sundry rumours were current as to this and in a vague way those -rumours connected this quarrel with the shaky financial situation of -the Institute. But it was all mere surmise and very contradictory; -no one could easily state what possible connection there could be -between the affairs of the Institute and the murder of the chief -matron. - -"In the meanwhile the accused had been brought up before the -magistrate, and formal evidence of the finding of the body and of the -arrest was given, as well as of the subsequent discovery of the -stick, which was identified by the two witnesses, and of the strands -of wool. The accused was remanded until the following Monday, bail -being refused. The inquest was held a day or two later, and I went -down to Broxmouth for it. I remember how hot it was in that crowded -court-room; excited and perspiring humanity filled the stuffy -atmosphere with heat. While the crowd jabbered and fidgeted I had a -good look at the chief personages who were about to enact a thrilling -drama for my entertainment; you have seen portraits of them all in -the illustrated papers, the British army being well represented by a -trio of as fine specimens of manhood as any one would wish to see. - -"The President, General Arkwright Jones, was there as a matter of -course. He looked worried and annoyed that the even tenor of his -pleasant existence should have been disturbed by this tiresome event; -he is the regular type of British pre-war officer with ruddy face and -white hair, something like a nice ripe tomato that has been packed in -cotton wool. Then there was the headmaster, Major Gubbins, -well-groomed, impassive, immaculate in dress and bearing; and finally -the accused himself, in charge of two warders, a fine-looking man, -obviously more of a soldier and an athlete than a clerk immersed in -figures. - -"Two other persons in the crowded room arrested my attention: two -women. One of them dressed in deep black, thin lipped, with pale -round eyes and pursed-up mouth was Miss Amelia Smith, the sister with -whom the deceased had been living, and the other was Louisa Rumble -who held the position of housekeeper at the Woodforde Institute. The -latter was one of the first witnesses called: and her evidence was -intensely interesting because it gave one the first clue as to the -motive which underlay the hideous crime. The woman's testimony, you -must know, bore entirely on the question of housekeeping and of the -extraordinary scarcity of money in the richly-endowed Institute. - -"'Often and often,' said the witness, a motherly old soul in a -flamboyant bonnet, 'did I complain to Miss Smith when she give me my -weekly allowance for the tradesmen's books: "'Tisn't enough, Miss -Smith," I says to 'er, "not to feed a family," I says, "let alone -thirty growin' boys and 'arf a dozen working girls." But Miss Smith -she just shook 'er 'ead and says: "Committee's orders, Mrs. Rumble, I -'ave no power." "Why don't you speak to the Captain?" I says to 'er, -"'e 'as the 'andling of the money, it is a scandal," I says. "Those -boys can't live on boiled bacon an' beans and not English nor Irish -bacon it ain't neither," I says. "Pore lambs! The money I 'ave -won't pay for beef or mutton for them, Miss Smith," I says, "and you -know it." But Miss Smith, she only shook 'er 'ead and says she would -speak to the Captain about it.' - -"Asked whether she knew if deceased had actually spoken to the -secretary on the subject, Mrs. Rumble said most emphatically 'Yes!' - -"'What's more, sir,' she went on, 'I can tell you that the very day -before she died, the pore lamb 'ad a reg'lar tiff with the Captain -about that there commissariat.' - -"Mrs. Rumble had stumbled a little over the word, but strangely -enough no one tittered; the importance of the old woman's testimony -was impressed upon every mind and silenced every tongue. All eyes -were turned in the direction of the accused. He had flushed to the -roots of his hair, but otherwise stood quite still, with arms folded, -and a dull expression of hopelessness upon his good-looking face. - -"The coroner had asked the witness how she knew that Miss Smith had -had words with Captain Marston: 'Because I 'eard them two 'aving -words, sir,' Mrs. Rumble replied. 'I'd been in the office to get my -money and my orders from Miss Smith, and we 'ad the usual talk about -American bacon and boiled beans, with which I don't 'old, not for -growing boys; then back I went to the kitchen, when I remembered I -'ad forgot to speak to Miss Smith about the scullery-maid, who'd been -saucy and given notice. So up I went again, and I was just a-goin' -to open the office door when I 'eard Miss Smith say quite loud and -distinck: "It is shameful," she says, "and I can't bear it," she -says, "and if you won't speak to the General then I will. He is -staying at the Queen's at Kurtmoor, I understand," she says, "and I -am goin' this very night to speak with him," she says, "as I can't -spend another night," she says, "with this on my mind." Then I give -a genteel cough and...' - -"The worthy lady had got thus far in her story when her volubility -was suddenly checked by a violent expletive from the accused. - -"'But this is damnable!' he cried, and no doubt would have said a lot -more, but a touch on his shoulder from the warders behind him quickly -recalled him to himself. He once more took up his outwardly calm -attitude, and Mrs. Rumble concluded her evidence amidst silence more -ominous than any riotous scene would have been. - -"'I give a genteel cough,' she resumed with unruffled dignity, 'and -opened the door. Miss Smith, she was all flushed and I could see -that she'd been crying; but the Captain; 'e just walked out of the -room, and didn't say not another word.' - -"By this time," the Old Man in the Corner went on dryly, "we must -suppose that the amateur detectives and the large body of -unintelligent public felt that they were being cheated. Never had -there been so simple a case. Here, with the testimony of Mrs. -Rumble, was the whole thing clear as daylight--motive, quarrel, -means, everything was there already. No chance of exercising those -powers of deduction so laboriously acquired by a systematic study of -detective fiction. Had it not been for the position of the accused -and his popularity in Broxmouth society, all interest in the case -would have departed in the wake of Mrs. Rumble, and at first, when -Miss Amelia Smith, sister of the deceased, was called, her appearance -only roused languid curiosity. Miss Amelia looked what, in fact, she -was: a retired school marm, and wore the regular hallmark of -impecunious and somewhat soured spinsterhood. - -"'Janet often told me,' she said, in the course of her evidence, -'that she was quite sure there was roguery going on in the affairs of -the Institute, because she knew for a fact that subscriptions were -constantly pouring in from the public, far in excess of what was -being spent for the welfare of the boys. I often used to urge her to -go straight to the governors or even to the President himself about -the whole matter, but she would always give the same disheartened -reply. General Arkwright Jones, it seems, had made it a condition -when he accepted the presidency that he was never to be worried about -the administration of the place, and he refused to have anything to -do with the handling of the subscriptions; as for the governors, my -poor sister declared that they cared more for tennis parties than for -the welfare of a lot of poor officers' children.' - -"But a moment or two later we realised that Miss Amelia Smith was -keeping her titbit of evidence until the end. It seems that she had -not even spoken about it to the police, determined as she was, no -doubt, to create a sensation for once in her monotonous and dreary -life. So now she pursed up her lips tighter than before, and after a -moment's dramatic silence, she said: - -"'The day before her death, my poor sister was very depressed. In -the late afternoon, when she came in for tea, I could see that she -had been crying. I guessed, of course, what was troubling her, but I -didn't say much. Captain Franklin Marston was in the habit of -calling for Janet in the evening, and they would go for a walk -together; at eight o'clock on that sad evening I asked her whether -Captain Marston was coming as usual; whereupon she became quite -excited, and said: "No, no, I don't wish to see him!" and after a -while she added in a voice choked with tears: "Never again!" - -"'About a quarter of an hour later,' Miss Amelia went on, 'Janet -suddenly took up her hat and coat. I asked her where she was going, -and she said to me: "I don't know, but I must put an end to all this. -I must know one way or the other." I tried to question her further, -but she was in an obstinate mood; when I remarked that it was raining -hard she said: "That's all right, the rain will do me good." And -when I asked her whether she wasn't going to meet Captain Marston -after all, she just gave me a look, but she made no reply. And so my -poor sister went out into the darkness and the rain, and I never -again saw her alive.' - -"Miss Amelia paused just long enough to give true dramatic value to -her statement, and indeed there was nothing lukewarm now about the -interest which she aroused; then she continued: - -"'As the clock was striking nine I was surprised to receive a visit -from the headmaster, Major Gubbins. He came with a message from -Captain Marston to my sister; I told him that Janet had gone out. He -appeared vexed, and told me that the Captain would be terribly -disappointed.' - -"'What was this message?' the coroner asked, amidst breathless -silence. - -"'That Janet would please meet Captain Marston at the Dog's Tooth -Cliff. He would wait for her there until nine o'clock.'" - -The Old Man in the Corner gave a short, sharp laugh, and with loving -eyes contemplated his bit of string, in which he had just woven an -elegant and complicated knot. Then he said: - -"Now it was at the foot of the Dog's Tooth Cliff that the dead body -of Janet Smith was found and some thirty yards further on the stick -which had last been seen in the hand of Captain Franklin Marston. -Nervous women gave a gasp, and scarcely dared to look at the accused, -for fear, no doubt, that they would see the hangman's rope around his -neck, but I took a good look at him then. He had uttered a loud -groan and buried his face in his hands, and I, with that unerring -intuition on which I pride myself, knew that he was acting. Yes, -deliberately acting a part--the part of shame and despair. You, no -doubt, would ask me why he should have done this. Well, you shall -understand presently. For the moment, and to all unthinking -spectators, the attitude of despair on the part of the accused -appeared fully justified. - -"Later on we heard the evidence of Major Gubbins himself. He said -that about seven o'clock he met Captain Marston in the hall of the -Institute. - -"'He appeared flushed and agitated,' the witness went on, very -reluctantly it seemed, but in answer to pressing questions put to him -by the coroner, 'and told me he was going for a walk. When I -remarked that it was raining hard, he retorted that the rain would do -him good. He didn't say where he was going, but presently he put his -hand on my shoulder and said in a tone of pleading and affection -which I shall never forget: "Old man," he said, "I want you to do -something for me. Tell Janet that I must see her again to-night; beg -her not to deny me. I will meet her at our usual place on the Dog's -Tooth Cliff. Tell her I will wait for her there until nine o'clock, -whatever the weather. But she must come. Tell her she must." - -"'Unfortunately,' the Major continued, 'I was unable to deliver the -message immediately, as I had work to do in my office which kept me -till close on nine o'clock. Then I hurried down to the Smiths' -house, and just missed Miss Janet who, it seems, had already gone -out.' - -"Asked why he had not spoken about this before, the Major replied -that he did not intend to give evidence at all unless he was -absolutely forced to do so, as a matter of duty. Captain Marston was -his friend, and he did not think that any man was called upon to give -what might prove damnatory evidence against his friend. - -"All this sounded very nice and very loyal until we learned that -William Peryer, batman at the Institute, testified to having -overheard violent words between the headmaster and the secretary at -the very same hour when the latter was supposed to have made so -pathetic an appeal to his friend to deliver a message on his behalf. -Peryer swore that the two men were quarrelling and quarrelling -bitterly. The words he overheard were: 'You villain! You shall pay -for this!' But he was so upset and so frightened that he could not -state positively which of the two gentlemen had spoken them, but he -was inclined to think that it was Major Gubbins. - -"And so the tangle grew, a tangled web that was dexterously being -woven around the secretary of the Institute. The two Broxmouth -visitors were recalled, and they once more swore positively to having -met Captain Marston on the Lovers' Walk at about eight o'clock of -that fateful evening. They spoke to him and they noticed the stick -which he was carrying. They were on their way home from Kurtmoor, -and they met the Captain some two hundred yards or so before they -came to the Dog's Tooth Cliff. Of this they were both quite -positive. The lady remembered coming to the cliff a few minutes -later: she was nervous in the dark and therefore the details of the -incident impressed themselves upon her memory. Subsequently when -they were nearing home they met a lady who might or might not have -been the deceased; they did not know her by sight and the person they -met had her hat pulled down over her eyes and the collar of her coat -up to her ears. It was raining hard then, and they themselves were -hurrying along and paid no attention to passers-by. - -"We also heard that at about nine o'clock James Hoggs and his wife, -who live in a cottage not very far from the Dog's Tooth Cliff, heard -a terrifying scream. They were just going to bed and closing up for -the night. Hoggs had the front door open at the moment and was -looking at the weather. It was raining, but nevertheless he picked -up his hat and ran out toward the cliff. A moment or two later he -came up against a man whom he hailed; it was very dark, but he -noticed that the man was engaged in wrapping a muffler round his -neck. He asked him whether he had heard a scream, but the man said: -'No, I've not!' then hurried quickly out of sight. As Hoggs heard -nothing more, or saw anything, he thought that perhaps, after all, he -and his missis had been mistaken, so he turned back home and went to -bed. - -"I think," the Old Man in the Corner continued thoughtfully, "that I -have now put before you all the most salient points in the chain of -evidence collected by the police against the accused. There were not -many faulty links in the chain, you will admit. The motive for the -hideous crime was clear enough: for there was the fraudulent -secretary and the unfortunate girl who had suspected the defalcations -and was threatening to go and denounce her lover either to the -President of the Institute or to the governors. And the method was -equally clear: the meeting in the dark and the rain on the lonely -cliff, the muffler quickly thrown around the victim's mouth to -smother her screams, the blow with the stick, the push over the edge -of the cliff. The stick stood up as an incontestable piece of -evidence. The absence from home of the accused during the greater -part of that night had been testified by his landlady, whilst his -presence on the scene of the crime some time during the evening was -not disputed. - -"As a matter of fact, the only points in the man's favour were the -strands of wool found sticking to the girl's hatpin, and Hoggs's -story of the man whom he had seen in the dark, engaged in readjusting -a muffler around his neck. Unfortunately Hoggs, when more closely -questioned on that subject, became incoherent and confused, as men of -his class are apt to do when pinned down to a definite statement. - -"Anyway, the accused was committed for trial on the coroner's -warrant, and, of course, reserved his defence. You probably, like -the rest of the public, kept up a certain amount of interest in the -Cliff murder, as it was popularly called, for a time, and then -allowed your mind to dwell on other matters and forgot poor Captain -Franklin Marston who was languishing in gaol under such a horrible -accusation. Subsequently your interest in him revived when he was -brought up for trial the other day at the Barchester Assizes. In the -meanwhile he had secured the services of Messrs. Charnton and -Inglewood, the noted solicitors, who had engaged Mr. Provost Boon, -K.C., to defend their client. - -"You know as well as I do what happened at the trial, and how Mr. -Boon turned the witnesses for the Crown inside out and round about -until they contradicted themselves and one another all along the -line. The defence was conducted in a masterly fashion. To begin -with, the worthy housekeeper, Mrs. Rumble, after a stiff -cross-examination, which lasted nearly an hour, was forced to admit -that she could not swear positively to the exact words which she -overheard between the deceased and Captain Marston. All that she -could swear to was that the Captain and his sweetheart had apparently -had a tiff. Then, as to Miss Amelia Smith's evidence; it also merely -went to prove that the lovers had had a quarrel; there was nothing -whatever to say that it was on the subject of finance, nor that -deceased had any intention either of speaking to the President about -it or of handing in her resignation to the governors. - -"Next came the question of Major Gubbins's story of the message which -he had been asked by his friend to deliver to the deceased. Now -accused flatly denied that story, and denied it on oath. The whole -thing, he declared, was a fabrication on the part of the Major who, -far from being his friend, was his bitter enemy and unsuccessful -rival. In support of this theory William Peryer's evidence was cited -as conclusive. He had heard the two men quarrelling at the very -moment when accused was alleged to have made a pathetic appeal to his -friend. Peryer had heard one of them say to the other: 'You villain! -You shall pay for this!' And in very truth, the unfortunate Captain -was paying for it, in humiliation and racking anxiety. - -"Then there came the great, the vital question of the stick and of -the strands of wool so obviously torn out of a muffler. With regard -to the stick, the accused had stated that in the course of his walk -he had caught his foot against a stone and stumbled, and that the -stick had fallen out of his hand and over the edge of the cliff. Now -this statement was certainly borne out by the fact that, as eminent -counsel reminded the jury, the stick was found more than thirty yards -away from the body. As for the muffler, it was a graver point still; -strands of wool were found sticking to the girl's hatpin, and James -Hoggs, after hearing a scream at nine o'clock that evening, ran out -towards the cliff and came across a man who was engaged in -readjusting a muffler round his throat. That was incontestable. - -"Of course, Mr. Boon argued, it was easy enough to upset a witness of -the type of James Hoggs, but an English jury's duty was not to fasten -guilt on the first man who happens to be handy, but to see justice -meted out to innocent and guilty alike. The evidence of the muffler, -argued the eminent counsel, was proof positive of the innocence of -the accused. The witnesses who saw him in the Lovers' Walk on that -fateful night had declared most emphatically that he was not wearing -a muffler. Then where was the man with the muffler? Where was the -man who was within a few yards of the scene of the crime five minutes -after James Hoggs had heard the scream--the man who had denied -hearing the scream although both Hoggs and his wife heard it over a -quarter of a mile away? - -"'Yes, gentlemen of the jury,' the eminent counsel concluded with a -dramatic gesture, 'it is the man with the muffler who murdered the -unfortunate girl. If he is innocent why is he not here to give -evidence? There are no side tracks that lead to the cliffs at this -point, so the man with the muffler must have seen something or some -one; he must know something that would be of invaluable assistance in -the elucidation of this sad mystery. Then why does he not come -forward? I say because he dare not. But let the police look for -him, I say. The accused is innocent; he is the victim of tragic -circumstances, but his whole life, his war-record, his affection for -the deceased, all proclaim him to be guiltless of such a dastardly -crime, and above all there stands the incontestable proof of his -innocence, the muffler, gentlemen of the jury--the muffler!' - -"He said a lot more than that, of course," the Old Man in the Corner -went on, chuckling dryly to himself, "and said it a lot better than -ever I can repeat it, but I have given you the gist of what he said. -You know the result of the trial. The accused was acquitted, the -jury having deliberated less than a quarter of an hour. There was no -getting away from that muffler, even though every other circumstance -pointed to Marston as the murderer of Janet Smith. - -"On the whole, his acquittal was a popular one, although many who -were present at the trial shook their heads, and thought that if they -had been on the jury Marston would not have got off so easily, but -for the most part these sceptics were not Broxmouth people. In -Broxmouth the Captain was personally liked, and the proclamation of -his innocence was hailed with enthusiasm; and, what's more, those -same champions of the good-looking secretary--they were the women -mostly--looked askance on the headmaster, who, they averred, had -woven a Machiavellian net for trapping and removing from his path for -ever a hated and successful rival. - -"The police have received a perfect deluge of anonymous -communications suggesting that Major Gubbins was identical with the -mysterious man with the muffler, but, of course, such a suggestion is -perfectly absurd, since at the very hour when James Hoggs heard the -scream, and a very few minutes before he met the man with the -muffler, Major Gubbins was paying his belated visit to Miss Amelia -Smith and delivering the alleged message. Even those ladies who -disliked the headmaster most cordially had to admit that he could not -very well have been in two places at the same time. The Dog's Tooth -Cliff is a good half hour's walk from Miss Smith's house, and the -Lovers' Walk itself is not accessible to cyclists or motors. - -"And thus, to all intents and purposes, the Cliff murder has remained -a mystery, but it won't be one for long. Have I not told you that -you may expect important developments within the next few days? And -I am seldom wrong. Already in this evening's paper you will have -read that the entire executive of the Woodforde Institute has placed -its resignation in the hands of the governors, that several august -personages have withdrawn their names from the list of patrons, and -that though the President has been implored not to withdraw his name, -he has proved adamant on the subject, and even refused to recommend -successors to the headmaster, the secretary, or the matron; in fact, -he has seemingly washed his hands of the whole concern." - -"But surely," I now broke in, seeing that the Old Man in the Corner -threatened to put away his piece of string and to leave me without -the usual epilogue to his interesting narrative, "surely General Sir -Arkwright Jones cannot be blamed for the scandal which undoubtedly -has dimmed the fortunes of the Woodforde Institute?" - -"Cannot be blamed?" the Old Man in the Corner retorted sarcastically. -"Cannot be blamed for entering into a conspiracy with his secretary -and his head-master to defraud the Institute, and then to silence for -ever the one voice that might have been raised in accusation against -him." - -"Sir Arkwright Jones?" I exclaimed incredulously, for indeed the idea -appeared to me preposterous then, as the General's name was almost a -household word before the catastrophe. "Impossible!" - -"Impossible!" he reiterated. "Why? He murdered Janet Smith; of that -you will be as convinced within the next few days as I am at this -hour. That the three men were in collusion I have not the shadow of -doubt. Marston only made love to Janet Smith in order to secure her -silence; but in this he failed, and the girl boldly accused him of -roguery as soon as she found him out. It would be inconceivable to -suppose that being the bright, intelligent girl that she admittedly -was, she could remain for ever in ignorance of the defalcations in -the books; she must and did tax her lover of irregularities, she must -have and indeed did threaten to put the whole thing before the -governors. So much for the lovers' quarrel overheard by Mrs. Rumble. - -"I believe that the fate of the poor girl was decided on then and -there by two of the scoundrels; it only remained to consult with -their other accomplice as to the best means for carrying their -hideous project through. Janet had announced her determination to go -to Kurtmoor that self-same evening, the only question was which of -those three miscreants would meet her in the darkness and solitude of -the Lovers' Walk. But in order at the outset to throw dust in the -eyes of the public and the police and not appear to be in any way -associated with one another, Marston and Gubbins made pretence of a -violent quarrel which Peryer overheard; then Gubbins, in order to -make sure that the poor girl would carry out her intention of going -over to Kurtmoor that evening, went to her house with the supposed -message from Marston, and incidentally secured thereby his own alibi. -This made him safe. - -"Marston in the meanwhile went to arrange matters with Arkwright -Jones. His position was, of course, more difficult than that of -Gubbins. If there was to be murder--and my belief is that the -scoundrels had been resolved on murder for some time before--the -first suspicion would inevitably fall on the secretary who had kept -the books and who had had the handling of the money. The miscreants -had some sort of vague plan in their heads: of this there can be no -doubt; they were only procrastinating, hoping against hope that -chance would continue to favour them. But now the hour had come, the -danger was imminent; within the next four-and-twenty hours Janet -Smith, being promised no redress on the part of the President, would -place the whole matter before the governors. _Unless she was -effectually made to hold her tongue_. - -"We can easily suppose that Marston would be clever enough to arrange -to meet Arkwright Jones, without arousing suspicion. We do know that -soon after he finally quarrelled with Janet Smith he walked over to -Kurtmoor; the two witnesses who spoke with him stated that they met -him whilst they themselves were walking to Broxmouth. It was then -past eight o'clock. Arkwright Jones had either dined at his hotel or -not; we do not know, for it never struck the police to inquire at -once how the popular General had spent his time on that fateful -evening. You know what those unconventional seaside places are: -people spend most of their time out of doors, and there would be -nothing strange, let alone suspicious, in any visitor going out for -an hour after dinner, even if it rained. - -"Then surely you can in your mind see those two scoundrels putting -their villainous heads together, and as suspicion of any foul play -would of necessity at once fall on Marston, Jones decided to take the -hideous onus on himself. He went to the Dog's Tooth Cliff to meet -Janet Smith himself, and borrowed Marston's stick to aid him in his -abominable deed. He was clever enough, however, to throw it over the -edge of the cliff some distance away from the scene of his crime. We -do not know, of course, whether the poor girl recognised him, or -whether he just fell on her in the dark; she gave only one scream -before she fell. - -"They were clever scoundrels, we must admit, but chance favoured -them, too, especially in one thing: she favoured them when she -prompted Arkwright Jones to put a muffler round his throat. This one -fact, as you know, saved Marston's neck from the gallows, but for the -strands of wool in the girl's hatpin, and Hoggs's brief view of a man -manipulating a muffler, nothing but Jones's own confession could have -saved his accomplice. Whether he would have confessed remains a -riddle which no one will ever solve. But as to the whole so-called -mystery, I saw daylight through it the moment I realised that -Marston's despair and humiliation during the inquest was a pretence. -If he feigned despair it was because he desired _temporarily_ to be -the victim of circumstantial evidence. From that point to the -unravelling of the tangled skein was but a step for a mind bent on -logic." - -"But," I argued, for indeed I was bewildered, and really incredulous, -"what will be the end of it all? Surely three scoundrels like that -will not go scot free. There will be an enquiry into the affairs of -the Institute: the governors----" - -"The governors have talked of an inquiry," the funny creature broke -in, with a chuckle, "but if you had any experience of these private -charities, you would know that the first thing their administrators -wish to avoid is publicity. The President of the Woodforde Institute -had sufficient influence on the committee you may be sure to stifle -any suggestion of creating public scandal by any sort of enquiry." - -"But the question of the finances of the Institute is, anyhow, public -property now, and----" - -"And it will be allowed to sink into oblivion. The executive has -resigned. Marston and Gubbins will leave the country, and everything -will be conveniently hushed up." - -"But Arkwright Jones--" I protested. - -"You see the papers regularly," he rejoined dryly; "watch them, and -you will see..." - -I don't know when he went, but a moment or two later I found myself -sitting alone at the table in the blameless teashop. The matter -interested me more than I cared to admit, but, for once, I was not -altogether prepared to accept the funny creature's deductions. - -Twenty-four hours later, however, I had to own that he had been -right, when the following piece of sensational news appeared in the -_Evening Post_. - - - "TRAGIC SEQUEL TO THE CLIFF MURDER - -"An extraordinary sequel to the mysterious tragedy of the Dog's Tooth -Cliff near Broxmouth occurred last night, when on the self-same spot -where Miss Janet Smith met her death three months ago, General Sir -Arkwright Jones lost his footing and fell a distance of two hundred -feet on to the rocks below. It was a beautiful moonlight evening, -and the tide being low a number of visitors were down on the beach at -the time; but those who immediately hurried to the General's -assistance found life already extinct. The distinguished soldier, -who will be deeply mourned, must have been killed on the spot. -Indeed now general public opinion as well as every inhabitant of -Broxmouth will bring pressure to bear upon the Borough Council to see -that a suitable barrier is erected along the dangerous portions of -the beautiful Lovers' Walk. The double tragedy of this year's season -renders such an erection imperative." - - -I was probably the only reader of that paragraph who guessed that the -once distinguished soldier had not come accidentally by his death. -No doubt the police had followed up the clue of the man with the -muffler, and were actually on the track of the miscreant, when the -latter, guessing that exposure was imminent, preferred to put an end -to his own miserable life. - -I have since heard from friends at Broxmouth that Marston has gone to -the Malay States, and that Gubbins is doing something in Germany. -Curious creature Marston must have been! Imagine after Jones had -returned from his infamous errand and told him that the hideous deed -was done, imagine Marston walking back to Broxmouth along the Lovers' -Walk in the rain and the darkness, past the Dog's Tooth Cliff, at the -foot of which the body of the murdered girl lay! I wonder what would -be the views of the Old Man in the Corner on the psychology of a man -with nerve enough for such an ordeal. - - - - -VII - -THE TYTHERTON CASE - - -§1 - -"What do you make of this?" the Old Man in the Corner said to me that -afternoon. "A curious case, is it not?" - -And with his claw-like fingers he indicated the paragraph in the -_Evening Post_ which I had just been perusing with great interest. - -"At best," I replied, "it is a very unpleasant business for the -Carysforts." - -"And at the worst?" he retorted with a chuckle. - -"Well...!" I remarked dryly. - -"Do you think they are guilty?" he asked. - -"I don't see who else..." - -"Ah!" he broke in, with his usual lack of manners, "that is such a -stale argument. One doesn't see who else, therefore one makes up -one's mind that so-and-so must be guilty. I'll lay an even bet with -any one that out of a dozen cases of miscarriage of justice, I could -point to ten that were directly due to that fallacious reasoning. - -"Now take as an example the Tytherton case, in which you are -apparently interested. It was an unprecedented outrage which stirred -the busy provincial town to its depths, the victim, Mr. Walter -Stonebridge, being one of its most noted solicitors. He had his -office in Tytherton High Street, and lived in a small, detached house -on the Great West Road. The house stood in the middle of a small -garden, and had only one story above the ground floor; the front door -opened straight on a long, narrow hall which ran along the full depth -of the house. On the left side of this hall there were two doors, -one leading to the drawing-room and the other to a small -morning-room. At the end of the hall was the staircase, and beyond -it, down a couple of steps, there was a tiny dining-room and the -usual offices. The back door opened straight on the kitchen, and on -the floor above there were four bedrooms and a bathroom. Mr. Walter -Stonebridge was a bachelor, and his domestic staff consisted of a -married couple--Henning by name--who did all that was necessary for -him in the house. - -"It was on the last evening of February. The weather was fair and -bright. The Hennings had gone upstairs to their room as usual at ten -o'clock. Mr. Stonebridge was at the time sitting in the -morning-room. He was in the habit of sitting up late, reading and -writing. On this occasion he told the Hennings to close the shutters -and lock the back door as usual, but to leave the front door on the -latch as he was expecting a visitor. The Hennings thought nothing of -that, as one or two gentlemen--friends, or sometimes clients of Mr. -Stonebridge--would now and then drop in late to see him. Anyway, -they went contentedly to bed. - -"A little while later--they could not exactly recollect at what hour, -because they had already settled down for the night--they heard the -front-door bell, and immediately afterwards Mr. Stonebridge's -footsteps along the hall. Then suddenly they heard a crash followed -by what sounded like a struggle, then a smothered cry, and finally -silence. Henning was out of bed and on the landing with a candle in -an instant, and he had just switched on the light there when he heard -Mr. Stonebridge's voice calling up to him from below: - -"It's all right, Henning. I caught my foot in this confounded rug. -That's all.' - -"Henning looked over the bannister, and seeing nothing he shouted -down: - -"'Shall I give you a 'and, sir?' - -"But Mr. Stonebridge at once replied, quite cheerily: - -"'No, no! I'm all right. You go back to bed.' - -"And Henning did as he was told, nor did he or his wife hear anything -more during the night. But in the early morning when Mrs. Henning -came downstairs she was horror-struck to find Mr. Stonebridge in the -dining-room, lying across the table, to which he was securely -pinioned with a rope; a serviette taken out of the sideboard drawer -had been tied tightly around his mouth and his eyes were blindfolded -with his own pocket handkerchief. - -"The woman's screams brought her husband upon the scene; together -they set to work to rescue their master from his horrible plight. At -first they thought that he was dead, and Henning was for fetching the -police immediately, but his wife declared that Mr. Stonebridge was -just unconscious and she started to apply certain household -restoratives and made Henning force some brandy through Mr. -Stonebridge's lips. - -"Presently, the poor man opened his eyes, and gave one or two other -signs of returning consciousness, but he was still very queer and -shaky. The Hennings then carried him upstairs, undressed him and put -him to bed; and then Henning ran for the doctor. - -"Well, it was days, or in fact weeks before Mr. Stonebridge had -sufficiently recovered to give a coherent statement of what happened -to him on that fateful night, and--which was just as much to the -point--what had happened the previous day. The doctor had prescribed -complete rest in the interim. The patient had suffered from -concussion and I know not what, and those events had got so mixed up -in his brain that to try and disentangle them was such an effort that -every time he attempted it it nearly sent him into a brain fever. -But in the meanwhile his friends had been busy--notably, Mr. -Stonebridge's head clerk, Mr. Medburn, who was giving the police no -rest. There was, even without the evidence of the principal witness -concerned, plenty of facts to go on, to make out a case against the -perpetrator of such a dastardly outrage. - -"That robbery had been the main motive of the assault, was easily -enough established--a small fire- and burglar-proof safe which stood -in a corner of the morning-room had been opened and ransacked. When -examined it was found to contain only a few trinkets which had -probably a sentimental value, but were otherwise worthless. The key -of the safe--one of a bunch--was still in the lock, which went to -prove either that Mr. Stonebridge had the safe open when he was -attacked, or what was more likely--considering the solicitor's -well-known careful habits--that the assailant had ransacked his -victim's pockets after he had knocked him down. A pocket-book, torn, -and containing only a few unimportant papers, lay on the ground; -there had been a fire in the room at the time of the outrage, and -careful analysis of the ashes found in the hearth revealed the -presence of a quantity of burnt paper. - -"But robbery being established as the motive of the outrage did not -greatly help matters, because, while Mr. Stonebridge remained in such -a helpless condition, it was impossible to ascertain what booty his -assailant had carried away. Soon, however, the first ray of light -was thrown upon what had seemed until this hour an impenetrable -mystery. - -"It appears that Mr. Medburn was looking after the business in High -Street during his employer's absence, and one morning--it was on the -Monday following the night of the outrage--he had a visit from a -client, who sent in his name as Felix Shap. The head clerk knew -something about this client, who had recently come over to England -from somewhere abroad, in order to make good his claim to certain -royalties on what is known as the Shap Fuelettes--a kind of cheap -fuel which was launched some time before the War by Sir Alfred -Carysfort, Bart., of Tytherton Grange, and out of which that -gentleman made an immense fortune, and incidentally got his title -thereby. - -"This man, Shap--a Dutchman by birth--was, it appears, the original -inventor and patentee of these fuelettes, and Mr. Carysfort, as he -was then, had met him out in the Dutch East Indies, and had bought -the invention from him for a certain sum down, and then exploited it -in England first and afterwards all over the world at immense profit. -Sir Alfred Carysfort died about a year ago, leaving a fortune of over -a million sterling, and was succeeded in the title and in the -managing-directorship of the business by his eldest son David, a -married man with a large family. The business had long since been -turned into a private limited liability company, the bulk of the -shares being held by the managing-director. - -"The fact that the patent rights in the Shap Fuelettes had been sold -by the inventor to the late Alfred Carysfort had never been in -dispute. It further appeared that Felix Shap had at one time been a -very promising mining engineer, but that in consequence of incurable, -intemperate habits he had gradually drifted down the social scale; he -lost one good appointment after another until he was just an -underpaid clerk in the office of an engineer in Batavia, whose -representative in England was Mr. Alfred Carysfort. The latter was -on a visit to the head office in Batavia some twelve years ago when -he met Shap, who was then on his beam-ends. He had recently been -sacked by his employers for intemperance, and was on the fair way to -becoming one of those hopeless human derelicts who usually end their -days either on the gallows or in a convict prison. - -"But at the back of Shap's fuddled mind there had lingered throughout -his downward career the remembrance of a certain invention which he -had once patented, and which he had always declared would one day -bring him an immense fortune; but though he had spent quite a good -deal of money in keeping up his patent rights, he had never had the -pluck and perseverance to exploit or even to perfect his invention. - -"Alfred Carysfort on the other hand, was brilliantly clever, he was -ambitious, probably none too scrupulous, and at once he saw the -immense possibilities, if properly worked, of Shap's rough invention, -and he set to work to obtain the man's confidence, and, presumably, -by exercising certain persuasion and pressure he got the wastrel to -make over to him in exchange for a few hundred pounds the entire -patent rights in the Fuelettes. - -"The transaction was, as far as that goes, perfectly straightforward -and above board; it was embodied in a contract drawn up by an English -solicitor, who was the British Consul in Batavia at the time; nor was -it--taking everything into consideration--an unfair one. Shap would -never have done anything with his invention, and a clean, wholesome -and entirely practical fuel would probably have been thus lost to the -world; but there remains the fact that Alfred Carysfort died a dozen -years later worth more than a million sterling, every penny of which -he had made out of an invention for which he had originally paid less -than five hundred. - -"Mr. Medburn had been put in possession of these facts some few weeks -previously when Mr. Felix Shap had first presented himself at the -private house of Mr. Stonebridge; he came armed with a letter of -introduction from a relative of Mr. Stonebridge's whom he had met out -in Java, and he was accompanied by a friend--an American named Julian -Lloyd--who was piloting him about the place, and acting as his -interpreter and secretary, as he himself had never been in England -and spoke English very indifferently. His passport and papers of -identification were perfectly in order; he appeared before Mr. -Stonebridge as a man still on the right side of sixty, who certainly -bore traces on his prematurely wrinkled face and in his tired, -lustreless eyes of a life spent in dissipation rather than in work, -but otherwise he bore himself well, was well-dressed and appeared -plentifully supplied with money. - -"The story that he told Mr. Stonebridge through the intermediary of -his friend, Julian Lloyd, was a very curious one. According to his -version of various transactions which took place between himself and -the late Sir Alfred Carysfort, the latter had, some time after the -signing of the original contract, made him a definite promise in -writing, that should the proceeds in the business of the Shap -Fuelettes exceed £10,000 in any one year, he, Sir Alfred, would pay -the original inventor, out of his own pocket, a sum equivalent to -twenty per cent. of all such profits over and above the £10,000, with -a minimum of £200. - -"Mr. Shap had brought over with him all the correspondence relating -to this promise, and, moreover, he adduced as proof positive that Sir -Alfred had looked on that promise as binding, and had at first -loyally abided by it, the fact that until 1916 he had paid to Mr. -Felix Shap the sum of £200 every year. These sums had been paid -half-yearly through Sir Alfred's bankers, and acknowledgments were -duly sent by Shap direct to the bank, all of which could of course be -easily verified. But in the year 1916 these payments suddenly -ceased. Mr. Shap wrote repeatedly to Sir Alfred, but never received -any reply. At first he thought that there were certain difficulties -in the way owing to the European War, so after a while he ceased -writing. But presently there came the Armistice. Mr. Shap wrote -again and again, but was again met by the same obstinate silence. - -"In the meanwhile he had come to the end of his resources; he had -spent all that he had ever saved, but, nevertheless, he was -determined that as soon as he could scrape up a sufficiency of money -he would go to England in order to establish his rights. Then in -1922 he heard of Sir Alfred Carysfort's death. It was now or never -if he did not mean to acquiesce silently in the terrible wrong which -was being put upon him. Fortunately he had a good friend in Mr. -Julian Lloyd, who had helped him with money and advice, and at last -he had arrived in England. It was for Mr. Stonebridge to say whether -the papers and correspondence which he had brought with him were -sufficient to establish his claim in law. Mr. Medburn remembered Mr. -Stonebridge telling him all about these matters and emphasising the -fact that Felix Shap had undoubtedly a very strong case and that he -could not understand a man of the position of Sir Alfred Carysfort -thus wilfully repudiating his own signature. - -"'There is not only the original letter,' Mr. Stonebridge had -concluded, 'making a definite promise to pay certain sums out of his -own pocket if the profits of the company exceeded ten thousand pounds -in any one year, but there are all the covering letters from Sir -Alfred's bankers whenever they sent cheques on his behalf to -Shap--usually twice a year for sums that varied between one hundred -and one hundred and fifty pounds. I cannot understand it!' he had -reiterated more than once, and Mr. Medburn, who also had a great deal -of respect for the Carysforts, who were among the wealthiest people -in the county, was equally at a loss to understand the position. - -"However Mr. Stonebridge, after he had seen the late Sir Alfred's -bankers about the payments to Shap, and consulted an expert on the -subject of the all-important letter signed by Alfred Carysfort, -sought an interview with Sir David. From the first there seemed to -be an extraordinary amount of acrimony brought into the dispute by -both sides; this was understandable enough on the part of Felix Shap, -who felt he was being defrauded of his just dues by men who were -literally coining money out of the product of his brain; but the -greatest bitterness really appeared to come from the other side. - -"At first Sir David Carysfort refused even to discuss the question; -he was quite sure that if his father had made promises of payments to -any one, he was the last man in the world to repudiate such -obligations. Sir David had not yet had time to go through all his -father's papers, but he was quite convinced that correspondence, or -documents, would presently be found, which would set at nought the -original letter produced by Mr. Shap. But, of course, the payments -to Shap up to and including the year 1916 could not be denied; there -was the testimony of Sir Alfred's bankers that sums in accordance -with Sir Alfred's instructions, varying between one hundred and one -hundred and fifty pounds, were paid by cheque every half year to the -order of Felix Shap in Batavia. In 1916 these payments automatically -ceased, Sir Alfred giving no further orders for these to be made. -Mr. Stonebridge naturally desired to know what explanation Sir David -would give about those payments. - -"At first Sir David denied all knowledge as to the reason or object -of the payments, but after a while he must have realised that public -opinion was beginning to raise its voice on the subject, and that it -was not exactly singing the praises of Sir David Carysfort, Bart. - -"Although Mr. Stonebridge had, of course, been discretion itself, Mr. -Shap had admittedly not the same incentive to silence, and what's -more his friend, Mr. Lloyd, made it his business to get as much -publicity for the whole affair as he could. Paragraphs in the local -papers had begun to appear with unabated regularity, and though there -were no actual comments on the case as a whole, no prejudging of -respective merits, there were unmistakable hints that it would be in -Sir David's interest to put dignity on one side and come out frankly -into the open with explanations and suggestions. Soon the London -papers got hold of the story, and you know what that means. The -Radical Press simply battened on a story which placed a poor, -down-at-heel inventor in the light of a victim to the insatiable -greed and frank dishonesty of a high-born profiteer. - -"Whether it was pressure from outside, or from his own family, that -suddenly induced Sir David to 'come out into the open' is not -generally known; certain it is that presently he condescended to give -an explanation of the mysterious half-yearly payments made by his -father to Felix Shap, and the explanation was so romantic and frankly -so far-fetched that most people, especially men, refused to accept -it--notably Mr. Stonebridge. It was not the business of a lawyer to -listen to sentimental stories, least of all was it the business of -the lawyer acting on the other side. - -"The story told by Sir David, namely, was this: - -"The late Sir Alfred, when quite a young man, had gone out as clerk -to that same engineering firm in Batavia, whom he represented later -on; it was then that he first met Felix Shap, who had not yet begun -to go downhill. An intimacy sprang up between Alfred Carysfort and -Shap's sister, Berta, and the two were secretly married in Batavia. -A year later Berta had a son whose birth she only survived by a few -hours. The marriage had been an unhappy one from the first, and -Carysfort was only too thankful when his firm called him back to -England and he was able to shake off the dust of Batavia from his -feet, as he hoped for ever. He never spoke of his marriage, nor did -he ever recognise or have anything to do with his son. By some -pecuniary arrangement entered into with Felix Shap the latter -undertook to provide for and look after the boy, to give him his own -name, and never to trouble his brother-in-law about him again. A -deed-poll was, Sir David believed, duly executed, and the boy assumed -the name of Alfred Shap. - -"Some years later there occurred the transaction over the Shap -Fuelettes. Alfred Carysfort had come to Batavia on business: he had -met Felix Shap again, who by this time had become a hopeless wastrel. -The contract for the sale of the patent rights in the Fuelettes was -duly executed, but whether, after seeing his son once more, the call -of the blood became more insistent in the heart of Alfred Carysfort, -or whether he merely yielded to blackmail, Sir David could not say; -certain it is that after a while when the profits of the Shap -Fuelettes Company became substantial, Sir Alfred took to sending over -a couple of hundred pounds every year to Shap for the benefit of -young Alfred. Then the war broke out; young Alfred joined the -Australian Expeditionary Force, and was killed in Gallipoli in -August, 1915. As soon as Sir Alfred had definite news of the boy's -death, he naturally stopped all further payments to Shap. - -"The story as you see sounded plausible enough, and if it proved to -be untrue, it would reflect great credit on Sir David's gift of -imagination. Felix Shap, as was only to be expected, denied it from -beginning to end; the whole thing, he declared, was an impudent -falsehood, based on a semblance of truth. It was quite true that he -had adopted and for years had cared for his sister's son, who was -subsequently killed in Gallipoli; it was also true that Alfred -Carysfort had years ago paid some attention to his sister Berta, but -there never was any question of marriage between them, young -Carysfort deeming himself far too grand and well-born to marry the -daughter of an obscure East Indian trader. Berta had subsequently -married a man of mixed blood who deserted her and went off somewhere -to Argentina or Honduras--Shap did not know where; at any rate, he -was never heard of again. - -"In proof of his version of the romantic story, Felix Shap actually -had a copy of his sister's marriage certificate, as well as one or -two letters written at different times to his sister Berta by her -rascally husband. He had, indeed, plenty of proofs for his -assertions; but when Mr. Stonebridge asked for confirmation of Sir -David's story, the latter appeared either unprepared or unwilling to -produce any, whereupon, Mr. Stonebridge, on behalf of his client, -entered an action for the recovery of certain royalties due to him on -the sales of the Shap Fuelettes, the amount to be presently agreed on -after examination of the audited accounts. - -"Thus matters stood when on that Wednesday night in February last, -Mr. Stonebridge was found gagged and unconscious, the victim of a -murderous and inexplicable assault. - -"On the Monday following, Mr. Felix Shap, accompanied by his friend, -Mr. Lloyd, called on Mr. Medburn at the office in High Street. They -had read in the papers certain details which had filled Shap with -apprehension; they had read that the safe in the morning-room in Mr. -Stonebridge's house had been obviously ransacked, and that the -analysis of the ashes in the grate had revealed the presence of a -large quantity of burnt paper. - -"'My friend Mr. Shap would like you to put his mind at rest, -Mr.--er--Medburn,' Mr. Lloyd said, in an anxious, agitated tone of -voice, 'that the papers relating to his case, which he entrusted to -Mr. Stonebridge, are safely locked up in a safe at this office.' - -"Unfortunately, the head clerk was not able to satisfy Mr. Shap on -that point. Mr. Stonebridge had never brought the papers to the -office, nor had Mr. Medburn ever seen them. His impression was--he -regretted to say--that Mr. Stonebridge had, for the time being, kept -all papers relating to this particular case at his private house, -just as he had always seen Mr. Shap there rather than at the office. -Of course, Mr. Medburn hastened to assure his visitor, Mr. -Stonebridge may have kept the documents in some other secure place; -Mr. Medburn couldn't say, not having access to all his employer's -papers, and in any case he would make a comprehensive search for the -missing documents, and if nothing was found he would at once inform -the police. - -"An evening or two later the papers came out with flaring headlines: -'Amazing Developments in the Tytherton outrage. Missing documents. -Sensational turn in the Shap Fuelettes case.' And so on. The head -clerk had made an exhaustive search amongst his employer's papers, -but not a trace could he find of any documents relative to Mr. Shap's -case. One and all had disappeared: the original letter from Alfred -Carysfort promising to pay an extra twenty per cent. on the profits -of the Shap Fuelette Company under certain conditions, the letters -from the scoundrel who had been Berta's husband, together with the -copy of Berta's marriage certificate--everything was gone, every -proof of the truth of the story which Felix Shap had come all this -way to tell. - - -§2 - -"The next exciting incident," the Old Man in the Corner continued -glibly, "in this remarkably mysterious case, was the news that Mr. -Allan Carysfort, eldest son of Sir David Carysfort, Bart., had been -detained in connection with the assault upon Mr. Stonebridge and the -disappearance of certain papers, the property of Mr. Felix Shap of -Batavia. - -"Young Allan Carysfort, who was a subaltern in a cavalry regiment, -had come home from India recently, and, as a matter of fact, he had -arrived at the Grange, the family seat just outside Tytherton, the -very evening of the outrage. Acting upon certain information -received, the police had detained him; he was to be brought before -the magistrates on the following day; and in the meanwhile it was -generally understood that some highly sensational evidence had been -collected by the police. - -"It has been asserted that Sir David Carysfort and his family were -the last to realise how very strong public opinion had been against -them ever since Shap's story and the loss of the documents had become -generally known. Though there had been no hint of it in the Press, -the public loudly declared that the Carysforts must have had -something to do with the outrage, seek him whom the crime benefits -being a most excellent adage. But imagine the sensation when Allan -Carysfort, the eldest son of Sir David Carysfort, Bart., was arrested! - -"Need I say that the following day when the young man was brought -before the magistrates, the court was crowded. Sir David was a -magistrate, too, but of course he did not sit that day. To see his -eldest son arraigned before his brother Beaks must have been a bitter -pill for his pride to swallow. - -"We had the usual formal evidence of arrest, the medical evidence, -and so on, after which we quickly plunged into exciting business. -Mr. Stonebridge we were soon told had made a statement. He was not -yet strong enough to appear in person, _but he had made a statement_, -so at last the public was to be initiated into the mysteries that -surrounded the inexplicable assault. - -"'After my servants had gone to bed,' Mr. Stonebridge had stated, 'I -sat awhile reading in my study. I was expecting a visit from Mr. -Shap, as we had talked over the possibility of a quiet chat at my -house that evening on the subject of his affairs. He and Mr. Lloyd, -who were both of them very fond of the cinema, were in the habit of -dropping in after the show, on their way home. At about a quarter to -eleven--I am sure it was not later--there was a ring at the -front-door bell, and I went to open the door. No sooner had I done -this than a shawl or muffler of some sort was thrown over my face, -and I was made to lose my balance by the thrust of a foot between my -two shins. I came down backwards with a crash. - -"'The whole thing occurred in fewer seconds than it takes to -describe; the next moment I had the sensation of cold steel against -my temple, I heard an ominous click, and a husky voice whispered in -my ear, "Your servant is coming out of his room. Speak to him, tell -him you are all right, or I shoot." What could I do? I was utterly -helpless and a revolver was held to my temple. The muffler was then -lifted from my mouth, I could feel the man bending over me, I could -feel his hot breath on my forehead, and a few seconds later I heard -Henning come out of his room upstairs and switch on the light on the -top landing. "If he comes downstairs," the voice whispered close to -my ear, "I shoot." - -"'Then it was,' Mr. Stonebridge went on to say, 'that I shouted up to -Henning that I had only tripped over a rug, and that I was quite all -right. I don't think I ever looked death so very near in the face -before. The next moment I heard Henning switch off the light -upstairs and go back to his room. After that I remember nothing -more. I only have a vague recollection of a sudden terrible pain in -my head; everything else is a blank until I found myself in bed, and -with vague stirrings of memory bringing a return of that same -appalling headache.' - -"The great point about Mr. Stonebridge's evidence was that he was -utterly unable to identify his assailant. He was not even sure -whether he had been attacked by two men or one, since he had been -blindfolded at the outset, and all that he heard was a husky voice -that spoke in a whisper. He was ready to admit that he might have -left the safe unlocked when he went to answer the front-door bell, -and he certainly had the papers relating to Mr. Shap's case on his -desk as he had been going through them earlier in the evening. Those -papers, therefore, had undoubtedly been burned in the grate, and it -was obvious that the theft and destruction of those papers was the -motive of the assault. - -"After that we went from excitement to excitement. We did not get it -all the same day, of course; Allan Carysfort appeared, as far as I -can remember, three or four times before the local magistrates; in -between times he was out on bail, this having been fixed at £1,000 in -two recognisances £500 each, with an additional £500 on his own. It -seems that when he was arrested he had made a statement, to which he -had since unreservedly subscribed. He said that he had arrived in -London from Southampton on Monday the twenty-sixth, and after seeing -to some business in town, he took the eight-ten P.M. train on the -twenty-eighth to Tytherton, where he arrived at nine-fifty, having -dined on board. His father met him at the station with the car, but -it was such a beautiful moon-lit night Sir David and himself decided -that they would walk to the Grange and then sent the car home with a -message to Lady Carysfort that they would be home at about eleven -o'clock. - -"Carysfort had been asked whether it was not strange that after being -absent from home for so long, he should have elected to put off -seeing his mother till a much later hour. - -"'Not at all,' he replied. 'My father wished to put me _au fait_ of -certain family matters before I actually saw Lady Carysfort. These -matters,' he added emphatically in reply to questions put to him by -the magistrate, 'had nothing whatever to do with financial business, -least of all were they in any relation to Mr. Shap and his affairs. -Sir David and I,' he went on calmly, 'walked about for a while, and -then Sir David remembered that he wished to see a friend at the -County Club. He went in there, but I preferred to take another turn -out of doors, as I had not had a taste of English country air for -nearly two years.' - -"Asked how long he had walked about Tytherton waiting for Sir David, -Carysfort thought about half an hour, and when questioned as to the -direction he had taken, he said he really couldn't remember. - -"The police of course had adduced certain witnesses whose testimony -would justify the course they had taken in arresting a gentleman in -the position of Mr. Allan Carysfort. There was, first of all, Felix -Shap himself and his friend Julian Lloyd. They deposed that at about -half-past ten, or perhaps a little earlier, they were on their way to -see Mr. Stonebridge, as the latter had expressed a wish to see them -both and have another quiet talk over a cigar and a glass of wine; -Shap and Lloyd had been to the P.P.P. cinema in High Street, and they -left just before the end to go to Mr. Stonebridge's house. They were -within fifty yards of it when they saw a man turn out of the nearest -side street and go up to Mr. Stonebridge's house. The man went -through the garden gate and up to the front door. Shap and Lloyd saw -him in the act of ringing the bell. It was then somewhere between -ten-thirty and ten-forty-five. Mr. Stonebridge was so very much in -the habit of seeing friends, and even those clients with whom he was -intimate, late in the evenings, that Mr. Shap and Mr. Lloyd didn't -think anything of the incident; but, at the same time, they made up -their minds to postpone their own visit to Mr. Stonebridge until they -could be quite sure of seeing him alone. So they turned then and -there, and went straight back to the Black Swan where they lodged. - -"I may add that with commendable reserve both these witnesses refused -to identify Allan Carysfort with Mr. Stonebridge's visitor on that -memorable Wednesday evening. The man they saw had an overcoat and -wore a Glengarry cap. More they could not say, as they had not seen -his face clearly. - -"On the other hand the hall-porter at the County Club, another -witness for the Treasury, had no cause for such reserve. He said -that on the evening of February twenty-eighth, Sir David Carysfort -came to the Club a little before half-past ten. Mr. Allan was with -him then, but he didn't come in. The hall-porter heard him say to -Sir David: 'Very well, then! I'll pick you up here in about half an -hour!' And Sir David rejoined: 'Yes; don't be late!' Mr. Allan did -return to the Club at about eleven o'clock and the two gentlemen then -went off together. The hall-porter remembered the incident on that -date quite distinctly, because he recollected being much surprised at -seeing Mr. Allan Carysfort, who he thought was still abroad. - -"After that there was another remand, Allan Carysfort's solicitor -having asked and obtained an adjournment for a week. But by this -time, as you may imagine, not only the county, but London Society too -were absolutely horror-struck. To think that a man in the position -of the Carysforts should have stooped to such an act, not only of -violence, but of improbity, was indeed staggering. Nor did public -opinion swerve from this attitude one hair's breadth, even though at -the next hearing all the proofs which the police had adduced against -the accused were absolutely confuted. - -"Fortunately for Carysfort, his solicitors had been successful in -finding two witnesses, Miriam Page and Arthur Ormeley, who had seen -Mr. Allan Carysfort, whom they knew by sight, strolling by the river -at a quarter to eleven. They--like the hall-porter of the County -Club--remembered the circumstance very clearly, because they did not -know that Mr. Allan was home from abroad, and were astonished to see -him there. - -"The point of the evidence of these witnesses was that the river -where they had seen Allan Carysfort strolling at a quarter to eleven -is at the diametrically opposite end of the town to that where lies -the Great West Road. Now the hall-porter had seen Allan Carysfort -outside the County Club at half-past ten and again at eleven. If -Carysfort was strolling by the river at a quarter to eleven, and -there was no reason to impugn the credibility of the witnesses, he -could not possibly have been the man whom Mr. Shap and Mr. Lloyd saw -ringing the bell of Mr. Stonebridge's house at about that same hour. - -"Allan Carysfort was discharged by the magistrates, as you know. -There was no definite proof against him. But public opinion is ever -an uncertain quantity, and it is still dead against the Carysforts. -In the public mind two facts have remained indelibly fixed: firstly, -that the Carysforts had everything to gain by the destruction of -Felix Shap's papers and, secondly, that there was nobody else who -could possibly have benefited by it. - -"Since then also Mr. Stonebridge has made a declaration that nothing -was stolen out of his safe and pocketbook except the papers and -letters belonging to Felix Shap. So what would you? Although Allan -Carysfort was discharged by the magistrates, really because there was -no tangible evidence against him, he did not leave the court without -a stain on his character. The stain was there, and there it is to -this day. It will take the Carysforts years to live the scandal -down; though some friends have remained loyal, there are always the -enemies, the envious, the uncharitable, and they insist that the two -witnesses--the only two, mind you, whose evidence did clear Allan -Carysfort of suspicion--had been bought and should not be believed, -while others simply declare that Sir David and his son employed some -ruffian to do the dirty work for them." - -He gave a dry cackle, and contemplated me through his huge -horn-rimmed spectacles. - -"And you are of that opinion, too, I imagine," he said. - -"Well, it seems the only likely explanation," I replied guardedly. - -"Surely you don't suppose," he retorted, "that a business man like -David Carysfort would place himself so entirely in the hands of a -ruffian that he would for ever after be the victim of blackmail! -Why, it would have been cheaper to buy off Felix Shap!" - -"But," I rejoined, "I don't see who else had any interest in doing -away with those documents." - -"I'll tell you," he rejoined dryly. "Felix Shap himself." - -"What _do_ you mean?" I queried, with as much lofty scorn as I could -command. - -"I mean," he replied, "that all Felix Shap's documents were -forgeries." - -"Forgeries?" I exclaimed. - -"Yes, spurious! False affidavits! Forgeries, the lot of 'em. My -belief is that Stonebridge began to suspect this himself, and I think -he has had a narrow escape of being murdered outright by those two -rascals. As it is, they have destroyed every proof of their -villainy, and old Stonebridge, I imagine, is content to let things -remain as they are rather than admit publicly that he was completely -taken in by two very plausible rogues." - -"But," I urged, "what about the handwriting expert?" - -The funny creature laughed aloud. - -"Yes!" he said, "what about the expert? If there had been two they -would have disagreed. And mind you at a distance of twelve years a -signature would be difficult of absolute identification. Every one's -handwriting undergoes certain modifications in the course of years. -Experts," he reiterated. "Bah!" - -"But," I went on, impatiently, "I don't see the object of the whole -scheme." - -"The object was blackmail," the whimsical creature retorted, "and it -has succeeded admirably. Already we read that Messrs. Shap and Lloyd -are staying at expensive hotels in London, that they have granted -interviews to pressmen and written articles for half-penny -newspapers. We shall hear of them as cinema stars presently. They -have had the most gorgeous, the most paying publicity, and presently -Sir David Carysfort will have had enough of them and will put a few -more hundreds in their pockets just to be rid of them. That was the -object of the whole scheme, my dear young lady! And see how well it -was carried out. - -"Of course the fuddle-headed Dutchman never thought of it. I imagine -that the whole scheme originated in the fertile brain of Mr. Julian -Lloyd. And it was thoroughly well thought out from the manufacture -of the documents and letters down to the assault on the silly old -country attorney. And, mind you, the rascals originally went to a -silly country attorney; they would have been afraid to go to a London -lawyer, lest he be too sharp for them. - -"The only mistake they made were the letters purported to be written -to Berta Shap by the husband who is supposed to have disappeared, and -the copy of Berta's marriage certificate. It is those letters that -gave me the clue to the whole thing; old Stonebridge was too dull to -have seen through those letters. If they were genuine why should -Felix Shap have brought them over to England? They had nothing -whatever to do with any contract about the Shap Fuelettes. If they -were genuine, how could he guess that he would have to disprove a -story of a secret marriage and of young Alfred being the son of Sir -Alfred Carysfort? By wanting to prove too much, he, to my mind, gave -himself away, and one can but marvel that neither lawyers nor police -saw through the roguery. - -"Of course the moment one understands that one set of papers was -spurious, it is easily concluded that all the others were forgeries. -And the late Sir Alfred Carysfort, anxious only to obliterate every -vestige of that early marriage of his, unwittingly played into the -hands of those two scoundrels by destroying all the correspondence -that he had ever had with Shap. - -"Think it all over, you will see that I am right. Look at this -paragraph again in the _Evening Post_, does it not bear out what I -say?" - -The paragraph in the evening paper to which the Old Man in the Corner -was pointing read as follows: - -"Among the passengers on the Dutch liner _Stadt Rotterdam_ is Mr. -Felix Shap, the hero of a recent celebrated case. He is returning to -Batavia, having, through a misadventure which has remained an -impenetrable mystery to this day, been deprived of all the proofs -that would have established his claim to a substantial share of the -profits in the Shap Fuelettes Company. Fortunately Mr. Shap had -enlisted so many sympathies in England that his friends had no -difficulty in collecting a considerable sum of money which was -presented to him on his departure in the form of a purse and as a -compensation for the ill-luck which has attended him since he set -foot in this country. Mr. Shap will now be able to take abroad with -him the assurance that British public opinion is always on the side -of the victims of an adverse and unmerited fate." - -"Yes!" the funny creature concluded with a cackle, "until the victims -are found out to be rogues. Mr. Felix Shap and his friend, Mr. -Julian Lloyd, will be found out some day." - -The next moment he had gone with that rapidity which was so -characteristic of him, and I might have thought that he was just a -spook who had come to visit me whilst I dozed over my cup of tea, -only that on the table by the side of an empty glass was a piece of -string adorned with a series of complicated knots. - - - - -VIII - -THE MYSTERY OF BRUDENELL COURT - - -§1 - -"Did you ever make up your mind about that Brudenell Court affair?" -the Old Man in the Corner said to me that day. - -"No," I replied. "As far as I am concerned the death of Colonel -Forburg has remained a complete mystery." - -"You don't think," he insisted, "that Morley Thrall was guilty?" - -"Well," I said, "I don't know what to think." - -"Then don't do it," he rejoined, with a chuckle, "if you don't know -what to think, then it's best not to think at all. At any rate wait -until I have told you exactly what did happen--not as it was reported -in the newspapers, but in the sequence in which the various incidents -occurred. - -"On Christmas Eve, last year, while the family were at dinner, there -was a sudden commotion and cries of 'Stop, thief!' issuing from the -back premises of Brudenell Court, the country seat of a certain -Colonel Forburg. The butler ran in excitedly to say that Julia -Mason, one of the maids, was drawing down the blinds in one of the -first-floor rooms, when she saw a man fiddling with the shutters of -the French window in the smoking-room downstairs. She at once gave -the alarm, whereupon the man bolted across the garden in the -direction of the five-acre field. The Colonel and his stepson, as -well as two male guests who were dining with them, immediately jumped -up and hurried out to help in the chase. It was a very dark night, -people were running to and fro, and for a few moments there was a -great deal of noise and confusion, through which two pistol-shots in -close succession were distinctly heard. - -"The ladies--amongst whom was Miss Monica Glenluce, the Colonel's -stepdaughter--had remained in the dining-room, and the dinner was -kept waiting, pending the return of the gentlemen. They straggled in -one by one, all except the Colonel. The ladies eagerly asked for -news; the gentlemen could not say much--the night was very dark and -they had just waited about outside until some of the indoor men who -had given chase came back with the news that the thief had been -caught. - -"This news was confirmed by young Glenluce, Miss Monica's brother, -who was the last to return. He had actually witnessed the capture. -The thief had bolted straight across the five-acre meadow, but -doubled back before he reached the stables, turned sharply to the -right through the kitchen garden, and then jumped over the boundary -wall of the grounds into the lane beyond, where he fell straight into -the arms of the local constable who happened to be passing by. - -"Young Glenluce had great fun out of the chase; he had guessed the -man's purpose, and instead of running after him across the meadow, he -had gone round it, and had reached the boundary wall only a few -seconds after the thief had scaled it. There was some talk about the -gunshots that had been heard, and every one supposed that Colonel -Forburg, who was a violent-tempered man, had snatched up a revolver -before giving chase to the burglar, and had taken a potshot at him; -it was fortunate that he had missed him. - -"The incident would then have been closed and the interrupted dinner -proceeded with, but for the fact that the host had not yet returned. -Nothing was thought of this at first, for it was generally supposed -that the Colonel had been kept talking by one of his men, or perhaps -by the constable who had effected the capture; it was only when close -on half an hour had gone by that Miss Monica became impatient. She -got the butler to telephone both to the stables and the lodge, but -the Colonel had not been seen at either place, either during or after -the incident with the burglar; communication with the police station -brought the same result; nothing had been seen or heard of the -Colonel. - -"Genuinely alarmed now, Miss Monica gave orders for the grounds to be -searched; it was just possible that the Colonel had fallen whilst -running, and was lying somewhere, helpless in the dark, perhaps -unconscious.... Every one began recalling those pistol-shots and a -vague sense of tragedy spread over the entire house. Monica blamed -herself for not having thought of all this before. - -"A search party went out at once; for a while stable-lanterns and -electric-torches gleamed through the darkness and past the -shrubberies. Then suddenly there were calls for help, the wandering -lights centred in one spot, somewhere in the middle of the five-acre -meadow near the big elm tree. Obviously there had been an accident. -Monica ran to the front door, followed by all the guests. Through -the darkness a group of men were seen slowly wending their way -towards the house; one man was running ahead, it was the chauffeur. -Young Glenluce, half guessing that something sinister had occurred, -went forward to meet him. - -"What had happened was indeed as tragic as it was mysterious; the -search party had found the Colonel lying full-length in the meadow. -His clothes were saturated with blood; he had been shot in the breast -and was apparently dead. Close by a revolver had been picked up. It -was impossible to keep the terrible news from Miss Monica. Her -brother broke the news to her. She bore up with marvellous calm, and -it was she who at once gave the necessary orders to have her -stepfather's body taken upstairs and to fetch both the doctor and the -police. - -"In the meanwhile the guests had gone back into the house. They -stood about in groups, awestruck and whispering. They did not care -to finish their dinner, or to go up to their rooms, as in all -probability they would be required when the police came to make -enquiries. Monica and Gerald Glenluce had gone to sit in the -smoking-room. - -"It was the most horrible Christmas Eve any one in that house had -ever experienced." - - -§2 - -"Murder committed from any other motive than that of robbery," the -Old Man in the Corner went on after a moment's pause, "always excites -the interest of the public. There is nearly always an element of -mystery about it, and it invariably suggests possibilities of -romance. In this case, of course, there was no question of robbery. -After Colonel Forburg fell, shot, as it transpired, at close range -and full in the breast, his clothes were left untouched; there was -loose silver in his trousers pocket, a few treasury notes in his -letter-case, and he was wearing a gold watch and chain and a fine -pearl stud. - -"The motive of the crime was therefore enmity or revenge, and here -the police were at once confronted with a great difficulty. Not, -mind you, the difficulty of finding a man who hated the Colonel -sufficiently to kill him, but that of choosing among his many enemies -one who was most likely to have committed such a terrible crime. He -was the best-hated man in the county. Known as 'Remount Forburg,' he -was generally supposed to have made his fortune in some shady -transactions connected with the Remount Department of the War Office -during the Boer War, more than twenty years ago. - -"His first wife was said to have died of a broken heart, and he had -no children of his own; some ten years ago he had married a widow -with two young children. She had a considerable fortune of her own, -and when she died she left it in trust for her children, but she -directed that her husband should be the sole guardian of Monica and -Gerald until they came of age; moreover, she left him the interest of -the whole of the capital amount for so long as they were in his house -and unmarried. After his death the money would revert -unconditionally to them. - -"Of course it was a foolish, one might say a criminal will, and one -obviously made under the influence of her husband. One can only -suppose that the poor woman had died without knowing anything of -'Remount Forburg's' character. Since her death his violent temper -and insufferable arrogance had alienated from the children every -friend they ever had. Only some chance acquaintances ever came -anywhere near Brudenell Court now. Naturally every one said that the -Colonel's behaviour was part of a scheme for keeping suitors away -from his stepdaughter Monica, who was a very beautiful girl; as for -Gerald Glenluce, Monica's younger brother, he had been sadly -disfigured when he was a schoolboy through a fall against a sharp -object that had broken his nose and somewhat mysteriously deprived -him of the sight of one eye. - -"Those who had suffered most from Colonel Forburg's violent tempers -declared that the boy's face had been smashed in by a blow from a -stick, and that the stick had been wielded by his stepfather. Be -that as it may, Gerald Glenluce had remained, in consequence of this -disfigurement, a shy, retiring, silent boy, who neither played games -nor rode to hounds and had no idea how to handle a gun; but he was -essentially the Colonel's favourite. Where Forburg was harsh and -dictatorial with every one else, he would always unbend to Gerald, -and was almost gentle and affectionate toward him. Perhaps an -occasional twinge of remorse had something to do with this soft side -of his disagreeable character. - -"Certainly that softness did not extend to Monica. He made the -girl's life almost unbearable with his violence which amounted almost -to brutality. The girl hated him and openly said so. Her one desire -was to get away from Brudenell Court by any possible means. But -owing to her mother's foolish will she had no money of her own, and -the few friends she had were not sufficiently rich, or sufficiently -disinterested, to give her a home away from her stepfather, nor would -the Colonel, for a matter of that, have given his consent to her -living away from him. - -"As for marriage, it was a difficult question. Young men fought shy -of any family connection with 'Remount Forburg.' The latter's -nickname was bad enough, but there were rumours of secrets more -unavowable still in the past history of the Colonel. Certain it is -that though Monica excited admiration wherever she went, and though -one or two of her admirers did go to the length of openly courting -her, the courtship never matured into an actual engagement. -Something or other always occurred to cool off the ardour of the -wooers. Suddenly they would either go on a big-game shooting -expedition, or on a tour round the world, or merely find that country -air did not suit them. There would perhaps be a scene of fond -farewell, but Monica would always understand that the farewell was a -definite one, and, as she was an intelligent as well as a fascinating -girl, she put two and two together, and observed that these farewell -scenes were invariably preceded by a long interview behind closed -doors between her stepfather and her admirer of the moment. - -"Small wonder then that she hated the Colonel. She hated him as much -as she loved her brother. A great affection had, especially of late, -developed between these two; it was a love born of an affinity of -trouble and sense of injustice. On Gerald's part there was also an -element of protection towards his beautiful sister; the fact that he -was so avowedly the spoilt son of his irascible stepfather enabled -him many a time to stand between Monica and the Colonel's unbridled -temper. - -"Latterly, however, some brightness and romance had been introduced -into the drab existence of Monica Glenluce by the discreet courtship -of her latest admirer, Mr. Morley Thrall. Mr. Thrall was a wealthy -man, not too young and of independent position, who presumably did -not care whether county society would cut him or no in consequence of -his marriage with the stepdaughter of 'Remount Forburg.' - -"Subsequent events showed that he had observed the greatest -discretion while he was courting Monica. No one knew that there was -an understanding between him and the girl, least of all the Colonel. -Mr. Morley Thrall came, not too frequently, to Brudenell Court; while -there he appeared to devote most of his attention to his host and to -Gerald, and to take little if any notice of Monica. She had probably -given him a hint of rocks ahead, and he had succeeded in avoiding the -momentous interview with the Colonel which Monica had learned to look -on with dread. - -"Mr. Morley Thrall had been asked to stay at Brudenell Court for -Christmas, the other guests being a Major Rawstone, with his wife and -daughter, Rachel. They were all at dinner on that memorable -Christmas Eve when the tragedy occurred, and all the men hurried out -of the dining-room in the wake of their host when first the burglary -alarm was given. - - -§3 - -"Thus did matters stand at Brudenell Court when, directly after the -holidays, Jim Peyton, a groom recently in the employ of Colonel -Forburg, was brought before the magistrates charged with the murder -of his former master. There was a pretty stiff case against him too. -It seems that he had lately been dismissed by Colonel Forburg for -drunkenness, and that before dismissing him the Colonel had given him -a thrashing which apparently was well deserved, because while he was -drunk he very nearly set fire to the stables, and an awful disaster -was only averted by the timely arrival of the Colonel himself upon -the scene. - -"Be that as it may, the man went away swearing vengeance. -Subsequently he took out a summons for assault against Colonel -Forburg and only got one shilling damages. This had occurred a week -before Christmas. There were several witnesses there who could swear -to the threatening language used by Peyton on more than one occasion -since then, and of course he had been caught in the very act of -trying to break into the house through the French window of the -smoking-room. - -"On the other hand, the revolver with which 'Remount Forburg' had -been shot, and which was found close to the body with two empty -chambers, was identified as the Colonel's own property, one which he -always kept, loaded, in a drawer of his desk in the smoking-room. -And--this is the interesting point--the shutters of the smoking-room -were found by the police inspector, who examined them subsequently, -to be bolted on the inside, just as they had been left earlier in the -evening by the footman whose business it was to see to the fastening -of windows and shutters on the ground floor. - -"This fact--the shutters being bolted on the inside--was confirmed by -Miss Monica Glenluce, who had been the first to go into the -smoking-room after the tragic event. Her brother joined her -subsequently. Both of these witnesses said that the room looked -absolutely undisturbed, the shutters were bolted, the drawer of the -desk was closed: they had remained in the room until after the visit -of the police inspector. - -"After the positive evidence of these two witnesses, the police -prosecution had of necessity to fall back on the far-fetched theory -that Colonel Forburg himself, before he hurried out in order to join -in the chase against the burglar, had run into the smoking-room and -picked up his revolver, and that, having overtaken Peyton, he had -threatened him; that Peyton had then jumped on him, wrenched the -weapon out of his hand and shot him. It was a far-fetched theory -certainly, and one which the defence quickly upset. Gerald Glenluce -for one was distinctly under the impression that the Colonel ran from -the dining-room straight out into the garden, and the young footman -who was watching the fun from the front door, and saw the Colonel run -out, was equally sure that he had not a revolver in his hand. - -"Peyton got six months hard for attempted house-breaking, there -really was no evidence against him to justify the more serious -charge; but when the charge of murder was withdrawn, it left the -mystery of 'Remount Forburg's' tragic end seemingly more impenetrable -than before. Nevertheless the coroner and jury laboured -conscientiously at the inquest. No stone was to be left unturned to -bring the murder of 'Remount Forburg' to justice, and in this -laudable effort the coroner had the able and unqualified assistance -of Miss Glenluce. However bitter her feelings may have been in the -past towards her stepfather while he lived, she seemed determined -that his murderer should not go unpunished. Nay more, there appeared -to be in all her actions during this terrible time a strange note of -vindictiveness and animosity, as if the unknown man who had rid her -of an arrogant and brutal tyrant had really done her a lasting injury. - -"It was entirely through her energy and exertions that certain -witnesses were induced to come forward and give what turned out to be -highly sensational evidence. The police who were convinced that -James Peyton was guilty had turned all their investigations in the -direction of proving their theories; Miss Monica, on the other hand, -had seemingly made up her mind that the murderer was to be sought for -inside the house; it even appeared as if she had certain suspicions -which she only desired to confirm. To this end she had questioned -and cross-questioned every one who was in the house on that fatal -night, well knowing how reluctant some people are to be mixed up in -any way with police proceedings. But at last she had forced two -persons to speak, and it was on the first day of the inquest that at -last a glimmer of light was thrown upon the mysterious tragedy. - -"After the medical evidence which went to establish beyond a doubt -that Colonel Forburg died from a gunshot wound inflicted at close -range, both balls having penetrated the heart, Miss Glenluce was -called. Replying to the coroner, who had put certain questions to -her with regard to the Colonel's state of mind just before the -tragedy, she said that he appeared to have a premonition that -something untoward was about to happen. When the butler ran into the -dining-room saying that a burglar had been seen trying to break into -the house, the Colonel had jumped up from the table at once. - -"'I did the same,' Miss Monica went on, 'as I was genuinely alarmed; -but my stepfather, in his peremptory way, ordered me to sit still. -"I believe," he said to me, with a funny laugh, "that it's a put-up -job. It's some friend of Thrall's giving him a hand." I could not, -of course, understand what he meant by that, and I looked at Mr. -Thrall for an explanation. I must add that Mr. Thrall had been -extraordinarily moody all through dinner; he appeared flushed, and I -noticed particularly that he never spoke either to my step-father, to -my brother, or to me. However at the moment I failed to catch his -eye, and the very next second he was out of the room, on the heels of -Colonel Forburg.' - -"This was remarkable evidence to say the least of it, but -nevertheless it was confirmed by two witnesses who heard the Colonel -make that strange remark: one was Rachel Rawstone, the young friend -who was dining at Brudenell Court that Christmas Eve, and the other -was Gerald Glenluce. Of course, by this time the public was getting -very excited: they were like so many hounds heading for a scent, and -the jury was beginning to show signs of that obstinate prejudice -which culminated in a ridiculous verdict. But there was more to -come. Thanks again to Miss Monica's insistence, the footman at -Brudenell Court, a lad named Cambalt, had been induced to come -forward with a story which he had evidently intended to keep hidden -within his bosom, if possible. He gave his evidence with obvious -reluctance and in a scarcely audible voice. It was generally -noticed, however, that Miss Monica urged him frequently to speak up. - -"Cambalt deposed that just before dinner on Christmas Eve, he had -gone in to tidy the smoking-room before the gentlemen came down from -dressing. As he opened the door he saw Mr. Morley Thrall standing in -the middle of the room facing Colonel Forburg who was seated at his -desk. Young Mr. Glenluce was standing near the mantelpiece with one -foot on the fender, staring into the fire. Mr. Thrall, according to -witness, was livid with rage. - -"''E took a step forward like,' Cambalt went on, amidst breathless -silence on the part of the public and jury alike, 'and 'e raised 'is -fist. But the Colonel 'e just laughed, then 'e opened the drawer of -the desk and took out a revolver and showed it to Mr. Thrall and -says: "'Ere y'are, there's a revolver 'andy, any way." Then Mr. -Thrall 'e swore like anything, and says: "You blackguard! You d---- -scoundrel! You ought to be shot like the cur you are." I thought he -would strike the Colonel, but young Mr. Glenluce 'e just stepped -quickly in between the two gentlemen and 'e says: "Look 'ere, Thrall, -I won't put up with this! You jess get out!" Then one of the -gentlemen seed me, and Mr. Thrall 'e walked out of the room.' - -"'And what happened after he had gone?' the coroner asked. - -"'Oh!' the witness replied, 'the Colonel 'e threw the revolver back -into the drawer and laughed sarcastic like. Then 'e 'eld out 'is -'and to Mr. Gerald, and says: "Thanks, my boy. You did 'elp me to -get rid of that ruffian." After that,' Cambalt concluded, 'I got on -with my work, and the gentlemen took no notice of me.' - -"This witness was very much pressed with questions as to what -happened later on when the burglary alarm was given and the gentlemen -all hurried out of the house. Cambalt was in the hall at the time -and he made straight for the front door to see some of the fun. He -said that the Colonel was out first, and the other three gentlemen, -Mr. Gerald, Mr. Rawstone and Mr. Morley Thrall went out after him; -Mr. Thrall was the last to go outside; he ran across the garden in -the direction of the five-acre field. Major Rawstone remained -somewhere near the house, but it was a very dark night, and he, -Cambalt, soon lost sight of the gentlemen. Presently, however, Mr. -Thrall came back toward the house. It was a few minutes after the -shots had been fired and witness heard Mr. Thrall say to Major -Rawstone: 'I suppose it's that fool Forburg potting away at the -burglar; hell get himself into trouble, if he doesn't look out.' -Soon after that Mr. Gerald came running back with the news that the -burglar had fallen into the arms of a passing constable and Cambalt -then returned to his duties in the dining-room. - -"As you see," the Old Man in the Corner went on glibly, "this -witness's evidence was certainly sensational. The jury, which was -composed of farm labourers, with the local butcher as foreman, had by -now fully made up its silly mind that Mr. Morley Thrall had taken the -opportunity of sneaking into the smoking-room, snatching up the -revolver, and shooting 'Remount Forburg,' whom he hated because the -Colonel was opposing his marriage with Miss Monica. It was all as -clear as daylight to those dunderheads, and from that moment they -simply would not listen to any more evidence. They had made up their -minds; they were ready with their verdict and it was: Manslaughter -against Morley Thrall. Not murder, you see! The dolts who had all -of them suffered from 'Remount Forburg's' arrogance and violent -temper would not admit that killing such vermin was a capital crime. - -"What I am telling you would be unbelievable if it were not a -positive fact. It is no use quoting British justice and dilating on -the absolute fairness of trial by jury. A coroner's inquest -fortunately is not a trial. The verdict of a coroner's jury, such as -the one which sat on the Brudenell Court affair, though it may have -very unpleasant consequences for an innocent person, cannot have -fatal results. In this case it cast a stigma on a gentleman of high -position and repute, and the following day Mr. Morley Thrall, himself -J.P., was brought up before his brother magistrates on an ignominious -charge. - - -§4 - -"It is not often," the Old Man in the Corner resumed after a while, -"that so serious a charge is preferred against a gentleman of Mr. -Morley Thrall's social position, and I am afraid that the best of us -are snobbish enough to be more interested in a gentleman criminal -than in an ordinary Bill Sykes. - -"I happened to be present at that magisterial enquiry when Mr. Morley -Thrall, J.P., was brought in between two warders, looking quite calm -and self-possessed. Every one of us there noticed that when he first -came in, and in fact throughout that trying enquiry, his eyes sought -to meet those of Miss Glenluce who sat at the solicitor's table; but -whenever she chanced to look his way, she quickly averted her gaze -again, and turned her head away with a contemptuous shrug. Gerald -Glenluce, on the other hand, made pathetic efforts at showing -sympathy with the accused, but he was of such unprepossessing -appearance and was so shy and awkward that it was small wonder Morley -Thrall took little if any notice of him. - -"Very soon we got going. I must tell you, first of all, that the -whole point of the evidence rested upon a question of time. If the -accused took the revolver out of the desk in the smoking-room, when -did he do it? The footman, Cambalt, reiterated the statement which -he had made at the inquest. He was, of course, pressed to say -definitely whether after the quarrel between Mr. Morley Thrall and -the Colonel which he had witnessed, and before every one went in to -dinner, Mr. Thrall might have gone back to the smoking-room and -extracted the revolver from the drawer of the desk; but Cambalt said -positively that he did not think this was possible. He himself, -after he had tidied the smoking-room, had been in and out of the hall -preparing to serve dinner. The door of the smoking-room gave on the -hall, between the dining-room and the passage leading to the -kitchens. If any one had gone in or out of the smoking-room at that -time, Cambalt must have seen them. - -"At this point Miss Glenluce was seen to lean forward and to say -something in a whisper to the Clerk of the Justices, who in his turn -whispered to the chairman on the Bench, and a moment or two later -that gentleman asked the witness: - -"'Are you absolutely prepared to swear that no one went in or out of -the smoking-room while you were making ready to serve dinner?7 - -"Then, as the young man seemed to hesitate, the magistrate added more -emphatically: - -"Think now! You were busy with your usual avocations; there would -have been nothing extraordinary in one of the gentlemen going in or -out of the smoking-room at that hour. Do you really believe and are -you prepared to swear that such a very ordinary incident would have -impressed itself indelibly upon your mind?' - -"Thus pressed and admonished, Cambalt retrenched himself behind a -vague: 'No, sir! I shouldn't like to swear one way or the other.' - -"Whereat Miss Monica threw a defiant look at the accused, who, -however, did not as much as wink an eyelid in response. - -"Presently when that lady herself was called, no one could fail to -notice that she, like the coroner's jury the previous day, had -absolutely made up her mind that Morley Thrall was guilty, otherwise -her attitude of open hostility toward him would have been quite -inexplicable. She dwelt at full length on the fact that Mr. Thrall -had paid her marked attention for months, and that he had asked her -to marry him. She had given him her consent, and between them they -had decided to keep their engagement a secret until after she, -Monica, had attained her twenty-first birthday, when she would be -free to marry whom she chose. - -"'Unfortunately,' the witness went on, suddenly assuming a dry, -pursed-up manner, 'Colonel Forburg got wind of this. He was always -very much set against my marrying at all, and between tea and dinner -on Christmas Eve he and I had some very sharp words together on the -subject, at the end of which my stepfather said very determinedly: -"Christmas or no Christmas, the fellow shall leave my house by the -first available train to-morrow, and to-night I am going to give him -a piece of my mind."' - -"Just for a moment after Miss Glenluce had finished speaking, the -accused seemed to depart from his attitude of dignity and reserve, -and an indignant 'Oh!' quickly repressed, escaped his lips. The -public by this time was dead against him. They are just like sheep, -as you know, and the verdict of the coroner's jury had prejudiced -them from the start, and the police, aided by Miss Glenluce, had -certainly built up a formidable case against the unfortunate man. -Every one felt that the motive for the crime was fully established -already. 'Remount Forburg' had had a violent quarrel with Morley -Thrall, then had turned him out of the house, and the latter, furious -at being separated from the girl he loved, had killed the man who -stood in his way. - -"I should be talking until to-morrow morning were I to give you in -detail all the evidence that was adduced in support of the -prosecution. The accused listened to it all with perfect calm. He -stood with arms folded, his eyes fixed on nothing. The 'Oh!' of -indignation did not again cross his lips, nor did he look once at -Miss Monica Glenluce. I can assure you that at one moment that day -things were looking very black against him. - -"Fortunately for him, however, he had a very clever lawyer to defend -him in the person of his distinguished cousin, Sir Evelyn Thrall. -The latter, by amazingly clever cross-examination of the servants and -guests at Brudenell Court, had succeeded in establishing the fact -that at no time, from the moment that the burglary alarm was given -until after the two revolver shots had been heard, was the accused -completely out of sight of some one or other of the witnesses. He -was the last to leave the dining-room. Mrs. Rawstone and her -daughter testified to that. He had stayed behind one moment after -the other three gentlemen had gone out in order to say a few words to -Monica Glenluce. Miss Rawstone was standing inside the dining-room -door and she was quite positive that Mr. Thrall went straight out -into the garden. - -"On the other hand Major Rawstone saw him in the forecourt coming -away from the five-acre meadow only a very few moments after the -shots were fired, and gave it absolutely as his opinion that it would -have been impossible for the accused to have fired those shots. This -is where the question of time came in. - -"'When a man who bears a spotless reputation,' Major Rawstone argued, -'finds that he has killed a fellow creature, he would necessarily -pause a moment, horror-struck with what he has done; whether the deed -was premeditated or involuntary he would at least try and ascertain -if life was really extinct. It is inconceivable that any man save an -habitual and therefore callous criminal, would just throw down his -weapon and with absolute calm, hands in pocket and without a tremor -in his voice, make a casual remark to a friend. Now I saw Mr. Morley -Thrall perhaps two minutes after the shots were fired; in that time -he could not have walked from the centre of the field to the -forecourt where I was standing; and he had not been running as his -voice was absolutely clear and he came walking towards me with his -hands in his pockets.' - -"As was only to be expected, Sir Evelyn Thrall made the most of Major -Rawstone's evidence, and I may say that it was chiefly on the -strength of it that the charge of murder against the accused was -withdrawn, even though the Clerk to the Magistrates, perpetually -egged on by Miss Glenluce, did his best to upset Major Rawstone. -When the lady found that this could not be done, she tried to switch -back to the idea that accused had abstracted the revolver out of the -smoking-room before dinner and immediately after his quarrel with -Colonel Forburg. The footman Cambalt's evidence on this point had -been somewhat discounted by his refusing to state positively that no -one could have gone into the smoking-room at that time without his -seeing them. But against this theory there was always the -argument--of which Sir Evelyn Thrall made the most as you know--that -before dinner the accused could not have known that there would be an -alarm of burglary which would give him the opportunity of waylaying -the Colonel in the open field. With equal skill, too, Sir Evelyn -brought forward evidence to bear out the statement made by the -accused on the matter of his quarrel with Colonel Forburg. - -"'Just before dinner,' Mr. Thrall stated, 'Colonel Forburg told me he -had something to say to me in private. I followed him into the -smoking-room, and there he gave me certain information with regard to -his past life, and also with regard to Miss Glenluce's parentage, -which made it absolutely impossible for me, in spite of the deep -regard which I have for that lady, to offer her marriage. Miss -Glenluce is the innocent victim of tragic circumstances in the past, -and Forburg was just an unmitigated blackguard, and I told him so, -but I had my family to consider and very reluctantly I came to the -conclusion that I could not introduce any relation of Colonel Forburg -into its circle. Colonel Forburg did not stand in the way of my -marrying his stepdaughter; it was I who most reluctantly withdrew.' - -"Whilst the accused was cross-examined upon this statement, and he -gave his answers in firm, dignified tones, Miss Monica never took her -eyes off him, and surely if looks could kill, Mr. Morley Thrall would -not at that moment have escaped with his life, so full of deadly -hatred and contempt was her gaze. The accused had signed a much -fuller statement than the one which he made in open court; it -contained a detailed account of his interview with Colonel Forburg, -and of the circumstances which finally induced him to give up all -thoughts of asking Miss Glenluce to be his wife. - -"These facts were not made public at the time for the sake of Miss -Monica and of the unfortunate, Gerald, but it seems that the -transactions which had earned for the Colonel the sobriquet of -'Remount Forburg' were so disreputable and so dishonest that not only -was he cashiered from the army, but he served a term of imprisonment -for treason, fraud, and embezzlement. He had no right to be styled -Colonel any longer, and quite recently had been threatened with -prosecution if he persisted in making further use of his army rank. - -"But this was not all the trouble. It seems that in his career of -improbity he had been associated with a man named Nosdel, a man of -Dutch extraction whom he had known in South Africa. This man was -subsequently hanged for a particularly brutal murder, and it was his -widow who was 'Remount Forburg's' second wife, and the mother of -Monica and of Gerald, who had been given the fancy name of Glenluce. - -"Obviously a man in Mr. Morley Thrall's position could not marry into -such a family, and it appears that whenever there was a question of a -suitor for Monica, 'Remount Forburg' would tell the aspirant the -whole story of his own shady past and, above all, that of Monica's -father. Sir Evelyn Thrall had been clever enough to discover one or -two gentlemen who had had the same experience as his cousin Morley; -they, too, just before their courtship came to a head had had a -momentous interview with 'Remount Forburg,' who found this means of -choking off any further desire for matrimony on the part of a man who -had family connections to consider. But it was very obvious that Mr. -Morley Thrall had no motive for killing 'Remount Forburg'; he would -have left Brudenell Court that very evening, he said, only that young -Glenluce had begged him, for Monica's sake, not to make a scene; -anyway, he was leaving the house the next day and had no intention of -ever darkening its doors again. - -"Poor Monica Glenluce or Nosdel, ignorant of the hideous cloud that -hung over her entire life, ignorant, too, of what had passed between -her stepfather and Mr. Morley Thrall, felt nothing but hatred and -contempt for the man whose love, she believed, had proved as unstable -as that of any of her other admirers. For charity's sake one must -suppose that she really thought him guilty at first, and hoped that -when the clouds had rolled by he would return to her more ardent than -before. Presumably he found means to make her understand that all -was irrevocably at an end between them as far as he was concerned, -whereupon her regard for him turned to bitterness and desire for -revenge. - -"And, indeed, but for the cleverness of a distinguished lawyer, poor -Morley Thrall might have found himself the victim of a judicial error -brought about by the deliberate enmity of a woman. Had he been -committed for trial, she would have had more time at her disposal to -manufacture evidence against him, which I am convinced she had a mind -to do." - -"As it is," I now put in tentatively, for the Old Man in the Corner -had been silent for some little while, "the withdrawal of the charge -of murder against Morley Thrall did not help to clear up the mystery -of 'Remount Forburg's' tragic death." - -"Not so far as the public is concerned," he retorted dryly. - -"You have a theory?" I asked. - -"Not a theory," he replied. "I know who killed 'Remount Forburg.'" - -"How do you know?" I riposted. - -"By logic and inference," he said. "As it was proved that Morley -Thrall did not kill him, and that Miss Monica could not have done it, -as the ladies did not join in the chase after the burglar, I looked -about me for the only other person in whose interest it was to put -that blackguard out of the way." - -"You mean----?" - -"I mean the boy Gerald, of course. Openly and before the other -witness, Cambalt, he stood up for his stepfather against Thrall who -was not measuring his words, but just think how the knowledge which -he had gained about his own parentage and that of his sister must -have rankled in his mind. He must have come to the conclusion that -while this man--his stepfather--lived, there would be no chance for -him to make friends, no chance for the sister whom he loved ever to -have a home, a life of her own. Whether that interview on Christmas -Eve was the first inkling which he had of the real past history of -his own and Forburg's family, it is impossible to say. Probably he -had suspicions of it before, when, one by one, Monica's suitors fell -away after certain private interviews with the Colonel. Morley -Thrall must have been a last hope, and that, too, was dashed to the -ground by the same infamous means. - -"I am not prepared to say that the boy got hold of the revolver that -night with the deliberate intention of killing his stepfather at the -earliest opportunity; he may have run into the smoking-room to snatch -up the weapon, only with a view to using it against the burglar; -certain it is that he overtook 'Remount Forburg' in the five-acre -field and that he shot him then and there. Remember that the night -was very dark, and that there was a great deal of running about and -of confusion. The boy was young enough and nimble enough after he -had thrown down the revolver to run across the field and then to go -back to the house by a roundabout way. It is easy enough in a case -like that to cover one's tracks, and, of course, no one suspected -anything at the time. Even the sound of firing created but little -astonishment; it was so very much on the cards that the Colonel would -use a revolver without the slightest hesitation against a man who had -been trying to break into his house. It was just the sort of revenge -that a man of Gerald's temperament--disfigured, shy, silent and -self-absorbed--would seek against one whom he considered the fount of -all his wrongs." - -"But," I objected, "how could young Glenluce run into the -smoking-room, pick up the revolver out of a drawer, and run back -through the hall with servants and guests standing about? Some one -would be sure to see him." - -"No one saw him," the funny creature retorted, "for he did it at the -moment of the greatest confusion. The butler had run in with the -news of the burglary, the Colonel jumped up and ran out through the -hall, the guests had not yet made up their minds what to do. In -moments like this there are always just a few seconds of pandemonium, -quite sufficient for a boy like Gerald to make a dash for the -smoking-room." - -"But after that----" - -"He took the revolver out of the drawer and ran out through the -French window." - -"But the shutters were found to be bolted on the inside," I argued, -"when they were examined by the police inspector." - -"So they were," he admitted. "Miss Monica had already been in there -with young Gerald. They had seen to the shutters." - -"Then you think that Monica knew?" - -"Of course she did." - -"Then her desire to prove Morley Thrall guilty----" - -"Was partly hatred of him, and partly the desire to shield her -brother," the funny creature concluded as he collected traps, his bit -of string and his huge umbrella. "Think it over; you will see that I -am right. I am sorry for those two, aren't you? But they are -selling Brudenell Court, I understand, and their mother's fortune has -become theirs absolutely. They will go abroad together, make a home -for themselves, and one day, perhaps, everything will be forgotten, -and a new era of happiness will arise for the innocent, now that the -guilty has been so signally punished. But it was an interesting -case. Don't you agree with me?" - - - - -IX - -THE MYSTERY OF THE WHITE CARNATION - - -§1 - -"I suppose that is a form of snobbishness," the Old Man in the Corner -began abruptly. - -I gave such a jump that I nearly upset the contents of a cup of -boiling tea which I was conveying to my mouth. As it was, I scalded -my tongue and nearly choked. - -"What is?" I queried with a frown, for I was really vexed with the -creature. I had no idea he was there at all. But he only smiled and -concluded his speech, quite unperturbed. - -"... that creates additional interest in a crime when it concerns -people of wealth or rank." - -"Snobbishness," I rejoined, "of course it's snobbishness! And when -the little suburban madam has finished reading about Lady -Stickinthemud's reception at Claridge's she likes to turn to Lord -Tomnoodle's prospective sojourn in gaol." - -"You were thinking of the disappearance of the Australian -millionaire?" he asked blandly. - -"I don't know that I was," I retorted. - -"But of course you were. How could any journalist worthy of the name -fail to be interested in that intricate case?" - -"I suppose you have your theory--as usual?" - -"It is not a theory," the creature replied, with that fatuous smile -of his which always irritated me; "it is a certainty." - -Then, as he became silent, absorbed in the contemplation of a -wonderfully complicated knot in his beloved bit of string, I said -with gracious condescension: - -"You may talk about it, if you like." - -He did like, fortunately for me, because, frankly, I could not see -daylight in that maze of intrigue, adventure and possibly crime, -which was described by the Press as "The Mystery of the White -Carnation." - -"The events were interesting from the outset," he began after a -while, whilst I settled down to listen, "and so were various actors -in the society drama. Chief amongst these was, of course, Captain -Shillington, an Australian ex-officer, commonly reputed to be a -millionaire, who, with his mother and sister, rented Mexfield House -in Somerset Street, Mayfair, the summer before last. It appears that -Lord Mexfield's younger son, the Honorable Henry Buckley, who was an -incorrigible rake and whom his father had sent on a tour round the -world in order to keep him temporarily out of mischief, not to say -out of gaol, had met a married brother of Captain Shillington's out -in the Antipodes, they had been very kind to him, and so on, with the -result that when came the following London season the family turned -up in England, and, after spending a couple of days at the Savoy, -they moved into the Mexfields' house in Somerset Street. - -"Lord and Lady Mexfield were abroad that year, and Henry Buckley and -his sister Angela were living with an aunt who had a small house -somewhere in Mayfair. - -"Although the Shillingtons were reputed to be very wealthy, they -appeared to be very quiet, simple folk, and it certainly seemed -rather strange that they should have gone to the expense of a house -in town, when obviously they had no social ambitions and did not mean -to entertain. As a matter of fact, as far as Mrs. Shillington and -her daughter were concerned, nobody could have lived a quieter, more -retiring life than they did. Mrs. Shillington was an invalid and -hardly ever went outside her front door, and the girl Marion seemed -to be suffering from a perpetual cold in the head. They seemed to be -in a chronic state of servant trouble. Mrs. Shillington was -dreadfully irritable, and one set of servants after another were -engaged only to leave without notice after a few days. The one -faithful servant who remained was a snuffy old man who came to them -about a month after they moved into Mexfield House. He and a -charwoman did all the work of cooking and valeting and so on. -Presumably the old man could not have got a situation elsewhere as -his appearance was very unprepossessing, and therefore he was willing -to put up with what the servants' registry offices would term 'a very -uncomfortable situation.' - -"Captain Shillington, the hero of the tragic adventure, on the other -hand, went about quite a good deal. He was certainly voted to be -rather strait-laced, not to say priggish, but he was very -good-looking and a fine dancer. Henry Buckley introduced him to some -of his smart friends and Lady Angela constituted him her dancing -partner. The partnership soon developed into warmer friendship and -presently it was given out that Lady Angela Buckley, only daughter of -the Earl and Countess of Mexfield, was engaged to Captain Denver -Shillington, the Australian millionaire. Lady Angela confided to her -friends that her fiancé was the owner of immense estates in Western -Australia, on a portion of which rich deposits of gold had lately -been discovered. He certainly had plenty of money to spend, and on -one occasion he actually paid Henry Buckley's gambling debts to the -tune of two or three hundred pounds. - -"On the whole, society pronounced the match a suitable one. Lady -Angela Buckley was no longer in her first youth, whilst her brother, -to whom she was really devoted, would be all the better for a -somewhat puritanical, strait-laced and, above all, wealthy -brother-in-law." - - -§2 - -"That, then, was the position," the Old Man in the Corner continued -after a while, "and the date of Lady Angela Buckley's marriage to -Captain Denver Shillington had been actually fixed when the public -was startled one afternoon towards the end of the summer by the -sensational news in all the evening papers: 'Mysterious disappearance -of a millionaire.' This highly coloured description applied, as it -turned out, to Captain Shillington, the fiancé of Lady Angela -Buckley. It seems that during the course of that same morning a -young lady, apparently in deep distress and suffering from a -streaming cold in the head, had called at Scotland Yard. She gave -her name and address as Marion Shillington, of Mexfield House, -Somerset Street, Mayfair, and stated that she and her mother were in -the greatest possible anxiety owing to the disappearance of her -brother, Captain Denver Shillington. They had last seen him on the -previous Friday evening at about nine o'clock when he left home in -order to pick up his fiancée, Lady Angela Buckley, whom he was -escorting that night to a reception in Grosvenor Square. He was -wearing full evening dress and a soft hat. Miss Shillington couldn't -say whether he had any money in his pockets. She thought that -probably he was carrying a gold cigarette case, which Lady Angela had -given him, but, as a matter of fact, he never wore any jewellery. - -"No one in the house had heard him come in again that night, and his -bed had not been slept in. Questioned by the police, Miss -Shillington explained that neither she nor her mother felt any alarm -at first because there had been some talk of Captain Shillington -going away with his fiancée to stay with friends over the week-end, -somewhere near Newmarket. It was only this morning, Wednesday, that -Mrs. Shillington first began to worry when there was still no sign or -letter from him. 'My brother is a very good son,' Miss Shillington -continued, explaining to the police, 'and always very considerate to -mother. It was so unlike him to leave us without news all this while -and not let us know when to expect him home. So I rang up Lady -Angela Buckley, who is his fiancée, to see if I could get news -through her, as I could see mother was beginning to get anxious. Mr. -Henry Buckley, Lady Angela's brother, answered the 'phone. I asked -after his sister and he told me that she was staying on in the -country a day or two longer. He himself had come back to town the -previous night. I then asked him, quite casually, if he knew whether -Denver--that's my brother--would be returning with Angela. And his -answer to me was, "Denver? Why, I haven't seen him since Friday. -And I can tell you that he is in for a row with Angela. She was -furious with him that he never wrote once to her while she was away." -I was so upset that I hung up the receiver and just sat there -wondering what to do next. But Mr. Buckley rang up a moment or two -later and asked quite cheerily if there was anything wrong. "Good -old Square-toes!" he said, meaning my brother, whom he always used to -chaff by calling him "Square-toes," "don't tell me he has gone off on -the spree without letting you know. I say, that's too bad of him, -though. But I shouldn't be anxious if I were you. Boys, you know, -Miss Shillington, will be boys, and I like old Square-toes all the -better for it."' - -"Miss Shillington," the Old Man in the Corner went on, "was as usual -suffering from a streaming cold, and between spluttering and crying, -she had reduced two or three handkerchiefs to wet balls. At best she -was no beauty, and with a red nose and streaming eyes she presented a -most pitiable spectacle. 'I made Mr. Buckley assure me once more,' -she said, 'that he had seen nothing of Denver since Friday. That -night he and Lady Angela and Denver were at a reception in Grosvenor -Square. They all left about the same time. Angela and Denver went, -presumably, straight home; at any rate, he, Mr. Buckley, saw nothing -more of them after they got into their car. He himself went to spend -an hour or two at his club and came home about two a.m. The next -morning, after breakfast, he drove his sister out to Tatchford, near -Newmarket, where they spent the week-end with some friends. And that -was all Mr. Buckley could say to me,' Miss Shillington concluded, -vigorously blowing her nose: 'He came home last night from Tatchford, -and was expecting Lady Angela in a couple of days. Denver had not -been at Tatchford at all, and he had not once written to Angela all -the while she was away.' - -"Of course the police inspector to whom Miss Shillington related all -these facts had a great many questions to put to her. For one thing -he wanted to know whether she had been in communication with Lady -Angela Buckley since this morning. - -"'No,' the girl replied, 'I have not, and so far, I haven't said -anything to mother. As soon as I felt strong enough I put on my -things and came along here.' - -"Then the inspector wanted to know if she knew of any friends or -acquaintances of her brother's with whom he might have gone off for a -week-end jaunt without saying anything about it, either at home or to -his fiancée. He put the questions as delicately as he could, but the -sister flared up with indignation. It seems that the Captain's -conduct had always been irreproachable. He was a model son, a model -brother, and deeply in love with Lady Angela. Miss Shillington also -refused to believe that he could have been enticed to a place of -ill-fame and robbed by one of the usual confidence tricksters. - -"'My brother is exceptionally shrewd,' she declared, 'and a splendid -business man. Though he is not yet thirty, he has built up an -enormous fortune out in Australia, and administers his estates -himself to the admiration of every one who knows him. He is not the -sort of man who could be fooled in that way.' - -"But beyond all this, and beyond giving a detailed description of her -brother's appearance, the poor girl had very little to say, and the -detective who was put in charge of the case could only assure her -that enquiries would at once be instituted in every possible -direction, and that the police would keep her informed of everything -that was being done. Obviously, the person most likely to be able to -throw some light upon the mystery was Lady Angela Buckley, but as you -know, the advent of this charming lady upon the scene only helped to -complicate matters. It appears that Henry Buckley, delighted at what -he jocosely called, 'Old "Square-toes" falling from grace,' had rung -up his sister in order to tell her the startling news over the -telephone. Lady Angela being a very modern young woman, her brother -thought that she might storm for a bit but in the end see the -humorous side of the situation. But not at all! Lady Angela took -the affair entirely _au tragique_. Over the telephone she only -exclaimed, 'Great Lord!' but at one o'clock in the afternoon she -arrived at the flat, having taken the first train up to town and not -even waiting for her maid to pack her things. Mr. Henry Buckley was -just going out to lunch. Without condescending to explain anything, -his sister dragged him off then and there to Scotland Yard. -'Something has happened to Denver,' was all that she would say. -'Something dreadful, I am sure.' In vain did her brother protest -that she would only be making a fool of herself by rushing to the -police like this, that old Square-toes had only gone on the spree, -and that, anyway, she ought to consult with the Shillingtons before -doing anything silly; Lady Angela would not listen to reason. 'You -don't know! You don't know!' she kept on reiterating with -ever-increasing agitation. 'He has been murdered, I tell you. -Murdered!' - -"By the time that the pair arrived at Scotland Yard, Lady Angela was -in a state bordering on hysterics, and her brother appeared both -sulky and perplexed. They saw the same Inspector who had interviewed -Miss Shillington, and certainly his amazement was no whit less than -that of Mr. Henry Buckley when Lady Angela having mentioned the -disappearance of Captain Denver Shillington, said abruptly, 'Yes, he -has disappeared, and incidentally, he had my pearls in his pocket.' -The Inspector made no immediate comment; men of his calling are used -to those kinds of surprises, but Henry Buckley gave a gasp of horror. - -"'Your pearls?' he exclaimed. 'What pearls? Not----?' - -"'Yes,' Lady Angela rejoined, coolly. 'The Glenarm pearls. All of -them!' - -"'But----' Henry Buckley stammered, wide-eyed and white to the lips. - -"His sister threw him what appeared to be a warning glance, then she -turned once more to the police inspector. - -"'My brother is upset,' she said calmly, 'because he knows that the -pearls are of immense value. The late Lord Glenarm left them to me -in his will. He made a huge fortune by a successful speculation in -sugar. He had no daughters of his own, and late in life he married -my mother's sister. He was my godfather, and when he first bought -the pearls and gave them to his wife as a wedding present, he said -that after her death and his they should belong to me. They were -valued for probate at twenty-five thousand pounds.' - -"Henry Buckley was still speechless, and it was in answer to several -questions put to her by the Inspector that Lady Angela gave the full -history, as far as she knew it, of the disappearance of her pearls. - -"'I was going to spend the week-end with some friends at Tatchford, -near Newmarket,' she said. 'My brother at first had decided not to -come with me. On the Friday evening I went with Captain Shillington -to a ball at the Duchess of Flint's in Grosvenor Square. I wore my -pearls; on the way home in the car, Captain Shillington appeared very -anxious as to what I should do about the pearls whilst I was away. -He wanted me to take them to the bank first thing in the morning -before I left. But I knew I couldn't do this, because my train was -at nine-fifty from Liverpool Street. Captain Shillington had once or -twice before shown anxiety about the pearls and urged me to keep them -at the bank when I was not wearing them, but he had never been so -insistent as that night.' - -"Lady Angela appeared to hesitate for a moment or two. She glanced -at her brother with a curious expression, both of anxiety and -contempt. It seemed as if she were trying to make up her mind to say -something that was very difficult, to put in so many words. The -Inspector sat silent and impassive, waiting for her to continue her -story, and at last she did make up her mind to speak. - -"'I had a safe in the flat,' she went on, glibly, 'where I keep my -jewellery, but Captain Shillington did not seem satisfied. He argued -and argued, and at last he persuaded me to let him have the pearls -while I was away and he would deposit them at his own bank until my -return.' - -"Presumably at this point the lady caught an expression on the face -of the Inspector which displeased her, for she added with becoming -dignity, 'I am engaged to be married to Captain Denver Shillington.' - -"'My God!' Henry Buckley exclaimed at this point, and with a groan he -buried his face in his hands. - -"Mind you," the Old Man in the Corner proceeded, after a moment's -pause, "the public had no information as to the exact words, and so -on, that passed between Lady Angela, her brother Henry, and the -officials of Scotland Yard. All that I am telling you, and what I am -still about to tell you, came out bit by bit in the papers. -Sensation-lovers were immensely interested in the case from the -outset, because, although both public and police are familiar enough -with the tragi-comedy of the good-looking young blackguard who gets -confiding females to entrust him with their little bits of jewellery, -this was the first time that the confidence trick had been played by -a well-known man about town--reputed wealthy, since he had gone to -the length of paying a friend's gambling debts--on a society lady who -was not in her first youth and must presumably have had some -knowledge of the world she lived in. - -"Lady Angela had concluded her statements by saying that during the -drive home in the car she took off her pearls and handed them to her -fiancé, who slipped them into his pocket just as they were, although -when presently the car drew up at her door she suggested running up -to her room to get the case for them. The Captain, however, declared -this to be unnecessary. What he said was, 'I will sleep with them -under my pillow to-night, and to-morrow morning first thing I will -take them round to the bank for you.' After this he said good-night. -Lady Angela let herself into the house with her latchkey, and Captain -Shillington then dismissed the car, saying that he would enjoy a bit -of a walk as the rooms at Grosvenor Square had been so desperately -hot. - -"And it was at this point," the Old Man in the Corner now said with -deliberate emphasis as he worked away at an exceptionally intricate -knot in his beloved bit of string, "it was at this point that certain -facts leaked out which lent to the whole case a sinister aspect. - -"It appears that on the Saturday morning at break of day one of the -boats belonging to the Thames District Police found a grey Homburg -hat floating under one of the old steamship landing stages and, stuck -to one of the wooden piles close by, a man's silk scarf. There was -no name inside the hat or any other clue as to the owner's identity, -but both the scarf, which had once been white or light grey, and the -hat were terribly soiled and torn, and both were stained with blood. -The police had tried on the quiet to trace the owner of the hat and -scarf but without success. After Lady Angela had told her story of -the missing pearls, the things were shown to Miss Shillington, who at -once identified the hat as belonging to her brother; the scarf, -however, she knew nothing about. - -"But this was not by any means all. It appears that for some reason -which was never quite clear, Captain Shillington, after he said -good-night to Lady Angela, altered his mind about the proposed walk. -It may have started to rain, or he may not, after all, have liked the -idea of walking about the streets at night with twenty-five thousand -pounds' worth of pearls in his pocket. Be that as it may, he hailed -a passing taxi and drove to Mexfield House. The driver came forward -voluntarily in answer to an advertisement put in the papers by the -police. He stated that he remembered the circumstance quite well -because of what followed. He remembered taking up a fare outside -Stanhope Gate and being ordered to drive to Mexfield House in -Somerset Street. When he slowed down close to Mexfield House he -noticed a man with his hands in his pockets lounging under the -doorway of one of the houses close by. As far as he could see the -man was in evening dress and wore a light overcoat. He had on a silk -hat tilted right over his eyes so that only the lower part of his -face was visible, and he had a white or pale grey scarf tied loosely -round his neck. The chauffeur also noticed that he had a large white -flower, probably a carnation, in his buttonhole. After the taxi-man -had put down his fare he drove off, and as he did so he saw the man -in the light overcoat step out from under the doorway, where he had -been lounging, and turn in the direction of Mexfield House. What -happened after that he didn't know, as he drove away without taking -further notice, but the police were already in touch with another man -who had been watching that night in Somerset Street, where a portion -of the road was up for repair. This man, whose name, I think, was -William Rugger, remembered quite distinctly seeing a 'swell' in a -light overcoat and wearing a light-coloured scarf round his neck, -loafing around Mexfield House. He remembered the taxi drawing up and -a gentleman getting out of it, whereupon the one in the light -overcoat and the scarf went up to him and said, 'Hullo, Denver!' at -which the other gent, the one who had come in the taxi, appeared very -surprised, for Rugger heard him say, 'Good Lord, Henry, what are you -doing here?' - -"Rugger didn't hear any more because the gentleman in the light -overcoat then took the other one by the arm and together the pair of -them walked away down the street. When they had gone Rugger noticed -a large white carnation lying on the pavement; he picked it up and -subsequently took it home to his missis. - -"You may imagine what a stir and excitement this story--which pretty -soon leaked out in all its details--caused amongst the public. It -seems that although neither the taxi-driver nor the man Rugger had -seen the face of the man who had stepped out from under a -neighbouring doorway and accosted Captain Shillington, they were both -of them quite positive that he was in evening dress, and that he wore -a silk hat, a light overcoat, and had a pale grey or white scarf -wound round his neck. And besides that, there was the white -carnation. But, of course, the crux of the whole evidence was -Rugger's assertion that he heard one gentleman--the one who got out -of the cab--say to the other in tones of great surprise, 'Good Lord, -Henry, what are you doing here?' Questioned again and again he never -wavered in this statement. He heard the name Henry quite distinctly -and it stuck in his mind because his eldest boy was Henry. He was -also asked whether the gentleman, who had stepped out of the -taxi--obviously Captain Shillington, since the other had called to -him, 'Hullo, Denver'--walked away reluctantly or willingly when he -was thus summarily taken hold of by the arm. Rugger was under the -impression that he walked away reluctantly; he freed his arm once, -but the other got hold of him again, and, though Rugger did not catch -the actual words, he certainly thought that the two gentlemen were -quarrelling. - -"And thus public opinion, which at first had been dead against the -Australian Captain, now went equally dead against Henry Buckley. -Ugly stories were current of his extravagance, his gambling debts, -his addiction to drink. People who knew him remembered one or two -ugly pages in his life's history: altercations with the police, raids -on gambling clubs of which he was a prominent member; there was even -a fraudulent bankruptcy which had been the original cause of his -being sent out to Australia by his harassed parents until the worst -of the clouds had rolled by. - -"The only thing that told in his favour, as far as the public was -concerned, was the bitter vindictiveness displayed against him by -Miss Shillington. That the girl had cause for bitterness was not to -be denied. For a time, at any rate, public opinion had branded her -brother as a common trickster and a thief, and she and her mother had -no doubt suffered terribly under the stigma; in consequence of this, -Mrs. Shillington's health, always in a precarious state, had -completely broken down and the old lady had taken to her bed, not -suffering from any particular disease, but just from debility of mind -and body, obstinately refusing to see a doctor, declaring that -nothing would cure her except the return of her son. - -"And on the top of all that came the growing conviction that the son -never would return and that he had been foully murdered for the sake -of Lady Angela's pearls, which he so foolishly was carrying in his -pocket that night. No wonder, then, that his sister Marion felt -bitter against the people who were the original cause of all these -disasters; no wonder that she threw herself heart and soul into the -search for evidence against the man whom she sincerely believed to be -guilty of a most hideous crime. - -"It was mainly due to her that the police came on the track of -William Rugger, the night-watchman, and through the latter that the -driver of the taxi-cab was advertised for, because Rugger remembered -seeing the gentleman alight from a taxi outside Mexfield House. But -Miss Shillington's valuable assistance in the matter of investigation -went even further than that. She at last prevailed upon the old -man-servant at Mexfield House to come forward like a man and to speak -the truth. He was a poor creature, not really old, probably not more -than fifty, but timid and almost abject. He had at first declined to -make any statement whatever, declaring that he had nothing to say. -To every question put to him by the police, he gave the one answer, -'I saw nothing, sir, I 'eard nothing. I went to bed as usual on the -Friday night. The Captain 'e never expected me to sit up for 'im -when 'e was out to parties, and I never 'ear 'im come in, as I sleep -at the top of the 'ouse. No, sir, I didn't 'ear nothing that night. -The last I seed of the Captain was at nine o'clock, when 'e got into -the car and said good-night to me.' When he was shown the -blood-stained hat, he burst out crying, and said, 'Yes, sir! Yes, -sir! That is the Captain's 'at. My Lord! What 'as become of 'im?' -He also failed to identify the scarf as being his master's property. - -"Then one day Miss Shillington, still suffering from a cold in the -head, but otherwise very business-like and brisk, arrived at Scotland -Yard with the man--James Rose was his name--in tow. By what means -she had persuaded him to speak the truth at last no one ever knew, -but in a tremulous voice and shaken with nervousness, he did tell -what he swore to be the truth. 'I must 'ave dropped to sleep in the -dining-room,' he said. 'I was very tired that evening, and I -remember after I 'ad cleared supper away I just felt as 'ow I -couldn't stand on my legs any longer, and I sat down in an armchair -and must 'ave dozed off. What woke me was the front-door bell which -rings in the 'all as well as in the basement. I looked at the clock, -it was past midnight. Captain forgot 'is key, that's what I thought. -Lucky I 'adn't gone to bed, or I should never 'ave 'eard 'im. Funny -'is forgetting 'is key, I thought. Never done such a thing before, I -thought, and went to open the door for 'im. But it wasn't the -Captain,' Rose went on, his voice getting more and more husky as no -doubt he realised the deadly importance of what he was about to say. -'No, it wasn't the Captain,' he reiterated, and shook his head in a -doleful manner. - -"'Who was it?' the Inspector demanded. - -"'The young gentleman who sometimes came to the 'ouse,' Rose repeated -under his breath. 'Mr. 'Enery Buckley it was, sir. Yes, Mr. 'Enery, -that's 'oo it was.' - -"'What did he say?' Rose was asked. - -"''E asked if the Captain was in, and I said no, not as I knew, but I -would go and see. So up I went to the Captain's room and saw 'e -wasn't there. Not yet. And I told Mr. 'Enery so when I came down -again.' - -"'Then what happened?' - -"'Mr. 'Enery 'e told me that 'e wouldn't wait and that I was to tell -the Captain 'e 'ad called, and that 'e would call again in 'arf an -hour. I said that I was going to bed and I wouldn't probably see the -Captain. 'E might be ever so late. Then Mr. 'Enery 'e just said, -"Very good," and "Never mind," and "Good-night, Rose," 'e said, and -then I let 'im out.' - -"'Well? And what happened after that?' - -"'I don't know, sir,' the old man concluded. 'I went to bed and I -never seed the Captain again, nor yet Mr. 'Enery--not from that day -to this, sir. No, not again, sir.' And Rose once more shook his -head in the same doleful manner. Of course the police were very down -on him for keeping back this valuable piece of information, and they -were even inclined to look with suspicion upon the man. They wanted -to know something about his antecedents and why he seemed so -frightened of facing the police authorities. Fortunately for him, -however, Miss Shillington could give them all the information they -wanted. She said that James Rose had been for years in the service -of a Mrs. O'Shea, who was a great friend of Mrs. Shillington's. When -Mrs. O'Shea died she left him a hundred pounds. But the poor thing -had never been very strong, and he was nothing to look at, he -couldn't get another place, and the hundred pounds vanished bit by -bit. About a month ago Mrs. Shillington, who was requiring a -man-servant, advertised for one in the _Daily Mail_. Rose answered -the advertisement, and though the poor thing in the meanwhile had -gone terribly downhill physically, Mrs. Shillington, remembering how -honest and respectable he had always been when he was in Mrs. -O'Shea's service, engaged him out of compassion and for the sake of -old times. Miss Shillington gave him an excellent character and the -police were satisfied. - -"I think," the Old Man in the Corner said, amorously contemplating a -marvellously intricate knot, which he had just made in his bit of -string, "I think that the police were mainly satisfied because at -last they felt that 'they had made out a case.' From that moment the -detectives and inspectors in charge became absolutely convinced that -Henry Buckley had enticed Captain Denver Shillington to some place of -evil fame close to the river and there, in collusion probably with -other disreputable characters, had robbed and murdered him. To say -the least, the case looked black enough against Buckley. His fast -living, his mountain of debt, the absence in him of moral rectitude -as proved by his fraudulent bankruptcy, all told against him; and now -it was definitely proved that he had sought out and actually been in -the company of Captain Shillington the night that the latter -disappeared. A light grey overcoat similar to the one described by -Rugger and by the chauffeur as worn by the gentleman who was loafing -in Somerset Street was found to be a part of his wardrobe; no one -could swear, however, as to the scarf, but it turned out that he -never went out in the evening without wearing a large, white -carnation in his button-hole. - -"The fact that he had not stated from the beginning that he had -called at Mexfield House that night, and subsequently met the missing -man and walked away with him, naturally told terribly against him. -Obviously the man lost his head. Questioned by the police, he tried -at first to deny the whole thing: he declared that the man with the -white carnation and the light-coloured scarf was some other man whose -name happened to be Henry, and he tried to upset Rose's evidence by -declaring that the man lied and that he had never called at Mexfield -House that night. But, unfortunately for him, he had taken a taxi -from his club to the house, the taxi-driver was found, and the noose -was further tightened round the Honourable Henry Buckley's neck. In -vain did he assert after that that Denver Shillington had told him to -call at Mexfield House at a quarter-past midnight on that fatal -Friday. He was no longer believed. He admitted that he was in -financial difficulties, and that he had spoken about these to Captain -Shillington earlier in the evening. He admitted, tardily enough, -that he went to Mexfield House hoping that Denver would give him some -money in order to wipe out his most pressing debts. When he found -that the Captain had not yet come home, he left a message with the -man-servant and thought he would go on to the club for a little while -and return later to see Shillington. Unfortunately, he drank rather -heavily whilst he was at the club and never thought any more either -about his money worries or about the Captain. In fact, he remembered -nothing very clearly beyond the fact that he went home, in the small -hours and went straight to bed. - -"He then went on to say that he woke up the next morning with a -splitting headache. It was pouring with rain and London was looking -particularly beastly, as he picturesquely termed it. He recollected -that his sister Angela had planned to go down with old Square-toes to -some friends near Newmarket for the weekend. He, too, had been asked -but had declined the invitation, but now he began to wish he hadn't; -while he was out of town money-lenders couldn't dun him, and a breath -of country air would certainly do him good. - -"And he was just cogitating over these matters at eight a.m. on that -Saturday morning, when his sister Angela came into his room. 'She -told me,' he went on, 'that old Square-toes was unable to accompany -her to these friends in Cambridgeshire, that she didn't want to go -alone, and would I hire a car and drive her down. She offered to pay -for the car, and, as the scheme happened to suit me, I agreed. We -drove down to Tatchford, and on the Tuesday I had an unpleasant -reminder from one of my creditors and thought that I must get back to -see what old Square-toes would do for me. I got home that same -evening, and the next morning early Miss Shillington rang up and told -me over the 'phone that they had heard nothing of Captain Shillington -since the previous Friday and that they were getting anxious. And -that's all I know,' he concluded. 'I swear that I never set eyes on -Shillington after he drove off from the Duchess of Flint's, with my -sister in his car. I did call at Mexfield House, but it was at -Shillington's suggestion, but when the man told me that the Captain -was not yet home, I did not loaf about the street, I went straight -back to the club and then home.' - -"Of course all this was very clear and very categorical, but there -were one or two doubtful points in Buckley's statements, which the -police--dead out now to prove him guilty of murder--made the most of. -Firstly, there was his former denial on oath that he had not called -at Mexfield House that night. It was only when he was confronted -with the testimony of the taxi-cab driver that he made the admission. -The employees at his club, which, by the way, was in Hanover Square, -had seen him come in at about half-past eleven. He went out again -twenty minutes later and the hall porter saw him hail a taxi-cab. He -was once more in the club at half-past twelve, and it is a -significant fact that two of the younger members chaffed him -subsequently because he had not the usual white carnation in his -button-hole. - -"Then again it was more than strange that on the Friday he was so -worried about his debts that he went in the middle of the night to -his friend's house in order to try and borrow money from him, and yet -when, according to his own statements, he never even saw his friend, -off he went the very next morning to the country, stayed away four -days, and on his return did not make any attempt seemingly to see the -Captain or to ask him for money. Thirdly, it was equally -inconceivable that Captain Shillington should have appointed to see -Buckley at that hour of the night, however pressed the latter might -have been for money. Why should he? The next morning would have -done just as well, whether he meant to help him or whether he did -not, and, according to the testimony of the night-watchman, William -Rugger, when he was accosted by Buckley, he exclaimed in tones of -great surprise, 'Good Lord, Henry, what are you doing here?' These -are not words which a man would say to a friend whom he had appointed -to meet at this very hour. - -"However, this portion of the taxi-driver's and Rugger's testimony -Buckley still strenuously denied. He could not deny the other. He -had called at Mexfield House and reluctantly admitted that it had -been nothing but 'blue funk' that had prompted him at first to hold -his tongue about that and then to deny the fact altogether. - -"But, above all, there was yet another fact which to the police was -more conclusive, more damning than any other and that was that on the -Wednesday morning the Honourable Henry Buckley had called at Messrs. -Foster and Turnbull, the well-known pawnbrokers of Oxford Street, and -had pledged a pair of diamond ear-rings and a couple of valuable -bracelets there for which he received three hundred and fifty pounds. - -"Here again, if Buckley had volunteered this statement, all might -have been well, but it was the pawnbrokers who gave information to -the police. It turned out that the ear-rings and the two bracelets -were the property of his sister, Lady Angela. Buckley declared that -she had given them to him, and she, very nobly, did her best to -corroborate this statement of his, but it had become impossible to -believe a word he said. Lady Angela's valiant efforts on his behalf -were thought to be unconvincing, and, as a matter of fact, the public -has never known from that day to this whether Henry Buckley stole his -sister's jewellery, or whether she gave it to him voluntarily. - - -§3 - -"Mind you, there can be no question but that the police acted very -injudiciously when they actually preferred a charge of murder against -Henry Buckley. There were two such damning flaws in the chain of -evidence that had been collected against him that the man ought never -to have been arrested. Even the magistrate was of that opinion. As -you know, if there is the slightest doubt about such a serious -charge, the magistrates will always commit a man for trial and let a -jury of twelve men pronounce on the final issue rather than decide -such grave matters on their own. But in this case there were really -no proofs. There were deductions: the accused was a young -blackguard, a moral coward and a liar. There was the blood-stained -scarf, the hat and the white carnation, there was the testimony of -the taxi-driver and the night watchman that Henry Buckley had been in -the company of Captain Shillington that night, but there was no proof -that he had murdered his friend and stolen the pearls. - -"To begin with, if there had been a murder, where was it committed, -and what became of Captain Shillington's body? Of course, the police -still hope to find traces of it, but, as you know, they have not yet -succeeded. Various theories are put forward that Henry Buckley was a -member of a gang of ruffians with headquarters in some obscure corner -of London close to the river, and that he enticed the Captain there -and murdered him with the help of his criminal associates with whom -he probably shared the proceeds of the crime. But over a year has -gone by since Shillington disappeared and the police are no nearer -finding the body of the missing man. - -"The magistrate dismissed the case against Henry Buckley. There was -not sufficient evidence to commit him for trial. What told most in -his favour in the end was the question of time. He was able to prove -that he was at his club in Hanover Square at half-past midnight on -the fateful night. Now, according to James Rose's testimony, it was -after midnight when he, Buckley, called at Mexfield House. Even -supposing that Shillington had arrived in the taxi five minutes -later, it was inconceivable that a man could entice another to an -out-of-the-way part of London, murder him--even if he left others to -dispose of the body--and walk back unconcernedly to Hanover Square, -all in less than half an hour. Nor were the pearls or any large sum -of money ever traced to Henry Buckley. He was just as deeply in debt -after the disappearance of Captain Shillington as he had been before. -Now he has gone on another tour round the world, and the -Shillingtons--mother and daughter--have given up all hopes of ever -seeing the gallant Captain, who was such a model son, again. A -little while ago the illustrated papers published photos of the two -ladies on board a P. and O. steamer bound for Australia, but the -public had forgotten all about Lady Angela's pearls and the -mysterious white carnation. No one was interested in the old lady -with the white hair and stooping figure, who was carried on board in -a chair, and who obstinately refused to be interviewed by newspaper -men eager for copy. The case is relegated, as far as the public is -concerned, to the category of undiscovered crimes." - -"But," I argued, as the Old Man in the Corner became silent, absorbed -in the untying of an intricate knot which he had made a little while -ago, "surely the police have found out who the man was who accosted -Captain Shillington in Somerset Street that night, the man with the -light-coloured scarf, which was subsequently found in the river by -the side of the missing man's hat, the man who called the Captain -'Denver,' and whom the latter called 'Henry,' and was so surprised to -see. If it was not Henry Buckley, who was it?" - -"Ah!" the exasperating creature retorted with a fatuous smile, "who -was it? That's just the point--a point just as dark as that a man -like Captain Shillington could be enticed at that hour of the night -to an out-of-the-way part of London, and at a moment when he had his -fiancée's jewellery worth twenty-five thousand pounds in his pocket. -Don't you think that _that_ point is absolutely inconceivable?" - -"Well," I said, "it does seem----" - -"Of course it does," he broke in eagerly. "I ask you: Is it likely? -At one moment we are told that Captain Shillington was a pattern of -all the virtues and that his business acumen and abilities had earned -for him not only a fortune but the admiration of all those who knew -him; and the very next we are asked to suppose that he would meekly -allow a young blackguard, whom he knew to be dishonest and -unscrupulous, to drag him 'reluctantly' to some obscure haunt of a -gang of criminals. Surely that should have jumped to the eyes of any -sane person who had studied the case." - -"I don't suppose," I retorted, "that Captain Shillington allowed -Buckley to drag him very far. Most people believed at the time that -he was attacked directly he rounded the corner of Somerset Street. -There are one or two entrances to mews just about there----" - -"Yes," the funny creature rejoined excitedly, "but not one nearer -than fifty yards from Mexfield House. And do you think that the -immaculate Australian would have walked ten at night with young -Buckley and with those pearls in his pocket? Why should he? He was -outside his own door. Wouldn't he have taken Henry into the house -with him if he wished to speak to him? No! No! The whole theory is -inconceivable...." - -"But Captain Shillington disappeared," I argued, "and so did the -pearls, and his hat was found floating in the river, torn and -blood-stained. You cannot deny that." - -"I certainly cannot deny," he replied, "that a blood-stained hat will -float on the water if it is thrown--say, from a convenient bridge." - -"But the scarf?" I retorted. - -"A scarf will obey the same laws of Nature as a hat." - -"But surely you are not going to tell me----?" - -"What?" - -"That the whole thing was a confidence trick, after all?" - -"I am certain that it was. A clever one, I'll admit, and even I was -puzzled at the time. I couldn't think who 'Henry' could possibly be. -It wasn't young Buckley, that was obvious. The alibi was conclusive -as to that: the miscreants who had planned to throw dust in the eyes -of the police by trying to fasten a hideous crime on that unfortunate -young Buckley set their stage rather too elaborately when they -devised the trick about the scarf. By identifying the murderer with -the wearer of the scarf, they saved Buckley from the gallows; without -it, there might have remained some doubt in the mind of some of the -jury. But, of course, it raised a tremendous puzzle. Who was the -'Henry' of Somerset Street? And was it not a curious coincidence -that he should be wearing an overcoat similar to the one habitually -worn by Henry Buckley and a white carnation, which many friends would -at once associate with that unfortunate young man? From the -examination of the puzzle to its solution was but a step. I came at -once to the conclusion that here was no coincidence, but a deliberate -attempt to impersonate Henry Buckley, the man most likely in the eyes -of the public to waylay, rob, and even murder a man whom he knew to -be in possession of valuable jewellery. Such a deliberate attempt, -therefore, argued that Captain Shillington himself must have been in -it. 'Good Lord, Henry, what in the world are you doing here?' was -obviously intended for any passer-by to hear in the same way that the -white carnation was intended for any chance passer-by to pick up. -Having established the _mise en scène_, the two scoundrels walked -off, having previously provided themselves with a blood-stained hat, -which presently Miss Shillington would identify as the property of -her brother." - -"Miss Shillington?" I broke in eagerly, "then you think that the -whole Australian family was in the conspiracy? And what about the -man Rose?" - -"The whole family," he rejoined, "only consisted of two. Man and -wife most likely." - -"But the man Rose?" I insisted. - -"An excellent part, alternately played with remarkable skill by the -Captain and his female accomplice." - -"Do reconstruct the whole thing for me," I pleaded. "I own that I am -bewildered." - -And from my bag I extracted a brand-new piece of string which I -handed to him with an engaging smile. Nothing could have pleased the -fatuous creature more. With long, claw-like fingers twiddling the -string, he began leisurely: - -"Nothing could be more simple. Captain Shillington takes leave of -his fiancée, having her pearls in his pocket. It is then about -half-past eleven. Henry Buckley has gone to his club, Shillington -having appointed to see him at Mexfield House soon after midnight. -There is, therefore, plenty of time. Shillington hurries home, -changes his personality into that of James Rose, as he often has done -before, and subsequently interviews Henry Buckley on the door-step. -You can see that, can't you?" - -"Easily," I replied. - -"Then as soon as he has got rid of Buckley, our friend the Captain -quits the personality of a snuffy, middle-aged man-servant, and -becomes himself once more. He goes back to the neighbourhood of -Mayfair, hails a taxi and drives to Mexfield House. But in the -meanwhile the female confederate--we'll call her Miss Shillington for -convenience' sake--in male attire and evening dress, wearing a light -overcoat, a light-coloured scarf and a white carnation in her -button-hole, lounges under a doorway in Somerset Street, waiting to -play her part. Now do you see how simple it all is?" - -"Perfectly," I admitted. "As you said before, they had provided -themselves with a blood-stained hat, which presently they threw into -the river, together with the scarf; and what happened after that?" - -"They walked home quietly and went to bed." - -"What? Both of them? ... But the mother?" - -"I don't believe in the mother," he retorted blandly. "Do you?" - -"I thought----" - -"She takes to her bed--she never sees a doctor--she and her daughter -never see any one--they have no friends--no servants save the man -Rose; put two and two together, my dear," the funny old man concluded -as he slipped the piece of string in his pocket. "Captain -Shillington was the only one in that house who ever went outside the -doors. The mother never did--no one ever saw her--the daughter had a -perpetual cold in the head--the man Rose had no one to speak for him, -no one to relate his past history, except Miss Shillington. Where is -he now? What has become of him? There's nobody to enquire after -him, so the police don't trouble. The two Shillingtons--supposed to -be mother and daughter--went back to Australia last year, but not the -man Rose. Then where is he? But I say that the two passengers on -board that P. and O. boat were not mother and daughter, but male and -female confederates in as fine a bit of rascality as I've ever seen. -And the man Rose never existed. He was just a disguise assumed from -time to time by Captain Shillington. It is not difficult, you know, -to assume a personality of that sort. The police inspectors who -questioned him had never seen Captain Shillington, and dirt and -shabby clothes are very perfect disguises. Now the pair of them are -knocking about the world somewhere, they will dispose of the pearls -to Continental dealers not over scrupulous where a good bargain can -be struck. If you will just think of Captain Shillington -impersonating James Rose and a decrepit old woman alternately, and of -Miss Shillington impersonating Henry Buckley on that one occasion, -you will see how conclusive are my deductions. I have a snapshot -here of the two Australian 'ladies,' taken on board the boat. This -muffled-up bundle of bonnet and shawl is supposed to be Mrs. -Shillington; it might as well be M. Poincaré or the Kaiser, don't you -think? And here is a snapshot of James Rose giving evidence in the -magistrate's court. Unfortunately, I have no photo of Captain -Shillington, or I could have shown you just how to trace the -personality of the handsome young man about town under that of this -snuffy, dirty, ill-kempt, unwashed, and badly clothed, stooping -figure of an out-at-elbows servant." - -He threw a bundle of newspaper cuttings down on the table. I gazed -at them still puzzled, but nevertheless convinced that he was right. -When I looked up again, I only saw a corner of his shabby checked -ulster disappearing through the swing doors. - - - - -X - -THE MYSTERY OF THE MONTMARTRE HAT - - -§1 - -"It was during a foggy, rainy night in November a couple of years -ago," the Old Man in the Corner said to me that day, "that the -inhabitants of Wicklow Lane, Southwark, were startled by a terrible -row proceeding from one of the houses down the street. There was a -lot of shouting and banging, then a couple of pistol-shots, after -that nothing more. It was then just after midnight. The dwellers in -Wicklow Lane are all of them poor, they are all of them worried with -the cares of large families, small accommodation, and irregular work, -all of which we must take it make for indifference to other people's -worries, and above all, to other people's quarrels. Rows were not an -unknown occurrence in Wicklow Lane, not always perhaps at dead of -night and not necessarily accompanied by pistol-shots, but -nevertheless sufficiently frequent not to arouse more than passing -interest. Half-a-dozen tousled heads--no more--were thrust out of -the windows to ascertain what this particular row was about; but as -everything was quiet again, as no police was in sight to whom one -might give directions, and as the mixture of rain and fog was -particularly unpleasant, the tousled heads after a few minutes -disappeared again, and once more peace reigned in Wicklow Lane. - -"Of course the next morning the event of the night was mentioned and -mildly discussed, both by the men whilst going to their work and by -the ladies whilst scrubbing their doorsteps. Every one agreed that -the pistol-shots were fired soon after midnight, but no one seemed to -be very clear in which particular house the row had occurred. Two or -three of the people who lived in No. 11 and No. 15 respectively would -have it that it occurred 'next door,' but as the house next door to -them both could only be the one between them, namely No. 13, and as -No. 13 had been empty for months, this testimony was at first -strongly discounted. - -"Presently, however, a helmeted and blue-coated representative of the -law came striding leisurely down the lane. Within a minute or two he -was surrounded by a number of excited ladies, all eager to give him -their own version of the affair. You can see him, can't you?" the -Old Man in the Corner went on with a grin, "stalking up the street, -his thumbs thrust into his belt, his face wearing that marvellous -look of impassivity peculiar to the force, and followed by this -retinue of gesticulating ladies, dressed in what they happened to -have picked up in neighboring 'ole clo'' shops, and by a sprinkling -of callow youths and unkempt, unshaven men. You can see him solemnly -plying the knocker on the dilapidated front door of No. 13, while for -the space of a minute or two the gesticulating ladies, the youths, -and the men were silent and motionless. But not a sound came in -response to the Bobby's vigorous knocking. The house was silent as -the grave; just above the front door a weather-worn board, swaying -and creaking in the wind, mutely gave it out that the lease of these -desirable premises was to be sold, and that the key could be had on -application to Messrs. J D. Whiskin and Sons, of Newnham Road, S.E. -The ladies, with cheeks blanched under the grime, looked aghast at -one another; the youths tittered nervously, the men swore. No one -appeared altogether displeased. Here was a real excitement at last -to vary the monotony of life, something that would keep gossip alive -at the White Lion for many a day to come. The majestic -representative of the law then blew his whistle. This broke the -spell of silence and voluble tongues started wagging again. Soon the -second representative of the law appeared, as ponderous, as impassive -as his mate. He was quickly put in possession of all the known and -unknown facts connected with the mysterious occurrence. Leaving his -mate in charge, he stalked off to get assistance. - -"Well, you remember no doubt what happened after that. A police -inspector called straightway on Messrs. Whiskin and Sons, and -elicited from them the information that effectively No. 13 Wicklow -Lane was for sale, had been for some time, and that on the previous -morning--it was, of course, Thursday--a well-dressed gentleman had -called to make enquiries about the house. Young Mr. Whiskin gave him -the key and asked him to be sure and return it before 1 p.m. as the -office closed early on Thursdays. Well, the gentleman hadn't come -back yet with the key, but Mr. Whiskin was not troubling much about -that, there being nothing in the house--nor for a matter of that in -the street--likely to tempt a thief. Young Mr. Whiskin thought that -he would be able to identify the gentleman if he saw him again. He -had rather a red face and a thick nose, which suggested that he was -accustomed to good living, rough ginger-coloured hair, and a straggly -ginger beard and walrus moustache, all of which gave him rather a -peculiar appearance. He wore a neat brown lounge-suit, a light -overcoat, and grey Homburg hat, and he was carrying a large parcel -under his arm. Mr. Whiskin added that he had never seen the man -before or since. - -"As soon as these facts became known there was more voluntary -information forthcoming. It appears that one or two of the residents -in Wicklow Lane remembered seeing a man in light overcoat and soft -grey hat, and carrying a parcel under his arm, enter No. 13 with a -latchkey. No one had taken 'pertikler notice,' however, chiefly -because the occurrence was not an unusual one. Often people would go -in to look at the empty house and come out again after inspection. -Unfortunately, too, because of this there was distinct confusion of -evidence, some witnesses declaring that the man carried a large -parcel, and that he went away again, but not until the evening; -others would have it that he had a very small parcel, and that he -wore a bowler hat; others that the man with the bowler hat was -another person altogether, and did not call till the evening, whilst -this, again, was contradicted by another witness who said that the -man who called in the evening had very conspicuous ginger-coloured -hair and beard, but that he certainly wore a bowler hat. And through -this mass of conflicting evidence there was always the fact that the -fog was very thick that night and that no one therefore was able to -swear very positively to anything. - -"This, then, being all the information that could be gathered for the -moment from the outside, the police next decided to force an entry -into the empty house. Its unlucky number justified, as you know, its -sinister reputation, because the first sight that greeted the -inspector when he entered the front room on the ground floor was the -body of a man lying in a pool of blood. At first glance he looked -like a foreigner--youngish, and with jet-black hair and moustache. -By the side of him there was a damp towel, also stained with blood. -Closer examination revealed the fact that he was not dead, but he -seemed in a dead faint, and the inspector sent one of the men off at -once to telephone for the divisional surgeon. - -"The wounded man was dressed in a dark suit. He had on a gold watch -of foreign make, twenty pounds in notes, and some loose silver in his -pockets, and a letter addressed to 'Allen Lloyd, Esq.' at an hotel at -Boulogne. The letter was a private one, relating unimportant family -events; it was signed by a Christian name only, and bore a London -postmark, but no address. The police inspector took charge of the -letters and the money, and as the divisional surgeon had now arrived -and was busy with the wounded man, he proceeded to examine the -premises. - -"The houses in Wicklow Lane all have small yards at the back. These -yards end in a brick wall, the other side of which there is a railway -cutting. It was obvious that No. 13 had been untenanted for some -time. The dust of ages lay over window and door-frames, over broken -mantelpieces and dilapidated stoves. There was not a stick of -anything anywhere; even the rubbish in the basement--such as is found -in every empty house, residue left over by the last tenant--had been -picked over until there was nothing left but dust and a few empty -bottles. - -"The front room in which the wounded man lay revealed very little. -Two bullets were found lodged in one of the walls; one, quite close -to the ceiling, suggesting that it had been fired in the air, and the -other at a height of seven feet from the ground. The dust on the -floor had certainly been disturbed, but by how many pairs of feet it -was impossible to say. On the other hand, the back room on the same -floor had quite a grim tale to tell. It gave on the small backyard -with the wall as a background, beyond which was the railway cutting. -The window in this room was open. In one corner there was an -ordinary sink which showed that water had been running from the tap -quite recently; there was a small piece of soap in the sink which had -also recently been used. On the mantelpiece a small oak-framed -mirror was propped up against the wall and beside it on the shelf -there was the remnant of a burnt-out candle and a box of matches, -half empty. And thrown down on the floor, in a corner of the room, -were a black Inverness cape and soft black hat with a very wide brim, -such as are usually affected by French students. - -"It was, of course, difficult to reconstruct the assault just at -present, the wounded man being still in a state of stupor and unable -to give any account of himself, but the revolver was found lying at -the bottom of the yard close to the end wall. - -"In the meanwhile the divisional surgeon had concluded his -examination. He pronounced the wound to have been caused by one of -the bullets that had lodged in the wall of the front room. It had -been fired at very close range, as the flesh was singed all round the -wound. The bullet had gone right through the left deltoid, front to -back, and slightly upwards, just grazed the top of the shoulder, and -then lodged in the wall. The surgeon was inclined to think that the -wound was self-inflicted, but this theory was thought to be -untenable, because if a man was such an obviously poor shot he would -surely have chosen some other way of putting an end to himself, -unless, indeed, he was a lunatic, which might account for any -incongruity in the known facts, even to the noise--the shouting and -the banging--that all the neighbours agreed had preceded the revolver -shots. - -"But there certainly was one fact which discounted the attempted -suicide theory, and that was the undoubted presence of another man -upon the scene--the man with the ginger hair and the thick nose who -had called for the key at Messrs. Whiskin and Sons, and whom several -witnesses had actually seen entering the empty house, the man with -the parcel. Now no one saw him come out again by the front door. He -must have been in the house when the foreigner with the jet-black -hair came and joined him, and he must have slipped out later on in -the dark, under cover of the fog and rain, either by the front door -when nobody happened to be passing by, or over the wall and then by -the railway cutting. Now what had brought these two men together in -an empty house, in one of the worst slums in London? One man was -wounded; where was the other? Had the revolver been dropped by one -of them in his flight or flung out of the window by a lunatic? Was -it attempted suicide by a madman, or murder consequent on a quarrel, -or blackmail? None of these questions was ever answered, nor was the -man with the ginger-coloured hair ever found. There was absolutely -no clue by which he might be traced; the earth just swallowed him up -as if he had been a spook. - -"Nor was the identity of the wounded man ever satisfactorily -established. Who he was, where he came from, who were his associates -and what were his antecedents, he never revealed. He was detained in -hospital for a time, as he certainly was suffering from loss of -memory. But presently they had to let him go. He had money and he -was otherwise perfectly sane, but to every question put to him he -only answered, 'I don't know! I can't remember!' He spoke English -without the slightest trace of foreign accent; all that was foreign -about him was his jet-black hair and beard. Nor was the history of -the revolver ever traced to its source. Where was it bought? To -whom was it sold, and by whom? Nobody ever knew." - -"But where did the man go after he left the hospital?" I now asked, -seeing that the funny creature looked like curling himself up in his -corner and going to sleep. "Surely he was kept under observation -when they let him out!" - -"Of course he was," he replied glibly, "and for some time after that." - -"Then where did he go," I reiterated, impatiently, "when he was -discharged from hospital?" - -"He asked the way to the nearest public library and went straight -there; he looked down the columns of the _Morning Post_, scribbled a -few addresses on a scrap of paper, then he took a taxi and drove to -one of the private hotels in Mexborough Gate, where he engaged a -room, paying a fortnight's board and lodging in advance. Here he -lived for some considerable time. He was always plentifully supplied -with money, he bought himself clothes and linen, but where he got the -money from was never discovered. For a time he was watched both by -the police and by amateur detectives eager for copy, but nothing was -ever discovered that would clear up the mystery. From time to time -letters came for him at the hotel in Mexborough Gate. They were -addressed to 'Allen Lloyd, Esq.' which may or may not have been a -taken-up name. Presumably these letters contained remittances in -cash. They were never traced to their source. Anyway he always paid -his weekly bills at the hotel; but he never spoke to any one in the -place, nor, as far as could be ascertained, did he ever meet any one -or enter any house except the one he lodged in. - -"Then one fine day he left the hotel, never to return. He went out -one afternoon and nothing has been seen or heard of him from that day -to this. The mysterious Mr. Allen Lloyd has disappeared in the -whirlpool of London, leaving no trace of his identity. He had paid -his bill at the hotel that very day. He left no debts and just a -very few personal belongings behind. To all intents and purposes the -matter was relegated in the public mind to the category of unsolved -and unsolvable mysteries." - - -§2 - -The Old Man in the Corner had paused. From the capacious pocket of -his tweed ulster he now extracted a thick piece of string; his -claw-like fingers set to work. The problem which police and public -had never been able to solve had, I had no doubt, presented few -difficulties to his agile brain. - -"Tell me," I suggested. - -He went on working away for a little while at an intricate knot, then -he said, "If you want to know more, you will have to listen to what -will seem to you an irrelevant story." - -I professed my willingness to listen to anything he might choose to -tell me. - -"Very well, then," he said. "Let me take your mind back to that same -winter two years ago. Do you remember the extraordinary theft of a -valuable collection of gems, the property of Sir James Narford?" - -"I do." - -"Do you know who Sir James Narford was?" - -"I would prefer you to tell me," I replied. - -"Sir James Narford," the funny creature went on glibly, "was a young -gentleman who had been employed during the war in one of the -Government departments; he was the only son of his father who was an -impoverished Irish baronet. Soon after the Armistice, Sir James went -to South America to visit some relations. He must have made a very -favourable impression on one of these--an eccentric old cousin who -died a very few months later and left to his English relative a -marvellous collection of pearls and other gems. Some of these were -of priceless value, and as is the way with anything that is out of -the common, all sorts of stories grew around the romantic legacy. -The great worth and marvellous beauty of the jewels were told and -retold, with many embellishments no doubt, in the English papers. It -was asserted that the Brazilian Government had valued them for -probate at a million pounds sterling; that there were diamonds--some -still uncut--that would make the Koh-i-noor or the Orloff look like -small bits of glass, and so on. I daresay you can remember some of -the legends that gathered around Sir James Narford's gems. By the -time the lucky owner of the fabulous treasure, who had gone out again -to Brazil in order to fetch away his jewels, had returned to England, -he was the object of universal interest and he and his gems were -photographed and paragraphed all over the place. - -"But as I told you, the recipient of this princely legacy had always -been a poor man. We may take it that the payment of legacy duty on -forty thousand pounds' worth of gems had impoverished him still -further. Busybodies, of course, tried to persuade him to sell the -gems; he had numberless letters from diamond and pearl merchants, -asking for permission to see them with a view to purchase, but, -naturally enough, he didn't want to do anything in a hurry; he -deposited his treasure at the bank and then thought things over. He -didn't want to sell, for he was inordinately proud of his new -possession and of the notoriety which it had conferred upon him. It -was even rumoured that he had received more than one hint from fair -lips that if he proposed marriage, the owner of such beautiful jewels -would be certain of acceptance. - -"I don't know who first suggested the idea to Sir James Narford that -he should exhibit the gems for the benefit of disabled soldiers and -sailors. It was a splendid idea; 2s. 6d. was to be charged for -admission, and after deducting expenses of rent and attendants, the -profits were to go to that very laudable charity. Suitable premises -were secured in Sackville Street. These consisted of a shop with a -large plate-glass front and a small room at the back; the entrance -was through a front door and passage, which were common to the rest -of the house, and there were two doors in the passage, one of which -gave into the shop, and the other into the back room. Sir James -spent a little money in getting up the place in modern style, and he -had some cases made for the display of the gems. The door which gave -from the passage into the shop was condemned, and a heavy piece of -furniture placed against it. The back room was only to be used as an -office and ante-room with communicating doors leading into the shop. - -"In the daytime the gems were displayed in glass cases ranged right -and left of the shop; at night they were locked up in a safe which -stood in the middle of the shop, facing the plate-glass window and -with a blazing electric light kept on all night, just above the safe. -This is a very usual device with jewellers in a smaller way of -business. The policeman on night duty can see at once if there is -anything wrong. - -"Everything being ready, Sir James Narford asked a distinguished lady -friend of his to declare the show open, and for the first -fortnight--this, I must tell you, was in October--there was a steady -stream of visitors, ladies for the most part, who came to gaze on the -much-advertised gems. You might wonder what pleasure there could be -in looking at things one could never hope to possess, especially at -loose gems, however precious, which, to my mind, only become -beautiful when they are mounted and set in artistic designs. -However, I do not profess to understand feminine mentality; all I -know is that Sir James Narford declared himself on more than one -occasion satisfied with the result of his little venture. True that -after the first fortnight the attendance at the show fell off -considerably, and a few people did wonder why Sir James should -continue to keep it open for so long. Those who had been most -curious to see the gems of fabulous value had flocked in the first -few days, after that there was only a very thin sprinkling of people -up from the country, or foreigners, who paid their 2s. 6d. admission -for the sight. But be that as it may, the jewels were certainly -getting an additional amount of advertisement, and when presently the -owner would put them for sale, as no doubt he intended to do, they -would fetch a higher figure in consequence. In the meanwhile Sir -James went on living very quietly in a small service flat in George -Street, waited on by a faithful servant, a man named Ruggles, whom he -had known for years. Every day he would stroll round to Sackville -Street to look at his treasure and to talk to one or two friends. At -six o'clock the exhibition would be closed, and Sir James would -himself deposit all the gems into the safe, lock up the premises, and -take the keys back with him to his flat. He went out very little in -society, and only occasionally to his club. His one extravagance -appeared to be a mania for travelling in all sorts of out-of-the-way -places; he had been seemingly in every corner of Europe--in -Czecho-Slovakia and Yugoslavia, in Montenegro, Bosnia, and -Bessarabia. Before this whenever he went off on his travels he would -take his man with him and shut up the flat, but on the occasion which -presently arose he left Ruggles in charge of the exhibition in -Sackville Street. This was early in November, about a fortnight -after the opening of the exhibition; and when Sir James had gone it -was Ruggles who every night at six o'clock put the gems away in the -safe and locked up the premises. He then made a point of going for a -brisk walk, and returned to the flat at about half-past seven, had -his supper, read his paper, and then went to bed at about ten o'clock -with the keys of the safe and of the Sackville Street premises -underneath his pillow. - -"One of the staff in the flats at George Street always got his supper -ready for him--some cold meat, bread and cheese, and half a pint of -beer, which the lift-boy invariably fetched for him from the Crown -and Sceptre round the corner. He prepared his own breakfast in the -morning, and his other meals he took in Sackville Street. They were -sent in from one of the cheaper restaurants in Piccadilly. - -"Every morning the charwoman who cleaned the steps outside the block -of flats in George Street would see Ruggles come out of the house and -walk away in the direction of Sackville Street. Even on Sundays he -would stroll round as far as the shop to see that everything was all -right. - -"It was on a snowy morning in January that the charwoman failed to -see Ruggles at his accustomed time. As the quiet neighbourhood did -not as a rule lend itself much to gossip, the present opportunity was -not to be missed. The charwoman, on meeting with the lift-boy, -imparted to him the priceless news that Mr. Ruggles must either be -ill or had gone and overslept himself. Whereupon the lift-boy was -ready with the startling information that he had just observed that -one of the glass panels in the front door of Sir James Narford's flat -was broken. 'The glass wasn't broke in the evening, ten-thirty,' he -went on to say, 'when I took a party down who'd been visitin' Miss -Jenkins.' - -"It seems that Miss Jenkins was maid to a lady who had a flat on the -same floor as Sir James Narford. But there was the length of a -passage with staircase and lift between the two flats, and neither -the lady nor the maid, when spoken to by the lift-boy about the -broken glass panel, had heard anything during the night. Now all -this seemed very strange, more especially as the morning hours wore -on and there was still no sign of Mr. Ruggles. The lift-boy was kept -busy for the next hour taking the staff of the service flats up and -down in his lift, as every one wished to have a look at the broken -panel, and wanted to add their quota of opinion as to what had gone -on last night in Sir James Narford's flat. At ten o'clock the -housekeeper, more responsible or more enterprising than the rest of -the staff, resolved to knock at the flat door. No answer came. She -then tried to peep through the broken glass panel, and to apply her -ear to it. For a time all was silence. The charwoman, the lift-boy, -the scullery-maid, and the head housemaid stood by on the landing, -holding their breath. Suddenly they all gave a simultaneous gasp! A -groan--distinctly a groan--was heard issuing from inside the flat! -The group of watchers looked at one another in dismay. 'What's to be -done?' they murmured. - -"The lift-boy had the key of the flat, but as the front door was -bolted on the inside, the key in itself was no use. The housekeeper -with the air of a general in command about to order a deathly charge, -said resolutely, 'I shall force my way in!' And it was the lift-boy -who gasped, awe-stricken, 'You kin put your 'and through the broken -panel, mum, and pull the bolt.' - -"Somehow this bright idea which had occurred to the lift-boy made -every one there feel still more uncomfortable. The housekeeper, who -had been so bold a while ago, stammered something about fetching the -police, and when at that precise moment the lift-bell rang, the head -housemaid declared herself ready to faint. But it was only Sir James -Narford who had rung for the lift from below. He had arrived by the -night mail from Paris, and had only his small suit-case with him. -The lift-boy had the satisfaction of being the first to impart the -exciting news to him. ''E took it badly, 'e did!' was that young -gentleman's comment on Sir James's reception of the news. Without -taking the slightest notice of the group of excited women on the -landing, Sir James went straight to his front door, thrust his hand -through the broken panel, drew back the inside bolt, and stepped into -his flat. The next moment the agitated crowd on the landing heard -him cry out, 'My God, Ruggles, what has happened?' A feeble voice -which was scarcely recognisable as that of Ruggles was then heard -talking in short, jerky sentences, and a few moments later Sir -James's voice could be distinctly heard speaking on the telephone. - -"'He is telephoning for the police,' the housekeeper solemnly -announced to the staff. - -"Well," the Old Man in the Corner continued after a while, "let me -shorten my tale by telling you briefly the story which Ruggles told -the police. It did not amount to a great deal, but such as it was it -revealed a degree of cunning and of daring in the ways of burglary -that have seldom been equalled. Ruggles, it seems, had as usual put -away the gems in the safe and locked up the premises in Sackville -Street and then walked home to the flat, very glad, he declared, that -his responsibility would cease before another day went by, as he -expected Sir James home from abroad the following morning. He had -his supper as usual, but when he settled down to read his paper, he -felt so sleepy that he just went and bolted the front door, placed -the keys underneath his pillow, and went straight to bed. He -remembered nothing more until he felt himself roughly shaken and -heard his master's voice calling to him. It took him some time to -collect himself; he felt dazed and his head ached terribly. When Sir -James told him that it was past ten o'clock he could not conceive how -he could have overslept himself in this way. Through force of habit -he put his hand under his pillow to grope for the keys. They had -gone! Then Sir James telephoned to the police. That was all that -Ruggles could say. His condition was pitiable; alternately bemoaning -his fate and cursing himself for a fool, he knelt at his master's -feet and with hands clasped begged for forgiveness. - -"'I'd have done anything in the world for Sir James,' he kept -reiterating to the police officer, 'and 'ere I've been the ruin of -'im, just through over-sleepin'.' - -"The police inspector got quite impatient with him, and at one time, -I think, he thought that the man was acting a part. But Sir James -Narford himself indignantly repudiated any suggestion of the sort. -'I would trust Ruggles,' he said emphatically, 'as I would myself. I -have known him for thirty years, and he was in my father's service -before that. I trust him with my keys, with money, with everything. -He would have plenty of opportunity to rob me comfortably if he had a -mind. What would a man of his class do with valuable gems?' - -"All the same I fancy that the police did not altogether lose sight -of the possibility that Ruggles might know something about the -affair, but in spite of very clever questioning and -cross-questioning, his story never varied even in the minutest -detail. All that he added to his original statement that was of any -value was the description of a foreign visitor at Sackville Street -whom, in his own words, he 'didn't like the looks of.' This was a -youngish man, with very sallow complexion, jet-black hair and -moustache, and wearing a peculiar-looking caped overcoat and black -soft hat with a very wide brim, who had remained over half an hour in -the shop, apparently deeply interested in the gems. At one time he -asked Ruggles whether he might have the glass cases opened, so that -he could examine the stones and pearls more closely. This request -Ruggles very naturally refused. The young man then put a lot of -questions to him: 'Where did the gems come from? What was their -value? Were they insured? Where were they kept at night? Was the -safe burglar-proof or only fireproof?' and so on. - -"It seems that two ladies who were visiting the exhibition at the -same time noticed this same young man with the sallow complexion and -the jet-black hair. They heard him questioning Ruggles and remarked -upon his foreign accent, which was neither Italian nor Spanish; they -thought he might be Portuguese. His clothes were certainly very -outlandish. The ladies had noticed the caped coat, a kind of black -Inverness, and the hat _à la_ Montmartre. The presence of this -foreigner in the shop in Sackville Street became still more -significant later on, when another fact came to light--a fact in -connection with the half-pint of beer which the lift-boy from the -flats in George Street had fetched as usual on the evening preceding -the robbery, from the Crown and Sceptre public house. A few drops of -the beer had remained in the mug beside the remnants of Ruggles's -supper. On examination the beer was found to contain chloral. The -lift-boy at first was probably too scared to throw any light on this -circumstance. He had, he declared, fetched the beer as usual from -the Crown and Sceptre, taken it up to No. 4, Sir James Narford's -flat, and put it upon the table in the sitting-room, where Mr. -Ruggles's supper was already laid for him. After repeated questions -from the police inspector, however, he recollected that on his way -from the public house to the flats, a gentleman accosted him and -asked him the way to Regent Street. The boy, holding the mug of beer -in one hand, pointed out the way with the other and probably turned -his head in the same direction as he did so. He couldn't say for -certain. The gentleman seemed stupid and didn't understand the -directions all at once; the boy had to repeat them again and again, -and altogether was in conversation with the gentleman quite a while. -It was dark at the time, but he did see that the gentleman wore a -funny sort of coat and a funny hat, and as the boy picturesquely put -it, ''E spoke queer-like, as if 'e wor a Frenchman.' To a lift-boy -presumably every foreigner is a Frenchman if he be not a German, and -though the lad's description of the coat and hat only amounted to his -calling them 'funny,' there seemed little doubt but that the man who -visited the shop in Sackville Street and the one who accosted the -lift-boy in George Street were one and the same. There was also -little doubt but that he poured the drug into the mug of beer while -the boy's head was turned away. And finally all doubts were set at -rest when the 'funny coat and hat' were discovered tied up in a -bundle in the area of an empty house, two doors higher up the street. - -"Unfortunately, although these few facts were definitely established, -all traces of the man himself vanished after that. How he got into -the block of flats could not be ascertained. He might have slipped -in after the lift-boy, while the latter went upstairs with the beer, -and concealed himself somewhere in the basement. It was impossible -to say. The street-door was kept open as usual until eleven o'clock, -and until that hour the boy was in attendance at the lift; he had -been up and down several times, taking up residents or their -visitors, and while he ran to fetch the beer one of the maids saw to -the lift, if the bell rang. At eleven o'clock every evening the -street-door was closed, but not bolted; it was provided with a Yale -lock and every resident had one key, in case they came in late; the -lift was not worked after that hour, but there was a light kept on -every landing. These lights the housemaid switched off the first -thing every morning when she did the stairs, and as a matter of fact -she remembered that on that memorable morning the light on the top -floor landing--which is the landing outside Sir James Narford's -flat--was already switched off when she went to do it. - -"And those are all the facts," the Old Man in the Corner went on -slowly, while he paused in his work of fashioning intricate knots in -his beloved bit of string, "all the facts that were ever known in -connection with the theft of Sir James Narford's gems. Of course, as -you may well suppose, not only the official but also the public mind -at once flew to the mysterious personage, originally found wounded in -an empty house in Wicklow Lane. There could be no shadow of doubt -that this man and the one who visited the shop in Sackville Street, -who accosted the lift-boy, drugged Ruggles's beer and robbed him of -his keys, were one and the same. There was the black caped coat, the -Montmartre hat, the jet-black hair and foreign look. True, the -wounded man of Wicklow Lane spoke English without any foreign accent, -but the latter could easily be assumed. Indeed, it all seemed plain -sailing, and as soon as the word went round about the robbery in -Sackville Street and the description was given of the foreign-looking -individual with the jet-black hair, the police thought they had a -perfectly clear case. - -"A clear case, yes!" the funny creature went on, with a grin, "but -not an easy one, because when the police called at the hotel in -Mexborough Gate they learned that the mysterious Mr. Allen Lloyd had -been gone three days. Having paid his bill, he had walked out of the -house one dark afternoon and not been seen or heard of since. He -went off carrying a paper parcel, which no doubt contained the few -belongings he had bought of late. - -"Of course he was the thief and a marvellous cunning one. Just think -what it meant. It meant, first of all, immense presence of mind and -daring to accost the lift-boy and engage him in conversation whilst -pouring a drug into a mug of beer; then it meant sneaking into the -block of flats in George Street, breaking the glass panel of a door, -entering the flat, stealing the keys, sneaking out of the building -again, going round to Sackville Street, watching until the police on -duty had passed by, entering the house, opening the safe, collecting -the gems--all in full view of the street, mind you, or else in -absolute darkness--then relocking the safe and again watching for the -opportunity to sneak out of the house until the man on duty was out -of sight. Clever? I should think it would have been clever, if it -had ever been done!" - -"How do you mean, if it had ever been done?" I ejaculated, with some -impatience. "Whoever the thief was--and I suppose that you have your -theory--he must have done all those things." - -"Oh no, he did not!" the funny creature asserted emphatically, "he -merely put all the gems away in his own pocket after the exhibition -was closed for the night, instead of locking them up in the safe." - -"Then you think it was Ruggles?" I exclaimed. - -"In conjunction with his master." - -"Sir James Narford? But why?" - -"For the sake of the insurance money." - -"But, man alive!" I ejaculated, "that was the tragedy of the whole -thing. I remember reading about it at the time. I suppose that it -was either out of meanness or because he had so little ready money, -but Sir James Narford had only insured his treasure for £20,000, -whereas the jewels----" - -"Were not worth a penny more than that," the Old Man in the Corner -broke in with his bland smile. "The public may have been bamboozled -with tales of fabulous value--nowadays people talk as glibly of -millions as the past generation did of thousands--but insurance -companies don't usually listen to fairy tales." - -"But even so," I argued, "the jewels must have been worth more than -the insurance after all the advertisement they got. Why shouldn't -Sir James have sold them, rather than take the risk of stealing them?" - -"But, my dear young lady," he retorted, "can't you see that the -jewels can still be sold and that they will -be--abroad--presently--one by one? Twenty thousand pounds insurance -money is good, but you double the amount and it is better." - -"But what about the wounded man in Wicklow Lane?" I asked. - -"A red herring across the trail," he replied, with a smile, "only -with this difference, that it was dragged across before the hounds -were on the scent. And that is where the immense cleverness of the -man comes in. To create a personality on whom to draw suspicion of a -crime and then make that personality disappear before the crime is -committed, is as clever a bit of rascality as I have ever seen. It -needed absolute coolness and a knowledge of facial make-up, in both -of which we must take it Sir James Narford was a past-master. Think -then how easy everything else would be for him. - -"Just let me reconstruct the whole thing for you from beginning to -end, that is from the moment when Sir James Narford first conceived -the idea of doubling the value of his gems, and took his man Ruggles -as partner in that fine piece of rascality. He couldn't have done it -without a partner, of course, and probably this was not the first -villainy those two scoundrels had carried through together. Well -then, Narford having given instructions to Ruggles and arranged -certain matters of detail with him, begins his campaign by ostensibly -starting on a journey. He crossed over to France probably and then -back to England. It is easy enough for a man to disappear in crowded -trains or railway stations if there is no one on his track; easy -enough for him to stay in one hotel after another in any big town if -he chooses hotels whose proprietors have reason to dread the police, -and will not volunteer information if any of their visitors are -'wanted.' A month only of such wanderings and Sir James Narford, -habitually a very dapper man, with sleek, sandy hair cropped very -close, a tiny tooth-brush moustache and shaven cheeks and chin, can -easily be transformed into one with shaggy hair and beard and walrus -moustache. Add to this a nose built out with grease-paint and highly -coloured, and cheeks stained a dull red, and you have the man who -called for the key of the empty house at Messrs. Whiskin and Sons, -with a parcel under his arm, which contained the black cape and -Montmartre hat purchased abroad at some time previously, during the -course of his wanderings. That's simple, is it not?" the funny -creature continued, while his thin, claw-like fingers worked away -feverishly at his piece of string. "Now, all that our rascal wants -is to change his clothes and his face; so, late that evening, by -preconcerted plan, Ruggles meets him at the empty house under cover -of the fog. Here he and his precious master change clothes with one -another. Narford then completes his toilet by applying to his shaggy -hair and beard one of those modern dyes that are so much advertised -for the use of ladies desiring to possess raven locks. And so we -have the explanation of all the conflicting evidence of the witnesses -who saw a man with a parcel, and yet were so much at variance both as -to the time when they saw him, as to his appearance, and even as to -the size of the parcel. - -"Having thus _created_ the personality of a foreign-looking -individual in black clothes, you will easily see how important it was -for the general scheme that the comedy of the row and the -pistol-shots in the empty house should be enacted. Attention had to -be drawn to the created personage, attention coupled with mystery, -and at this stage of the scheme there was not the slightest danger of -the wounded man in Wicklow Lane being in any way connected with Sir -James Narford of George Street, Mayfair. Time was no object. The -mysterious Mr. Allen Lloyd of Wicklow Lane might be detained days, -weeks, even months, but he would have to be let out some time or -other. He was perfectly harmless apparently, and otherwise sane; he -could not be kept for ever at the country's expense. He was -eventually discharged; went to an hotel, and lived there quietly a -while longer until he thought that the time was ripe for complete -disappearance. In the meanwhile we must suppose that he was in touch -with Ruggles. Ruggles made a point of taking a brisk walk every -evening. Well, winter evenings are dark and London is a very crowded -place. Ruggles would bring what money was required. What more easy -than to meet in a crowd? - -"Then at last the two rascals thought that the time was ripe. The -mysterious Mr. Allen Lloyd disappeared from the hotel in Mexborough -Gate; he went to Sackville Street, where he shaved off his shaggy -moustache and beard, and cut his hair once more so close that nothing -of the dyed ends could be seen. He changed into his own clothes, -which Ruggles kept there ready for him. Then he slipped round to -Victoria Station and crossed over to France, only in order to return -to England, openly this time, as Sir James Narford, and just in time -to find Ruggles just aroused from a drugged sleep and the whole flat -seething with excitement. But it was he who in black cape and -Montmartre hat visited the shop in Sackville Street, it was Ruggles -who the following night spoke to the lift-boy, even while Narford was -procuring for himself a perfect alibi by crossing over quite openly -from France. - -"Ruggles's task was, of course, much easier. All he had to do was to -put the gems in his pocket, and these Narford took over from him in -the morning at the flat before he telephoned for the police. To put -on the black cape and hat and to accost the lift-boy was easy enough -on a dark, snowy night in January. And now all the excitement has -died down. The whole thing was so cleverly planned that the real -rascal was never suspected. Ruggles may have been but nothing could -really be brought up against him. The gems haven't been found and to -all appearances he has not benefited by the robbery. He is just the -faithful, trusted servant of his master. - -"Sir James Narford has got his money from the Insurance Company and -since then has left for abroad. By the way," the Old Man in the -Corner concluded, as he gathered up his precious bit of string and -slipped it in the pocket of his ulster, "I heard recently that he has -bought some property in Argentina and has settled down there -permanently with his friend Ruggles. I think he was wise to do that, -and if you care to publish my version of that mysterious affair, you -are at liberty to do so. I don't think that our friend would sue you -for defamation of character, and, anyway, I'll undertake to pay -damages if the case comes into court." - - - - -XI - -THE MISER OF MAIDA VALE - - -§1 - -"One of the most puzzling cases I ever remember watching," the Old -Man in the Corner said to me that day, "was the one known to the -public as that of 'The Miser of Maida Vale.' It presented certain -altogether novel features, and for once I was willing to admit that, -though the police had a very hard nut to crack in the elucidation of -the mystery, and in the end failed to find a solution, they were at -one time very near putting their finger on the key of the puzzle. If -they had only possessed some of that instinct for true facts with -which Nature did so kindly endow me, there is no doubt that they -would have brought that clever criminal to book." - -I wish it were in my power to convey something of that air of -ludicrous complacency with which he said this. I could almost hear -him purring to himself, like a lean, shabby old cat. He had his -inevitable bit of string in his hand, and had been in rapturous -contemplation of a series of knots which he had been fashioning until -the moment when I sat down beside him and he began to speak. But as -soon as he embarked upon his beloved topic he turned his rapturous -contemplation on himself. He just sat there and admired himself, and -now and again blinked at me, with such an air of self-satisfaction -that I longed to say something terribly rude first, and then to -flounce out of the place, leaving him to admire himself at his -leisure. - -But, of course, this could not be. To use the funny creature's own -verbiage, Nature had endowed me with the journalistic instinct. I -had to listen to him; I had to pick his brains and to get copy out of -him. The irresistible desire to learn something new, something that -would thrill my editor, as well as my public, compelled me to swallow -my impatience, to smile at him--somewhat wryly, perhaps--and then to -beg him to proceed. - -I was all attention. - -"Well," he said, still wearing an irritating air of condescension, -"do you remember the case of the old miser of Maida Vale?" - -"Only vaguely," I was willing to admit. - -"It presented some very interesting features," he went on, blandly, -"and assuming that you really only remember them vaguely, I will put -them before you as clearly as possible, in order that you may follow -my argument more easily later on. - -"The victim of the mysterious tragedy was, as no doubt you remember, -an eccentric old invalid named Thornton Ashley, the well-known naval -constructor, who had made a considerable fortune during the war and -then retired, chiefly, it was said, owing to ill-health. He had two -sons, one of whom, Charles, was a misshapen, undersized creature, -singularly unprepossessing both in appearance and in manner, whilst -the other, Philip, was a tall, good-looking fellow, very agreeable -and popular wherever he went. Both these young men were bachelors, a -fact which, it appears, had been for some time a bone of contention -between them and their father. Old Ashley was passionately fond of -children, and the one desire of his declining years was to see the -grandchildren who would ultimately enjoy the fortune which he had -accumulated. Whilst he was ready to admit that Charles, with his -many afflictions, did not stand much chance with the fair sex, there -was no reason at all why Philip should not marry, and there had been -more than one heated quarrel between father and son on that one -subject. - -"So much so, indeed, that presently Philip cut his stick and went to -live in rooms in Jermyn Street. He had a few hundreds a year of his -own, left to him by a godmother. He had been to Rugby and to -Cambridge, and had been a temporary officer in the war: pending his -obtaining some kind of job he settled down to live the life of a -smart young bachelor in town, whilst his brother Charles was left to -look after the old man, who became more and more eccentric as his -health gradually broke up. He sold his fine house in Hyde Park -Gardens, his motor, and the bulk of his furniture, and moved into a -cheap flat in Maida Vale, where he promptly took to his bed, which he -never left again. His eccentricities became more and more pronounced -and his temper more and more irascible. He took a violent dislike to -strangers, refused to see anybody except his sons and two old -friends, Mr. Oldwall, the well-known solicitor, and Dr. -Fanshawe-Bigg, who visited him from time to time and whose orders he -obstinately refused to obey. Worst of all, as far as the unfortunate -Charles was concerned, he became desperately mean, denying himself -(and, incidentally, his son) every luxury, subsisting on the barest -necessities, and keeping no servant to wait on him except a daily -'char.' - -"Soon his miserliness degenerated into a regular mania. - -"'Charles and I are saving money for the grand-children you are going -to give me one day,' he would say with a chuckle whenever Philip -tried to reason with him on the subject of this self-denying -ordinance. 'When you have an establishment of your own, you can -invite us to come and live with you. There will be plenty then for -housekeeping, I promise you!' - -"At which the handsome Philip would laugh and shrug his shoulders and -go back to his comfortable rooms in Jermyn Street. But no one knew -what Charles thought about it all. To an outsider his case must -always have appeared singularly pathetic. He had no money of his own -and his delicate health had made it impossible for him to take up any -profession: he could not cut his stick like his brother Philip had -done, but, truth to tell, he did not appear to wish to do so. -Perhaps it was real fondness for his father that made him seem -contented with his lot. Certain it is that as time went on he became -a regular slave to the old man, waiting on him hand and foot, more -hard-worked than the daily 'char,' who put on her bonnet and walked -out of the flat every day at six o'clock when her work was done, and -who had all her Sundays to herself. - -"All the relaxation that Charles ever had were alternate week-ends, -when his brother Philip would come over and spend Saturday to Monday -in the flat taking charge of the invalid. On those occasions Charles -would get on an old bicycle, and with just a few shillings in his -pocket which he had saved during the past fortnight out of the meagre -housekeeping allowance which he handled, he would go off for the day -somewhere into the country, nobody ever knew where. Then on Monday -morning he would return to the flat in Maida Vale, ready to take up -his slave's yoke, to all appearances with a light heart. - -"'Charles Ashley is wise,' the gossiping acquaintances would say, 'he -sticks to the old miser. Thornton Ashley can't live for ever, and -Oldwall says that he is worth close on a quarter of a million.' - -"Philip, on the other hand, could have had no illusions with regard -to his father's testamentary intentions. The bone of -contention--Philip's celibacy--was still there, making bad blood -between father and son; more than once the old miser had said to him -with a sardonic grin: 'Let me see you married soon, my boy, and with -a growing family around you, or I tell you that my money shall go to -that fool Charles, or to the founding of an orphan asylum or the -establishment of a matrimonial agency.' - -"Mr. Oldwall, the solicitor, a very old friend of the Ashleys, and -who had seen the two boys grow up, threw out as broad a hint to -Philip on that same subject as professional honour allowed. - -"'Your father,' he said to him one day, 'has got that mania for -saving money, but otherwise he is perfectly sane, you know. He'll -never forgive you if you don't gratify his wish to see you married. -Hang it all, man, there are plenty of nice girls about. And what on -earth would poor old Charles do with a quarter of a million, I'd like -to know.' - -"But for a long time Philip remained obstinate and his friends knew -well enough the cause of this obstinacy; it had its root in a pre-war -romance. Philip Ashley had been in love--some say that he had -actually been engaged to her--with a beautiful girl, Muriel Balleine, -the daughter of the eminent surgeon, Sir Arnold Balleine. The two -young people were thought to be devoted to one another. But the -lovely Muriel had, as it turned out, another admirer in Sir Wilfred -Peet-Jackson, the wealthy shipowner, who worshipped her in secret. -Philip Ashley and Wilfred Peet-Jackson were great friends; they had -been at school and 'Varsity together. In 1915 they both obtained a -commission in the Coldstreams and in 1916 Peet-Jackson was very -severely wounded. He was sent home to be nursed by the beautiful -Muriel in her father's hospital in Grosvenor Square. His case had -already been pronounced hopeless, and Sir Arnold himself, as well as -other equally eminent surgeons, gave it as their opinion that the -unfortunate young man could not live more than a few months--if that. - -"We must then take it that pity and romance played their part in the -events that ensued. Certain it is that London society was one day -thrilled to read in its _Times_ that Miss Muriel Balleine had been -married the previous morning to Sir Wilfred Peet-Jackson, the wealthy -shipowner and owner of lovely Deverill Castle in Northamptonshire. -Her friends at once put it about that Muriel had only yielded to a -dying man's wish, and that there was nothing mercenary or calculating -in this unexpected marriage; she probably would be a widow within a -very short time and free to return to her original love and to marry -Philip Ashley. But in this case, like in so many others in life, the -unexpected occurred. Sir Wilfred Peet-Jackson did not die--not just -then. He lived six years after the doctors had said that he must die -in six months. He remained an invalid and he and his beautiful wife -spent their winters in the Canaries and their summers in Switzerland, -but Muriel did not become a widow until 1922, and Philip Ashley all -that time never looked at another girl; he was even willing to allow -a fortune to slip away from him, because he always hoped that the -woman whom he had never ceased to worship would be his wife one day. - -"Probably old Ashley knew all that; probably he hated the idea that -this one woman should spoil his son's life for always; probably he -thought that threat of disinheritance would bring Philip back out of -the realms of romance to the realities of life. All this we shall -never know. The old man spoke to no one about that, not even to Mr. -Oldwall, possibly not even to Charles. By the time that Sir Wilfred -Peet-Jackson had died and Philip had announced his engagement to the -beautiful widow, Thornton Ashley was practically a dying man. -However, he did have the satisfaction before he died of hearing the -good news. Philip told him of his engagement one Saturday in May -when he came for his usual fortnightly week-end visit. Strangely -enough, although the old man must have been delighted at this tardy -realisation of his life's desire, he did not after that make any -difference in his mode of life. He remained just as irascible, just -as difficult, and every bit as mean as he had always been; he never -asked to see his future daughter-in-law, whom he had known in the -past, though she did come once or twice to see him; nor did he -encourage Philip to come and see him any more frequently than he had -done before. The only indication he ever gave that he was pleased -with the engagement was an obvious impatience to see the wedding-day -fixed as soon as possible, and one day he worked himself up into a -state of violent passion because Philip told him that Lady -Peet-Jackson was bound to let a full year lapse before she married -again, out of respect for poor Wilfred's memory. - - -§2 - -"Of course a good deal of gossip was concentrated on all these -events. Although Thornton Ashley had, for the past three years, cut -himself adrift from all social intercourse, past friends and -acquaintances had not altogether forgotten him, whilst Philip Ashley -and Lady Peet-Jackson had always been well-known figures in a certain -set in London. It was not likely, therefore, that their affairs -would not be discussed and commented on at tea-parties and in the -clubs. Philip Ashley was exalted to the position of a hero. By his -marriage he would at last grasp the fortune which he had so -obstinately and romantically evaded: true love was obtaining its just -reward, and so on. Lady Peet-Jackson, on the other hand, was not -quite so leniently dealt with by the gossips. It was now generally -averred that she had originally thrown Philip Ashley over only -because Peet-Jackson was a very rich man and had a handle to his -name, and that she was only returning to her former lover now because -Thornton Ashley had already one foot in the grave, and was reputed to -be worth a quarter of a million. - -"I have a photograph here," the Old Man in the Corner went on, and -threw a bundle of newspaper cuttings down before me, "of Lady -Peet-Jackson. As no doubt you will admit, she is very beautiful, but -the face is hard; looking at it one feels instinctively that she is -not a woman who would stand by a man in case of trouble or disgrace. -But it is difficult to judge from these smudgy reproductions, and -there is no doubt that Philip Ashley was madly in love with her. -That she had enemies, especially amongst those of her own sex, was -only natural in view of the fact that she was exceptionally -beautiful, had made one brilliant marriage, and was on the point of -making another. - -"But the two romantic lovers were not the sole food of the -gossip-mongers. There was the position of Charles Ashley to be -discussed and talked over. What was going to become of him? How -would he take this change in his fortune? If rumour, chiefly based -on Mr. Oldwall's indiscretions, was correct, he would be losing that -reputed quarter of a million if Philip's marriage came off. But in -this case gossip had to rest satisfied with conjectures. No one ever -saw Charles, and Philip, when questioned about him, had apparently -very little to say. - -"'Charles is a queer fish,' he would reply. 'I don't profess to know -what goes on inside him. He seems delighted at the prospect of my -marriage, but he doesn't say much. He is very shy and very sensitive -about his deformity, and he won't see any one now, not even Muriel.' - -"And thus the stage was set," the funny creature continued with a -fatuous grin, "for the mysterious tragedy which has puzzled the -public and the police as much as the friends of the chief actors in -the drama. It was set for the scene of Philip Ashley's marriage to -Muriel Lady Peet-Jackson, which was to take place very quietly at St. -Saviour's, Warwick Road, early in the following year. - -"On the twenty-seventh of August old Thornton Ashley died, that is to -say he was found dead in his bed by his son Charles, who had returned -that morning from his fortnightly week-end holiday. The cause of -death was not in question at first, though Dr. Fanshawe-Bigg was out -of town at the moment, his _locum tenens_ knew all about the case, -and had seen the invalid on the Thursday preceding his death. In -accordance with the amazing laws of this country, he gave the -necessary certificate without taking a last look at the dead man, and -Thornton Ashley would no doubt have been buried then and there, -without either fuss or ceremony, but for the amazing events which -thereupon followed one another in quick succession. - -"The funeral had been fixed for Thursday, the thirtieth, but within -twenty-four hours of the old miser's death it had already transpired -that he had indeed left a considerable fortune, which included one or -two substantial life insurances, and that the provisions of his will -were very much as Philip Ashley and his friends had surmised. After -sundry legacies to various charitable institutions concerned with the -care of children, Thornton Ashley had left the residue of his -personalty to whichever of his sons was first married within a year -from the time of the testator's death, the other son receiving an -annuity of three hundred pounds. This clearly was aimed at Philip, -as poor misshapen Charles had always been thought to be out of the -running. Moreover, a further clause in the will directed that in the -event of both the testator's sons being still unmarried within that -given time, then the whole of the residue was to go to Charles, with -an annuity of one hundred pounds to Philip and a sum of ten thousand -pounds for the endowment of an orphan asylum at the discretion of the -Charity Organisation Society. - -"There were a few conjectures as to whether Charles Ashley, who, by -his brother's impending marriage, would be left with a paltry three -hundred pounds a year, would contest his father's will on the grounds -of _non compos mentis_, but, as you know, it is always very difficult -in this country to upset a will, and the provisions of this -particular one were so entirely in accord with the wishes expressed -by the deceased on every possible occasion, that the plea that he was -of unsound mind when he made it would never have been upheld, quite -apart from the fact that Mr. Oldwall, who drew up the will and signed -it as one of the witnesses, would have repudiated any suggestion that -his client was anything but absolutely sane at the time. - -"Everything then appeared quite smooth and above board when suddenly, -like a bolt from the blue, came the demand from the Insurance Company -in which the late Mr. Thornton Ashley had a life policy for forty -thousand pounds for a _post-mortem_ examination, the company not -being satisfied that the deceased had died a natural death. -Naturally, Dr. Percy Jutt, who had signed the death certificate, was -furious, but he was overruled by the demands of the Insurance -Company, backed by no less a person than Charles Ashley. Indeed, it -soon transpired that it was in consequence of certain statements made -by Mr. Triscott, a local solicitor, on behalf of Charles Ashley to -the general manager of the company, that the latter took action in -the matter. - -"Philip Ashley, through his solicitor, Mr. Oldwall, and backed by Dr. -Jutt, might perhaps have opposed the proceedings, but quite apart -from the fact that opposition from that quarter would have been -impolitic, it probably also would have been unsuccessful. Anyway, -the sensation-mongers had quite a titbit to offer to the public that -afternoon; the evening papers came out before midday with flaring -headlines: 'The mystery miser of Maida Vale.' Also, 'Sensational -developments,' and 'Sinister Rumours.' - -"By four o'clock in the afternoon some of the papers had it that a -_post-mortem_ examination of the body of the late Mr. Thornton Ashley -had been conducted by Dr. Dawson, the divisional surgeon, and that it -had revealed the fact that the old miser had not died a natural -death, traces of violence having been discovered on the body. It was -understood that the police were already in possession of certain -facts and that the coroner of the district would hold an inquest on -Thursday, the thirtieth, the very day on which the funeral was to -have taken place." - - -§3 - -"Now I have attended many an inquest in my day," the Old Man in the -Corner continued after a brief pause, during which his claw-like -fingers worked away with feverish energy at his bit of string, "but -seldom have I been present at a more interesting one. There were so -many surprises, such an unexpected turn of events, that one was kept -on tenterhooks the whole time as to what would happen next. - -"Even to those who were in the know, the witnesses in themselves were -a surprise. Of course, every one knew Mr. Oldwall, the solicitor and -life-long friend of old Thornton Ashley, and the divisional surgeon, -whose evidence would be interesting; then there was poor Charles -Ashley and his handsome brother, Philip, now the owner of a -magnificent fortune, whose romantic history had more than once been -paragraphed in the Press. But what in the world had Mr. Triscott, a -local lawyer whom nobody knew, and Mrs. Trapp, a slatternly old -'char,' to do with the case? And there was also Dr. Percy Jutt, who -had not come out of the case with flying professional colours, and -who must have cursed the day when he undertook the position of _locum -tenens_ for Dr. Fanshawe-Bigg. - -"The proceedings began with the sensational evidence of Dr. Dawson, -the divisional surgeon, who had conducted the _post-mortem_. He -stated that the deceased had been in an advanced state of uræmia, but -this had not actually been the cause of death. Death was due to -heart failure, caused by fright and shock, following on violent -aggression and an attempt at strangulation. There were marks round -the throat, and evidences of a severe blow having been dealt on the -face and cranium causing concussion. In the patient's weak state of -health, shock and fright had affected the heart's action with fatal -results. - -"All the while that the divisional surgeon gave evidence, going into -technical details which the layman could not understand, Dr. Percy -Jutt had obvious difficulty to control himself. He had a fidgety, -nervous way with him and was constantly biting his nails. When he, -in his turn, entered the witness-box, he was as white as a sheet and -tried to hide his nervousness behind a dictatorial, blustering -manner. In answer to the coroner, he explained that he had been -acting as _locum tenens_ for Dr. Fanshawe-Bigg, who was away on his -holiday. He had visited the deceased once or twice during the past -fortnight, and had last seen him on the Thursday preceding his death. -Dr. Fanshawe-Bigg had left him a few notes on the case. - -"'I found,' he went on to explain, 'the deceased in an advanced stage -of uræmia, and there was very little that I could do, more especially -as I was made to understand that my visits were not particularly -wanted. On the Thursday, deceased was in a very drowsy state, this -being one of the best-known symptoms of the disease, and I didn't -think that he could live much longer. I told Mr. Charles Ashley so; -at the same time, I did not think that the end would come quite so -soon. However, I was not particularly surprised when on the Monday -morning I received a visit from Mr. Charles Ashley who told me that -his father was dead. I found him very difficult to understand,' Dr. -Jutt continued, in reply to a question from the coroner, 'emotion -had, I thought, addled his speech a little. He may have tried to -tell me something in connection with his father's death, but I was so -rushed with work that morning, and, as I say, I was fully prepared -for the event, that all I could do was to promise to come round some -time during the day, and, in the meanwhile, in order to facilitate -arrangements for the funeral, I gave the necessary certificate. I -was entirely within my rights,' he concluded, with somewhat -aggressive emphasis, 'and, as far as I can recollect, Mr. Charles -Ashley said nothing that in any way led me to think that there was -anything wrong.' - -"Mr. Oldwall, the solicitor, was the next witness called, and his -testimony was unimportant to the main issue. He had drafted the late -Mr. Thornton Ashley's will in 1919, and had last seen him alive -before starting on a short holiday some time in June. Deceased had -just heard then of his son's engagement and witness thought him -looking wonderfully better and brighter than he had been for a long -time. - -"'Mr. Ashley,' the coroner asked, 'didn't say anything to you then -about any alteration to his will?' - -"'Most emphatically, no!' the witness replied. - -"'Or at any time?' - -"'At no time,' Mr. Oldwall asserted. - -"These questions put by the coroner in quick succession had, -figuratively speaking, made every one sit up. Up to now the general -public had not been greatly interested, one had made up one's mind -that the old miser had kept certain sums of money, after the fashion -of his kind, underneath his mattress; that some evil-doer had got -wind of this and entered the flat when no one was about, giving poor -Thornton Ashley a fright that had cost him his life. - -"But with this reference to some possible alteration in the will the -case at once appeared more interesting. Suddenly one felt on the -alert, excitement was in the air, and when the next witness, a -middle-aged, dapper little man, wearing spectacles, a grey suit and -white spats, stood up to answer questions put to him by the coroner, -a suppressed gasp of anticipatory delight went round the circle of -spectators. - -"The witness gave his name as James Triscott, solicitor, of Warwick -Avenue. He said that he had known the deceased slightly, having seen -him on business in connection with the lease of 73, Malvine Mansions, -the landlord being a client of his. On the previous Friday, that is, -the twenty-fourth, witness received a note written in a crabbed hand -and signed, 'A. Thornton Ashley,' asking him to call at Malvine -Mansions any time during the day. This Mr. Triscott did that same -afternoon. The door was opened by Mr. Charles Ashley whom he had -also met once or twice before, who showed him into the room where the -deceased lay in bed, obviously very ill, but perfectly conscious and -reasonable. - -"'After some preliminary talk,' the witness went on, 'the deceased -explained to me that he was troubled in his mind about a will which -he had made some four years previously, and which had struck him of -late as being both harsh and unjust. He desired to make a new will, -revoking the previous one. I naturally told him that I was entirely -at his service, and he then dictated his wishes to me. I made notes -and promised to have the will ready for his signature by Monday. The -thought of this delay annoyed him considerably, and he pressed me -hard to have everything ready for him by the next day. -Unfortunately, I couldn't do that. I was obliged to go off into the -country that evening on business for another client, and couldn't -possibly be back before midday Saturday, when my clerk and typist -would both be gone. All I could do was to promise faithfully to call -again on Monday at eleven o'clock with the will quite ready for -signature. I said I would bring my clerk with me, who could then -sign as a witness. - -"'I quite saw the urgency of the business,' Mr. Triscott went on in -his brisk, rather consequential way, 'as the poor old gentleman -certainly looked very ill. Before I left he asked me to let him at -least have a copy of my notes before I went away this evening. This -I was able to promise him. I got my clerk to copy the notes and to -take them round to the flat later on in the day.' - -"I can assure you," the Old Man in the Corner said, "that while that -dapper little man was talking, you might have heard the proverbial -pin drop amongst the public. You see, this was the first that any -one had ever heard of any alteration in old Ashley's will, and Mr. -Triscott's evidence opened up a vista of exciting situations that was -positively dazzling. When he ceased speaking, you might almost have -heard the sensation-mongers licking their chops like a lot of cats -after a first bite at a succulent meal; glances were exchanged, but -not a word spoken, and presently a sigh of eagerness went round when -the coroner put the question which every one had been anticipating: - -"'Have you got the notes, Mr. Triscott, which you took from the late -Mr. Thornton Ashley's dictation?' - -"At which suggestion Mr. Oldwall jumped up, objecting that such -evidence was inadmissible. There was some legal argument between him -and the coroner, during which Mr. Triscott, still standing in the -witness-box, beamed at his colleague and at the public generally -through his spectacles. In the end the jury decided the point by -insisting on having the notes read out to them. - -"Briefly, by the provisions of the new will, which was destined never -to be signed, the miser left his entire fortune, with the exception -of the same trifling legacies and of an annuity of a thousand pounds -a year to Philip, to his son Charles absolutely, in grateful -recognition for years of unflagging devotion to an eccentric and -crabbed invalid. Mr. Triscott explained that on the Monday morning -he had the document quite ready by eleven o'clock, and that he walked -round with it to Malvine Mansions, accompanied by his clerk. Great -was his distress when he was met at the door by Charles Ashley, who -told him that old Mr. Thornton Ashley was dead. - -"That was the substance of Mr. Triscott's evidence, and I can assure -you that even I was surprised at the turn which events had taken. -You know what the sensation-mongers are; within an hour of the -completion of Mr. Triscott's evidence, it was all over London that -Mr. Philip Ashley had murdered his father in order to prevent his -signing a will that would deprive him--Philip--of a fortune. That is -the way of the world," the funny creature added with a cynical smile. -"Philip's popularity went down like a sail when the wind suddenly -drops, and in a moment public sympathy was all on the side of -Charles, who had been done out of a fortune by a grasping and -unscrupulous brother. - -"But there was more to come. - -"The next witness called was Mrs. Triscott, the wife of the dapper -little solicitor, and her presence here in connection with the death -of old Thornton Ashley seemed as surprising at first as that of her -husband had been. She looked a hard, rather common, but capable -woman, and after she had replied to the coroner's preliminary -questions, she plunged into her story in a quiet, self-assured -manner. She began by explaining that she was a trained nurse, but -had given up her profession since her marriage. Now and again, -however, either in an emergency or to oblige a friend, she had taken -care of a patient. - -"'On Friday evening last,' she continued, 'Mr. Triscott, who was just -going off into the country on business, said to me that he had a -client in the neighbourhood who was very ill, and about whom, for -certain reasons, he felt rather anxious. He went on to say that he -was chiefly sorry for the son, a delicate man, who was sadly -deformed. Would I, like a good Samaritan, go and look after the sick -man during the weekend? It seems that the doctor had ordered -absolute rest, and Mr. Triscott feared that there might be some -trouble with another son because, as a matter of fact, the old man -had decided to alter his will. - -"'I knew nothing about Mr. Thornton Ashley's family affairs,' the -witness said, in reply to a question put to her by the coroner, and -calmly ignoring the sensation which her statement was causing, -'beyond what I have just told you that Mr. Triscott said to me, but I -agreed to go to Malvine Mansions and see if I could be of any use. I -arrived at the flat on Friday evening and saw at once what the -invalid was suffering from. I had nursed cases of uræmia before, and -I could see that the poor old man had not many more days to live. -Still I did not think that the end was imminent. Mr. Charles Ashley, -who had welcomed me most effusively, looked to need careful nursing -almost as much as his father did. He told me that he had not slept -for three nights, so I just packed him off to bed and spent the night -in an armchair in the patient's room. - -"'The next morning Mr. Philip Ashley arrived and I was told of the -arrangement whereby Mr. Charles got a week-end holiday once a -fortnight. I welcomed the idea for his sake, and as he seemed very -anxious about his father, and remembering what my husband had told -me, I promised that I would stay on in the flat until his return on -the Monday. Thus only was I able to persuade him to go off on his -much-needed holiday. Directly he had gone, however, I thought it my -duty to explain to Mr. Philip Ashley that really his father was very -ill. He was only conscious intermittently and that in such cases the -only thing that could be done was to keep the patient absolutely -quiet. It was the only way, I added, to prolong life and to ensure a -painless and peaceful death. - -"'Mr. Philip Ashley,' the witness continued, 'appeared more annoyed -than distressed, when I told him this, and asked me by whose -authority I was here, keeping him out of his father's room, and so -on. He also asked me several peremptory questions as to who had -visited his father lately, and when I told him that I was the wife of -a well-known solicitor in the neighbourhood, he looked for a moment -as if he would give way to a violent fit of rage. However, I suppose -he thought better of it, and presently I took him into the patient's -room, who was asleep just then, begging him on no account to disturb -the sufferer. - -"'After he had seen his father, Mr. Ashley appeared more ready to -admit that I was acting for the best. However, he asked me--rather -rudely, I thought, considering that the patient was nothing to me and -I was not getting paid for my services--how long I proposed staying -in the flat. I told him that I would wait here until his brother's -return, which I was afraid would not be before ten o'clock on Monday -morning. Whereupon he picked up his hat, gave me a curt good-day, -and walked out of the flat. - -"'To my astonishment,' the witness now said amidst literally -breathless silence on the part of the spectators, 'it had only just -gone eight on the Monday morning, when Mr. Philip Ashley turned up -once more. I must say that I was rather pleased to see him. I was -expecting Mr. Triscott home and had a lot to do in my own house. The -patient, who had rallied wonderfully the last two days, had just gone -off into a comfortable sleep, and as I knew that Mr. Charles would be -back soon, I felt quite justified in going off duty and leaving Mr. -Philip in charge, with strict injunctions that he was on no account -to disturb the patient. If he woke, he might be given a little -barley-water first and then some beef-tea, all of which I had -prepared and put ready. My intention was directly I got home to -telephone to Dr. Jutt and ask him to look in at Malvine Mansions some -time during the morning. Unfortunately, when I got home I had such a -lot to do, that, frankly, I forgot to telephone to the doctor, and -before the morning was over Mr. Triscott had come home with the news -that old Mr. Thornton Ashley was dead.' - -"This," the Old Man in the Corner continued, "was the gist of Mrs. -Triscott's evidence at that memorable inquest. Of course, there were -some dramatic incidents during the course of her examination; glances -exchanged between Philip Ashley and Mr. Oldwall, and between him and -the dapper little Mr. Triscott. The latter, I must tell you, still -beamed on everybody; he looked inordinately proud of his capable, -business-like wife, and very pleased with the prominence which he had -attained through this mysterious and intricate case. - - -§4 - -"The luncheon interval gave us all a respite from the tension that -had kept our nerves strung up all morning. I don't think that Philip -Ashley, for one, ate much lunch that day. I noticed, by the way, -that he and Mr. Oldwall went off together, whilst Mr. and Mrs. -Triscott took kindly charge of poor Charles. I caught sight of the -three of them subsequently in a blameless teashop. Charles was -indeed a pathetic picture to look upon; he looked the sort of man who -lives on his nerves, with no flesh on his poor, misshapen bones, and -a hungry, craving expression in his eyes, as in those of an under-fed -dog. - -"We had his evidence directly after luncheon. But, as a matter of -fact, he had not much to say. He had last seen his father alive on -the Saturday morning when he went off on his fortnightly week-end -holiday. He had bicycled to Dorking and spent his time there at the -Running Footman, as he had often done before. He was well known in -the place. On Monday morning he made an early start and got to -Malvine Mansions soon after ten and let himself into the flat with -his latch-key. He expected to find his brother or Mrs. Triscott -there, but there was no one. He then went into his father's room, -and at first thought that the old man was only asleep. The blinds -were down and the room very dark. He drew up the blind and went back -to his father's bedside. Then only did he realise that the old man -was dead. Though he was very ignorant in such matters, he thought -that there was something strange about the dead man, and he tried to -explain this to Dr. Jutt. But the latter seemed too busy to attend -to him, so when Mr. Triscott came to call later on, he told him of -this strange feeling that troubled him. Mr. Triscott then thought -that as Dr. Jutt seemed so indifferent about the matter, it might be -best to see the police. - -"'But this,' Charles Ashley explained, 'I refused to do, and then Mr. -Triscott asked me if I knew whether my dear father had any life -insurances, and if so, in what company. I was able to satisfy him on -that point, as I had heard him speak with Mr. Oldwall about a life -policy he had in the Empire of India Life Insurance Company. Mr. -Triscott then told me to leave the matter to him, which I was only -too glad to do.' - -"Witness was asked if he knew anything of his father's intentions -with regard to altering his will, and to this he gave an emphatic -'No!' He explained that he had taken a note from his father to Mr. -Triscott on the Friday and that he had seen Mr. Triscott when the -latter called at the flat that afternoon, but when the coroner asked -him whether he knew what passed between his father and the lawyer on -that occasion, he again gave an emphatic 'No!' - -"He had accepted gratefully Mr. Triscott's suggestion that Mrs. -Triscott should come over for the weekend to take charge of the -invalid; but he declared that this arrangement was in no way a -reflection upon his brother. On the whole, then, Charles Ashley made -a favourable impression upon the public and jury for his clear and -straightforward evidence. The only time when he hesitated--and did -so very obviously--was when the coroner asked him whether he knew of -any recent disagreement between his father and his brother Philip, a -disagreement which might have led to Mr. Thornton Ashley's decision -to alter his will. Charles Ashley did hesitate at this point, and, -though he was hard-pressed by the coroner, he only gave ambiguous -replies, and when he had completed his evidence, he left one under -the impression that he might have said something if he would, and -that but for his many afflictions the coroner would probably have -pressed him much harder. - -"This impression was confirmed by the evidence of the next witness, a -Mrs. Trapp, who had been the daily 'char' at Malvine Mansions. She -began by explaining to the coroner that she had done the work at the -flat for the past two years. At first she used to come every morning -for a couple of hours with the exception of Sundays, but for the last -two months or so she came on the Sundays, but stayed away on the -Mondays; on Wednesdays she stayed the whole day, until about six, as -Mr. Charles always did a lot of shopping those afternoons. - -"Asked whether she remembered what happened at the flat on the -Wednesday preceding Mr. Thornton Ashley's death, she said that she -did remember quite well Mr. Philip Ashley called; he did do that -sometimes on a Wednesday, when his brother was out. He stayed about -an hour and, in Mrs. Trapp's picturesque language, he and his father -'carried on awful!' - -"'I couldn't 'ear what they said,' Mrs. Trapp explained, with eager -volubility, 'but I could 'ear the ole gentleman screaming. I 'ad -'eard 'im storm like that at Mr. Philip once before--about a month -ago. But Lor' bless you, Mr. Philip 'e didn't seem to care, and on -Wednesday, when I let 'im out of the flat 'e just looked quite -cheerful like. But the ole gentleman 'e was angry. I 'ad to give -'im a nip o' brandy, 'e was sort o' shaken after Mr. Philip went.' - -"You see then, don't you?" the Old Man in the Corner said with a grim -chuckle, "how gradually a network of sinister evidence was being -woven around Philip Ashley. He himself was conscious of it, and he -was conscious also of the wave of hostility that was rising up -against him. He looked now, not only grave, but decidedly anxious, -and he held his arms tightly crossed over his chest, as if in the act -of making a physical effort to keep his nerves under control. - -"He gave me the impression of a man who would hate any kind of -publicity, and the curious, eager looks that were cast upon him, -especially by the women, must have been positive torture to a -sensitive man. However, he looked a handsome and manly figure as he -stood up to answer the questions put to him by the coroner. He said -that he had arrived at the flat on the Saturday at about mid-day, -explaining to the jury that he always came once a fortnight to be -with his father, whilst his brother Charles enjoyed a couple of days -in the country. On this occasion, however, he was told that his -father was too ill to see him. Charles, however, went off on his -bicycle as usual, but contrary to precedent, a lady had apparently -been left in charge of the invalid. Witness understood that this was -Mrs. Triscott, the wife of a neighbour, who had kindly volunteered to -stay over the week-end. She was an experienced nurse and would know -what to do in case the patient required anything. For the moment he -was asleep and must not be disturbed. - -"'I naturally felt very vexed,' the witness continued, 'at being kept -out of my father's room, and I may have spoken rather sharply at the -moment, but I flatly deny that I was rude to Mrs. Triscott, or that I -was in a violent rage. I did get a glimpse of my father, as he lay -in bed, and I must say that I did not think that he looked any worse -than he had been all along. However, I was not going to argue the -point. I preferred to wait until the Monday morning when my brother -would be home, and I could tackle him on the subject.' - -"At this point the coroner desired to know why, in that case, when -the witness was told that his brother would not be at the flat before -ten o'clock, he turned up there as early as half-past eight. - -"'Because,' the witness replied, 'I was naturally rather anxious to -know how things were, and because I hoped to get a day on the river -with a friend, and to make an early start if possible. However, when -I got to the flat, Mrs. Triscott wanted to get away, and so I agreed -to stay there and wait until ten o'clock, when, so Mrs. Triscott -assured me, my brother would certainly be home. As a matter of fact -he always used to get home at that hour with clockwork regularity on -the Monday mornings after his holiday. My father was asleep, and -Mrs. Triscott left me instructions what to do in case he required -anything. At half-past nine he woke. I heard him stirring and I -went into his room and gave him some barley-water and sat with him -for a little while. He seemed quite cheerful and good-tempered, and, -honestly, I did not think that he was any worse than he had been for -weeks. Just before ten o'clock he dropped off to sleep again. I -knew that my brother would be in within the next half hour and, as -this would not be the first time that my father had been left alone -in the flat, I did not think that I should be doing anything wrong by -leaving him. I went back to my chambers and was busy making -arrangements for the day when I had a telephone message from my -brother that our father was dead.' - -"Questioned by the coroner as to the disagreement which he had had -with his father on the previous Wednesday, Mr. Philip Ashley -indignantly repudiated the idea that there was any quarrel. - -"'My father,' he said, 'had a very violent temper and a very harsh, -penetrating voice. He certainly did get periodically angry with me -whenever I explained to him that my marriage to Lady Peet-Jackson -could not, in all decency, take place for at least another six -months. He would storm and shriek for a little while,' the witness -went on, 'but we invariably parted the best of friends.'" - -The Old Man in the Corner paused for a little while, leaving me both -interested and puzzled. I was trying to piece together what I -remembered of the case with what he had just told me, and I was -longing to hear his explanation of the events which followed that -memorable inquest. After a little while the funny creature resumed: - -"I told you," he said, "that a wave of hostility had risen in the -public mind against Philip Ashley. It came from a sense of sympathy -for the other son, who, deformed and afflicted, had been done out of -a fortune. True that it would not have been of much use to him, and -that in the original will ample provision had been made for his -modest wants, but it now seemed as if, at the eleventh hour, the old -miser had thought to make reparation toward the son who had given up -his whole life to him, whilst the other had led one of leisure, -independence, and gaiety. What had caused old Thornton Ashley thus -to change his mind was never conclusively proved; there were some -rumours already current that Philip Ashley was in debt and had -appealed to his father for money, a fatal thing to do with a miser. -But this also was never actually proved. The only persons who could -have enlightened the jury on the subject were Philip Ashley himself -and his brother, Charles, but each of them, for reasons of his own, -chose to remain silent. - -"And now you will no doubt recall the fact which finally determined -the jury to bring in their sensational verdict, in consequence of -which Philip Ashley was arrested on the coroner's warrant on a charge -of attempted murder. It seemed horrible, ununderstandable, -unbelievable, but, nevertheless, a jury of twelve men did arrive at -that momentous decision after deliberation lasting less than half an -hour. What I believe weighed with them in the end was the fact that -the assistant who came with the divisional surgeon to conduct the -_post-mortem_ found underneath the bed of the deceased, a -walking-stick with a crook-handle, and the crumpled and torn copy of -the notes for the new will which Mr. Triscott had prepared. Philip -Ashley when confronted with the stick admitted that it was his. He -had missed it on the Saturday when he was leaving the flat, as he was -under the impression that he had brought one with him; however, he -did not want to spend any more time looking for it, as he was -obviously so very much in the way. - -"Now, both the charwoman and Mrs. Triscott swore that the patient's -room had been cleaned and tidied on the Sunday, and that there was no -sign of a walking-stick in the room then. - - -§5 - -"And so," the Old Man in the Corner went on, with a cynical shrug of -his lean shoulders, "Philip Ashley went through the terrible ordeal -of being hauled up before the magistrate on the charge of having -attempted to murder his father, an old man with one foot in the -grave. He pleaded 'Not Guilty,' and reserved his defence. The whole -of the evidence was gone through all over again, of course, but -nothing new had transpired. The case was universally thought to look -very black against the accused, and no one was surprised when he was -eventually committed for trial. - -"Public feeling remained distinctly hostile to him. It was a crime -so horrible and so unique you would have thought that no one would -have believed that a well-known, well-educated man could possibly -have been guilty of it. Probably, if the event had occurred before -the war, public opinion would have repudiated the possibility, but so -many horrible crimes have occurred in every country these past few -years that one was just inclined to shrug one's shoulders and murmur: -'Perhaps, one never knows!' One thing remained beyond a doubt: old -Mr. Thornton Ashley died of shock or fright following a violent and -dastardly assault, finger-marks were discovered round his throat, and -there were evidences on his face and head that he had been repeatedly -struck with what might easily have been the walking-stick which was -found under his bed. Add to this the weight of evidence of the new -will, about to be signed, and of the quarrel between father and son -on the previous Wednesday, and you have as good a motive for the -murder as any prosecuting counsel might wish for. Philip Ashley -would not, of course, hang for murder, but it was even betting that -he would get twenty years. - -"Anyway, I don't think that, as things were, any one blamed Lady -Peet-Jackson for her decision. A week before Philip Ashley's trial -came on she announced her engagement to Lord Francis Firmour, son of -the Marquis of Ettridge, whom she subsequently married. - -"But Philip Ashley was acquitted--you remember that? He was -acquitted because Sir Arthur Inglewood was his counsel, and Sir -Arthur is the finest criminal lawyer we possess; and, because the -evidence against him was entirely circumstantial, it was demolished -by his counsel with masterly skill. Whatever might be said on the -subject of 'motive,' there was nothing whatever to prove that the -accused knew anything of his father's intentions with regard to a new -will; and there was only a charwoman's word to say that he had -quarrelled with his father on that memorable Wednesday. - -"On the other hand, there was Mr. Oldwall and Dr. Fanshawe-Bigg, old -friends of the deceased, both swearing positively that Thornton -Ashley had a peculiarly shrill and loud voice, that he would often -get into passions about nothing at all, when he would scream and -storm, and yet mean nothing by it. The only evidence of any tangible -value was the walking-stick but even that was not enough to blast a -man's life with such a monstrous suspicion. - -"Philip Ashley was acquitted, but there are not many people who -followed that case closely who believed him altogether innocent at -the time. What Lady Peet-Jackson thought about it no one knows. It -was for her sake that the unfortunate man threw up the chances of a -fortune, and when it came within his grasp it still seemed destined -to evade him to the end. In losing the woman for whom he had been -prepared to make so many sacrifices, poor Philip lost the fortune a -second time, because, as he was not married within the prescribed -time-limit, it was Charles who inherited under the terms of the -original will. But I think you will agree with me that any sensitive -man is well out of a union with a hard and mercenary woman. - -"And now there has been another revolution in the wheel of Fate. -Charles Ashley died the other day in a nursing home of heart failure, -following an operation. He died intestate, and his brother is his -sole heir. Funny, isn't it, that Philip Ashley should get his -father's fortune in the end? But Fate does have a way sometimes of -dealing out compensations, after she has knocked a man about beyond -his deserts. Philip Ashley is a rich man now, and there is a rumour, -I am told, current in the society papers, that Lady Francis Firmour -has filed a petition for divorce, and that the proceedings will be -undefended. But can you imagine any man marrying such a woman after -all that she made him suffer?" - -Then, as the funny creature paused and appeared entirely engrossed in -the fashioning of complicated knots in his beloved bit of string, I -felt that it was my turn to keep the ball rolling. - -"Then you, for one," I said, "are quite convinced that Philip Ashley -did not know that his father intended to make a new will, and did not -try to murder him?" - -"Aren't you?" he retorted. - -"Well," I rejoined, somewhat lamely, "some one did assault the old -miser, didn't they? If it was not Philip Ashley then it must have -been just an ordinary burglar, who thought that the old man had some -money hidden away under his mattress." - -"Can't you theorise more intelligently than that?" the tiresome -creature asked in his very rude and cynical manner. I would gladly -have slapped his face, only--I did want to know. - -"Your own theory," I retorted, choosing to ignore his impertinence, -"seek him first whom the crime benefits." - -"Well, and whom did that particular crime benefit the most?" - -"Philip Ashley, of course," I replied, "but you said yourself----" - -"Philip Ashley did not benefit by the crime," the old scarecrow broke -in, with a dry cackle. "No, no, but for the fact that a merciful -Providence removed Charles Ashley so very unexpectedly out of this -wicked world, Philip would still be living on a few hundreds a year, -most of which he would owe to the munificence of his brother." - -"That," I argued, "was only because that Peet-Jackson woman threw him -over, otherwise----" - -"And why did she throw him over? Because old Thornton Ashley died -under mysterious circumstances, and Philip Ashley was under a cloud -because of it. Any one could have foreseen that that particular -woman would throw him over the very moment that suspicion fell upon -him." - -"But Charles----" I began. - -"Exactly," he broke in, excitedly, "it was Charles who benefited by -the crime. It was he who inherited the fortune." - -"But, by the new will he would have inherited anyhow. Then, why in -the world----" - -"You surely don't believe in that new will, do you? The way in which -I marshalled the facts before you ought to have paved the way for -more intelligent reasoning." - -"But Mr. Triscott----" I argued. - -"Ah, yes," he said, "Mr. Triscott--exactly. The whole thing could -only be done in partnership, I admit. But does not everything point -to a partnership in what, to my mind, is one of the ugliest crimes in -our records? You ought to be able to follow the workings of Charles -Ashley's mind, a mind as tortuous as the body that held it. Let me -put the facts once more briefly before you. While Philip obstinately -remained a bachelor, all was well. Charles stuck to the old miser, -carefully watching over his interests lest they become jeopardised. -But presently, Lady Peet-Jackson became a widow and Philip gaily -announced his engagement. From that hour Charles, of course, must -have seen the fortune on which he had already counted slipping away -irretrievably from his grasp. Can you not see in your mind's eye -that queer, misshapen creature setting his crooked brain to devise a -way out of the difficulty? Can you not see the plan taking shape -gradually, forming itself slowly into a resolve--a resolve to stop -his brother's marriage at all costs? But how? Philip, passionately -in love with Muriel Peet-Jackson, having won her after years of -waiting, was not likely to give her up. No, but _she_ might give -_him_ up. She had done it once for the sake of ambition, she might -do it again if ... if ... well, Charles Ashley, obscure, poor, -misshapen, was not likely to find a rival who would supplant his -handsome brother in any woman's affections. Certainly not! But -there remained the other possibility, the possibility that Philip, -poor--or, better still, disgraced--might cease to be a prize in the -matrimonial market. Disgraced! But how? By publicity? By crime? -Yes, by crime! Now, can you see the plan taking shape? - -"Can you see Charles cudgelling his wits as to what crime could most -easily be fastened on a man of Philip's personality and social -position? Probably a chance word dropped by his father put the -finishing touch to his scheme, a chance word on the subject of a -will. And there was the whole plan ready. The unsigned will, the -assault on the dying man, and quarrels there always were plenty -between the peppery old miser and his somewhat impatient son. As for -Triscott, the dapper little local lawyer, I suppose it took some time -for Charles Ashley's crooked schemes to appear as feasible and -profitable to him. Of course, without him nothing could have been -done, and the whole of my theory rests upon the fact that the two men -were partners in the crime. - -"Where they first met, and how they became friends, I don't profess -to know. If I had had anything to do with the official investigation -of that crime I should first of all have examined the servant in the -Triscott household, and found out whether or no Mr. Charles Ashley -had ever been a visitor there. In any case, I should have found out -something about Triscott's friends and Triscott's haunts. I am sure -that it would then have come to light that Charles Ashley and Mr. -Triscott had constant intercourse together. - -"I cannot bring myself to believe in that unsigned will. There was -nothing whatever that led up to it, except the supposed quarrel on -the Wednesday. But, if that old miser did want to alter his will, -why should he have sent for a man whom he hardly knew and whom, mind -you, he would have to pay for his services, rather than for his -friend, Oldwall, who would have done the work for nothing? The man -was a miser, remember. His meanness, we are told, amounted to a -mania; a miser never pays for something he can get for nothing. -There was also another little point that struck me during the inquest -as significant. If Triscott was an entire stranger to Charles -Ashley, why should he have taken such a personal interest in him and -in the old man to the extent of sending his wife to spend two whole -days and nights in charge of an invalid who was nothing to him? Why -should Mrs. Triscott have undertaken such a thankless task in the -house of a miser, where she would get no comforts and hardly anything -to eat? Why, I say, should the Triscotts have done all that if they -had not some vital self-interest at stake? - -"And I contend that that self-interest demanded that one of them -should be there, in the flat, on the watch, to see that no third -person was present whilst Philip spent his time by his father's -bedside--a witness, such as Lady Peet-Jackson, perhaps, or some -friend--whose testimony might demolish the whole edifice of lies, -which had been so carefully built up. And, did you notice another -point? The charwoman, by a new arrangement, was never at the flat on -a Monday morning, and that arrangement had only obtained for the past -two months. Now why? Charwomen stay away, I believe, on Sundays -always, but, I ask you, have you ever heard of a charwoman having a -holiday on a Monday?" - -I was bound to admit that it was unusual, whereupon the old scarecrow -went on, with excitement that grew as rapidly as did the feverish -energy of his fingers manipulating his bit of string. - -"And now propel your mind back to that same Monday morning, when, the -coast being clear, Charles Ashley, back at the flat and alone with -the old man, was able at last to put the finishing touch to his work -of infamy. One pressure of the fingers, one blow with the -walking-stick, and the curtain was rung down finally on the hideous -drama which he had so skilfully invented. Think of it all carefully -and intelligently," the Old Man in the Corner concluded, as he -stuffed his beloved bit of string into the capacious pocket of his -checked ulster, "and you will admit that there is not a single flaw -in my argument----" - -"The walking-stick," I broke in, quickly. - -"Exactly," he retorted, "the walking-stick. Charles was quick enough -to grasp the significance of that, and on Saturday, while his -brother's back was turned, he carefully hid the walking-stick, -knowing that it would be a useful piece of evidence presently. Do -you, for a moment, suppose," he added, dryly, "that any man would -have been such a fool as to throw his walking-stick and the crumpled -notes of the will underneath his victim's bed? They could not have -been left there, remember, they could not have rolled under the bed, -as the walking-stick had a crook-handle; they must deliberately have -been thrown there. - -"No, no!" he said, in conclusion, "there is no flaw. It is all as -clear as daylight to any receptive intelligence, and though human -justice did err at first, and it looked, at one time, as if the -innocent alone would suffer and the guilty enjoy the fruits of his -crime, a higher justice interposed in the end. Charles has gone, and -Philip is in possession of the fortune which his father desired him -to have. I only hope that his eyes are opened at last to the true -value of the beautiful Muriel's love, and that it will be some other -worthier woman who will share his fortune and help him forget all -that he endured in the past." - -"And what about the Triscotts?" I asked. - -"Ah!" he said, with a sigh, "they are the wicked who prosper, and -higher justice has apparently forgotten them, as it often does forget -the evil-doer, for a time. We must take it that they were well paid -for their share in the crime, and, if the unfortunate Charles had -lived, he probably would have been blackmailed by them and bled -white. As it is, they have gone scot-free. I made a few enquiries -in the neighbourhood lately and I discovered that Mr. Triscott is -selling his practice and retiring from business. Presently we'll -hear that he has bought himself a cottage in the country. Then, -perhaps, your last doubt will vanish and you will be ready to admit -that I have found the true solution of the mystery that surrounded -the death of the miser of Maida Vale." - -The next moment he was gone, and I just caught sight of the corner of -his checked ulster disappearing through the swing doors. - - - - -XII - -THE FULTON GARDENS MYSTERY - - -§1 - -"Are you prepared to admit," the Old Man in the Corner said abruptly -as soon as he had finished his glass of milk, "that sympathy, -understanding, largeness of heart--what?--are invariably the outcome -of a big brain? It is the fool who is censorious and cruel. Your -clever man is nearly always sympathetic. He understands, he -appreciates, he studies motives and understands them. During the war -it was the fools who tracked down innocent men and women under -pretence that they were spies; it was the fools who did not -understand that a German might be just as fine a patriot as a Briton -or a Frenchman if he served his own country. The hard, cruel man is -almost always a fool; the backbiting old maid invariably so. - -"I am tempted to say this," he went on, "because I have been thinking -over that curious case which newspaper reporters have called the -Fulton Gardens Mystery. You remember it, don't you?" - -"Yes," I said, "I do. As a matter of fact I knew poor old Mr. Jessup -slightly, and I was terribly shocked when I heard about that awful -tragedy. And to think that that horrid young Leighton----" - -"Ha!" my eccentric friend broke in, with a chuckle, "then you have -held on to that theory, have you?" - -"There was no other possible!" I retorted. - -"But he was discharged." - -I shrugged my shoulders under pretence of being unconvinced. As a -matter of fact, all I wanted was to make the funny creature talk. - -"A flimsy _alibi_," I said coldly. - -"And a want of sympathy," he rejoined. - -"What has sympathy got to do with a brutal assault on a defenceless -old man? You can't deny that Leighton had something, at any rate, to -do with it?" - -"I did not mean sympathy for the guilty," he argued, "but for the -women who were the principal witnesses in the case." - -"I don't see----" I protested. - -"No, but I do. I understood, and in a great measure I sympathised." - -At which expression of noble sentiment I burst out laughing. I -couldn't help it. In view of his preamble just now his fatuous -statement was funny beyond words. - -"You being the clever man who understands, etcetera," I said, as -seriously as I could, "and I the censorious and cruel old maid who is -invariably a fool." - -"You put it crudely," he rejoined complacently, "and had you not -given ample proof of your intelligence before now I might have -thought it worth while to refute the second half of your argument. -As for the first..." - -"Hadn't you better tell me about the Fulton Gardens Mystery?" I broke -in impatiently. - -"Certainly," he replied, in no way abashed. "I have meant to talk to -you about it all along, only that you would digress." - -"_Pax!_" I retorted, and with a conciliatory smile I handed him a -beautiful bit of string. He pounced on it with thin hands that -looked like the talons of a bird, and he gloated on that bit of -string for all the world as on a prey. - -"I dare say," he began, "that to most people the mystery appeared -baffling enough. But to me ... Well, there was the victim of what -you very properly call the cowardly assault, your friend--or -acquaintance--Mr. Seton Jessup, a man on the wrong side of sixty, but -very active and vigorous for his years. He carried on the business -of pearl merchant in Fulton Gardens, but he did not live there, as -you know. He was a married man, had sons and daughters and a nice -house in Fitzjohn's Avenue. He also owned the house in Fulton -Gardens, a four-storied building of the pattern prevalent in that -neighbourhood. The ground floor, together with the one above that, -and the basement were used by Mr. Jessup himself for his business: on -the ground floor he had his office and showroom, above that were a -couple of reception rooms, where he usually had his lunch and saw a -few privileged customers, and in the basement there was a kitchen -with scullery and pantry, a small servants' hall, and a strong-room -for valuables. The top story of all was let to a surgical-instrument -maker who did not sleep on the premises, and the second floor--that -is the one just below the surgical-instrument maker and immediately -above the reception rooms--was occupied by Mrs. Tufnell, who was -cook-housekeeper to Mr. Jessup, and her niece, Ann Weber, who acted -as the house-parlourmaid. Mrs. Tufnell's son, Mark, who was a junior -clerk in the office, did not sleep in the house. He was considered -to be rather delicate, and lived with a family somewhere near the -Alexandra Palace. - -"All these people, as you know, played important parts in the drama -that was enacted on the sixteenth of November at No. 13, Fulton -Gardens--an unlucky number, by the way, but one which Mr. Jessup did -not change to the usual 12a when he bought the house, because he -despised all superstition. He was a hard-headed, prosperous business -man; he worked hard himself, and expected hard work from his -employés. Both his sons worked in the office, one as senior clerk, -and the other as showman, and in addition to young Mark Tufnell there -was another junior clerk--a rather unsatisfactory youth named Arthur -Leighton, who was some sort of a relation of Mrs. Jessup's. But for -this connection he never would have been kept on in the business, as -he was unpunctual, idle, and unreliable. The housekeeper, as well as -some of the neighbours, had been scandalised lately by what was -picturesquely termed the 'goings on of that young Leighton with Ann, -the housemaid at No. 13.' - -"Ann Weber was a very pretty girl, and like many pretty girls she was -fond of finery and of admiration. As soon as she entered Mr. -Jessup's service she started a flirtation with Mark Tufnell, then she -dropped him for a while in favour of the youngest Mr. Jessup; then -she went back to Mark, and seemed really in love with him that time -until, finally, she transferred her favours to Arthur Leighton, -chiefly because he was by far the most generous of her admirers. He -was always giving her presents of jewellery which Mark Tufnell could -not afford, and young Jessup apparently did not care to give her. -But she did not, by any means, confine her flirtations to one man: -indeed, it appears that she had a marvellous facility for keeping -several men hanging about her dainty apron-strings. She was not on -the best of terms with her aunt, chiefly because the latter noted -with some asperity that her son was far from cured of his infatuation -for the pretty housemaid. The more she flirted with Leighton and the -others the greater did his love for her appear, and all that Mrs. -Tufnell could hope for was that Mr. Leighton would marry Ann one day -soon, when he would take her right away and Mark would then probably -make up his mind to forget her. Young Leighton was doing very well -in business apparently, for he always had plenty of money to spend, -whilst poor Mark had only a small salary, and, moreover, had nothing -of the smart, dashing ways about him which had made the other man so -attractive to Ann." - - -§2 - -"And now," the Old Man in the Corner continued after a while, "we -come to that sixteenth of November when the mysterious drama occurred -at No. 13, Fulton Gardens. As a general rule, it seems, Mr. Jessup -was in his office most evenings until seven o'clock. His clerks and -showmen finished at six, but he would, almost invariably, stay on an -hour longer to go through his accounts or look over his stock. On -this particular evening, just before seven o'clock, he rang for the -housekeeper, Mrs. Tufnell, and told her that he would be staying -until quite late, and would she send him in a cup of tea and a plate -of sandwiches in about an hour's time. Mrs. Tufnell owned to being -rather disappointed when she had this order because her son Mark had -arranged to take her and Ann to the cinema that evening, and now, of -course, they could not leave until after Mr. Jessup had gone, in case -he wanted anything, and he might be staying on until all hours. -However, Mark stayed to supper, and after supper Mrs. Tufnell got the -tea and sandwiches ready and took the tray up to Mr. Jessup herself. -Mr. Jessup was then sitting at his desk with two or three big books -in front of him, and Mrs. Tufnell noticed that the safe in which the -cash was kept that came in after banking hours was wide open. - -"Mrs. Tufnell put down the tray, and was about to leave the room -again when Mr. Jessup spoke to her. - -"'I expect Mr. Leighton back presently. Show him in here when he -comes. But I don't want to see anybody else, not any of you. -Understand?' - -"It seems that he said this in such a harsh and peremptory manner -that Mrs. Tufnell was not only upset, but quite frightened. Mr. -Jessup had always been very kind and considerate to his servants, and -the housekeeper declared that she had never been spoken to like that -before. But we all know what that sort of people are: they have no -understanding, and unless you are perpetually smiling at them they -turn huffy at the slightest word of impatience. Undoubtedly Mr. -Jessup was both tired and worried, and no great stress was laid by -the police subsequently on the fact that he had spoken harshly on -this occasion. Even to you at this moment I dare say that this seems -a trifling circumstance, but I mention it because to my mind it had a -great deal of significance, and I think that the police were very -wrong to dismiss it quite so lightly. - -"Well, to resume. Mr. Jessup was in his office with his books and -with the safe, where he kept all the cash that came in after banking -hours, open. Mrs. Tufnell saw and spoke to him at eight o'clock and -he was then expecting Arthur Leighton to come to him at nine. - -"No one saw him alive after that. - -"The next morning Mrs. Tufnell was downstairs as usual at a quarter -to seven. After she had lighted the kitchen fire, done her front -steps and swept the hall she went to do the ground-floor rooms. She -told the police afterwards that from the moment she got up she felt -that there was something wrong in the house. Somehow or other she -was frightened; she didn't know of what, but she was frightened. As -soon as she had opened the office door she gave a terrified scream. -Mr. Jessup was sitting at his desk just as Mrs. Tufnell had seen him -the night before, with his big books in front of him and the safe -door open. But his head had fallen forward on the desk, and his arms -were spread out over his books. Mrs. Tufnell never doubted for a -second but that he was dead, even before she saw the stick lying on -the floor and that horrible, horrible dull red stain which spread -from the back of the old man's head, right down to his neck and -stained his collar and the top of his coat. Even before she saw all -that she knew that Mr. Jessup was dead. Terrified, she clung to the -open door; she could do nothing but stare and stare, for the room, -the furniture, the motionless figure by the desk had started whirling -round and round before her eyes, so that she felt that at any moment -she might fall down in a dead faint. It seemed ages before she heard -Ann's voice calling to her, asking what was the matter. Ann was lazy -and never came downstairs before eight o'clock. She had apparently -only just tumbled out of bed when she heard Mrs. Tufnell's scream. -Now she came running downstairs, with her bare feet thrust into her -slippers and a dressing-gown wrapped round her. - -"'What is it, Auntie?' she kept on asking as she ran. 'What has -happened?' - -"And when she reached the office door, she only gave one look into -the room and exclaimed, 'Oh, my God! He's killed him!' - -"Somehow Ann's exclamation of horror brought Mrs. Tufnell to her -senses. With a great effort she pulled herself together, just in -time, too, to grip Ann by the arm, or the girl would have measured -her length on the tiled floor behind her. As it was, Mrs. Tufnell -gave her a vigorous shake: - -"'What do you mean, Ann Weber?' she demanded in a hoarse whisper. -'What do you mean? Who has killed him?' - -"But Ann couldn't or wouldn't utter another word. She was as white -as a sheet and, staggering backwards, she had fallen up against the -bannisters at the foot of the stairs and was clinging to them, -wide-eyed, with twitching mouth and shaking knees. - -"'Pull yourself together, Ann Weber,' Mrs. Tufnell said peremptorily, -'and run and fetch the police at once.' - -"But Ann looked as if she couldn't move. She kept on reiterating in -a dry, meaningless manner, 'The police! The police,' until Mrs. -Tufnell, who by now had gathered her wits together, gave her a -vigorous push and then went upstairs to put on her bonnet. A few -minutes later she had gone for the police. - - -§3 - -"I don't know," the Old Man in the Corner went on glibly, "whether -you remember all the circumstances which made that case such a -puzzling one. Indeed, it well deserved the popular name that the -evening papers bestowed on it--'The Fulton Gardens Mystery'--for it -was, indeed, a mystery, and to most people it has so remained to this -day." - -"Not to you," I put in, with a smile, just to humour him, as I could -see he was waiting to be buttered-up before he would proceed with his -narrative. - -"No, not to me," he admitted, with his fatuous smile. "If the -members of the police force who had the case in hand had been -psychologists, they would not have been puzzled, either. But they -were satisfied with their own investigations and with all that was -revealed at the inquest, and they looked no further, with the result -that when the edifice of their deductions collapsed, they had nowhere -to turn. Time had gone on, evidences had become blurred, witnesses -were less sure of themselves and less reliable, and a certain -blackguard, on whom I for one could lay my fingers at this moment, is -going through the world scot-free. - -"But let me begin by telling you the facts as they were revealed at -the inquest. You can then form your own conclusions, and I dare say -that these will be quite as erroneous as those arrived at by the -public and the police. - -"The drama began to unfold itself when Mr. Ernest Jessup, the younger -son of the deceased gentleman, was called. He began by explaining -that he was junior clerk in his father's office, and that he, along -with all the other employés had remarked on the sixteenth that the -guv'nor did not seem at all like himself. He was irritable with -everybody, and just before luncheon he called Arthur Leighton into -his office and apparently some very hot words passed between the two. -Witness happened to be in the hall at the moment, getting his hat and -coat, and the housemaid was standing by. They both heard very loud -voices coming from the office. The guv'nor was storming away at the -top of his voice. - -"'That's poor Leighton getting it in the neck,' witness remarked to -Ann Weber. - -"But the girl only giggled and shrugged her shoulders. Then she -said: 'Do you think so?' - -"'Yes,' witness replied, 'aren't you sorry to see your devoted -admirer in such hot water?' - -"Again the girl giggled and then ran away upstairs. Mr. Leighton was -not at the office the whole of that afternoon, but witness -understood, either from his father or from his brother--he couldn't -remember which--that Leighton was to come in late that night to -interview the guv'nor. - -"Witness was next questioned as to the events that occurred at Mr. -Jessup's home in Fitzjohn's Avenue, while the terrible tragedy was -enacted in Fulton Gardens. It seems that Mr. Jessup had an old -mother who lived in St. Albans, and that he went sometimes to see her -after business hours and stayed the night. As a general rule, when -he intended going he would telephone home in the course of the -afternoon. On the sixteenth he rang up at about five o'clock and -said that he was staying late at the office--later than usual--and -they were not to wait dinner for him. Mrs. Jessup took this message -herself, and had recognised her husband's voice. Then, later on in -the evening--it might have been half-past eight or nine--there was -another telephone message from the office. Witness went to the -telephone that time. A voice, which at first he did not think that -he recognised, said: 'Mr. Jessup has gone to St. Albans. He caught -the 7.50, and won't be home to-night.' In giving evidence witness at -first insisted on the fact that he did not recognise the voice on the -telephone. It was a man's voice, and sounded like that of a person -who was rather the worse for drink. He asked who was speaking, and -the reply came quite clearly that time: 'Why, it's Leighton, you ass! -Don't you know me?' Witness then asked: 'Where are you speaking -from?' and the reply was: 'From the office, of course. I've had my -wigging and am getting consoled by our Annie-bird.' Annie-bird was -the name the pretty housemaid went by among the young clerks at the -office. Witness then hung up the receiver and gave his mother the -message. Neither Mrs. Jessup nor any one else in the house thought -anything more about it, as there was nothing whatever unusual about -the occurrence. Witness only made some remarks about Arthur Leighton -having been drinking again, and there the matter unfortunately -remained until the following morning, when witness and his brother -arrived at the office and were met with the awful news. - -"Both Mrs. Jessup and Mr. Aubrey, the eldest son, corroborated the -statements made by the previous witness with regard to the telephone -messages on the evening of the sixteenth. Mr. Aubrey Jessup also -stated that he knew that his father was worried about some -irregularities in Arthur Leighton's accounts, and that he meant to -have it out with the young clerk in the course of the evening. -Witness had begged his father to let the matter rest until the next -day, as Leighton, he thought, had got the afternoon off to see a sick -sister, but the deceased had rejected the suggestion with obvious -irritation. - -"'Stuff and nonsense!' he said. 'I don't believe in that sick sister -a bit. I'll see that young blackguard to-night.' - -"The next witness was Mrs. Tufnell, who was cook-housekeeper at -Fulton Gardens. She was a middle-aged, capable-looking woman, with a -pair of curiously dark eyes. I say 'curiously' because Mrs. -Tufnell's eyes had that velvety quality which is usually only met -with in southern countries. I have seldom seen them in England, -except, perhaps, in Cornwall. Apart from her eyes, there was nothing -either remarkable or beautiful about Mrs. Tufnell. She may have been -good-looking once, but that was a long time ago. When she stood up -to give evidence her face appeared rather bloodless, weather-beaten, -and distinctly hard. She spoke quite nicely and without any of that -hideous Cockney accent one might have expected from a cook in a City -office. - -"She deposed that on the sixteenth, just before the luncheon hour, -she was crossing the hall at 13, Fulton Gardens. The door into the -office was ajar, and she heard Mr. Jessup's voice raised, evidently -in great wrath. Mrs. Tufnell also heard Mr. Leighton's voice, both -gentlemen, as she picturesquely put it, going at one another hammer -and tongs. Obviously, though she wouldn't admit it, Mrs. Tufnell -stopped to listen, but she does not seem to have understood much of -what was said. However, a moment or two later, Mr. Jessup went to -the door in order to shut it, and while he did so, Mrs. Tufnell heard -him say quite distinctly: - -"'Well, if you must go now, you must, though I don't believe a word -about your sister being ill. But you may go; only, understand that I -expect you back here this evening not later than nine. I shall have -gone through the accounts by then, and...' - -"At this point the door was shut and witness heard nothing more. But -she reiterated the statements which she had already made to the -police, and which I have just retold you, about Mr. Jessup staying -late at the office and her taking him in some sandwiches, when he -told her that he was expecting Mr. Leighton at about nine o'clock and -did not wish to be disturbed by anybody else. Witness was asked to -repeat what the deceased had actually said to her with reference to -this matter, and she laid great stress on Mr. Jessup's harsh and -dictatorial manner, so different, she said, to his usual gentlemanly -ways. - -"'"I don't want to see anybody else--not any of you," that's what he -said,' Mrs. Tufnell replied, with an air of dignity, and then added: -'As if Ann Weber or I had ever thought of disturbing him when he was -at work!' - -"Witness went on to relate that, after she had taken in the tray of -tea and sandwiches, she went upstairs and found Ann Weber sitting in -her room by herself. Mark, the girl explained, had gone off, very -disappointed that they couldn't all go together to the cinema. Mrs. -Tufnell argued the point for a moment or two, as she didn't see why -Ann should have refused to go if she wanted to see the show. But the -girl seemed to have turned sulky. Anyway, it was too late, she said, -as Mark had gone off by himself: he had booked the places and didn't -want to waste them, so he was going to get another friend to go with -him. - -"Mrs. Tufnell then settled down to do some sewing, and Ann turned -over the pages of a stale magazine. Mrs. Tufnell thought that she -appeared restless and agitated. Her cheeks were flushed and at the -slightest sound she gave a startled jump. Presently she said that -she had some silver to clean in the pantry, and went downstairs to do -it. Some little time after that there was a ring at the front-door -bell, and Mrs. Tufnell heard Ann going through the hall to open the -door. A quarter of an hour went by, and then another. - -"Mrs. Tufnell began to wonder what Ann was up to. She put down her -sewing and started to go downstairs. The first thing that struck her -was that all the lights on the stairs and landing were out; the house -appeared very silent and dark; only a glimmer came from one of the -lights downstairs in the hall at the foot of the stairs. - -"Mrs. Tufnell went down cautiously. Strangely enough, it did not -occur to her to turn on the lights on her way. After she had passed -the first-floor landing she heard the sound of muffled voices coming -from the hall below. Thinking that she recognised Ann's voice, she -called to her: 'Is that you, Ann?' And Ann immediately replied: -'Coming, aunt.' 'Who are you talking to?' Mrs. Tufnell asked, and as -Ann did not answer this time, she went on: 'Is it Mr. Leighton?' And -Ann said: 'Yes. He is just going.' - -"Mrs. Tufnell stood there, waiting. She was half-way down the stairs -between the first floor and the hall, and she couldn't see Ann or Mr. -Leighton, but a moment or two later she heard Ann's voice saying -quite distinctly: 'Well, good-night, Mr. Leighton, see you to-morrow -as usual.' After which the front door was opened, then banged to -again, and presently Ann came tripping back across the hall. - -"'You go to bed now, Ann,' Mrs. Tufnell said to her. 'I'll see Mr. -Jessup off when he goes. He won't be long now, I dare say.' - -"'Oh, but,' Ann said, 'Mr. Jessup has been gone some time.' - -"'Gone some time?' Mrs. Tufnell exclaimed. 'He can't have been gone -some time. Why, he was expecting Mr. Leighton, and Mr. Leighton has -only just gone.' - -"Ann shrugged her shoulders. 'I can only tell you what I know, Mrs. -Tufnell,' she said acidly. 'You can come down and see for yourself. -The office is shut up and all the lights out.' - -"'But didn't Mr. Leighton see Mr. Jessup?' - -"'No, he didn't. Mr. Jessup told Mr. Leighton to wait, and then he -went away without seeing him.' - -"'That's funny,' Mrs. Tufnell remarked, dryly. 'What was Mr. -Leighton doing in the house, then, all this time? I heard the -front-door bell half an hour ago and more.' - -"'That's no business of yours, Aunt Sarah,' the girl retorted pertly. -'And it wasn't half an hour, so there!' - -"Mrs. Tufnell did not argue the point any further. Mechanically she -went downstairs and ascertained in point of fact that the door of the -office and the show-room on the ground floor were both locked as -usual, and that the key of the office was outside in the lock. This -was entirely in accordance with custom. Mrs. Tufnell, through force -of habit, did just turn the key and open the door of the office. She -just peeped in to see that the lights were really all out. Satisfied -that everything was dark she then closed and relocked the door. Ann, -in the meanwhile, stood half-way up the stairs watching. Then the -two women went upstairs together. They had only just got back in -their room when the front-door bell rang once more. - -"'Now, whoever can that be?' Mrs. Tufnell exclaimed. - -"'Don't trouble, aunt,' Ann said with alacrity. 'I'll run down and -see.' Which she did. Again it was some time before she came back, -and when she did get back to her room, she seemed rather breathless -and agitated. - -"'Some one for Mr. Jessup,' she said in answer to Mrs. Tufnell's -rather acid remark that she had been gone a long time. 'He kept me -talking ever such a while. I don't think he believed me when I said -Mr. Jessup had gone.' - -"'Who was it?' witness asked. - -"'I don't know,' the girl replied. 'I never saw him before.' - -"'Didn't you ask his name?' - -"'I did. But he said it didn't matter--he would call again -to-morrow.' - -"After that the two women sat for a little while longer, Mrs. Tufnell -sewing, and Ann still rather restlessly turning over the pages of a -magazine. At ten o'clock they went to bed. And that was the end of -the day as far as the household of Mr. Jessup was concerned. - -"You may well imagine that all the amateur detectives who were -present at the inquest had made up their minds by now that Arthur -Leighton had murdered Mr. Seton Jessup, and robbed the till both -before and after the crime. It was a simple deduction easily arrived -at and presenting the usual features. A flirty minx, an enamoured -young man, extravagance, greed, opportunity, and supreme temptation. -Amongst the public there were many who did not even think it worth -while to hear further witnesses. To their minds the hangman's rope -was already round young Leighton's neck. Of course, I admit that at -this point it seemed a very clear case. It was only after this that -complications arose and soon the investigations bristled with -difficulties. - - -§4 - -"After a good deal of tedious and irrelevant evidence had been gone -through the inquest was adjourned, and the public left the court on -the tiptoe of expectation as to what the morrow would bring. Nor was -any one disappointed, for on the morrow the mystery deepened, even -though there was plenty of sensational evidence for newspaper -reporters to feed on. - -"The police, it seems, had brought forward a very valuable witness in -the person of the point policeman, who was on duty from eight o'clock -onwards on the evening of the sixteenth at the corner of Clerkenwell -Road and Fulton Gardens. No. 13 is only a few yards up the street. -The man had stated, it seems, that soon after half-past eight he had -seen a man come along Fulton Gardens from the direction of Holborn, -go up to the front door of No. 13 and ring the bell. He was admitted -after a minute or two, and he stayed in the house about half an hour. -It was a dark night, and there was a slight drizzle; the witness -could not swear to the man's identity. He was slight and of middle -height, and walked like a young man. When he arrived he wore a -bowler hat and no overcoat, but when he came out again he had an -overcoat on and a soft grey hat, and carried the bowler in his hand. -Witness noticed as he walked away up Fulton Gardens towards Finsbury -this time he took off the soft hat, slipped it into the pocket of his -overcoat, and put on the bowler. About ten minutes later, not more, -another visitor called at No. 13. He also was slight and tallish, -and he wore an overcoat and a bowler hat. He turned into Fulton -Gardens from Clerkenwell Road, but on the opposite corner to the one -where witness was standing. He rang the bell and was admitted, and -stayed about twenty minutes. He walked away in the direction of -Holborn. Witness would not undertake to identify either of these two -visitors; he had not been close enough to them to see their faces, -and there was a good deal of fog that night as well as the drizzle. -There was nothing suspicious looking about either of the men. They -had walked quite openly up to the front door, rung the bell, and been -admitted. The only thing that had struck the constable as queer was -the way the first visitor had changed hats when he walked away. - -"Witness swore positively that no one else had gone in or out of No. -13 that night except those two visitors. How important this evidence -was you will understand presently. - -"After this young Tufnell was called. He was a shy-looking fellow, -with a nervous manner altogether out of keeping with his dark -expressive eyes--eyes which he had obviously inherited from his -mother and which gave him a foreign as well as a romantic appearance. -He was said to be musical and to be a talented amateur actor. Every -one agreed, it seems, that he had always been a very good son to his -mother until his love for Ann Weber had absorbed all his thoughts and -most of his screw. He explained that he was junior clerk to Mr. -Jessup, and as far as he knew had always given satisfaction. On the -sixteenth he had also noticed that the guv'nor was not quite himself. -He appeared unusually curt and irritable with everybody. Witness had -not been in the house all the evening. When his mother told him that -neither she nor Ann could go to the cinema with him he went off by -himself, and after the show he went straight back to his digs near -the Alexandra Palace. He only heard of the tragedy when he arrived -at the office as usual on the morning of the seventeenth. His -evidence would have seemed uninteresting and unimportant but for the -fact that while he gave it he glanced now and again in the direction -where Ann Weber sat beside her aunt. It seemed as if he were all the -time mutely asking for her approval of what he was saying, and -presently when the coroner asked him whether he knew the cause of his -employer's irritability, he very obviously looked at Ann before he -finally said: 'No, sir, I don't!' - -"After that Ann Weber was called. Of course it had been clear all -along that she was by far the most important witness in this -mysterious case, and when she rose from her place, looking very trim -and neat in her navy-blue coat and skirt, with a jaunty little hat -pulled over her left eye, and wearing long amber earrings that gave -her pretty face a piquant expression, every one settled down -comfortably to enjoy the sensation of the afternoon. - -"Ann, who was thoroughly self-possessed, answered the coroner's -preliminary questions quite glibly, and when she was asked to relate -what occurred at No. 13, Fulton Gardens on the night of the -sixteenth, she plunged into her story without any hesitation or trace -of nervousness. - -"'At about half-past eight,' she said, 'or it may have been later--I -won't swear as to the time--there was a ring at the front-door bell. -I was down in the pantry, and as I came upstairs I heard the office -door being opened. When I got into the passage I saw Mr. Jessup -standing in the doorway of the office. He had his spectacles on his -nose, and a pen in his hand. He looked as if he had just got up from -his desk.' - -"'"If that's young Leighton," he said to me, "tell him I'll see him -to-morrow. I can't be bothered now." Then he went back into the -office and shut the door. - -"'I opened the door to Mr. Leighton,' witness continued, 'and he came -in looking very cold and wet. I told him that Mr. Jessup didn't want -to see him to-night. He seemed very pleased at this, but he wouldn't -go away, and when I told him I was busy he said that I couldn't be so -unkind as to turn a fellow out into the rain without giving him a -drink. Now I could see that already Mr. Leighton he'd had a bit too -much, and I told him so quite plainly. But there! he wouldn't take -"No" for an answer, and as it really was jolly cold and damp I told -him to go and sit down in the servants' hall while I got him a hot -toddy. I went down into the kitchen and put the kettle on and cut a -couple of sandwiches. I don't know where Mr. Leighton was during -that time or what he was doing. I was in the kitchen some time, -because I couldn't get the kettle to boil as the fire had gone down -and we have no gas downstairs. When I took the tray into the -servants' hall Mr. Leighton was there, and again I told him that I -didn't think he ought to have any more whisky, but he only laughed, -and was rather impudent, so I just put the tray down, and then I -thought that I would run upstairs and see if Mr. Jessup wanted -anything. I was rather surprised when I got to the hall to see that -all the lights up the stairs had been turned off. There's a switch -down in the hall that turns off the lot. The whole house looked very -dark. There was but a very little light that came from the lamp at -the other end of the hall, near the front door. I was just thinking -that I would turn on the lights again when I saw what I could have -sworn was Mr. Jessup coming out of his office. He had already got -his hat and coat on, and when he came out of the office he shut the -door and turned the key in the lock, just as Mr. Jessup always did. -It never struck me for a moment that it could be anybody but him. -Though it was dark, I recognised his hat and his overcoat, and his -own way of turning the key. I spoke to him,' witness continued in -answer to a question put to her by the coroner, 'but he didn't reply; -he just went straight through the hall and out by the front door. -Then after a bit Mr. Leighton came up, and I told him Mr. Jessup had -gone. He was quite pleased, and stopped talking in the hall for a -moment, and then aunt called to me and Mr. Leighton went away.' - -"Witness was then questioned as to the other visitor who called later -that same evening, but she stated that she had no idea who it was. -'He came about nine,' she explained, 'and I went down to open the -door. He kept me talking ever such a time, asking all sorts of silly -questions; I didn't know how to get rid of him, and he wouldn't leave -his name. He said he would call again and that it didn't matter.' - -"Ann Weber here gave the impression that the unknown visitor had -stopped for a flirtation with her on the doorstep, and her smirking -and pert glances rather irritated the coroner. He pulled her up -sharply by putting a few straight questions to her. He wanted to pin -her down to a definite statement as to the time when (1) she opened -the door to Mr. Leighton, (2) she saw what she thought was Mr. Jessup -go out of the house, and (3) the second visitor arrived. Though -doubtful as to the exact time, Ann was quite sure that the three -events occurred in the order in which she had originally related, and -in this she was, of course, corroborating the evidence of the point -policeman. But there was the mysterious contradiction. Ann Weber -swore that Mr. Leighton followed her up from the servants' hall just -after she had seen the mysterious individual go out by the front -door. On the other hand, she couldn't swear what happened while she -was busy in the kitchen getting the hot toddy for Mr. Leighton. She -had been trying to make the fire burn up, and had rattled coals and -fire-irons. She certainly had not heard any one using the telephone, -which was in the office, and she did not know where Mr. Leighton was -during that time. - -"Nor would she say what was in her mind when first she saw her -employer lying dead over the desk and exclaimed: 'My God! He has -killed him!' And when the coroner pressed her with questions she -burst into tears. Except for this her evidence had, on the whole, -been given with extraordinary self-possession. It was a terrible -ordeal for a girl to have to stand up before a jury and, roughly -speaking, to swear away the character of a man with whom she had been -on intimate terms.... The character, did I say? I might just as -well have said the life, because whatever doubts had lurked in the -public mind about Arthur Leighton's guilt, or at least complicity in -the crime, those doubts were dispelled by the girl's evidence. For I -need not tell you, I suppose, that every man present that second day -at the inquest had already made up his mind that Ann Weber was lying -to save her sweetheart. No one believed in the mysterious -impersonator of Mr. Jessup. It was Arthur Leighton, they argued, who -had murdered his employer and robbed the till, and Ann Weber knew it -and had invented the story in order to drag a red herring across the -trail. - -"I must say that the man himself did not make a good impression when -he was called in his turn. As he stepped forward with a swaggering -air, and a bold glance at coroner and jury, the interest which he -aroused was not a kindly one. He was rather a vulgar-looking -creature, with a horsey get-up, high collar, stock-tie, fancy -waistcoat, and so on. His hair was of a ginger colour, his eyes -light, and his face tanned. Every one noticed that he winked at Ann -Weber when he caught her eye, and also that the girl immediately -averted her glance and almost imperceptibly shrugged her shoulders. -Thereupon Leighton frowned and very obviously swore under his breath. - -"Questioned as to his doings on the sixteenth, he admitted that 'the -guv'nor had been waxy with him, because,' as he put it with an -indifferent swagger, 'there were a few pounds missing from the till.' -He also admitted that he had not been looking forward to the -evening's interview, but that he had not dared refuse to come. In -order to kill time, and to put heart into himself, he had gone with a -couple of friends to the Café Royal in Regent Street, and they all -had whiskies and sodas till it was time for him to go to Fulton -Gardens. His friends were to wait for him until he returned, when -they intended to have supper together. Witness then went to Fulton -Gardens and saw Ann Weber, who told him that the guv'nor didn't wish -to see him. This, according to his own picturesque language, was a -little bit of all right. He stayed for a few minutes talking to Ann, -and she gave him a hot toddy. He certainly didn't think he had -stayed as long as half an hour, but then, when a fellow was talking -to a pretty girl ... eh? ... what? ... - -"The coroner curtly interrupted his fatuous explanations by asking -him at what time he had left his friends, and at what time he had met -them again subsequently. Witness was not very sure; he thought he -left the Café Royal about half-past eight, but it might have been -earlier or later. He took a bus to the bottom of Fulton Gardens. It -was beastly cold and wet, and he was very grateful to Ann for giving -him a hot drink. He denied that he had been drinking too much, or -that he had demanded the hot drink. It was Ann Weber who had offered -to get it for him. Jolly pretty girl, Annie-bird, and not shy. -Witness concluded his evidence by swearing positively that he had -waited in the servants' hall all the while that Ann Weber got him the -toddy; he had followed her down, and not gone upstairs or seen -anything of Mr. Jessup all the time he was in the house. When he -left Fulton Gardens he tried to get a bus back to Regent Street, but -many of them were full and it was rather late before he got back to -the Café Royal. - -"It was very obvious that as the coroner continued to put question -after question to him, Arthur Leighton became vaguely conscious of -the feeling of hostility towards him which had arisen in the public -mind. He lost something of his swagger, and his face under the tan -took on a greyish hue. From time to time he glanced at Ann Weber, -but she obstinately looked another way. - -"Undoubtedly he felt that he was caught in a network of damnatory -evidence which he was unable to combat. The day ended, however, with -another adjournment; the police wanted a little more time before -taking drastic action. The public so often blame them for being in -too great a hurry to fasten an accusation on the flimsiest grounds -that one is pleased to record such a noteworthy instance when they -really did not leave a single stone unturned before they arrested -Arthur Leighton on the charge of murder. They did everything they -could to find some proof of the existence and identity of the -individual whom Ann Weber professed to have seen while Leighton was -still in the house. But all their efforts in that direction came to -naught, whilst Leighton himself denied having had an accomplice just -as strenuously as he did his own guilt. - -"He was brought up before the magistrate, charged with the terrible -crime. No one, the police argued, had so strong a motive for the -crime or such an opportunity. Alternatively, no one else could have -admitted the mysterious impersonator of Mr. Jessup into the house, -the accomplice who did the deed, whilst Leighton engaged Ann Weber's -attention, always supposing that he did exist, which was never -proved, and which the evidence of the police constable refuted. -People who dabbled in spiritualism and that sort of thing were -pleased to think that the mysterious personage whom the housemaid saw -was the ghost of poor old Jessup, who was then lying murdered in his -office, stricken by Leighton's hand. But even the most -psychic-minded individual was unable to give a satisfactory -explanation for the ghost having changed hats while he walked away -from that fateful No. 13. - -"Altogether the question of hats played an important role in the -drama of Leighton's arrest and final discharge. The magistrate did -not commit him for trial, because the case for the prosecution -collapsed suddenly like a pack of cards. It was the question of hats -that saved Leighton's neck from the hangman's rope. You remember, -perhaps, that in his evidence he had stated that before starting to -interview his irate employer he had been with some friends at the -Café Royal in Regent Street, and that subsequently he met these -friends there for supper. Well, although it appeared impossible to -establish definitely the time when Leighton left the Café Royal to go -to Fulton Gardens, there were two or three witnesses prepared to -swear that he was back again at a quarter to ten. Now this was very -important. It seems that his friends, who were waiting at the Café -Royal, were getting impatient, and at twenty minutes to ten by the -clock one of them--a fellow named Richard Hurrill--said he would go -outside and see if he could see anything of Leighton. He strolled on -as far as Piccadilly Circus where the buses stop that come from the -City, and a minute or two later he saw Leighton step out of one. He -seemed a little fuzzy in the head, and Hurrill chaffed him a bit. -Then he took him by the arm and led him back in triumph to the Café -Royal. - -"Now mark what followed," the funny creature went on, whilst all at -once his fingers started working away as if for dear life on his bit -of string. "A hat--a soft grey hat--with an overcoat wrapped round -it, were found in the area of a derelict house in Blackhorse Road, -Walthamstow, close to the waterworks, and identified as the late Mr. -Seton Jessup's overcoat and hat. I don't suppose that you have the -least idea where Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow, is, but let me tell -you that it is at the back of beyond in the northeast of London. If -you remember, the point policeman had stated that the first visitor -had called at No. 13 Fulton Gardens at half-past eight, and stayed -half an hour. He then walked away in the direction of Finsbury. -That visitor, the police argued, was Arthur Leighton, who had -murdered Mr. Jessup and sent the telephone message to Fitzjohn's -Avenue; then, hearing Ann Weber moving about downstairs and -frightened at being caught by her, he had put on the deceased's hat -and coat and slipped out of the house. Ann, however, had recognised -him. She had involuntarily given him away when the housekeeper asked -her whom she was talking to, so she invented the story of having seen -what she thought was Mr. Jessup in order to save her sweetheart. - -"It was a logical theory enough, but here came the evidence of the -hat. The man who walked away from Fulton Gardens at nine o'clock, -whom the point policeman saw changing his hat in the street at that -hour, could not possibly have gone all the way to Walthamstow, either -by bus or even part of the way in a taxi, and back again to -Piccadilly Circus all in the space of forty-five minutes. And -Leighton, mind you, stepped out of a bus when his friend met him, and -I can tell you that the police worked their hardest to find a -taxi-man who may have picked up a fare that night in the -neighbourhood of Clerkenwell and driven out to Walthamstow and then -back to Holborn. That search proved entirely fruitless. On the -other hand, Leighton had paid his bus fare from Holborn, and the -conductor vaguely recollected that he had got in at the corner of -Clerkenwell Road. Well, that being proved, the man couldn't have -done in the time all that the prosecution declared that he did. - -"After he was discharged, the Press started violently abusing the -police for not having directed their attention to the second visitor -who called at Fulton Gardens ten minutes or so after the first one -had left. But this person appeared as elusive and intangible as the -mysterious wearer of Mr. Jessup's hat and coat. The point policeman -saw him in the distance, and Ann Weber admitted him into the house -and chatted with him for over twenty minutes. She didn't know him, -but she declared that she could easily recognise him if she saw him -again. For some time after that the poor girl was constantly called -upon by the police to see, and if possible identify, the mysterious -visitor. Half the shady characters in London passed, I believe, -before her eyes during the next three months. But this search proved -as fruitless as the other. The murder of Mr. Seton Jessup has -remained as complete and as baffling a mystery as any in the annals -of crime. Many there are--you amongst the number--who firmly believe -that Arthur Leighton had, at any rate, something to do with it. I -know that the family of the deceased were convinced that he did. Mr. -Aubrey Jessup, the eldest son of the deceased, who was one of the -executors under his father's will, and who had gone through the -accounts of the business, had noted certain irregularities in -Leighton's books; he also declared that various sums which had come -in on the sixteenth after banking hours were missing from the safe. -Moreover, young Leighton himself had admitted that 'the guv'nor was -waxy with him because a few pounds were missing from the till.' All -these facts no doubt had influenced the police when they applied for -a warrant for his arrest, but there was no getting away from the -evidence of that hat and coat found ten miles and more away from the -scene of the crime, and of the bus conductor who could swear that out -of forty-five minutes which the accused had to account for he had -spent twenty in a bus." - -"It is all very mysterious," I put in, because my eccentric friend -had been silent for quite a long time, while his attention was -entirely taken up by the fashioning of a whole series of intricate -knots. "I am afraid that I was one of those who blamed the police -for not directing their investigations sooner in the direction of the -second visitor. He seems to me much more mysterious than the first. -We know who the first one was----" - -"Do we?" he retorted with a chuckle. "Or rather, do you?" - -"Well, of course, it was Arthur Leighton," I rejoined impatiently. -"Mrs. Tufnell saw him----" - -"She didn't," he broke in quickly. "The house was pitch-dark; she -heard voices and she asked Ann whether she was speaking to Mr. -Leighton." - -"And Ann said yes!" I riposted. - -"She said yes," he admitted with an irritating smile. - -"And Leighton himself in his evidence----" - -"Leighton in his evidence," the funny creature broke in excitedly, -"admitted that he had called at the house, he admitted that he -remembered vaguely that Ann Weber told him that Mr. Jessup had -decided not to see him, and that to celebrate the occasion he got the -girl to make him a whisky toddy. But, apart from these facts, he -only had the haziest notions as to the time when he came and when he -left or how long he stayed. Nor were his precious friends at the -Café Royal any clearer on that point. They had all of them been -drinking, and only had the haziest notion of time until twenty -minutes to ten, when they got hungry and wanted their supper." - -"But what does that prove?" I argued with an impatient frown. - -"It proves that my contention is correct; that the first visitor was -not Leighton, that it was some one for whom Ann Weber cared more than -she did for Leighton, as she lied for his sake when she told her aunt -that she was speaking to Leighton in the hall. The whole thing -occurred just as the police supposed. The first visitor called, and -while Ann Weber was down in the kitchen getting him something to eat -and drink, he entered the office, probably not with any evil -intention, and saw his employer sitting at his desk with the safe -containing a quantity of loose cash invitingly open. Let us be -charitable and assume that he yielded to sudden temptation. Mr. -Jessup's coat, hat, and stick were lying there on a chair. The stick -was one of those heavily-weighted ones which men like to carry -nowadays. He seizes the stick and strikes the old man on the head -with it, then he collects the money from the safe and thrusts it into -his pockets. At that moment Ann Weber comes up the stairs. I say -that this man was her lover; she had returned to him, as she did once -before. Imagine her horror first, and then her desire--her mad -desire--to save him from the consequences of his crime. It is her -woman's wit which first suggests the idea of telephoning to -Fitzjohn's Avenue: she who thinks of plunging the house in darkness. -And now to get the criminal out of the house. It can be done in a -moment, but just then Mrs. Tufnell opens her door on the second floor -and begins to grope her way downstairs. It is impossible to think -quickly enough how to meet this situation. Instinct is the only -guide, and instinct suggests impersonating the deceased, to avoid the -danger of Mrs. Tufnell peeping in at the office door. The criminal -hastily dons his victim's hat and coat, and he is almost through the -hall when Mrs. Tufnell calls to Ann: 'Is it Mr. Leighton?' And Ann -on the impulse of the moment replies: 'Yes, it is! He is just -going.' And so the criminal escapes unseen. But there is still the -danger of Mrs. Tufnell peeping in at the office door, so Ann invents -the story of having seen Mr. Jessup walk out of the house some time -before. So for the moment danger is averted; the housekeeper does -peep in at the door, but only in order to satisfy herself that the -lights are out; and the women then go upstairs together. - -"Ten minutes later there is another ring at the bell. This time it -is Arthur Leighton, and Ann Weber has sufficient presence of mind not -to let him see that there is anything wrong in the house. She asks -him in, she tells him Mr. Jessup cannot see him, she gets him a -drink, and sends him off again. I don't suppose for a moment that at -this stage she has any intention of using him as a shield for her -present sweetheart; but undoubtedly the thought had by now crept into -her mind to utilise Leighton's admitted presence in the house for the -purpose of confusing the issues. Nor do I think that she had any -idea that night that Mr. Jessup was dead. She probably thought that -he had only been stunned by a blow from the stick; hence her -exclamation when she realised the truth: 'My God, he has killed him!' -Then only did she concentrate all her energies and all her wits to -saving her sweetheart--even at the cost of another man. Women are -like that sometimes," the Old Man in the Corner went on with a -chuckle, "the instinct of the primitive woman is first of all to save -her man, never mind at whose expense. The cave-man's instinct is to -protect his woman with his fists--but she, conscious of physical -weakness, sets her wits to work, and if her man is in serious danger -she will lie and she will cheat--ay, and perjure herself if need be. -And those flirtatious minxes, of which Annie-bird is a striking -example, are only cave-women with a veneer of civilisation over them. - -"She did save her man by dragging a red herring across his trail, and -she left Fate to deal with Leighton. Once embarked on a system of -lies she had to stick to it or her man was doomed. Fortunately she -could rely on the other woman. A mother's wits are even sharper than -those of a sweetheart." - -"A mother?" I ejaculated. "Then you think that it was----?" - -"Mark Tufnell, of course," he broke in, dryly. "Didn't you guess? -As he could not go with his beloved to the cinema he thought he would -spend a happy evening with her. What made him originally go into the -office we shall never know. Some trifle no doubt, some message for -his employer--it is those sorts of trifles that so often govern the -destinies of men. Personally I think that he was very much in the -same boat as young Leighton: some trifling irregularities in his -accounts. The deceased, speaking so harshly to Mrs. Tufnell that -night, first directed my attention to young Tufnell. He didn't want -to see any of them that night: he was irritated with Mark quite as -much as with Leighton, but out of consideration for the housekeeper -whom he valued he said little about her son. Perhaps he had ordered -the young man to come to his office; as I said just now, this little -point I cannot vouch for. But if I have not succeeded in convincing -you that the first visitor at No. 13, Fulton Gardens was Mark -Tufnell, that it was he who went out in Mr. Jessup's hat and -overcoat, changed hats in the street, and wandered out as far as -Walthamstow in order to be rid of the _pièces de conviction_, then -you are less intelligent than I have taken you to be. Mark Tufnell, -remember, lives in the north of London; he was supposed to have gone -to the cinema that night, therefore the people with whom he lodged -thought nothing of his coming home late." - -"That poor mother!" I ejaculated, "I wonder if she suspects the -truth." - -"She knows it," the funny creature said, "you may be sure of that. -There was a bond of understanding between those two women, and they -never once contradicted each other in their evidence. A worthless -young blackguard has been saved from the gallows; my sympathy is not -with him, but with the women who put up such a brave fight for his -sake." - -"Do you know what happened to them all subsequently?" I asked. - -"Not exactly. But I do know that Mr. Seton Jessup in his will left -his housekeeper an annuity of £50. I also know that young Tufnell -has gone out to Australia, and that if you ever dine with a friend at -the Alcyon Club you will notice an exceptionally pretty waitress who -will make eyes at all the men. Her name is Ann Weber!" - - - - -XIII - -A MOORLAND TRAGEDY - - -§1 - -The Old Man in the Corner had finished his glass of milk and ceased -to munch his bun; from the capacious pocket of his huge tweed coat he -extracted a piece of string, and for a while sat contemplating it, -with his head on one side, so like one of those bald-headed storks at -the Zoo. - -"I always had a great predilection for that mystery," he said _à -propos_ of nothing at all. "It still fascinates me." - -"What mystery?" I asked; but as usual he took no notice of my -question. - -"It was more romantic than the common crimes of to-day; in fact, I -don't know if you will agree with me, but to me it has quite an -eighteenth-century atmosphere about it." - -"If you were to tell me to what particular crime you refer," I said -coldly, "I might tell you whether I agree with you or not." - -He looked at me as if he thought me an idiot, then he rejoined dryly: - -"You don't mean to say that you have never thought of the Moorland -Tragedy!" - -"Yes," I said, "often!" - -"And don't you think that the story is as romantic as any you have -read in fiction recently?" - -"Yes, I do think that the story is romantic, but only because of its -_mise en scène_. The same thing might have occurred in a London -slum, and then it would have been merely sordid. Of course, it is -all very mysterious, and I, for one, have often wondered what has -become of that Italian--I forget his name." - -"Antonio Vissio. A queer creature, wasn't he? And we can well -imagine with what suspicion he was regarded by the yokels in the -neighbouring villages. Yorkshire yokels! Just think of them in -connection with an exotic creature like Vissio. He had a curious -history, too. His people owned a little farm somewhere in the -mountains near Santa Catarina in Liguria, and during the war an -English intelligence officer--Captain Arnott--lodged with them for a -time. They were, it seems, extraordinarily kind to him. The family -consisted of a widow, two daughters, and the son, Antonio. As he was -the only son of a widow, he was, of course, exempt from military -service, and helped his mother to look after the farm. His passion, -however--and one, by the way, which is very common to Italian -peasants--was shooting. There is very little game in that part of -Italy, and it means long tramps before you can get as much as a -rabbit or a partridge; but there was nothing that Antonio loved more -than those tramps with a gun and a dog, and when Captain Arnott had -leisure, the two of them would go off together at daybreak and never -return till late at night. - -"Some time in 1917 Captain Arnott was transferred to another front. -He got his majority the following year, and after the war he retired -with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. He hadn't seen the Vissio family -for some time, but he always retained the happiest recollections of -their kindness to him, and of Antonio's pleasant companionship. It -was not to be wondered at, therefore, that when, in 1919, that -terrible explosion occurred at the fort of Santa Catarina, which was -only distant a quarter of a mile from the Vissios' farm, Colonel -Arnott should at once think of his friends, and, as he happened to be -at Genoa on business at the time, he motored over to Santa Catarina -to see if he could ascertain anything of their fate. He found the -village a complete devastation, the isolated farms for miles around -nothing but masses of wreckage. I don't know how many people--men, -women, and children--had been killed, there were over two hundred -injured, and those who had escaped were herding together amongst the -ruins of their homes. It was only by dint of perseverance and the -exercise of an iron will that Captain Arnott succeeded at last in -finding Antonio Vissio. There was nothing left of the farm but dust -and ashes. The mother and one of the girls had been killed by the -falling in of the roof, and the younger daughter was being taken care -of by some sisters in a neighbouring convent which had escaped total -destruction. - -"Antonio was left in the world all alone, homeless, moneyless; Italy -is not like England, where at times of disaster money comes pouring -at once out of the pockets of the much-abused capitalists to help the -unfortunate. There was no money poured out to help poor Antonio and -his kindred. - -"Colonel Arnott was deeply moved at sight of the man's loneliness. -He worked hard to try and get him a job in England, right away from -the scenes of the disaster that must perpetually have awakened bitter -memories. Finally he succeeded. A friend of his, Lord Crookhaven, -who owned considerable property in the North Riding, agreed to take -Vissio as assistant to one of his gamekeepers, a fellow named William -Topcoat. Of course this was an ideal life for Antonio. He could -indulge his passion for shooting to his heart's content, and, -incidentally, he would learn something of the science of preserving, -and of the game laws as they exist in all the sporting countries. - -"I don't suppose that Antonio ever realised quite how unpopular he -was from the first in his new surroundings. The Yorkshire yokels -looked upon him as a dago, and the fact that he had not fought in the -war did not help matters. During the first six months he did not -speak a word of English, and even after he had begun to pick up a -sentence or two, he always remained unsociable. To begin with, he -didn't drink: he hated beer and said so; he didn't understand -cricket, and was bored with football. He didn't bet, and he was -frightened of horses. All that he cared for was his gun; but he went -about his work not only conscientiously, but intelligently, took -great interest in the rearing of young birds, and was particularly -successful with them. - -"After he had been in England a year he fell madly in love with -Winnie Gooden. And that is how the tragedy began. - - -§2 - -"An Italian peasant's idea of love is altogether different to that of -an English yokel. The latter will begin by keeping company with his -sweetheart: he will walk out with her in the twilight, and sit beside -her on the stile, chewing the end of a straw and timidly holding her -hand. Kisses are exchanged, and sighs, and usually no end of jokes -and chaff. On the whole the English yokel is a cheerful lover. Not -so the Italian. With him love is the serious drama of life; he is -always prepared for it to turn to tragedy. His love is overwhelming, -tempestuous. With one arm he fondles his sweetheart, but the other -hand is behind his back, grasping a knife. - -"So it was with Antonio Vissio. Winnie Gooden was the daughter of -one of the gardeners at Markthwaite Hall, Lord Crookhaven's -residence. She was remarkably pretty, and I suppose that she was -attracted by the silent, rather sullen Italian, who, by the way, was -extraordinarily good-looking. Dark eyes, a soft creamy skin, -quantities of wavy hair; every one admitted that the two of them made -a splendid pair when they walked out together on Sunday afternoons. -Thanks to the kindness of Colonel Arnott, Vissio had succeeded in -selling the bit of land on which his farm had stood, so he had a good -bit of money, too, and though James Gooden, the father, was said to -be averse to the idea of his daughter marrying a foreigner, it was -thought that Winnie would talk her father over easily enough, if she -really meant to have Antonio; but people didn't think that she was -seriously in love with him. - -"During the spring of 1922 Mr. Gerald Moville came home from -Argentina, where he was said to be engaged in cattle-rearing. He was -the youngest son of Sir Timothy Moville, whose property adjoined that -of Lord Crookhaven. His arrival caused quite a flutter in feminine -hearts for miles around, for smart young men are scarce in those -parts, and Gerald Moville was both good-looking and smart, a splendid -dancer, a fine tennis and bridge player, and in fact, was possessed -of the very qualities which young ladies of all classes admire, and -which were so sadly lacking in the other young men of the -neighbourhood. The fact that he had always been very wild, and that -it was only through joining the Air Force at the beginning of the war -that he escaped prosecution for some shady transaction in connection -with a bridge club in London, did not seriously stand against him, at -any rate with the ladies; the men, perhaps, cold-shouldered him at -first, and he was not made an honorary member of the County Club at -Richmond, but he was welcome at all the tea and garden parties, the -dances, and the tennis matches throughout the North Riding, and in -social matters it is, after all, the ladies who rule the roost. - -"The Movilles, moreover, were big people in the neighbourhood, whom -nobody would have cared to offend. The eldest son was colonel -commanding a smart regiment--I forget which; one daughter had married -an eminent K.C., and the other was the wife of a bishop; so for the -sake of the family, if for no other reason, Gerald Moville was -accepted socially and his peccadilloes, of which it seems there were -more than the one in connection with the bridge club, were -conveniently forgotten. Besides which it was declared that he was -now a reformed character. He had joined the Air Force quite early in -the war, been a prisoner of the Germans until 1919, when he went out -to Argentina, where he had made good, and where, it was said, he was -making a huge fortune. This rumour also helped, no doubt, to make -Gerald Moville popular, even though he himself had laughingly sworn -on more than one occasion that he was not a marrying man: he was in -love with too many girls ever to settle down with one. He certainly -was a terrible flirt, and gave all the pretty girls of the -neighbourhood a very good time; he had hired a smart little -two-seater at Richmond, and motor-excursions, lunches at the -Wheatsheaf at Reeth, jade earrings or wrist watches--the girls who -were ready to flirt with him and to amuse him could get anything they -wanted out of him. - -"But it was soon pretty evident that though Gerald Moville flirted -with many, it was Winnie Gooden whom he admired the most. From the -first he ran after that girl in a way that scandalised the village -gossips. She, of course, was flattered by his attentions, but did -not show the slightest inclination to throw Antonio over. She was -sensible enough to know that Gerald Moville would never marry her, -and she made it very clear that though he amused her, her heart would -remain true to her Italian lover. But here was the trouble. Antonio -was not the man to run in double harness. His fiery Southern blood -rose in revolt against any thought of rivalry. He had won Winnie's -love and meant to hold it against all comers, and more than once in -public and in private he threatened to do for any man who came -between him and Winnie. - -"You would have thought that those who were in the know would have -foreseen the tragedy from the moment that Winnie Gooden started to -flirt with Gerald Moville; nevertheless, when it did occur there was -universal surprise quite as much as horror, and there seemed to be no -one clever enough to understand the psychological problem that was -the true key of that so-called mystery." - - -§3 - -"Lord Crookhaven's property, you must know," the Old Man in the -Corner resumed after a moment's pause, "extends right over -Markthwaite Moor, which is a lonely stretch of country, intersected -by gullies, down which, during the heavy rains in spring and autumn, -the water rushes in torrents. There are one or two disused stone -quarries on the moor, and, except for the shooting season, when Lord -Crookhaven has an occasional party of sportsmen to stay with him at -the Hall, who are out after the birds all day, this stretch of -country is singularly desolate. - -"Topcoat's cottage, where Vissio lodged, is on the edge of the moor -on the Markthwaite side; about a couple of miles away to the north -the moor is intersected by the secondary road which runs from Kirkby -Stephen and joins up with the main road at Richmond, and three or -four miles again to the north of the road is the boundary wall that -divides Lord Crookhaven's property from that of his neighbour, Sir -Timothy Moville. - -"It was in September, 1922, that the tragedy occurred which made -Markthwaite Moor so notorious at the time. Topcoat was walking -across the moor in the company of the Italian, both carrying their -guns, when about half a mile away, on the further side of the quarry -known as the Poacher's Leap, the gamekeeper spied a man who appeared -to be crouching behind some scrub. Without much reflection he -pointed this crouching figure out to Vissio and said: - -"There's a fellow who is up to no good. After the birds again, the -damned thief. Run along, my lad, and see if you can't put a shot or -two into his legs.' - -"Topcoat swore subsequently that when he said this he had not -recognised who the crouching figure was. But he was a very hard man -where poachers were concerned; he had been much worried with them -lately, and a day or two ago had been reprimanded by Lord Crookhaven -for want of vigilance. This, no doubt, irritated his temper, and -made him rather 'jumpy.' - -"Vissio, with his gun on his shoulder, went off in the direction of -the Poacher's Leap. Topcoat watched him until a bit of -sharply-rising ground hid him from sight. A moment or two later the -crouching figure stood up, and Topcoat recognised Mr. Gerald Moville. -He had always had exceptionally fine sight, and Mr. Moville had -certain tricks of gait and movement which were unmistakable even at -that distance. Topcoat immediately shouted to Vissio to come back, -but apparently the Italian did not hear him; and the last thing that -the gamekeeper saw on that eventful morning was Mr. Moville suddenly -turn and walk towards the high bit of ground behind which Vissio had -just disappeared. - -"And that was the last," my eccentric neighbour concluded with a -chuckle all his own, "that has been seen up to this hour of those two -men--Mr. Gerald Moville and Antonio Vissio. Topcoat waited for a -while on the moor, and called to the Italian several times, but as he -heard nothing in response, and as it had started to rain heavily, he -finally went home. Vissio did not turn up at the cottage the whole -of that day, and he did not come home that night. The following -morning, which was a Thursday, Topcoat walked across to the Goodens' -cottage to make enquiries, but no one had seen the Italian, and -Winnie knew nothing about him. The gamekeeper waited until the -Saturday before he informed the police; that, of course, was a -serious delay which ought never to have occurred, but you have to -know that class of north-country yokel intimately to appreciate this -man's conduct throughout the affair. They all have a perfect horror -of anything to do with the police: the type of delinquency most -frequent in these parts is, of course, poaching, and the gamekeepers -on the big estates look on themselves as the only efficient police -for those cases. Half the time they don't turn the delinquent over -to the magistrates at all, and administer a kind of rough justice as -they think best. They hate police interference. - -"In this case we must also bear Topcoat's subsequent statement in -mind, which was that at first no suspicion of foul play had entered -his head. He had not heard the report of a gun, and all he feared -was that the Italian had tried to pick a quarrel with Mr. Moville and -been soundly punished for his impertinence, and that probably he did -not dare show his face until the trouble had blown over. Topcoat, -however, spent a couple of days scouring the moor for the missing -man, in case he had met with an accident and was lying somewhere -unable to move. On the second day he found Vissio's gun lying in a -gully close to the Poacher's Leap; it had not been discharged; and -the next day--that is, on the Saturday--he very reluctantly went to -the police. Even then he made no mention of Mr. Gerald Moville; he -only said that his assistant, an Italian named Antonio Vissio, who -lodged with him, had not been home for three days, and that he had -last seen him on Markthwaite Moor on the previous Wednesday carrying -a gun and walking in the direction of the Poacher's Leap. Poachers, -of course, were at once suspected; Topcoat referred vaguely to Vissio -having gone after a man whose movements had appeared suspicious. He -was severely blamed for having delayed so long before informing the -police; even if the Italian had not been the victim of foul play he -might, it was argued, have met with a serious accident, and been -lying for days perhaps with a broken leg out in the cold and wet, and -might even have perished of exposure and neglect. But this latter -theory Topcoat would not admit. He had scoured the moor, he -declared, from end to end; if Vissio had been lying anywhere he swore -that he would have found him. - -"Another three or four days were now spent by the police in scouring -the moor, and it was only after a last fruitless search that Topcoat -mentioned the fact that he had seen Mr. Gerald Moville the very -morning and close to the spot where Vissio disappeared: that, as a -matter of fact, he was the man after whom the Italian had gone, and -that the two must have met somewhere near the north end of the -Poacher's Leap. - -"Of course, to the general public--to you, for instance--Topcoat's -attitude of reticence all this while must seem positively criminal; -but it is useless to measure the conduct of people of that class in -remote north-country districts by the ordinary rules of common sense. -For a man in Topcoat's position to connect 'one of the gentry' with -the disappearance of a gamekeeper's assistant--and a foreigner at -that--would seem as preposterous as to imagine that the King of -England would go poaching on his neighbour's estate. It simply -couldn't be, and when the D.C.C. to whom Topcoat first made this -statement rebuked him with unusual severity, the gamekeeper turned -sulky and declared that he didn't see he had done anything wrong. - -"More than a week you see had elapsed since that Wednesday morning -when Vissio had last been seen alive; for the past four days the -police had worked very hard, but entirely in the dark. Now at last -they felt that they had a glimmer of light to guide them in their -search. The public, who had taken some interest at first in the -Moorland Mystery, was beginning to tire of reading about this -fruitless search for a missing dago. But now, suddenly, the mystery -had taken a sensational turn. Topcoat's statement had found its way -into the local papers, and Mr. Gerald Moville's name was whispered in -connection with the case. And hardly had the lovers of sensation -recovered from this first shock of surprise, when they received -another that was even more staggering. - -"Mr. Gerald Moville, it seems, had left home on the very day that -Vissio disappeared, and his people were without news of him. Just -think what this sensational bit of news meant! It evoked at once in -the mind of the imaginative a drama of love and jealousy, a real -romance such as is only dreamt of in the cinema, with an Italian dago -as the jealous lover, and a handsome young Englishman as the victim -of that jealousy. The police, holding on to this clue, turned their -attention to the investigation of Mr. Gerald Moville's movements on -the morning of that eventful Wednesday: they had to go very tactfully -to work, so as not to cause alarm to Sir Timothy and Lady Moville. -It seems that Mr. Gerald had on the Monday previously announced his -sudden intention to return immediately to Argentina. According to -statements made by one or two of the servants, he did this at -breakfast one morning after he had received a couple of -official-looking letters that bore the Buenos Ayres postmark. Lady -Moville had been very distressed at this, and she and Sir Timothy had -tried to dissuade Mr. Gerald from going quite so soon; but he was -quite determined to go, saying that there was some trouble at the -farm which he must see to at once or it would mean a severe loss not -only to himself, but to his partner. He finally announced that he -would have to go up to London on the Wednesday at latest to see about -getting a berth, if possible, in a boat that left Southampton for -Buenos Ayres the following Saturday. Preparations for his departure -were made accordingly. On the Tuesday the chauffeur took his luggage -to Richmond and saw to its being sent off to London in advance. It -was addressed to the Carlton Hotel. On the Wednesday Mr. Gerald had -breakfast at half-past six, as he wished to make an early start; he -was going to drive the little two-seater back to the place in -Richmond whence he had hired it, and then take the train that would -take him to Dalton in time to catch the express up to London. He had -said good-bye to his parents the evening before, and, having tipped -all the servants lavishly, he made a start soon after seven. - -"Two labourers going to their work saw the little car speeding along -the road that intersects the moor; according to their statement there -were two people in the car, a man and a woman. They thought that the -man who was driving might have been Mr. Moville, but the woman had on -a thick veil and they had not particularly noticed who she was. On -the other hand, one witness had seen the car standing unattended on -the roadside within a hundred yards of a group of cottages, one of -which was occupied by Gooden. Whereupon Winnie was taken to task by -the police. Amidst a flood of tears she finally confessed that she -had seen Mr. Moville on the Wednesday morning. He had called for her -in his car very early; her father had only just gone to work, so it -could not have been much later than seven o'clock; he told her that -he had some business to attend to in Richmond, would she like to come -for a run and have lunch there with him. To this she willingly -assented. On the way Mr. Moville told her that as a matter of fact -he was going away for good, and that he could not possibly live -without her. He begged her to come away with him; he would take her -to London first, and buy her everything she wanted in the way of -clothes, and then they would go on to Paris, and travel all over the -world and be the happiest couple on this earth. - -"It seems that the girl at first was carried away by his eloquence; -she was immensely flattered and thrilled by this romantic adventure, -until something he said, or didn't say, some expression or some -gesture--Winnie couldn't say what it was--but something seemed to -drag her back. Probably it was just sound Yorkshire common sense. -Anyway, she took fright, turned a deaf ear to Gerald Moville's -blandishments, and insisted on being taken back to her father's -cottage at once. Still to the accompaniment of a flood of tears -Winnie went on to say that Mr. Gerald 'carried on terribly' when she -finally refused to go away with him, and he reproached her bitterly -for having played with him, all the while that she was in love with -that 'dirty dago.' But Winnie was firm, and in the end the -disappointed lover had to turn the car back and take the girl home -again. It was then close upon nine o'clock. Mr. Gerald drove her to -within half a mile of her father's cottage; here she got out and -walked the rest of the way home. She had not seen Mr. Moville since; -on the other hand, one of the neighbours told her that soon after she -went off in the car that morning, Antonio Vissio had called at the -cottage, and seemed in a terrible way when he was told that she had -gone out with Mr. Moville. - -"As you see the mystery was deepening. Instead of the one missing -man, there were now two who had disappeared, and the question was -what had become of Mr. Gerald Moville and his car. Enquiries at the -garage where it belonged brought no light upon the subject. The car -had not been returned, and nothing had been seen in Richmond of Mr. -Moville or the car. Enquiries were then telegraphed all over the -place, and twenty-four hours later the car was traced to a small -place called Falconblane, which is about twelve miles from Paisley, -where it was left at a garage late on the Wednesday night by a man -who had never since been to claim it. The people at the garage could -only give a vague description of this man. It was about eleven -o'clock, a very dark night, and just upon closing time. The man wore -a big motor coat and a cap with flaps over the ears; he had on a pair -of goggles, and the lower part of his face looked coated with grime. -It would be next to impossible to swear to his identity, but the -assistant who took charge of the car said that the man spoke broken -English. - -"The police searched the car and found a hand-bag containing a number -of effects, such as a man would take with him if he was going on a -long train journey: brush and comb, a novel, a couple of -handkerchiefs, and so on. Some of these effects bore the initials -'G.M.' - -"Pursuing their investigations further, the police discovered that a -man wearing a big motor coat, goggles, and a cap with flap ears had -taken a first-class ticket for Glasgow at Beith, which is a small -place on a local branch line, in the early morning of Thursday, and -had travelled to Glasgow by the 7.05 a.m. Glasgow being a very busy -terminus, no one appears to have noticed him there, but one of the -porters found a motor coat, a cap, and a pair of goggles in one of -the first-class carriages on the local from Beith, and a certain Mr. -Etty, who was a gentleman's outfitter in the Station Road, stated -that he had a customer in his shop early on Thursday morning who -purchased a tweed cap and an overcoat off the peg. He had come in -without either hat or coat, his face and hands were black with grime, -and his hair looked covered with coal dust. He explained that he was -an engineer who had been engaged all night on some salvage work down -the line where there had been a breakdown, and that he had somehow -lost his coat and his cap. He paid for the goods with a five-pound -note, which he took from a case out of his pocket, and the case -appeared to be bulging over with notes. Mr. Etty thought that he -might possibly be able to identify the man if he saw him again; one -thing he did note about him, and that was that he spoke broken -English. - -"But from that moment, in spite of strenuous efforts on the part of -the police, all traces of the man with the dirty face, who spoke -broken English, vanished completely. And what's more, all trace of -Mr. Gerald Moville had also vanished. He did not go up to London, -and all this while his luggage was at the Carlton Hotel waiting to be -claimed. Nor was it ever claimed by him, because about a month after -that tragic Wednesday in September the body of Mr. Gerald Moville was -found in a 'gruff' or gully about three-quarters of a mile from the -Poacher's Leap. When I say that the body was found, I am wrong, for -it was only a part of the body, and that, of course, was completely -decomposed. The head was missing, and it was never found, in spite -of the most strenuous efforts on the part of professional and amateur -detectives, and lavish expenditure of money, thought, and trouble on -the part of Sir Timothy Moville. It lies buried, I imagine, -somewhere on the moor. The clothes, though sodden, were, however, -still recognisable, also the unfortunate man's wrist watch which had -stopped at five minutes past eleven, his cuff-links, and his signet -ring, which had fallen from his fleshless finger and lay beside it in -the 'gruff.' - -"And about seventy yards higher up the gully a search party found a -knife of obviously foreign make, which still bore certain stains, -which scientific analysis proved to be human blood. That knife was -identified by Topcoat as the property of Vissio." - - -§4 - -The Old Man in the Corner had been silent for a little while, as was -his habit when he reached a certain stage of his narrative. At such -moments it always seemed as if nothing in the world interested him, -except the fashioning of innumerable and complicated knots in a bit -of string. It was my business to set him talking again. - -"Of course, there was an inquest after that," I said casually. - -"Yes, there was," he replied dryly, "but it revealed nothing that the -public did not already know. A few minor details--that was all. For -instance, it came to light that when Mr. Moville left home on that -fateful morning he was wearing the coat, cap, and goggles which were -subsequently found in the train at Glasgow Station. It was easy to -suppose that the murderer had stolen these from his victim; the cap -and goggles being especially useful for purposes of disguise. The -same supposition applies to money. Vissio, it was argued, had -probably only a few shillings in his pocket when in a moment of mad -jealousy he killed Gerald Moville. That, of course, was the -universally accepted theory; it was only desperate necessity that -pushed him on to robbing the dead. Topcoat and others who knew -Antonio well declared that he was quite harmless except where Winnie -Gooden was concerned; but it was more than likely that that morning -he was tortured by one of his jealous fits. He had hated Gerald -Moville from the first, and, according to the girl's own admissions, -she must have given him definite cause for jealousy. That very -morning he had called at her cottage and found that she had gone out -with his rival. Perhaps he knew that Moville was going away for -good. Perhaps he guessed that he would try and induce Winnie to go -with him. With such torturing fears in his heart, what wonder that -when he met his rival on the lonely moor he 'saw red' and used his -knife, as Southerners, unfortunately, are only too apt to do? - -"The coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against -Antonio Vissio, and the police hold a warrant for his arrest. But -more than two years have gone by since then, and Vissio has succeeded -in eluding the police. For many weeks the public were deeply -interested in the mystery; the evening papers used to come out with -the headlines: 'Where is Antonio Vissio?' and one great daily offered -a reward of five hundred pounds for information that would lead to -his apprehension. But, as you know, it has all been in vain. The -public want to know how a man of unusual personality and speaking -broken English could possibly lie _perdu_ so long in this tight -little island. - -"And if he did leave the country, then how did he do it? He hadn't -his passport with him, as that remained with his effects at Topcoat's -cottage. How then did he evade the passport officials at Glasgow or -any other port of embarkation? It is done sometimes, we all know -that, and in this case Vissio had four days' start before Topcoat -gave information to the police, but somehow the newspaper-reading -public felt that if Vissio got out of the country, something would -have betrayed him, some one would have seen him and furnished the -first clue that would lead to discovery. - -"And so the disappearance of the Italian has been classed as one of -the unsolved mysteries in the annals of crime. But to me the only -point on which I am not absolutely clear (although even there I hold -a theory), is why Gerald Moville should have gone wandering about the -moor after he had parted from Winnie Gooden, and when he hadn't very -much time left to catch his train, if he didn't want to miss his -connection at Dalton. That point did strike Inspector Dodsworth of -the C.I.D., who had been sent down from London to assist the local -police in the investigation of the crime. I know Dodsworth very -well, and he and I discussed that point once or twice. Of course, I -was not going to give him the key to the whole mystery--a key, mind -you, which I had discovered for myself--but I didn't object to -talking over one or two of the minor details with the man, and I told -him that in my opinion Moville undoubtedly went out on the moor in -order to meet Vissio, and have it out with him on the subject of -Winnie. - -"He wanted Winnie--badly--to come away with him, and I believe that -he was just the sort of man who would think that he could bribe the -Italian to stand aside for him by offering him money. I believe -those half-bred Spaniards and Portuguese out in Argentina are a most -corrupt and venal crowd, and Gerald Moville classed Vissio amongst -that lot. I have no doubt whatever in my mind that Moville was -walking across the moor to see if he couldn't find Vissio in -Topcoat's cottage. It was obviously not for me to tell the police -that the Poacher's Leap is in a direct line between that cottage and -the place where the two-seater was seen at a standstill on the -roadside. But Dodsworth had to admit that I was right on that point." - -"Then you think," I rejoined, "that Mr. Moville, after he parted from -Winnie Gooden, set out to seek an interview with Antonio Vissio with -a view to entering into an arrangement with him about the girl?" - -"Yes!" my eccentric friend assented with a nod. - -"He wanted to bribe Vissio to stand aside for him?" - -"Exactly." - -"Then," I went on, "he met Vissio on the moor?" - -"Yes!" - -"Came out with his proposition?" - -"Yes!" - -"Which so enraged the Italian that he knocked the other man down and -finally knifed him in accordance with the amiable custom of his -country." - -"No," the Old Man in the Corner retorted dryly, "I didn't say that." - -"But we know that the two men met and that----" - -"And that one of them was killed," he broke in quickly. "But that -man was not Gerald Moville." - -"He was seen," I argued, "at Falconblane, at Beith, and at Glasgow. -The man with the dirty face, the motor coat, and the goggles." - -"Exactly," he broke in once more. "The man in the cap with the flap -ears, and wearing motor goggles; the man whose face and hair were, in -addition, covered with grime. An excellent disguise; as it indeed -proved to be." - -"But the foreign accent? The man spoke broken English." - -"There are few things," he said with a sarcastic smile, "that are -easier to assume than broken English, especially when only uneducated -ears are there to hear." - -"Then you think----" - -"I don't think," he replied curtly, "I know. I know that Gerald -Moville met the Italian on the moor, that he quarrelled with him over -Winnie Gooden, that he knocked him down, and that Vissio was killed -in the fall. I can see the whole scene as plainly as if I had been -there. Can't you see Moville realising that he had killed the -man?--that inevitably suspicion would fall on him? Topcoat had seen -him, witnesses had seen his car in the road, he was known to be the -Italian's rival in Winnie's affections! Already he could feel the -hangman's rope round his neck. But we must look on Gerald Moville as -a man of resource, a man, above all, up to many tricks for drawing a -red herring across the trail of his own delinquencies. I will spare -you the details of what I can see in my own mind as having happened -after Moville had realised that Vissio was dead: the stripping of the -body, the exchange of clothes down to the vest and shirt, the -mutilation of the corpse with the victim's own knife, and the -dragging of the body to a distant 'gruff,' where it must inevitably -remain hidden for days, until advanced decomposition had set in to -efface all identification marks. Fear, no doubt, lent ingenuity and -strength to the miscreant; and, as a matter of fact, Gerald Moville -is one of the few criminals who committed no appreciable blunder when -he set to work to obliterate all traces of his crime; he left the -knife with its tell-tale stains on the spot, and that knife was -identified as the property of the Italian, and the head, which alone -might have betrayed him, even if the body were not found for weeks, -he took away with him to bury somewhere far away--goodness only knows -where, but somewhere between Yorkshire and Scotland. - -"I can see Gerald Moville after he had accomplished his grim task -making his way back to his car--the loneliness of this stretch of -country would be entirely in his favour, more especially as it had -begun to rain; I can see him driving along putting mile upon mile -between himself and the scene of his crime. At one place he -stopped--a lonely spot it must have been--where he disposed of his -gruesome burden; then on and on, past the borders of Yorkshire, of -Westmoreland and Cumberland and into Scotland, till he came close to -the network of railway round about Paisley and Glasgow. Falconblane, -a village tucked away on a lonely bit of country but boasting of a -garage, must have seemed an ideal spot wherein to abandon the car -altogether and take to the road, and this Moville did, trusting to -the long night, and also to luck, to further efface his traces. -Again I can see him wandering restlessly through the dark hours of -that night, not daring to enter a house and ask for a bed, determined -at all costs to obliterate every vestige of his movements since the -crime. - -"Then in the morning he takes train for Glasgow, the busiest centre -wherein a man can disappear in a crowd; in the train he takes the -precaution of divesting himself of the motor coat, the goggles and -the cap, but not of the grime that covers his face and hair. We know -how he provided himself with a more suitable hat and coat; we know -how all through his wanderings he kept up his broken English. At -Glasgow all traces of him vanish; he has become a very -ordinary-looking man, wearing quite ordinary clothes, and in Glasgow -people are far too busy to take much notice of passers-by. - -"We can easily conjecture how easy it was for Moville to leave the -country altogether. He had plenty of money, and it is never -difficult for a man of resource to leave a British port for any -destination he pleases, especially if he is of obviously British -nationality. Money, we all know, will accomplish anything, and -rogues will slip through a cordon of officials where the respectable -citizens will be chivied about and harassed with regulations. -Moreover, we must always bear this in mind, that the police were not -on his track, nor on that of the Italian, for that matter. Moville -was free to come and go, and you may be sure that he was quite clever -enough not to behave in any way that might create suspicion." - -The Old Man in the Corner paused quite abruptly. A complicated knot -was absorbing his whole attention. I felt thoughtful, meditative, -and after a few minutes' silence I put my meditations into words. - -"That is all very well," I said, "but, personally, I don't see that -you have anything definite this time on which to base your theory. -Both the men have disappeared; the police say that Vissio killed -Moville; you assert the reverse, and declare that Moville -deliberately dressed up the body of the Italian in his own clothes, -but you have nothing more to go on for your assertion than the police -have for theirs." - -"I was waiting for that," he rejoined with a dry chuckle. "But let -me assure you that I have at least three psychological facts to go on -for my assertion, whereas the police only go on two very superficial -matters for theirs; they base their whole argument firstly on the -clothes, watch, jewellery, and so on found on a body that was -otherwise unidentifiable, and, secondly, on a blood-stained knife -known to have belonged to the Italian. Now I have demonstrated to -you, have I not, how easy it was for Moville to manufacture both -these pieces of evidence. So mark the force of my argument," the -funny creature went on, gesticulating with his thin hands like a -scarecrow blown by the wind. "First of all, why did Moville suddenly -declare his intention of leaving England? In order to look after his -partner's affairs? Not a bit of it. He left England because of some -shady transaction out there in Argentina which was coming to light, -and because of which he thought it best to disappear altogether for a -time. My proof for this? you will ask. The simple proof that his -parents accepted his disappearance for a whole week without making -any enquiries about him either in Richmond, or London, or the -shipping company that controls the steamers to Buenos Ayres. Can you -imagine that Sir Timothy Moville, having seen the last of his son on -the Tuesday evening, would say and do nothing, when he was left eight -days without news; he would have enquired in London; he knew to which -hotel his son intended to go; some one would have enquired at -Richmond whether the car had been left there. But no! There was not -a single enquiry made for Gerald Moville by his parents, or his -brothers and sisters, until after Topcoat had mentioned his name to -the police and the latter had started their investigations. And why? -Because his people knew where he was; that is to say, they knew--or -some of them knew--that Gerald had to lie low, at any rate for a -time. Of course his supposed death under such tragic circumstances -must have been a terrible shock to them, but it is a remarkable fact, -you will admit, that the offer of a substantial reward for the -apprehension of the murderer did not come from Sir Timothy Moville; -it came from one of the big dailies, out for publicity. - -"My whole argument rests on psychological grounds, and in criminal -cases psychology is by far the surest guide. Now there was not a -single detail in connection with the Moorland Tragedy that in any way -suggested the hand of a man like Antonio Vissio. Can you see an -Italian peasant who, moreover, has lived all his life with a gun in -his hand, solemnly laying that gun down before embarking on a quarrel -with his rival? And yet the gun was found undischarged, lying in a -gully. Vissio was much more likely to have shouldered it at sight of -the man he hated, and shot him dead; more especially as the -Englishman would have an enormous advantage in a hand-to-hand fight, -even if the other man had suddenly whisked out a knife. Vissio was -not the type of man who would think of the consequence of his crime. -Maddened by jealousy, he would kill his man at sight, but in his own -country and also in France, there would be no disgrace attached to -such a deed--no disgrace and very little punishment. The man who -last year shot the English dancing girl on the Riviera because he -thought that she was carrying on with another man, only got five -years' imprisonment; Vissio would not realise that he would be -amenable to English law, which does not look at Homicide quite so -leniently. - -"Having killed his rival, the Italian would, in all probability, have -swanked as far as the nearest village, had a good drink to steady his -nerves, and then have boasted loudly of what he had done, certain -that he would be leniently dealt with by a judge, and sympathised -with by a jury, because of the torments of jealousy which he had -endured until he could do so no longer. You can't imagine such a man -sawing off his victim's head and wrapping it up in a newspaper taken -out of the dead man's pocket. - -"And this brings me to the final point in my argument, and one which -ought to have struck the police from the first: the question of the -car. How would Vissio know that he would find Moville's car -conveniently stationed by the roadside? He would have to know that -before he could dare walk across the moor carrying his gruesome -parcel. Now Vissio couldn't possibly know all that, and what's more, -though he might not have been altogether ignorant of driving, he -certainly was not expert enough to drive a car all by himself for -over a hundred miles, at top speed, and for several hours in the -dark. To my mind, if this fact had been driven home to the jury by a -motoring expert they never would have brought in a verdict against -Vissio, and if you think the whole matter over you will be bound to -admit that there is not a single flaw in my argument. From the point -of view of possibility as well as of psychology, only one man could -have committed that crime, and that was Gerald Moville. I suppose -his unfortunate parents will know the truth one day. Soon, probably, -when the young miscreant is short of money and writes home for funds. - -"Or else he may return to Argentina and under an assumed name start -life anew. They are not over-particular there as to a man's -antecedents. They would perhaps think all the more of him, when they -knew that where a girl is concerned he will stand no nonsense from a -rival. Think it all over, you'll come to the conclusion that I'm -right." - -He gathered up his bit of string and took his spectacles from off his -nose. For the first time I saw his pale, shrewd eyes looking down -straight at me. - -"I shan't see you again for some time," he said with a wry smile. -"Won't you shake hands and wish me luck?" - -"Indeed I will," I replied, "but you are not going away, are you?" - -He gave a curious, short, dry chuckle: - -"I am going out of England for the benefit of my health," he said -coolly. - -I hadn't shaken hands with him, because the very next moment he had -turned his back on me as if he thought better of it. The next -morning I read in the papers a curious account of some extensive -robberies committed in the neighbourhood of Hatton Garden. The -burglar had managed to escape, but the police were said to hold an -important clue. A curious feature about those robberies was the way -in which a knotted cord had been used to effect an entrance through a -skylight. The newspaper reporters gave a very full description of -this cord: it was photographed and reproduced in the illustrated -papers. The knots in it were of a wonderful and intricate pattern. - -They set me thinking--and wondering! - -I have often been to that blameless teashop in Fleet Street since. - -But the Old Man in the Corner is never there now, and the police have -never been able to trace the large consignment of diamonds stolen -from that shop in Hatton Garden and which has been valued at £80,000. - -I wonder if I shall ever see my eccentric friend again. - -Somehow I think that I shall. And if I do, shall I see him sitting -in his accustomed corner, with his spectacles on his nose, and his -long, thin fingers working away at a bit of string--fashioning -knots--many knots--complicated knots--like those in the cord by the -aid of which an entrance was effected into that shop in Hatton Garden -and diamonds worth £80,000 were stolen? - -I wonder!! - - - -THE END - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNRAVELLED KNOTS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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