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diff --git a/old/65553-0.txt b/old/65553-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e0fe079..0000000 --- a/old/65553-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9458 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Inspector French’s Greatest Case, by Freeman -Wills Crofts - -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: Inspector French’s Greatest Case - -Author: Freeman Wills Crofts - -Release Date: June 7, 2021 [eBook #65553] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines, Cindy Beyer & the online Distributed Proofreaders - Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INSPECTOR FRENCH’S GREATEST -CASE *** - - - - - - Inspector French’s - Greatest Case - - - By FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS - - AUTHOR OF - “The Cheyne Mystery,” etc. - - - - [Illustration] - - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - - Publishers New York - - Published by arrangement with Albert and Charles Boni - Printed in U. S. A. - - - - - Copyright, 1925, by - THOMAS SELTZER, INC. - - _All rights reserved_ - - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - CONTENTS - - CHAP. PAGE - I. MURDER! 1 - II. THE FIRM OF DUKE AND PEABODY 17 - III. GATHERING THE THREADS 29 - IV. MISSING 45 - V. FRENCH TAKES A JOURNEY 62 - VI. THE HOTEL IN BARCELONA 77 - VII. CONCERNING A WEDDING 96 - VIII. SYLVIA AND HARRINGTON 109 - IX. MRS. ROOT OF PITTSBURG 122 - X. SOME PAIRS OF BLANKETS 138 - XI. A DEAL IN JEWELLERY 153 - XII. THE ELUSIVE MRS. X. 167 - XIII. MRS. FRENCH TAKES A NOTION 183 - XIV. TRAGEDY 197 - XV. THE HOUSE IN ST. JOHN’S WOOD 209 - XVI. A HOT SCENT 226 - XVII. A DEAL IN STOCKS 242 - XVIII. THE S.S. “ENOCH” 258 - XIX. FRENCH PROPOUNDS A RIDDLE 274 - XX. CONCLUSION 290 - - - - - CHAPTER I - MURDER! - - -THE back streets surrounding Hatton Garden, in the City of London, do -not form at the best of times a cheerful or inspiring prospect. Narrow -and mean, and flanked with ugly, sordid-looking buildings grimy from -exposure to the smoke and fogs of the town and drab from the want of -fresh paint, they can hardly fail to strike discouragement into the -heart of any one eager for the uplift of our twentieth century -civilisation. - -But if on a day of cheerful sunshine the outlook is thus melancholy, it -was vastly more so at ten o’clock on a certain dreary evening in -mid-November. A watery moon, only partially visible through a damp mist, -lit up pallidly the squalid, shuttered fronts of the houses. The air was -cold and raw, and the pavements showed dark from a fine rain which had -fallen some time earlier, but which had now ceased. Few were abroad, and -no one whose business permitted it remained out of doors. - -Huckley Street, one of the narrowest and least inviting in the district, -was, indeed, deserted save for a single figure. Though the higher and -more ethical side of civilisation was not obtrusive, it was by no means -absent. The figure represented Law and Order, in short, it was that of a -policeman on his beat. - -Constable James Alcorn moved slowly forward, glancing mechanically but -with practised eye over the shuttered windows of the shops and the -closed doors of the offices and warehouses in his purview. He was not -imaginative, the constable, or he would have rebelled even more strongly -than he did against the weariness and monotony of his job. A dog’s life, -this of night patrol in the City, he thought, as he stopped at a cross -roads, and looked down each one in turn of the four dingy and deserted -lanes which radiated from the intersection. How deadly depressing it all -was! Nothing ever doing! Nothing to give a man a chance! In the daytime -it was not so bad, when the streets were alive and fellow creatures were -to be seen, if not spoken to, but at night when there was no one to -watch, and nothing to be done but wait endlessly for the opportunity -which never came, it was a thankless task. He was fed up! - -But though he didn’t know it, his chance was at hand. He had passed -through Charles Street and had turned into Hatton Garden itself, when -suddenly a door swung open a little way down the street, and a young man -ran wildly out into the night. - -The door was directly under a street lamp, and Alcorn could see that the -youth’s features were frozen into an expression of horror and alarm. He -hovered for a moment irresolute, then, seeing the constable, made for -him at a run. - -“Officer!” he shouted. “Come here quickly. There’s something wrong!” - -Alcorn, his depression gone, hurried to meet him. - -“What is it?” he queried. “What’s the matter?” - -“Murder, I’m afraid,” the other cried. “Up in the office. Come and see.” - -The door from which the young man had emerged stood open, and they -hastened thither. It gave on a staircase upon which the electric light -was turned on. The young man raced up and passed through a door on the -first landing. Alcorn, following, found himself in an office containing -three or four desks. A further door leading to an inner room stood open, -and to this the young man pointed. - -“In there,” he directed; “in the Chief’s room.” - -Here also the light was on, and as Alcorn passed in, he saw that he was -indeed in the presence of tragedy, and he stood for a moment motionless, -taking in his surroundings. - -The room was small, but well proportioned. Near the window stood a -roll-top desk of old-fashioned design. A leather-lined clients’ -arm-chair was close by, with behind it a well-filled bookcase. In the -fireplace the remains of a fire still glowed red. A table littered with -books and papers and a large Milner safe completed the furniture. The -doors of this safe were open. - -Alcorn mechanically noted these details, but it was not on them that his -attention was first concentrated. Before the safe lay the body of a man, -hunched forward in a heap, as if he had collapsed when stooping to take -something out. Though the face was hidden, there was that in the -attitude which left no doubt that he was dead. And the cause of death -was equally obvious. On the back of the bald head, just above the fringe -of white hair, was an ugly wound, as if from a blow of some blunt but -heavy weapon. - -With an oath, Alcorn stepped forward and touched the cheek. - -“Cold,” he exclaimed. “He must have been dead some time. When did you -find him?” - -“Just now,” the young man answered. “I came in for a book, and found him -lying there. I ran for help at once.” - -The constable nodded. - -“We’d best have a doctor anyway,” he decided. A telephone stood on the -top of the desk, and he called up his headquarters, asking that an -officer and a doctor be sent at once. Then he turned to his companion. - -“Now, sir, what’s all this about? Who are you, and how do you come to be -here?” - -The young man, though obviously agitated and ill at ease, answered -collectedly enough. - -“My name is Orchard, William Orchard, and I am a clerk in this -office—Duke & Peabody’s, diamond merchants. As I have just said, I -called in for a book I had forgotten, and I found—what you see.” - -“And what did you do?” - -“Do? I did what any one else would have done in the same circumstances. -I looked to see if Mr. Gething was dead, and when I saw he was I didn’t -touch the body, but ran for help. You were the first person I saw.” - -“Mr. Gething?” the constable repeated sharply. “Then you know the dead -man?” - -“Yes. It is Mr. Gething, our head clerk.” - -“What about the safe? Is there anything missing from that?” - -“I don’t know,” the young man answered. “I believe there were a lot of -diamonds in it, but I don’t know what amount, and I’ve not looked what’s -there now.” - -“Who would know about it?” - -“I don’t suppose any one but Mr. Duke, now Mr. Gething’s dead. He’s the -chief, the only partner I’ve ever seen.” - -Constable Alcorn paused, evidently at a loss as to his next move. -Finally, following precedent, he took a somewhat dog’s-eared notebook -from his pocket, and with a stumpy pencil began to note the particulars -he had gleaned. - -“Gething, you say the dead man’s name was? What was his first name?” - -“Charles.” - -“Charles Gething, deceased,” the constable repeated presently, evidently -reading his entry. “Yes. And his address?” - -“12 Monkton Street, Fulham.” - -“Twelve—Monkton—Street—Fulham. Yes. And your name is William -Orchard?” - -Slowly the tedious catechism proceeded. The two men formed a contrast. -Alcorn calm and matter of fact, though breathing heavily from the effort -of writing, was concerned only with making a satisfactory statement for -his superior. His informant, on the other hand, was quivering with -suppressed excitement, and acutely conscious of the silent and -motionless form on the floor. Poor old Gething! A kindly old fellow, if -ever there was one! It seemed a shame to let his body lie there in that -shapeless heap, without showing even the respect of covering the injured -head with a handkerchief. But the matter was out of his hands. The -police would follow their own methods, and he, Orchard, could not -interfere. - -Some ten minutes passed of question, answer, and laborious caligraphy, -then voices and steps were heard on the stairs, and four men entered the -room. - -“What’s all this, Alcorn?” cried the first, a stout, clean-shaven man -with the obvious stamp of authority, in the same phrase that his -subordinate had used to the clerk, Orchard. He had stepped just inside -the door, and stood looking sharply round the room, his glance passing -from the constable to the body, to the open safe, with inimical interest -to the young clerk, and back again to Alcorn. - -The constable stiffened to attention, and replied in a stolid, -unemotional tone, as if reciting formal evidence in court. - -“I was on my beat, sir, and at about ten-fifteen was just turning the -corner from Charles Street into Hatton Garden, when I observed this -young man,” he indicated Orchard with a gesture, “run out of the door of -this house. He called me that there was something wrong up here, and I -came up to see, and found that body lying as you see it. Nothing has -been touched, but I have got some information here for you.” He held up -the notebook. - -The newcomer nodded and turned to one of his companions, a tall man with -the unmistakable stamp of the medical practitioner. - -“If you can satisfy yourself the man’s dead, Doctor, I don’t think we -shall disturb the body in the meantime. It’ll probably be a case for the -Yard, and if so we’ll leave everything for whoever they send.” - -The doctor crossed the room and knelt by the remains. - -“He’s dead all right,” he announced, “and not so long ago either. If I -could turn the body over I could tell you more about that. But I’ll -leave it if you like.” - -“Yes, leave it for the moment, if you please. Now, Alcorn, what else do -you know?” - -A few seconds sufficed to put the constable’s information at his -superior’s disposal. The latter turned to the doctor. - -“There’s more than murder here, Dr. Jordan, I’ll be bound. That safe is -the key to the affair. Thank the Lord, it’ll be a job for the Yard. I -shall ’phone them now, and there should be a man here in half an hour. -Sorry, Doctor, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.” He turned to -Orchard. “You’ll have to wait, too, young man, but the Yard inspector -probably won’t keep you long. Now, what about this old man’s family? Was -he married?” - -“Yes, but his wife is an invalid, bedridden. He has two daughters. One -lives at home and keeps house, the other is married and lives somewhere -in town.” - -“We shall have to send round word. You go, Carson.” He turned to one of -the two other members of his quartet, constables in uniform. “Don’t tell -the old lady. If the daughter’s not there, wait until she comes in. And -put yourself at her disposal. If she wants her sister sent for, you go. -You, Jackson, go down to the front door and let the Yard man up. Alcorn, -remain here.” These dispositions made, he rang up the Yard and delivered -his message, then turned once more to the young clerk. - -“You say, Mr. Orchard, that no one could tell what, if anything, is -missing from the safe, except Mr. Duke, the sole active partner. We -ought to have Mr. Duke here at once. Is he on the ’phone?” - -“Gerard, 1417B,” Orchard answered promptly. The young man’s agitation -had somewhat subsided, and he was following with interest the actions of -the police, and admiring the confident, competent way in which they had -taken charge. - -The official once again took down the receiver from the top of the desk, -and put through the call. “Is Mr. Duke there? . . . Yes, say a -superintendent of police.” There was a short silence, and then the man -went on. “Is that Mr. Duke? . . . I’m speaking from your office in -Hatton Garden. I’m sorry, sir, to tell you that a tragedy has taken -place here. Your chief clerk, Mr. Gething, is dead. . . . Yes, sir. He’s -lying in your private office here, and the circumstances point to -murder. The safe is standing open, and—Yes, sir, I’m afraid so—I don’t -know, of course, about the contents. . . . No, but you couldn’t tell -from that. . . . I was going to suggest that you come down at once. I’ve -’phoned Scotland Yard for a man. . . . Very good, sir, we shall be here -when you come.” He replaced the receiver and turned to the others. - -“Mr. Duke is coming down at once. There is no use in our standing here. -Come to the outer office and we’ll find ourselves chairs.” - -It was cold in the general office, the fire evidently having been out -for some time, but they sat down there to wait, the Superintendent -pointing out that the furniture in the other room must not be touched. -Of the four, only the Superintendent seemed at ease and self-satisfied. -Orchard was visibly nervous and apprehensive and fidgeted restlessly, -Constable Alcorn, slightly embarrassed by the society in which he found -himself, sat rigidly on the edge of his chair staring straight in front -of him, while the doctor was frankly bored and anxious to get home. -Conversation languished, though spasmodic attempts were made by the -Superintendent to keep it going, and none of the quartet was sorry when -the sound of footsteps on the stairs created a diversion. - -Of the three men who entered the room, two, carrying black leather -cases, were obviously police constables in plain clothes. The third was -a stout man in tweeds, rather under middle height, with a cleanshaven, -good-humoured face and dark blue eyes which, though keen, twinkled as if -at some perennially fresh private joke. His air was easy-going and -leisurely, and he looked the type of man who could enjoy a good dinner -and a good smoke-room story to follow. - -“Ah, Superintendent, how are you?” he exclaimed, holding out his hand -cordially. “It’s some time since we met. Not since that little episode -in the Limehouse hairdresser’s. That was a nasty business. And now -you’ve some other scheme for keeping a poor man from his hard-earned -rest, eh?” - -The Superintendent seemed to find the other’s easy familiarity out of -place. - -“Good-evening, Inspector,” he answered with official abruptness. “You -know Dr. Jordan?—Inspector French of the C.I.D. And this is Mr. -Orchard, a clerk in this office, who discovered the crime.” - -Inspector French greeted them genially. Behind his back at the Yard they -called him “Soapy Joe” because of the reliance he placed on the suavity -of his manners. “I know your name, of course, Doctor, but I don’t think -we have ever met. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Orchard.” He -subsided into a chair and went on: “Perhaps, Superintendent, you would -just give me a hint of what this is all about before we go any further.” - -The facts already learned were soon recited. French listened carefully, -and annexing the constable’s notebook, complimented that worthy on his -industry. “Well,” he beamed on them, “I suppose we’d better have a look -round inside before Mr. Duke turns up.” - -The party moved to the inner room, where French, his hands in his -pockets, stood motionless for some minutes, surveying the scene. - -“Nothing has been touched, of course?” he asked. - -“Nothing. From what they tell me, both Mr. Orchard and Constable Alcorn -have been most circumspect.” - -“Excellent; then we may go ahead. Get your camera rigged, Giles, and -take the usual photos. I think, gentlemen, we may wait in the other room -until the photographs are taken. It won’t be long.” - -Though French had tactfully bowed his companions out, he did not himself -follow them, but kept prowling about the inner office, closely -inspecting its contents, though touching nothing. In a few minutes the -camera was ready, and a number of flashlight photographs were taken of -the body, the safe, every part of both offices, and even the stairs and -hall. In the amazing way in which tales of disaster travel, news of the -crime had already leaked out, and a small crowd of the curious hung, -open-mouthed, about the door. - -Scarcely had the camera been put away, when the proceedings were -interrupted by a fresh arrival. Hurried steps were heard ascending the -stairs, and a tall, thin, extremely well-dressed old gentleman entered -the room. Though evidently on the wrong side of sixty, he was still a -handsome man, with strong, well-formed features, white hair, and a good -carriage. Under normal circumstances he would have presented a dignified -and kindly appearance, but now his face was drawn into an expression of -horror and distress, and his hasty movements also betokened his anxiety. -On seeing so many strangers, he hesitated. The Inspector stepped -forward. - -“Mr. Duke, sir? I am Inspector French of the Criminal Investigation -Department of New Scotland Yard. I very much regret to confirm the news -which you have already heard, that your head clerk, Mr. Gething, has -been murdered, and I fear also that your safe may have been burgled.” - -It was evident that the old gentleman was experiencing strong emotion, -but he controlled it and spoke quietly enough. - -“This is terrible news, Inspector. I can hardly believe that poor old -Gething is gone. I came at once when I heard. Tell me the details. Where -did it happen?” - -French pointed to the open door. - -“In here, sir, in your private office. Everything is still exactly as it -was found.” - -Mr. Duke moved forward, then on seeing the body, stopped and gave a low -cry of horror. - -“Oh, poor old fellow!” he exclaimed. “It’s awful to see him lying there. -_Awful!_ I tell you, Inspector, I’ve lost a real friend, loyal and true -and dependable. Can’t he be lifted up? I can’t bear to see him like -that.” His gaze passed on to the safe. “And the safe! Merciful heavens, -Inspector! Is anything gone? Tell me at once, I must know! It seems -heartless to think of such a thing with that good old fellow lying -there, but after all I’m only human.” - -“I haven’t touched the safe, but we’ll do so directly,” the Inspector -answered. “Was there much in it?” - -“About three-and-thirty thousand pounds’ worth of diamonds were in that -lower drawer, as well as a thousand in notes,” groaned the other. “Get -the body moved, will you, and let us look.” - -French whistled, then he turned to his men. - -“Get that table cleared outside there, and lift the body on to it,” he -ordered; then to the doctor he added, “Perhaps, Doctor, you could make -your examination now?” - -The remains were lifted reverently and carried from the room. Mr. Duke -turned impatiently to the safe, but the Inspector stopped him. - -“A moment, sir, if you please. I am sorry to ask you to stretch your -patience a little longer, but before you touch the safe I must test it -for finger prints. You see the obvious necessity?” - -“I would wait all night if it would help you to get on the track of the -scoundrels who have done this,” the old gentleman answered grimly. “Go -on in your own way. I can restrain myself.” - -With a word of approval, Inspector French fetched one of the cases -brought by his assistants, and producing little boxes of French chalk -and of lampblack, he proceeded to dust over the smooth portions of the -safe, using white powder on a dark background and _vice versa_. On -blowing off the surplus powder, he pointed triumphantly to a number of -finger prints, explaining that the moisture deposited from the skin held -the powder, which otherwise dropped off. Most of the marks were blurred -and useless, but a few showed clearly the little loops and whorls and -ridges of thumbs and fingers. - -“Of course,” French went on, “these may all be quite useless. They may -be those of persons who had a perfect right to open the safe—your own, -for instance. But if they belong to the thief, if there was one, their -importance may be incalculable. See here now, I can open this drawer -without touching any of them.” - -Mr. Duke was clearly at the end of his patience, and he kept fidgeting -about, clasping and unclasping his hands, and showing every sign of -extreme impatience and uneasiness. As the drawer opened, he stepped -forward and plunged in his hand. - -“Gone!” he cried hoarsely. “They’re all gone! Thirty-three thousand -pounds’ worth! Oh, my God! It means ruin.” He covered his face with his -hands, then went on unsteadily. “I feared it, of course. I thought it -must be the diamonds when the officer rang me up. I have been trying to -face it ever since. I shouldn’t care for myself. It’s my daughter. To -think of her exposed to want! But there. It is wicked of me to speak so -who have only lost money, while poor old Gething has lost his life. -Don’t mind me, Inspector. Carry on. What I want most now is to hear of -the arrest of the murderer and thief. If there is anything I can do to -help in that, command me.” - -He stood, a little stooped and with haggard face, but dignified even in -his grief. French in his pleasant, kindly way tried to reassure him. - -“Now, you don’t need to give up heart, sir,” he advised. “Diamonds are -not the easiest things to dispose of, and we’re right on to the loss at -once. Before the thief can pass them on we shall have all the channels -under observation. With any ordinary luck, you’ll get them back. They -were not insured?” - -“Part of them only. About nineteen thousand pounds’ worth were insured. -It was my cursed folly that the rest were not. Gething advised it, but I -had never lost anything, and I wanted to save the money. You understand -our trade has been difficult since the war, and our profits were not the -same as formerly. Every little has counted, and we have had to -economise.” - -“At worst, then, that is £14,000 gone?” - -“If the insurance companies pay in full, that is all, besides the -thousand in notes. But, Inspector, it is too much. To meet my share of -the loss will beggar me.” He shook his head despondently. “But never -mind my affairs in the meantime. Don’t, I beg of you, lose any time in -getting after the criminal.” - -“You are right, sir. If, then, you will sit down there for a few minutes -I’ll get rid of the others, and then I shall ask you for some -information.” - -The old gentleman dropped wearily into a chair while French went to the -outer office. The policeman who had been sent to inform Gething’s family -of the tragedy had just returned. French looked at him inquiringly. - -“I called, sir, at the address you gave me,” he reported. “Miss Gething -was there, and I told her what had occurred. She was considerably upset, -and asked me if I could get a message to her sister and brother-in-law -at 12 Deeley Terrace, Hawkins Street, in Battersea. I said I would fetch -them for her. The brother-in-law, name of Gamage, was from home in -Leeds, being a traveller for a firm of fur dealers, but Mrs. Gamage was -there and I took her across. It seemed the old lady had wanted to know -what was up, and Miss Gething had told her, and she had got some kind of -stroke. They asked me to call a doctor, which I did. The two daughters -say they can’t get across here on account of being occupied with the -mother.” - -“So much the better,” French commented, and having added the names and -addresses of Mr. and Mrs. Gamage to his list, he turned to the doctor. - -“Well, Doctor,” he said pleasantly, “how do you get on?” - -The doctor straightened himself up from his position over the corpse. - -“I’ve done all I can here,” he answered. “I don’t think there’s any -doubt the man was killed instantaneously by the blow on the head. The -skull is fractured, apparently by some heavy, blunt weapon. I should -think it was done from behind while the old fellow was stooping, -possibly working at the safe, though that, perhaps, is your province.” - -“I’m glad of the hint anyway. Now, gentlemen, I think that’s all we can -do to-night. Can your men remove the body, Superintendent? I want to -stay for a moment to take a few measurements. You’ll let me know -to-morrow about the inquest? Mr. Orchard, you might stay a moment also; -there is a question or two I want to ask you.” - -The Superintendent had sent one of his men for a stretcher, and the -remains were lifted on and carried slowly down to the waiting taxi. With -an exchange of good-nights, the local men withdrew, leaving Inspector -French, Mr. Duke, Orchard, and the two plain-clothes men from the Yard -in charge of the premises. - - - - - CHAPTER II - THE FIRM OF DUKE AND PEABODY - - -WHEN Inspector French ushered the clerk, Orchard, into the inner office, -they found Mr. Duke pacing the floor with an expression of utter -mystification imprinted on his features. - -“I say, Inspector, here’s a puzzle,” he cried. “I happened to look -behind the safe door, and I find it has been opened with a key. I -thought at first it had been broken or forced or the lock somehow -picked. But I see it is unlocked.” - -“Yes, I noticed that, sir,” French answered. “But I don’t follow you. -What is the mystery about that?” - -“Why, the key, of course. To my certain knowledge there were only two -keys in existence. One I keep on my ring, which is chained to my belt -and never leaves me day nor night. There it is. The other is lodged with -my bankers, where no one could possibly get at it. Now, where did the -thief get the key that is now in the lock?” - -“That is one of the things we have to find out,” French replied. “You -may perhaps think it strange, but a point of that kind, which at first -seems to deepen the mystery, often proves a blessing in disguise. It -provides another point of attack, you understand, and frequently it -narrows down the area of inquiry. You haven’t touched the key, I hope?” - -“No. I remembered what you said about finger prints.” - -“Good. Now, gentlemen, if you will please sit down, I want to ask you a -few questions. I’ll take you first, Mr. Orchard. I have your name, and -your address is Bloomsbury Square. Now tell me, is that your home?” - -The young fellow answered the questions without hesitation, and French -noted approvingly his direct glance and the evident candour with which -he spoke. The Bloomsbury Square address, it appeared, was that of a -boarding house, the clerk’s home being in Somerset. He had left the -office at about half-past five that afternoon, Mr. Gething being then -almost ready to follow. Mr. Gething was usually the last out of the -office. Orchard had noticed nothing unusual in his manner that day, -though for the last two or three weeks he had seemed somewhat moody and -depressed. Orchard had gone from the office to Liverpool Street, where -he had caught the 5.52 to Ilford. There he had had supper with a friend, -a man called Forrest, a clerk in a shipping office in Fenchurch Street. -He had left about 9.30, getting back to town a little before 10.00. The -rain had stopped, and as he did not get as much exercise as he could -have wished, he resolved to walk home from the station. Hatton Garden -was but little out of his way, and as he approached it he remembered -that he had left in his desk a book he had changed at the library at -lunch time. He had decided to call in and get it, so as to read for a -while before going to sleep. He had done so, and had found Mr. Gething’s -body, as he had already explained. The outer street door had been -closed, and he had opened it with his latch key. Both the office doors -were open, that between the landing and the outer office and that of Mr. -Duke’s room. The lights were on everywhere, except that in the outer -office only the single central bulb was burning, the desk lamps being -off. He had seen no one about the offices. - -French, having complimented the young fellow on his clear statement, -bade him good-night and sent him home. But as he passed out of the room -he whispered to one of his men, who promptly nodded and also -disappeared. French turned to Mr. Duke. - -“That seems a straightforward young fellow,” he observed. “What is your -opinion of him?” - -“Absolutely straightforward.” The acting partner spoke with decision. -“He has been with me for over four years, and I have always found him -most conscientious and satisfactory. Indeed. I have been very fortunate -in my whole staff. I think I could say the same of them all.” - -“I congratulate you, Mr. Duke. Perhaps now you would tell me something -about your firm and your various employees.” - -Mr. Duke, though still extremely agitated, was controlling his emotion -and answered in calm tones. - -“The business is not a large one, and at the present time is virtually -controlled by myself. Peabody, though not so old as I am, has been -troubled by bad health and has more or less gone to pieces. He seldom -comes to the office, and never undertakes any work. The junior partner, -Sinnamond, is travelling in the East, and has been for some months. We -carry on the usual trade of diamond merchants, and have a small branch -establishment in Amsterdam. Indeed, I divide my own time almost equally -between London and Amsterdam. We occupy only these two rooms which you -have seen. Our staff in the outer office consists, or rather consisted, -of five, a chief and confidential clerk, the poor man who has just been -killed, a young man called Harrington, who is qualifying for a -partnership, Orchard, a girl typist, and an office boy. Besides them, we -employ an outside man, a traveller, a Dutchman named Vanderkemp. He -attends sales and so on, and when not on the road works in the Amsterdam -branch.” - -Inspector French noted all the information Mr. Duke could give about -each of the persons mentioned. - -“Now this Mr. Gething,” he resumed. “You say he has been with you for -over twenty years, and that you had full confidence in him, but I must -ask the question, Are you sure that your confidence was not misplaced? -In other words, are you satisfied that he was not himself after your -diamonds?” - -Mr. Duke shook his head decisively. - -“I am positive he was not,” he declared warmly and with something of -indignation showing in his manner. “I should as soon accuse my own son, -if I had one. No, I’d stake my life on it, Gething was no thief.” - -“I’m glad to hear you say that, Mr. Duke,” the other returned smoothly. -“Now, then, your office staff eliminated, tell me is there any one that -you suspect?” - -“Not a creature!” Mr. Duke was equally emphatic. “Not a single creature! -I can’t imagine any one who would have done such a thing. I wish I -could.” - -The Inspector hesitated. - -“Of course, sir, you understand that if you were to mention a name it -would not in any way bias me against that person. It would only mean -that I should make inquiries. Don’t think you would be getting any one -into trouble.” - -Mr. Duke smiled grimly. - -“You needn’t be afraid. If I had any suspicion I should be only too glad -to tell you, but I have none.” - -“When, sir, did you last see your late clerk?” - -“About half-past four this evening. I left the office at that time, -about an hour earlier than usual, because I had a business appointment -for a quarter to five with Mr. Peters, of Lincoln’s Inn, my solicitor.” - -“And you did not return to the office?” - -“No. I sat with Mr. Peters for about half an hour, then as my business -was not finished and he wanted to square up for the night, we decided to -dine together at my club in Gower Street. It was not worth while going -back to my own office, so I went straight from Peters’ to the club.” - -“And you did not notice anything peculiar about Mr. Gething?” - -“Not specially on that night. He seemed absolutely as usual.” - -“How do you mean, not specially on that night?” - -“He had been, I thought, a little depressed for two or three weeks -previously, as if he had some trouble on his mind. I asked when first I -noticed it if there was anything wrong, but he murmured something about -home troubles, about his wife not being so well—she is a chronic -invalid. He was not communicative, and I did not press the matter. But -he was no worse this afternoon than during the last fortnight.” - -“I see. Now, what brought him back to the office to-night?” - -Mr. Duke made a gesture of bewilderment. - -“I have no idea,” he declared. “There was nothing! Nothing, at least, -that I know of or can imagine. We were not specially busy, and as far as -I can think, he was well up to date with his work.” - -“Is there a postal delivery between half-past four and the time your -office closes?” - -“There is, and of course there might have been a telegram or a caller or -a note delivered by hand. But suppose there had been something important -enough to require immediate attention, Gething would never have taken -action without consulting me. He had only to ring me up.” - -“He knew where you were, then?” - -“No, but he could have rung up my home. They knew there where I was, as -when I had decided to dine at the club, I ’phoned home to say so.” - -“But were you in your club all the evening? Excuse my pressing the -matter, but I think it’s important to make sure the man did not try to -communicate with you.” - -“I see your point. Yes, I stayed chatting with Mr. Peters until almost -9.30. Then, feeling tired from a long day’s thought about business, I -decided a little exercise would be pleasant, and I walked home. I -reached my house a minute or two after ten.” - -“That seems conclusive. All the same, sir, I think you should make sure -when you reach home that no call was made.” - -“I shall do so certainly, but my parlourmaid is very reliable in such -matters, and I am certain she would have told me of any.” - -Inspector French sat for a few seconds lost in thought, and then began -on another point. - -“You tell me that you had £33,000 worth of diamonds in the safe. Is not -that an unusually large amount to keep in an office?” - -“You are quite right; it is too large. I consider myself very much to -blame, both for that and in the matter of the insurance. But I had not -meant to keep the stones there long. Indeed, negotiations for the sale -of the larger portion were actually in progress. On the other hand, it -is due to myself to point out that the safe is of a very efficient -modern pattern.” - -“That is so, sir. Now can you tell me who, besides yourself, knew of the -existence of those stones?” - -“I’m afraid,” Mr. Duke admitted despondently, “there was no secret about -it. Gething knew, of course. He was entirely in my confidence about such -matters. Vanderkemp, my outdoor man, knew that I had made some heavy -purchases recently, as he not only conducted the negotiations, but -personally brought the stones to the office. Besides, there were letters -about them, accessible to all the staff. I am afraid you may take it -that every one in the office knew there was a lot of stuff there, though -probably not the exact amount.” - -“And the staff may have talked to outsiders. Young people will brag, -especially if they are ‘keeping company,’ as the Irish say.” - -“I fear that is so,” Mr. Duke agreed, as if deprecating the singular -habits of the young. - -The Inspector changed his position uneasily, and his hand stole to his -pipe. But he checked himself and resumed his questioning. He obtained -from Mr. Duke a detailed list of the missing stones, then turned to a -new point. - -“About that thousand pounds in notes. I suppose you haven’t got the -numbers?” - -“No, unfortunately. But the bank might know them.” - -“We shall inquire. Now, Mr. Duke, about the key. That is another -singular thing.” - -“It is an amazing thing. I absolutely cannot understand where it came -from. As I said, this one never leaves, nor has left, my personal -possession, and the other, the _only_ other one, is equally inaccessible -in my bank.” - -“You always personally opened or closed the safe?” - -“Always, or at least it was done by my instructions and in my presence.” - -“Oh, well, that is not quite the same thing, you know. Who has ever -opened or closed it for you?” - -“Gething; and not once or twice, but scores, I suppose I might say -hundreds of times. But always in my presence.” - -“I understand that, sir. Any one else besides Mr. Gething?” - -Mr. Duke hesitated. - -“No,” he said slowly, “no one else. He was the only one I trusted to -that extent. And I had reason to trust him,” he added, with a touch of -defiance. - -“Of course, sir. I recognise that,” French answered smoothly. “I am only -trying to get the facts clear in my mind. I take it, then, that the -deceased gentleman was the only person, other than yourself, who ever -handled your key? It was not within reach of any one in your house; your -servants, for example?” - -“No, I never let it lie about. Even at night I kept it attached to me.” - -The Inspector rose from his chair. - -“Well, sir,” he said politely, “I’m sorry to have kept you so long. Just -let me take your finger prints to compare with those in the safe, and I -have done. Shall I ring up for a taxi for you?” - -Mr. Duke looked at his watch. - -“Why, it is nearly one,” he exclaimed. “Yes, a taxi by all means, -please.” - -Though Inspector French had said that everything possible had been done -that night, he did not follow Mr. Duke from the building. Instead, he -returned to the inner office and set himself unhurriedly to make a -further and more thorough examination of its contents. - -He began with the key of the safe. Removing it by the shank with a pair -of special pincers, he tested the handle for finger prints, but without -success. Looking then at the other end, a slight roughness on one of the -wards attracted his attention, and on scrutinising it with his lens, a -series of fine parallel scratches was revealed on all the surfaces. “So -that’s it, is it?” he said to himself complacently. “Manufacturers don’t -leave keys of valuable safes half finished. This one has been cut with a -file, and probably,”—he again scrutinised the workmanship—“by an -amateur at that. And according to this man Duke, old Gething was the -only one that had the handling of the key—that could have taken a wax -impression. Well, well; we shall see.” - -He locked the safe, dropped the key into his pocket, and turned to the -fireplace, soliloquising the while. - -The fire had still been glowing red when the crime was discovered -shortly after ten o’clock. That meant, of course, that it had been -deliberately stoked up, because the fire in the outer office was cold -and dead. Some one, therefore, had intended to spend a considerable time -in the office. Who could it have been? - -As far as French could see, no one but Gething. But if Gething were -going to commit the robbery—a matter of perhaps ten minutes at the -outside—he would not have required a fire. No, this looked as if there -really was some business to be done, something that would take time to -carry through. But then, if so, why had Gething not consulted Mr. Duke? -French noted the point, to be considered further in the light of future -discoveries. - -But as to the identity of the person who had built up the fire there -should be no doubt. Finger prints again! The coal shovel had a smooth, -varnished wooden handle, admirably suited for records, and a short test -with the white powder revealed thereon an excellent impression of a -right thumb. - -The poker next received attention, and here French made his second -discovery. Picking it up with the pincers in the same careful way in -which he had handled the key, he noticed on the handle a dark brown -stain. Beside this stain, and sticking to the metal, was a single white -hair. - -That he held in his hand the instrument with which the crime was -committed seemed certain, and he eagerly tested the other end for -prints. But this time he was baffled. Nothing showed at the places where -finger marks might have been expected. It looked as if the murderer had -worn gloves or had rubbed the handle clean, and he noted that either -alternative postulated a cold-blooded criminal and a calculated crime. - -He continued his laborious search of the room, but without finding -anything else which interested him. Finally, while his men were -photographing the prints he had discovered, he sat down in the -leather-covered arm-chair and considered what he had learned. - -Certainly a good deal of the evidence pointed to Gething. Gething knew -the stones were there. According to Duke, no one else could have got -hold of the key to the safe to make an impression. Moreover, his body -was found before the safe with the latter open. All circumstantial -evidence, of course, though cumulatively strong. - -However, whether or not Gething had contemplated robbery, he had not -carried it through. Some one else had the diamonds. And here the obvious -possibility recurred to him which had been in his mind since he had -heard the Superintendent’s first statement. Suppose Orchard was the man. -Suppose Orchard, visiting the office in the evening, arrived to find the -safe open and the old man stooping over it. Instantly he would be -assailed by a terrible temptation. The thing would seem so easy, the way -of escape so obvious, the reward so sure. French, sitting back in the -arm-chair, tried to picture the scene. The old man bending over the -safe, the young one entering, unheard. His halt in surprise; the sudden -overwhelming impulse to possess the gems; his stealthy advance; the -seizing of the poker; the blow, delivered perhaps with the intention of -merely stunning his victim. But he strikes too hard, and, horrified by -what he has done, yet sees that for his own safety he must go through -with the whole business. He recalls the danger of finger prints, and -wipes the handles of the poker and of the drawer in the safe from which -he has abstracted the diamonds. With admirable foresight he waits until -the body grows cold, lest an examination of it by the policeman he -intends to call might disprove his story. Then he rushes out in an -agitated manner and gives the alarm. - -Though this theory met a number of the facts, French was not overpleased -with it. It did not explain what Gething was doing at the safe, nor did -it seem to fit in with the personality of Orchard. All the same, though -his instruction to his man to shadow Orchard had been given as an -obvious precaution inevitable in the circumstances, he was glad that he -had not overlooked it. - -Another point occurred to him as he sat thinking over the affair in the -leather-lined chair. If Orchard had stolen the stones, he would never -have risked having them on his person when he gave the alarm. He would -certainly have hidden them, and French could not see how he could have -taken them out of the building to do so. A thorough search of the -offices seemed therefore called for. - -The Inspector was tired, but, late as it was, he spent three solid hours -conducting a meticulous examination of the whole premises, only ceasing -when he had satisfied himself beyond possibility of doubt that no -diamonds were concealed thereon. Then, believing that he had exhausted -the possibilities of the scene of the crime, he felt himself free to -withdraw. Dawn was appearing in the eastern sky as he drew the door -after him and set off in the direction of his home. - - - - - CHAPTER III - GATHERING THE THREADS - - -THE fact that he had been out all the previous night was not, in -Inspector French’s eyes, any reason why he should be late at his work -next day. At his usual time, therefore, he reached New Scotland Yard, -and promptly engaged himself in the compilation of a preliminary report -on the Hatton Garden crime. This completed, he resumed direct work on -the case. - -There were still several obvious inquiries to be made, inquiries which -might almost be called routine, in that they followed necessarily from -the nature of the crime. The first of these was an interview with the -other members of the Duke & Peabody staff. - -An Oxford Street bus brought him to the end of Hatton Garden, and soon -he was once more mounting the staircase to the scene of his last night’s -investigation. He found Mr. Duke standing in the outer office with -Orchard and the typist and office boy. - -“I was just telling these young people they might go home,” the -principal explained. “I am closing the office until after the funeral.” - -“That will be appreciated by poor Mr. Gething’s family, sir. I think it -is very kind of you and very proper too. But before this young lady and -gentleman go I should like to ask them a question or two.” - -“Of course. Will you take them into my office? Go in, Miss Prescott, and -tell Inspector French anything he wants to know.” - -“I’m afraid you won’t be able to do quite so much as that, Miss -Prescott,” French smiled, continuing to chat pleasantly in the hope of -allaying the nervousness the girl evidently felt. - -But he learned nothing from her except that Mr. Duke was a very nice -gentleman of whom she was somewhat in awe, and that Mr. Gething had -always been very kind to her and could be depended on to let her do -whatever she wanted. Neither about the clerk, Orchard, nor the pupil, -Harrington, was she communicative, and the office boy, Billy Newton, she -dismissed as one might a noxious insect, a negligible, if necessary, -evil. Mr. Gething had been, as far as she could form a conclusion, in -his usual health and spirits on the previous day, but she thought he had -seemed worried and anxious for the past two or three weeks. As to -herself, she liked the office, and got on well with her work, and was -very sorry about poor Mr. Gething. On the previous day she had gone -straight from the office, and had remained at home with her mother -during the entire evening. French, satisfied she had told him all that -she knew, took her finger prints and let her go. - -From Billy Newton, the precocious office boy, he learned but one new -fact. Newton, it seemed, had been the last to leave the office on the -previous evening, and before Mr. Gething had gone he had instructed him -to make up the fire in the chief’s office, as he, Gething, was coming -back later to do some special work. The boy had built up a good fire and -had then left. - -When French returned to the outer office, he found a new arrival. A -tall, good-looking young man was talking to Mr. Duke, and the latter -introduced him as Mr. Stanley Harrington, the clerk-pupil who was -qualifying for a partnership. Harrington was apologising for being late, -saying that on his way to the office he had met an old schoolfellow of -whom he had completely lost sight, and who had asked him to accompany -him to King’s Cross, whence he was taking the 9.50 a.m. train for the -north. The young man seemed somewhat ill at ease, and as French brought -him into the inner office and began to talk to him, his nervousness -became unmistakable. French was intrigued by it. From his appearance, he -imagined the man would have, under ordinary circumstances, a frank, open -face and a pleasant, outspoken manner. But now his look was strained and -his bearing furtive. French, with his vast experience of statement -makers, could not but suspect something more than the perturbation -natural under the circumstances, and as his examination progressed he -began to believe he was dealing with a normally straightforward man who -was now attempting to evade the truth. But none of his suspicions showed -in his manner, and he was courtesy itself as he asked his questions. - -It seemed that Harrington was the nephew of that Mr. Vanderkemp who -acted as traveller for the firm. Miss Vanderkemp, the Dutchman’s sister, -had married Stewart Harrington, a prosperous Yorkshire stock-broker. -Stanley had been well educated, and had been a year at college when a -terrible blow fell on him. His father and mother, travelling on the -Continent, had both been killed in a railway accident near Milan. It was -then found that his father, though making plenty of money, had been -living up to his income, and had made no provision for those who were to -come after him. Debts absorbed nearly all the available money, and -Stanley was left practically penniless. It was then that his uncle, Jan -Vanderkemp, proved his affection. Out of his none too large means he -paid for the boy’s remaining years at Cambridge, then using his -influence with Mr. Duke to give him a start in the office. - -But shortly after he had entered on his new duties an unexpected -complication, at least for Mr. Duke, had arisen. The principal’s -daughter, Sylvia, visiting her father in the office, had made the -acquaintance of the well-mannered youth, and before Mr. Duke realised -what was happening the two young people had fallen violently in love, -with the result that Miss Duke presently announced to her horrified -father that they were engaged. In vain the poor man protested. Miss Duke -was a young lady who usually had her own way, and at last her father was -compelled to make a virtue of necessity. He met the situation by giving -the affair his blessing, and promising to take Harrington into -partnership if and when he proved himself competent. In this Harrington -had succeeded, and the wedding was fixed for the following month, the -partnership commencing on the same date. - -French questioned the young fellow as to his movements on the previous -evening. It appeared that shortly after reaching his rooms on the -conclusion of his day’s work in the office, he had received a telephone -message from Miss Duke saying that her father had just called up to say -he was detained in town for dinner, and, being alone, she wished he -would go out to Hampstead and dine with her. Such an invitation from -such a source was in the nature of a command to be ecstatically obeyed, -and he had reached the Dukes’ house before seven o’clock. But he had -been somewhat disappointed as to his evening. Miss Duke was going out -after dinner; she intended visiting a girls’ club in Whitechapel, run by -a friend of hers, a Miss Amy Lestrange. Harrington had accompanied her -to the East End, but she would not allow him to go in with her to the -club. He had, however, returned later and taken her home, after which he -had gone straight to his rooms. - -Skilful interrogation by French had obtained the above information, and -now he sat turning it over in his mind. The story hung together, and, if -true, there could be no doubt of Harrington’s innocence. But French was -puzzled by the young man’s manner. He could have sworn that there was -_something_. Either the tale was not true, or it was not all true, or -there was more which had not been told. He determined that unless he got -a strong lead elsewhere, Mr. Harrington’s movements on the previous -night must be looked into and his statements put to the test. - -But there was no need to let the man know he was suspected, and -dismissing him with a few pleasant words, French joined Mr. Duke in the -outer office. - -“Now, sir, if you are ready we shall go round to your bank about the -key.” - -They soon obtained the required information. The manager, who had read -of the robbery in his morning paper, was interested in the matter, and -went into it personally. Not only was the key there in its accustomed -place, but it had never been touched since Mr. Duke left it in. - -“A thousand pounds in notes was also stolen,” French went on. “Is there -any chance that you have the numbers?” - -“Your teller might remember the transaction,” Mr. Duke broke in eagerly. -“I personally cashed a cheque for £1000 on the Tuesday, the day before -the murder. I got sixteen fifties and the balance in tens. I was hoping -to carry off a little deal in diamonds with a Portuguese merchant whom I -expected to call on me. I put the money in my safe as I received it from -you, and the merchant not turning up, I did not look at it again.” - -“We can but inquire,” the manager said doubtfully. “It is probable we -have a note of the fifties, but unlikely in the case of the tens.” - -But it chanced that the teller had taken the precaution to record the -numbers of all the notes. These were given to French, who asked the -manager to advise the Yard if any were discovered. - -“That’s satisfactory about the notes,” French commented when Mr. Duke -and he had reached the street. “But you see what the key being there -means? It means that the copy was made from the key which you carry. -Some one must therefore have had it in his possession long enough to -take a mould of it in wax. This, of course, is a very rapid operation; a -couple of seconds would do the whole thing. A skilful man would hold the -wax in the palm of his hand, ‘palmed’ as the conjurers call it, and the -key could be pressed into it in so natural a way that no unsuspecting -person would be any the wiser. Now I want you to think again very -carefully. If no one but Mr. Gething handled the key, he _must_ have -taken the impression. There is no other way out. I would like you, then, -to be sure that no one else ever did get his hands upon it, even for a -moment. You see my point?” - -“Of course I see it,” Mr. Duke returned a trifle testily, “but, -unanswerable as it seems, I don’t believe Gething ever did anything of -the kind. It would seem the likely thing to you, Inspector, because you -didn’t know the man. But I’ve known him too long to doubt him. Some one -else must have got hold of the key, but I confess I can’t imagine who.” - -“Some one at night, while you were asleep?” - -Mr. Duke shrugged his shoulders. - -“I can only say, it is unlikely.” - -“Well, consider the possibilities at all events. I must go back to -headquarters.” - -“And I to the Gethings,” Mr. Duke returned. “I hear the wife is very -ill. The shock has completely broken her down. You’ll let me know how -things go on?” - -“Certainly, sir. Immediately I have anything to report, you shall hear -it.” - -The police station was not far away, and soon French was bending over -all that was mortal of Charles Gething. He was not concerned with the -actual remains, except to take prints from the dead fingers, to compare -with those found in the office. But he went through the contents of the -pockets, among which he had hoped to gain some clue as to the nature of -the business which had brought the dead man to the office. Unfortunately -there was nothing to give the slightest indication. - -The inquest had been fixed for five o’clock that evening, and French -spent some time with the Superintendent going over the evidence which -was to be put forward by the police. Of the verdict, there could, of -course, be no doubt. - -Believing that by this time Mr. Duke would have left the Gethings, -French thought that he might himself call there. The more he could learn -about the old man the better. - -He hailed a taxi, and some fifteen minutes later reached Monkton Street, -a narrow and rather depressing side street off the Fulham Road. The door -of No. 37 was opened by a brown-haired woman of some five-and-thirty, -with a pleasant and kindly, though somewhat worn expression. French took -off his hat. - -“Miss Gething?” he inquired. - -“No, I am Mrs. Gamage. But my sister is in, if you wish to see her.” She -spoke with a sort of plaintive softness which French found rather -attractive. - -“I’m afraid I must trouble you both,” he answered with his kindly smile, -as he introduced himself and stated his business. - -Mrs. Gamage stepped back into the narrow passage. - -“Come in,” she invited. “We are naturally anxious to help you. Besides, -the police have been very kind. Nothing could have been kinder than that -constable who came round last night with the news. Indeed every one has -been more than good. Mr. Duke has just been round himself to inquire. A -time like this shows what people are.” - -“I was sorry to hear that Mrs. Gething is so unwell,” French observed, -and he followed his guide into the tiny front parlour. He was surprised -to find the house far from comfortably furnished. Everything, indeed, -bore the stamp of an almost desperate attempt to preserve decency and -self-respect in the face of a grinding poverty. The threadbare carpet -was worn into holes and had been neatly darned, and so had the -upholstery of the two rather upright easy chairs. The leg of the third -chair was broken and had been mended with nails and wire. Everything was -shabby, though spotlessly clean and evidently looked after with the -utmost care. Though the day was bitter, no spark of fire burned in the -grate. Here, the Inspector thought, was certainly a matter to be -inquired into. If Gething was really as poor a man as this furniture -seemed to indicate, it undoubtedly would have a bearing on the problem. - -“My mother has been an invalid for many years,” Mrs. Gamage answered, -unconsciously supplying the explanation French wanted. “She suffers from -a diseased hip bone and will never be well. My poor father spent a small -fortune on doctors and treatment for her, but I don’t think any of them -did her much good. Now this news has broken her down altogether. She is -practically unconscious, and we fear the end at any time.” - -“Allow me to express my sympathy,” French murmured, and his voice seemed -to convey quite genuine sorrow. “What you tell me makes me doubly regret -having to force my unpleasant business on your notice. But I cannot help -myself.” - -“Of course I understand.” Mrs. Gamage smiled gently. “Ask what you want -and I shall try to answer, and when you have finished with me I’ll -relieve Esther with mother and send her down.” - -But there was not a great deal that Mrs. Gamage could tell. Since her -marriage some four years previously she had seen comparatively little of -her father. That she idolised him was obvious, but the cares of her own -establishment prevented her paying more than an occasional visit to her -old home. French therefore soon thanked her for her help, and asked her -to send her sister down to him. - -Esther Gething was evidently the younger of the two. She was like Mrs. -Gamage, but better looking. Indeed, she was pretty in a mild, -unobtrusive way. She had the same brown eyes, but so steadfast and -truthful that even French felt satisfied that she was one to be trusted. -Her expression was equally kindly, but she gave the impression of -greater competence than her sister. He could imagine how her parents -leaned on her. A good woman, he thought, using an adjective he did not -often apply to the sex, and the phrase, in its fullest significance, -seemed only just adequate. - -Under the Inspector’s skilful lead she described the somewhat humdrum -existence which she and her parents had led for some years past. Her -mother’s illness seemed to have been the ruling factor in their lives, -everything being subordinated to the sufferer’s welfare, and the -expenses in connection with it forming a heavy drain on the family -exchequer. From Mr. Duke’s records, French had learned that the dead -man’s salary had been about £400 per annum, though quite recently it had -been increased to £450, following a visit the merchant had paid to the -house during a short illness of his head clerk. Mr. Duke, Miss Gething -said, had always acted as a considerate employer. - -Asked if her father had continued in his usual health and spirits up to -the end, she said no, that for some three weeks past he had seemed -depressed and worried. On different occasions she had tried to find out -the cause, but he had not enlightened her except to say that he had been -having some trouble at the office. Once, however, he dropped a phrase -which set her thinking, though she was unable to discover his meaning, -and he had refused to explain. He had asked her did she believe that a -man could ever be right in doing evil that good might come, and when she -had answered that she could not tell, he had sighed and said, “Pray God -you may never be called on to decide.” - -On the evening of his death it had been arranged that he would sit with -Mrs. Gething, in order to allow his daughter to attend a social -connected with the choir of the church to which she belonged. But that -evening he came home more worried and upset than she had ever seen him, -and he had told her with many expressions of regret that some unexpected -work which had just come in would require his presence that evening in -the office, and that unless she was able to get some one else to look -after her mother, she would have to give up her social. He had been too -nervous and ill at ease to make a good meal, and had gone off about -eight o’clock, saying he did not know at what hour he would be back. -That was the last time she had seen him alive, and she had heard nothing -of him until the policeman had come with his terrible news about -half-past eleven. - -Miss Gething was clearly at one with her sister in her admiration and -affection for her father, and French recognised that she was as -mystified as to his death as he was himself. Seeing that he could learn -no more, he presently took his leave, with renewed expressions of -sympathy for her trouble. - -When he reached the Yard he found that enlarged photographs of the -various finger prints he had discovered were ready, and he sat down with -some eagerness to compare the impressions with those on his cards. He -spent some time counting and measuring lines and whorls, and at last -reached the following conclusions. All the finger marks on the safe, -both inside and out, belonged either to Mr. Duke or to Mr. Gething, the -majority being the latter’s; the mark on the handle of the coal shovel -was Mr. Gething’s, and the remaining prints were those of various -members of the office staff. His hopes of help from this source were -therefore dashed. - -With a sigh he looked at his watch. There would be time before the -inquest to make some inquiries as to the truth of Orchard’s statement of -his movements on the previous evening. Half an hour later he had found -the man with whom the clerk had dined in Ilford, and he fully -substantiated the other’s story. Orchard was therefore definitely -eliminated from the inquiry. - -The proceedings before the Coroner were practically formal. Orchard, Mr. -Duke, and Constable Alcorn told their stories, and with very little -further examination were dismissed. French and the local superintendent -watched the case on behalf of the police, but did not interfere, and the -next of kin of the deceased were not legally represented. After half an -hour, the Coroner summed up, and the jury without retiring brought in -the obvious verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons -unknown. - -That evening, when French had dined and had settled himself before the -fire in his sitting-room with a pipe between his lips and his notebook -on the table at his elbow, he set himself to take mental stock of his -position and get a clear grasp of his new problem. - -In the first place, it was obvious that this Charles Gething had been -murdered for the sake of the diamonds in Mr. Duke’s safe. It was certain -from the position of the wound that it could not have been accidental, -nor could it by any chance have been self-inflicted. Moreover, a planned -robbery was indicated by the cutting of the duplicate key. But the -stones were not on old Gething’s body. It therefore followed that some -one else had taken them, though whether Gething had abstracted them from -the safe in the first instance was not clear. - -So far French had no trouble in marshalling his facts, but when he -attempted to go further he found himself in difficulties. - -There was first of all Gething’s poverty. Though his salary was not -unreasonable for his position, the drain of his wife’s illness had kept -him continually struggling to make ends meet. French let his imagination -dwell on the wearing nature of such a struggle. To obtain relief a man -would risk a good deal. Then there was his knowledge of the wealth which -lay within his reach, provided only that he made a spirited effort to -obtain it. Had the man fallen before the temptation? - -That he had had something on his mind for two or three weeks before his -death was obvious, and it was equally clear that this was something -secret. When Mr. Duke inquired as to the cause of the trouble, Gething -had mentioned family matters and his wife’s health, but when his -daughter had asked the same question he had said it was due to business -worries. The old man had therefore carried his efforts at concealment to -direct lying to one or other. - -It seemed evident also that this worry or trouble had become intensified -on the evening of his death. He had told his daughter that special -business required his presence at the office. But Mr. Duke knew of no -such business, nor was any record of it obtainable. - -But all these mysterious contradictions fell into line and became -comprehensible if some two or three weeks back Gething had decided to -rob the safe, and his special agitation on the evening of his death was -accounted for if that were the date he had selected to make the attempt. - -On the other hand, several considerations did not support such a view. -The first was the man’s known character. He had worked for the firm for -over twenty years, and after all that experience of him Mr. Duke -absolutely refused to believe in his guilt. His daughters also evidently -had the warmest feelings towards him, and from what French had seen of -the latter he felt that would have been impossible had Gething been a -man of bad or weak character. Such other evidence as French had been -able to obtain tended in the same direction. - -Next, there was the open way in which Gething returned to the office. -Had he intended to burgle the safe, would he not have kept the fact of -his visit a secret? Yet he told the office boy he was returning when -instructing him to keep up the fire in the inner office, and he also -mentioned it to his daughter when discussing her proposed choir meeting. - -Further, there was this matter of the fire in the private office. If -Gething was going to rob the safe, what was the fire for? It was not -merely that he had instructed the office boy to keep it up. He had -himself afterwards put coal on, as was evidenced by his finger marks on -the handle of the shovel. The robbing of the safe would have been a -matter of minutes only. Did the episode of the fire not look as if -Gething really was employed at some exceptional work, as he had stated -to his daughter? - -On the whole, French thought, the evidence for Gething’s guilt was -stronger than that against it, and he began to form a tentative theory -somewhat as follows: That Gething, finding the conditions of his home -life onerous beyond further endurance, and realising the unusually -valuable deposit in the safe, had decided to help himself, probably to a -quite small portion, knowing that the loss would fall, not on Mr. Duke, -but on the insurance company; that he had obtained an impression of the -key from which he had had a duplicate made; that he had invented the -business in the office as a safeguard should he be accidentally found -there during the evening; that he _had_ been found there, probably -accidentally, by some one who, seeing the possibilities opening out in -front of him, had been swept off his feet by the sudden temptation and -had killed the old man and made off with the swag. - -This theory seemed to meet at least most of the facts. French was not -pleased with it, but it was the best he could produce, and he decided to -adopt it as a working hypothesis. At the same time he kept an open mind, -recognising that the discovery of some fresh fact might put a different -complexion on the whole affair. - -Next morning he put some obvious investigations in train. By astute -indirect inquiries, he satisfied himself that neither Mr. Gething nor -any other worker in the Duke & Peabody office had the technical skill to -have cut the key, and he put a man on to try and trace the professional -who had done it. He issued a description of the stolen diamonds to the -British and Dutch police, as well as to certain dealers from whom he -hoped to obtain information of attempted sales. He saw that a general -advice was sent to the banks as to the missing notes, and he searched, -unsuccessfully, for any person who might have known of the treasure and -who was unable satisfactorily to account for his movements on the night -of the murder. - -But as the days slipped by without bringing any news, French grew -seriously uneasy and redoubled his efforts. He suspected every one he -could think of, including the typist, the office boy, and even Mr. Duke -himself, but still without result. The typist proved she was at home all -the evening, Billy Newton was undoubtedly at a Boy Scouts’ Rally, while -guarded inquiries at the principal’s club and home proved that his -statement as to how he had passed his evening was correct in every -particular. Stanley Harrington’s movements he had already investigated, -and though the young man’s alibi could not be absolutely established he -could find nothing to incriminate him. - -Baffled in every direction, French began to lose heart, while his -superiors asked more and more insistent and unpleasant questions. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - MISSING - - -ABOUT ten o’clock on the morning of the tenth day after the murder of -Charles Gething, Inspector French sat in his room at New Scotland Yard -wondering for the thousandth time if there was no clue in the affair -which he had overlooked, no line of research which he had omitted to -follow up. - -He had seldom found himself up against so baffling a problem. Though -from the nature of the case, as he told himself with exasperation, a -solution should be easily reached, yet he could find nothing to go on. -The clues he had obtained looked promising enough, but—they led -nowhere. None of the stolen notes had reached the bank, nor had any of -the diamonds come on the market; no one in whom he was interested had -become suddenly rich, and all his possible suspects were able more or -less satisfactorily to account for their time on the fatal evening. - -French had just taken up his pen to write out a statement of what he had -done, in the hope of discovering some omission, when his telephone rang. -Absent-mindedly he took up the receiver. - -“I want to speak to Inspector French,” he heard in a familiar voice. -“Say that Mr. Duke of Duke & Peabody is on the ’phone.” - -There was a suggestion of eagerness in the voice that instantly roused -the Inspector’s interest. - -“Inspector French speaking,” he answered promptly. “Good-morning, Mr. -Duke. I hope you have some news for me?” - -“I have some news,” the distant voice returned, “but I don’t know -whether it bears on our quest. I have just had a letter from Schoofs, -you remember, the manager of our Amsterdam branch, and from what he -tells me it looks as if Vanderkemp had disappeared.” - -“Disappeared?” French echoed. “How? Since when?” - -“I don’t know exactly. I am having the files looked up to try and settle -dates. It appears that he has been absent from the Amsterdam office for -several days, and Schoofs thought he was over here. But we’ve not seen -him. I don’t understand the matter. Perhaps if you’re not too busy you -could come round and I’ll show you Schoofs’ letter.” - -“I’ll come at once.” - -Half an hour later French was mounting the stairs of the Hatton Garden -office. With a face wreathed in smiles, Billy Newton ushered him into -the private office. Mr. Duke seemed nervous and a trifle excited as he -shook hands. - -“The more I think over this affair, Inspector, the less I like it,” he -began immediately. “I do hope there is nothing wrong. I will tell you -all I know, but before I show you Schoofs’ letter I had better explain -how it came to be written.” - -He looked up interrogatively, then as French nodded, continued: - -“As I think I already mentioned, Vanderkemp is my travelling agent. He -attends sales and auctions in all the countries of Europe. He has -carried through some very large deals for me, and I have every -confidence both in his business acumen and in his integrity. I told you -also that amongst others he had purchased and brought to London the -greater part of the missing stones.” - -“You told me that, sir.” - -“Of late years, when Vanderkemp is not on the road, he has been working -in the Amsterdam branch. Some three or four days before poor Gething’s -death he had returned from a tour through southern Germany where he had -been buying jewels from some of the former nobility who had fallen on -evil days since the revolution. Three days ago, on last Monday to be -exact, I learnt that a very famous collection of jewels was shortly to -be sold in Florence, and I wrote that evening to Schoofs telling him to -send Vanderkemp to Italy to inspect and value the stones with a view to -my purchasing some of them. This is Schoofs’ reply which I received this -morning. You see what he says: ‘I note your instructions re sending -Vanderkemp to Florence, but he had not yet returned here from London, -where I presumed he was staying with your knowledge and by your orders. -When he arrives I shall send him on at once.’ What do you make of that, -Inspector?” - -“Vanderkemp did not come to London, then?” - -“Not to my knowledge. He certainly did not come here.” - -“I should like to know why Mr. Schoofs thought he had, and also the date -he was supposed to start.” - -“We can learn that by wiring to Schoofs.” - -Inspector French remained silent for a few moments. It seemed to him now -that he had neglected this Dutch office. It was at least another line of -inquiry, and one which might easily bear fruitful results. - -The staff there, Mr. Duke had stated, consisted of four persons, the -manager, a typist, and an office boy. There was also at times this -traveller, Vanderkemp, the same Vanderkemp who was uncle to Stanley -Harrington. It was more than likely that these persons knew of the -collection of diamonds. The manager would certainly be in Mr. Duke’s -confidence on the matter. Vanderkemp had actually purchased and brought -to London a large number of the stones, which he had seen put into the -safe, though, of course, it did not follow that he knew that they had -been retained there. Besides, in the same way as in the London office, -leakage of the information to outside acquaintances might easily occur. -Inquiries in Amsterdam seemed to French to be indicated. - -“I think I shouldn’t wire,” he said at last. “There is no use in -starting scares unless we’re sure something is wrong. Probably the thing -is capable of the most ordinary explanation. But I’ll tell you what I’ll -do. I’ll slip across to Amsterdam and make a few inquiries. If anything -is wrong I’ll get to know.” - -“Good. I’d be very pleased if you did that. I’ll write Schoofs and tell -him to help you in every way that he can.” - -French shook his head. - -“I shouldn’t do that either, if you don’t mind,” he declared. “I’ll just -go over and have a look round. There is no need to mention it to any -one.” - -Mr. Duke demurred, pointing out that a note from him would enlist Mr. -Schoof’s help. But French maintained his ground, and the merchant agreed -to carry out his wishes. - -French crossed by the night service from Harwich, and at half-past eight -o’clock next day emerged from the Central Station into the delightful, -old world capital. Though bent on sordid enough business, he could not -but feel the quaint charm of the city as he drove to the Bible Hotel in -the Damrak, and again as, after breakfast, he sauntered out to -reconnoitre. - -Messrs. Duke & Peabody’s office was close by in the Singelgracht, a -semi-business street with a tree-lined canal down its centre, and -crouching at one corner, a heavily-gabled church with a queer little -wooden tower not unlike a monstrous candle extinguisher. French had -opposed Mr. Duke’s offer to write to the manager introducing him, as he -did not wish any of the Amsterdam staff to be aware beforehand of his -visit. He had on many occasions obtained a vital hint from the start or -sudden look of apprehension which an unexpected question had produced, -and he was anxious not to neglect the possibility of a similar -suggestion in this case. He therefore pushed open the swing door, and -without giving a name, asked for the manager. - -Mr. Schoofs was a dapper little man with a pompous manner and an evident -sense of his own value. He spoke excellent English, and greeted his -caller politely as he motioned him to a chair. French lost no time in -coming to the point. - -“I have called, sir,” he began in a harsh tone, not at all in accord -with his usual “Soapy Joe” character, while he transfixed the other with -a cold and inimical stare, “with reference to the murder of Mr. Gething. -I am Inspector French of the Criminal Investigation Department of New -Scotland Yard.” - -But his little plot did not come off. Mr. Schoofs merely raised his -eyebrows, and with a slight shrug of his shoulders contrived to produce -a subtle suggestion that he was surprised not with the matter, but with -the manner, of his visitor’s announcement. - -“Ah yes!” he murmured easily. “A sad business truly! And I understand -there is no trace of the murderer and thief? It must be disquieting to -Londoners to have deeds of violence committed with such impunity in -their great city.” - -French, realising that he had lost the first move, changed his tone. - -“It is true, sir, that we have as yet made no arrest, but we are not -without hope of doing so shortly. It was to gain some further -information that I came over to see you.” - -“I am quite at your disposal.” - -“I needn’t ask you if you can give me any directly helpful news, because -in that case you would have already volunteered it. But it may be that -you can throw light upon some side issue, of which you may not have -realised the importance.” - -“Such as?” - -“Such, for example, as the names of persons who were aware of the -existence of the diamonds in Mr. Duke’s safe. That is one of many -lines.” - -“Yes? And others?” - -“Suppose we take that one first. Can you, as a matter of fact, tell me -if the matter was known of over here?” - -“I knew of it, if that is what you mean,” Mr. Schoofs answered in a -slightly dry tone. “Mr. Duke told me of his proposed deal, and asked me -to look out for stones for him. Mr. Vanderkemp also knew of it, as he -bought a lot of the stones and took them to London. But I do not think -any one else knew.” - -“What about your clerk and office boy?” - -Mr. Schoofs shook his head. - -“It is impossible that either could have heard of it.” - -French, though he had begun inauspiciously, continued the interrogation -with his usual suavity. He asked several other questions, but without -either learning anything of interest, or surprising Schoofs into showing -embarrassment or suspicious symptoms. Then he turned to the real object -of his visit. - -“Now about your traveller, Mr. Schoofs. What kind of man is Mr. -Vanderkemp?” - -Under the genial and deferent manner which French was now exhibiting, -Schoofs had thawed, and he really seemed anxious to give all the help he -could. Vanderkemp, it appeared, was a considerable asset to the firm, -though owing to his age—he was just over sixty—he was not able to do -so much as formerly. Personally he was not very attractive; he drank a -little too much, he gambled, and there were discreditable though -unsubstantiated tales of his private life. Moreover, he was of morose -temper and somewhat short manners, except when actually negotiating a -deal, when he could be suave and polished enough. But he had been known -to perform kind actions, for instance, he had been exceedingly good to -his nephew Harrington. Neither Schoofs nor any one else in the concern -particularly liked him, but he had one invaluable gift, a profound -knowledge of precious stones and an accuracy in valuing them which was -almost uncanny. He had done well for the firm, and Mr. Duke was glad to -overlook his shortcomings in order to retain his services. - -“I should like to have a chat with him. Is he in at present?” - -“No, he went to London nearly a fortnight ago. He has not returned yet. -But I’m expecting him every day, as I have instructions from Mr. Duke to -send him to Florence.” - -French looked interested. - -“He went to London?” he repeated. “But I can assure you he never arrived -there, or at least never reached Mr. Duke’s office. I have asked Mr. -Duke on several occasions about his staff, and he distinctly told me -that he had not seen this Mr. Vanderkemp since two or three weeks before -the murder.” - -“But that’s most extraordinary,” Schoofs exclaimed. “He certainly left -here to go to London on—what day was it?—it was the very day poor -Gething was murdered. He left by the day service via Rotterdam and -Queenborough. At least, he was to do so, for I only saw him on the -previous evening.” - -“Well, he never arrived. Was it on business he was going?” - -“Yes, Mr. Duke wrote for him.” - -“Mr. Duke wrote for him?” French echoed, at last genuinely surprised. -“What? To cross that day?” - -“To see him in the office on the following morning. I can show you the -letter.” He touched a bell and gave the necessary instructions. “There -it is,” he continued, handing over the paper which the clerk brought in. - -It was an octavo sheet of memorandum paper with the firm’s name printed -on the top, and bore the following typewritten letter: - - “20th November. - - “H. A. SCHOOFS, ESQ. - - “I should be obliged if you would please ask Mr. Vanderkemp to - come over and see me here at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday, 26th inst., - as I wish him to undertake negotiations for a fresh purchase. He - may have to go to Stockholm at short notice.” - -The note was signed “R. A. Duke,” with the attendant flourish with which -French had grown familiar. - -He sat staring at the sheet of paper, trying to fit this new discovery -into the scheme of things. But it seemed to him an insoluble puzzle. Was -Mr. Duke not really the innocent, kindly old gentleman he had fancied, -but rather a member, if not the author, of some deep-seated conspiracy? -If he had written this note, why had he not mentioned the fact when -Vanderkemp was being discussed? Why had he shown surprise when he -received Schoofs’ letter saying that the traveller had crossed to -London? What was at the bottom of the whole affair? - -An idea struck him, and he examined the letter more closely. - -“Are you sure this is really Mr. Duke’s signature?” he asked slowly. - -Mr. Schoofs looked at him curiously. - -“Why, yes,” he answered. “At least, it never occurred to me to doubt -it.” - -“You might let me see some of his other letters.” - -In a few seconds half a dozen were produced, and French began whistling -below his breath as he sat comparing the signatures, using a lens which -he took from his pocket. After he had examined each systematically, he -laid them down on the table and sat back in his chair. - -“That was stupid of me,” he announced. “I should have learnt all I -wanted without asking for these other letters. That signature is forged. -See here, look at it for yourself.” - -He passed the lens to Schoofs, who in his turn examined the name. - -“You see, the lines of that writing are not smooth; they are a mass of -tiny shakes and quivers. That means that they have not been written -quickly and boldly; they have been slowly drawn or traced over pencil. -Compare one of these other notes and you will see that while at a -distance the signatures look identical, in reality they are quite -different. No, Mr. Duke never wrote that. I am afraid Mr. Vanderkemp has -been the victim of some trick.” - -Schoofs was visibly excited. He hung on the other’s words and nodded -emphatically at his conclusions. Then he swore comprehensively in Dutch. -“Good heavens, Inspector!” he cried. “You see the significance of all -that?” - -French glanced at him keenly. - -“In what way?” he demanded. - -“Why, here we have a murder and a robbery, and then we have this, -occurring at the very same time. . . . Well, does it not look -suggestive?” - -“You mean the two things are connected?” - -“Well, what do you think?” Mr. Schoofs replied with some impatience. - -“It certainly does look like it,” French admitted slowly. Already his -active brain was building up a theory, but he wanted to get the other’s -views. “You are suggesting, I take it, that Vanderkemp may have been -concerned in the crime?” - -Schoofs shook his head decidedly. - -“I am suggesting nothing of the kind,” he retorted. “That’s not my job. -The thing merely struck me as peculiar.” - -“No, no,” French answered smoothly, “I have not expressed myself -clearly. Neither of us is making any accusation. We are simply -consulting together in a private, and, I hope, a friendly way, each -anxious only to find out the truth. Any suggestion may be helpful. If I -make the suggestion that Mr. Vanderkemp is the guilty man in order to -enable us to discuss the possibility, it does not follow that either of -us believes it to be true, still less that I should act on it.” - -“I am aware of that, but I don’t make any such suggestion.” - -“Then I do,” French declared, “simply as a basis for discussion. Let us -suppose then, purely for argument’s sake, that Mr. Vanderkemp decides to -make some of the firm’s wealth his own. He is present when the stones -are being put into the safe, and in some way when Mr. Duke’s back is -turned, he takes an impression of the key. He crosses to London, either -finds Gething in the office or is interrupted by him, murders the old -man, takes the diamonds, and clears out. What do you think of that?” - -“What about the letter?” - -“Well, that surely fits in? Mr. Vanderkemp must leave this office in -some way which won’t arouse your suspicion or cause you to ask questions -of the London office. What better way than by forging the letter?” - -Mr. Schoofs swore for the second time. “If he has done that,” he cried -hotly, “let him hang! I’ll do everything I can, Inspector, to help you -to find out, and that not only on general grounds, but for old Gething’s -sake, for whom I had a sincere regard.” - -“I thought you would feel that way, sir. Now to return to details. I -suppose you haven’t the envelope that letter came in?” - -“Never saw it,” Mr. Schoofs replied. “The clerk who opened it would -destroy it.” - -“Better have the clerk in, and we’ll ask the question.” - -Mr. Schoofs made a sudden gesture. - -“By Jove!” he cried. “It was Vanderkemp himself. He acts as head clerk -when he is here.” - -“Then we don’t get any evidence there. Either the letter came through -the post, in which case he destroyed the envelope in the usual way, or -else he brought the letter to the office and slipped it in among the -others.” - -French picked up the letter again. Experience had taught him that -typescript could be extremely characteristic, and he wondered if this in -question could be made to yield up any of its secrets. - -It certainly had peculiarities. The lens revealed a dent in the curve of -the n, where the type had evidently struck something hard, and the tail -of the g was slightly defective. - -French next examined the genuine letters, and was interested to find -their type showed the same irregularities. It was therefore certain that -the forged letter had been typed in the London office. - -He sat thinking deeply, unconsciously whistling his little tune through -his closed teeth. There was another peculiarity about the forged note. -The letters were a trifle indented, showing that the typewriter keys had -been struck with rather more than the usual force. He turned the sheet -over, and he saw that so much was this the case that the stops were -punched almost through. Picking up the genuine letters, he looked for -the same peculiarity, but the touch in these cases was much lighter and -even the full stop barely showed through. This seemed to justify a -further deduction—that the writer of the forged note was unskilled, -probably an amateur, while that of the others was an expert. French felt -he could safely assume that the forged note had been typed by some -unauthorised person, using the machine in the London office. - -But, so far as he could see, these deductions threw no light on the -guilt or innocence of Vanderkemp. The letter might have come from some -other person in London, or Vanderkemp might have typed it himself during -one of his visits to the metropolis. More data was wanted before a -conclusion could be reached. - -Though from what he had seen of Schoofs, the Inspector thought it -unlikely that he was mixed up in what he was beginning to believe was a -far-reaching conspiracy, he did not mention his discoveries to him, but -continued trying to pump him for further information about the missing -traveller. Vanderkemp, it seemed, was a tall man, or would have been if -he held himself erect, but he had stooped shoulders and a slouching way -of walking which detracted from his height. He was inclining to -stoutness, and had dark hair and a sallow complexion. His chin was -cleanshaven, but he wore a heavy dark moustache. Glasses covered his -short-sighted eyes. - -French obtained some samples of his handwriting, but no photograph of -him was available. In fact, Mr. Schoofs did not seem able to supply any -further information, nor did an interrogation of the typist and office -boy, both of whom spoke a little English, produce any better results. - -“Where did Mr. Vanderkemp live?” French asked, when he thought he had -exhausted the resources of the office. - -It appeared that the traveller was unmarried, and Mr. Schoofs did not -know if he had any living relatives other than Harrington. He boarded -with Mevrouw Bondix, in the Kinkerstraat, and thither the two men betook -themselves, French begging the other’s company in case he should be -needed as interpreter. Mevrouw Bondix was a garrulous little old lady -who had but little English, and upon whom Schoofs’ questions acted as a -push button does on an electric bell. She overwhelmed them with a flood -of conversation of which French could understand not one word, and from -which even the manager was hard put to it to extract the meaning. But -the gist of the matter was that Vanderkemp had left her house at -half-past eight on the night before the murder, with the expressed -intention of taking the 9.00 train for London. Since then she had -neither seen him nor heard from him. - -“But,” French exclaimed, “I thought you told me he had crossed by the -daylight service on the day of the murder?” - -“He said he would,” Schoofs answered with a somewhat puzzled air. “He -said so most distinctly. I remember it particularly because he pointed -out that Mr. Duke would probably ask him, after the interview, to start -by the afternoon Continental train on his new journey, and he preferred -to travel during the previous day so as to insure a good night’s sleep -in London. He said that in answer to a suggestion of mine that he would -be in time enough if he went over on the night before his interview.” - -“What time do these trains get in to London?” - -“I don’t know, but we can find out at the office.” - -“I’d like to go to the Central Station next, if you don’t mind coming -along,” French declared, “so we could look them up there. But before I -go I want you to tell me if Mr. Vanderkemp figures in any of these?” He -pointed to a number of photographic groups which adorned the -chimneypiece and walls. - -It happened that the missing traveller appeared in one of the groups, -and both Mr. Schoofs and Mevrouw Bondix bore testimony to the excellence -of the portrait. - -“Then I’ll take it,” French announced, as he slipped the card into his -pocket. - -The two men next went to the Central Station and looked up the trains. -They found that the day service did not reach Victoria until 10.05 p.m. -The significance of this was not lost upon French. Orchard stated he had -reached the office in Hatton Garden at 10.15, and that it could not have -been later was established by the evidence of Constable Alcorn. The body -at that time was cold, so that the crime must have taken place some -considerable time earlier. A man, therefore, who had crossed by the -daylight service from Amsterdam could not possibly have had time to -commit the murder. Had Vanderkemp lied deliberately to Schoofs when he -told him he was using that daylight service? If so, was it in order to -establish an alibi? Had he a secret appointment with Gething for an -earlier hour on the fatal evening, and had he crossed the night before -with the object of keeping it? French felt these were questions which -required satisfactory answers, and he made a mental note not to rest -until he had found them. - -With his new friend’s aid he began to interrogate the staff of the -Central Station, in the hope of ascertaining whether or not the missing -man had actually left by the train in question. But of this he could -learn nothing. None of the employees appeared to know Vanderkemp’s -appearance, nor after that lapse of time could any one recall having -seen a passenger of his description. - -That day and the next French spent in the charming old city, trying to -learn what he could of the missing man’s life and habits. He came across -a number of persons who were acquainted with the traveller, but no one -with whom he had been really intimate. None of these people could give -him much information, nor did any of them seem to care whether or no -Vanderkemp should ever be heard of again. From all he heard, French -concluded that Vanderkemp’s character was such as might be expected in -the guilty man, but there was but little evidence of motive, and none at -all of guilt. - -He returned to London by the night service, and having ascertained that -the steamer he crossed by was the same that had run on the date of -Vanderkemp’s assumed journey, he made exhaustive inquiries as to the -latter from the staff on board, unfortunately with negative results. - -Next day his efforts were equally fruitless. He spent most of it in -discussing the situation with Mr. Duke, and trying to make a list of the -persons who could have had access to the typewriter, but nowhere could -he get a gleam of light. The authorship of the letter remained as -inscrutable a mystery as the murder of Gething. - -Having circulated a description of Vanderkemp containing a copy of the -photograph, French went home that night a worried and disconsolate man. -But though he did not know it, further news was even at the moment on -the way to him. - - - - - CHAPTER V - FRENCH TAKES A JOURNEY - - -INSPECTOR FRENCH had not quite finished supper that evening when his -telephone bell rang. He was wanted back at the Yard immediately. Some -information about the case had come in. - -Cheerful and hopeful, he set off and in a few minutes was once more -seated in his office. There a note was awaiting him, which had been -delivered by hand a short time previously. He eagerly tore it open, and -read: - - “City of London Banking Co., - “Reading Branch, 11th December. - - “SIR,—With reference to your inquiry re certain bank-notes, I - beg to inform you that Bank of England ten-pound notes numbers - A/V 173258 W and N/L 386427 P were paid into this Branch just - before closing time to-day. Our teller fortunately noticed the - numbers almost immediately, and he thinks, though is not - positive, they were paid in by a Colonel FitzGeorge of this - town, whose address is Oaklands, Windsor Road. - - “I am sending this note by one of our clerks, who is going to - town this afternoon. - - “Yours faithfully, - “HERBERT HINCKSTON, - “_Manager_.” - -French received this information with a feeling of delight which -speedily changed to misgiving. At first sight what could be more -valuable to his quest than the discovery of some of the stolen notes? -And yet when he considered that these had been passed in by an army man -residing in Reading, the doubt immediately insinuated itself that here -also might be a promising clue which would lead to nothing. Obviously, -if this Colonel FitzGeorge had indeed paid in the notes, it did not at -all follow that he was the thief, or even that he had obtained them from -the thief. Before they reached the bank in Reading they might have -passed through a dozen hands. - -But, be this as it might, French’s procedure was at least clear. A visit -to Colonel FitzGeorge was undoubtedly his next step. - -He picked up a Bradshaw. Yes, there would be time to go that night. A -train left Paddington at 8.10 which would bring him to Reading before -9.00. - -He ran down through the great building, and hailing a taxi, was driven -to the terminus. He caught the train with a minute to spare, and shortly -before nine he was in conversation with a taxi driver outside the Great -Western Station in Reading. - -“Yessir,” the man assured him, “I know the ’ouse. Ten minutes drive out -along the Windsor Road.” - -The night was dark, and French could not take minute stock of his -surroundings, but he presently learnt from the sounds of his car’s -wheels that Oaklands was reached from the road by an appreciable drive -coated with fine gravel, and the bulk of the house, looming large above -him as he stood before the porch, indicated an owner well endowed with -this world’s goods. The impression was confirmed when in answer to his -inquiry a venerable butler conducted him through a hall of imposing -dimensions to a luxurious sitting-room. There the man left him, -returning in a few minutes to say his master was in the library and -would see Mr. French. - -Colonel FitzGeorge was a tall, white-haired man, with an erect carriage -and excessively courteous manners. He bowed as French entered, and -indicated a deep leather-lined arm-chair drawn up opposite his own -before the blazing fire of pine logs. - -“A chilly evening, Inspector,” he said pleasantly. “Won’t you sit down?” - -French thanked him, and after apologising for the hour of his call, went -on: - -“My visit, sir, is in connection with certain bank-notes which I am -trying to trace. Some time ago there was a robbery in the City in which -a number of Bank of England notes were stolen. The owner fortunately was -able to find out their numbers from his bank. When the matter was -reported to us, we naturally asked the banks generally to keep a lookout -for them. Nothing was heard of them until to-day, but this afternoon, -just before closing time, two of them were paid into the Reading Branch -of the City of London Bank. The teller, though not certain, believed -that you had paid them in. You can see, therefore, the object of my -call. It is to ask you if you can possibly help me to trace the thief by -telling me where you received the notes. There were two, both for ten -pounds, and the numbers were A/V 173258 W and N/L 386427 P.” - -Colonel FitzGeorge looked interested. - -“I certainly called at the bank this afternoon and lodged some money,” -he answered. “It was mostly in the form of dividend warrants, but there -were a few notes. Now where did I get those? I should be able to tell -you off-hand, but I’m not at all sure that I can. Let me think, please.” - -For some moments silence reigned in the luxuriously-furnished room. -French, always suspicious, surreptitiously watched his new acquaintance, -but he had to admit that he could discern none of the customary signs of -guilt. But he reminded himself that you never knew, and determined that -unless he was completely satisfied by the coming reply, he would make an -investigation into Colonel FitzGeorge’s movements on the night of the -murder. - -“I _believe_,” said the Colonel suddenly, “I know where I got those -notes. I am not by any means certain, but I think I can tell you. Unless -I am very much mistaken, it was from the manager of the Hotel -Beau-Sejour in Chamonix.” - -“Chamonix?” French repeated in surprise. This was by no means what he -had expected to hear. - -“Yes. I have been for the last six weeks in Switzerland and Savoy, and -two days ago, on last Tuesday afternoon, to be exact, I left Chamonix. I -caught the night train from Geneva, was in Paris next morning, and -reached Charing Cross yesterday, Wednesday, afternoon. To-day I went -through my correspondence, and after lunch took in my dividends and some -spare cash to lodge in the bank.” - -“And the two ten-pound notes, sir?” - -“The two ten-pound notes, as I say, I believe I received at the Chamonix -hotel. I found I had to return home sooner than I had intended, and as I -was leaving the country I wanted to change back all but a small amount -of my foreign money. It was convenient to do it at the hotel, and -besides, you can’t always be sure of getting enough change at Calais or -on the boat. I asked the manager of the Beau-Sejour to give me English -money for my francs, and he did so at once.” - -“Why do you think these particular notes were handed over by him?” - -“He paid me in ten-pound notes only. He gave me five of them—I changed -fifty pounds’ worth of francs altogether. It is true that I had some -other English notes, and there were some at home here, but so far as I -can remember, there were no tens among them—only fives and Treasury -notes.” - -With this, French had to be content. Though he asked many other -questions he could learn nothing further to help him. But on the pretext -that the notes might have been received at some other place, he obtained -a note of the Colonel’s itinerary while abroad. According to this, it -appeared that on the night of Charles Gething’s murder, the traveller -had slept in the Bellevue Hotel at Kandersteg, prior to walking over the -Gemmi Pass on the following day. This French noted as a point capable of -being checked, should checking become desirable. - -He had kept his taxi, and after a little trouble he found the address of -the teller of the City of London Bank, and paid him a late call. But -from him he learnt nothing new, except that the man seemed much more -certain that Colonel FitzGeorge had really handed in the notes than the -letter of his manager had led French to believe. He admitted that he was -relying on memory alone, but said he had checked over his money just -before the Colonel’s visit, and he was positive the stolen notes were -not then there. - -Inspector French was in a distinctly pessimistic frame of mind as he sat -in the corner of a smoking compartment of the last train from Reading to -town, and next morning as he put the facts he had learnt before his -chief, he was but slightly more sanguine. Two of the stolen notes had -been discovered; that was really all that could be stated with -certainty. That Colonel FitzGeorge had paid them into the bank was by no -means sure, still less that he really had received them from a hotel -manager in Chamonix. But even assuming the Colonel’s recollection was -accurate, it did not greatly help. It was unlikely that the manager -could state from whom he in his turn had received those particular -notes. Indeed, even were he able to do so, and by some miracle were -French able to trace the giver, in all probability the latter also would -turn out to be innocent, and the goal would be no nearer. The whole -episode seemed to French, as he expressed it to his chief, a wash-out. - -But the great man took a different view. He replied in the same words -which French himself had used in another connection. - -“You never know,” he declared. “You miss this chance and you’re down and -out, so far as I can see. But if you go over and see the manager you -don’t know what you mayn’t light on. If the thief stayed in that hotel, -he must have registered. You might get something from that. Mind you, I -agree that it’s a thin chance, but a thin chance is better than none.” - -“Then you think, sir, I ought to go to Chamonix?” - -“Yes. It won’t cost a great deal, and you may get something. Have you -ever been there?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Well, you’ll enjoy it. I’d give a good deal to take your place.” - -“Oh, I shall enjoy it right enough, sir. But I’m not hopeful of the -result.” - -The chief gave a dry but kindly smile. - -“French, you’re not usually such a confounded pessimist. Get along, and -hope for the best.” - -French had looked up the positions of Chamonix and Kandersteg on the -previous evening, and he had seen that by taking a comparatively slight -detour it would be possible for him to visit the latter place on his way -to the former. He decided, therefore, that he might as well set his mind -at rest on the question of Colonel FitzGeorge’s whereabouts on the night -of the murder. He did not suspect the man, but it would be better to be -sure. - -But to do this, some further information was necessary. He must, if -possible, obtain a photograph of the Colonel and a sample of his -signature. It was not yet ten o’clock, and he thought it would be -possible to get these and catch the afternoon train for the Continent. - -By half-past eleven he was back in Reading. There he handed a taxi man a -note which he had written during the journey, telling him to take it to -Colonel FitzGeorge’s, and to bring the answer back to him at the -station. The note, he admitted to himself, was clumsy, but it was the -best he could think of at the moment. In it he regretted troubling his -new acquaintance so soon again, but he had most stupidly lost the -memorandum he had taken of the name of the hotel in Chamonix at which -the stolen notes were obtained, and would Colonel FitzGeorge be so kind -as to let him have it again. - -The note despatched, he turned to the second portion of his business. -With his usual detailed observation, he had seen on the chimneypiece of -the Colonel’s library a photograph of the gentleman himself, and noted -that it was the work of Messrs. Gale & Hardwood, of Reading. An inquiry -from the taxi driver had given him the address of the studio, and he now -set off there in the hope of obtaining a copy. - -In this he was unexpectedly successful. Messrs. Gale & Hardwood had a -print in one of their showcases, which in five minutes was transferred -to the Inspector’s pocket, and he was back at the station before his -taxi man turned up with the reply to his note. - -In this also his luck was in. The man had found Colonel FitzGeorge just -about to start for Reading. He handed French back his own note, across -which was written in a firm, masculine hand: “Beau-Sejour. B. L. -FitzGeorge.” - -Stowing the photograph and the note away in his pocketbook, French -returned to town, and the same afternoon at 2.00 he left Victoria on his -second trip to the Continent. He had been to France and Germany on a -previous occasion, but never to Switzerland, and he was looking forward -to getting a glimpse of some of the wonderful mountain scenery of that -country. - -He disembarked at Calais, passed through the customs, and took his seat -in the Lötschberg-Simplon express with true British disapproval of all -that he saw. But later the excellent dinner served while the train ran -through the pleasant country between Abbeville and Amiens brought him to -a more acquiescent mood, and over a good cigar and a cup of such coffee -as he had seldom before tasted, he complacently watched day fade into -night. About half-past six o’clock next morning he followed the example -of his countless British predecessors, and climbed down on the long -platform at Bale to drink his morning coffee. Then again on through -scenery of growing interest, past Bern to Spiez, where he found the Lake -of Thun really had the incredible colouring he had so often scoffed at, -but secretly admired, in the Swiss posters he had seen in London. -Finally, after crawling round the loops on the side of the Frütigen -valley, the train stopped at Kandesteg, and bag in hand he descended to -the platform. A porter with the name “Bellevue” on his cap caught his -eye, and a short drive brought him to the hotel. - -After déjeuner he sought the manager, a suave functionary whose English -accent was a trifle suggestive of New York. No, it was not the matter of -his room. French regretted that on that occasion he could not remain -overnight in the hotel—he hoped he would soon be free to return and to -do so—but for the moment he was on business. He would take the manager -into his confidence. He was a detective . . . in short, could the -manager help him? That was the gentleman’s photograph. - -“But, of course! Yes,” the manager answered promptly on glancing at the -portrait. “It is the Colonel FitzGeorge, the English gentleman from -London. He was here, let me see, two—three weeks ago. I will look up -the register.” - -Further inquiries elicited the information that the Colonel had stayed -for three nights at the hotel, and had left early on the day after the -murder with the intention of walking to Leukerbad over the Gemmi Pass. - -His business at Kandersteg completed, French conscientiously looked up -the next train to Chamonix. But he found he could not get through that -day, and being tired from his journey, he decided to remain where he was -until the next morning. He spent the afternoon lost in admiration of the -charming valley, and that night slept to the murmur of a mountain stream -which flowed beneath his window. - -Next morning he took the southbound train, and having passed through the -nine miles of the Loetschberg tunnel, he gazed with veritable awe into -the dreary waste of the Loetschenthal and the great gulf of the Rhone -Valley, marvelling as the train raced along the side of the stupendous -cliff. He changed at Brigue, passed down the Rhone Valley, and changing -again at Martigny, spent another four hours on what a fellow-traveller -with a nasal drawl described as “the most elegant ride he’d struck,” -through Vallorcine and Argentiere to Chamonix. On crossing the divide, -the panorama which suddenly burst on his view of the vast mass of the -Mont Blanc massif hanging in the sky above the valley, literally took -away his breath, and he swore that his next holidays would certainly be -spent in the overwhelming scenery of these tremendous mountains. - -At Chamonix history tended to repeat itself. He reached his hotel, dined -excellently, and then sought the manager. M. Marcel, like his _confrère_ -in Kandersteg, was courtesy personified, and listened carefully to -French’s statement. But when he realised the nature of the problem he -was called upon to solve, he could but shake his head and shrug his -shoulders. - -“Alas, monsieur,” he wailed, “but with the best will in the world, how -can I? I change so many English notes. . . . I recall giving those -ten-pound notes to a gentleman from England, because it is comparatively -seldom that I am asked to change French money into English, but I am -constantly receiving English notes. No, I am sorry, but I could not tell -you where those came from.” - -Though French had scarcely hoped for any other reply, he was -nevertheless disappointed. He showed Colonel FitzGeorge’s photograph to -the manager, who instantly recognised it as that of the Englishman for -whom he had exchanged the notes. But he could give no further help. - -This clue having petered out, French determined to call for the register -and make a search therein in the hope of recognising the handwriting of -some entry. But before he did so he asked about Vanderkemp. Had any one -of that name been a recent visitor? - -The manager could not recall the name, but he had a thorough search made -of the records. This also drew blank. French then handed him the -photograph of Vanderkemp which he had obtained in Amsterdam, asking if -he had even seen the original. - -With that the luck turned. M. Marcel beamed. “But yes, monsieur,” he -exclaimed, with a succession of nods, “your friend was here for several -days. He left about a fortnight ago. M. Harrison from one of your great -Midland towns, is it not? He told me which, but I have forgotten.” - -“That’s the man,” cried French heartily, delighted beyond words at this -new development. “I have been following him round. Might I see his entry -in the register?” - -Again the records were brought into requisition, and as he looked French -felt wholly triumphant. On comparing the “J. Harrison, Huddersfield, -England,” to which the manger pointed, with the samples of Vanderkemp’s -handwriting which he had obtained from Mr. Schoofs, he saw that -unquestionably they were written by the same hand. So Vanderkemp was his -man! After this there could be no further doubt of his guilt. - -For a moment he remained silent, considering what this discovery meant. -It was now evident that Vanderkemp, under the alias Harrison, had -arrived at the Beau-Sejour Hotel about midday on the second day after -the crime, and after staying a week, had departed for an unknown -destination. But the matter did not end there. With a sudden, theatrical -gesture the manager indicated that he had more to say. - -“You have recalled something to my mind, monsieur,” he announced. “That -M. Harrison asked me to change notes for him. In fact, I remember the -whole thing clearly. His bill came to between four and five hundred -francs, and he paid with an English ten-pound note. With the exchange as -it is at present, he should have had about 300 francs change. But I now -remember he asked me at the same time to change a second ten-pound note. -I did so, and gave him about 1000 francs. So it is possible, I do not -say certain, but it is possible. . . .” He shrugged his shoulders and -threw out his hands, as if to indicate that Fate and not he was -responsible for the possibility, and looked inquiringly at his visitor. - -Inspector French was exultant. This news seemed to him to complete his -case. When in Amsterdam he had found cause to suspect Vanderkemp of the -crime, and now here was corroborative evidence of the most convincing -character. Rapidly he ran over in his mind the salient points of the -case against the traveller. - -Vanderkemp possessed all the special knowledge necessary to commit the -crime. He knew of the collection of diamonds, and was familiar with the -London office and the characters and habits of the workers there. As he -was by no means well-off, this knowledge would have constituted a very -real temptation. So much on general grounds. - -Then as to details. A forged letter calling the man to London, or some -similar device, would be a necessary feature of the case. But this -letter existed; moreover Vanderkemp had access to the machine on which -it had been typed. While telling Mr. Schoofs that he was crossing by a -certain train, which arrived in town after the murder had been -committed, he had in reality gone by an earlier service, which would -have brought him there in time to carry out the crime. Such evidence, -though circumstantial, was pretty strong. But when was added to it the -facts that Vanderkemp had disappeared without explanation from his firm, -had arrived in Chamonix on the second day after the murder, had -registered under a false name and address, and most important of all, -had paid out two of the notes stolen from Mr. Duke’s safe, the case -became overwhelming. It was impossible not to believe in his guilt; in -fact, seldom had the Inspector known so clear a case. When he had found -and arrested Vanderkemp his work would be done. - -But just in the flush of victory, his luck again turned. The man had -left the Beau-Sejour a week previously, and the manager had no idea what -direction he had taken. In vain French asked questions and made -suggestions, hoping to say something which might recall the information -to the other’s mind. But the manager readily gave his help in -interviewing the whole of the staff who had in any way come in contact -with the wanted man. And here, thanks again to his persistent -thoroughness, he obtained just the hint that was needed. - -He had worked through the whole staff without result, and he was about -to give up, when it occurred to him that none of those to whom he had -spoken had admitted having brought down Vanderkemp’s luggage from his -room on the day of his departure. French then asked directly who had -done this, and further inquiries revealed the fact that in the absence -of the usual man, an under porter, usually employed about the kitchen, -had been called upon. This man stated he had noticed the label on -Vanderkemp’s suitcase. It was to a hotel in Barcelona. He could not -recall the name of the hotel, but he was sure of the city. - -When French had thanked the manager, distributed backsheesh among the -staff, and with the help of the head porter worked out his journey from -Chamonix to Barcelona, he felt his work in Savoy was done. He went -exultantly to bed, and next morning left by an early train on his way to -Spain. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - THE HOTEL IN BARCELONA - - -TO a comparative stay-at-home like Inspector French, who considered a -run to Plymouth or Newcastle a long journey, the trailing of Jan -Vanderkemp across south-west France opened up a conception of the size -of the globe whereon he moved and had his being, which left him slightly -awestruck. The journey from Savoy to Spain seemed endless, the distances -incredible, the expanse of country between himself and home illimitable. -Hour after hour he sat in the train, while elms and oaks gave place to -cypresses and olives, apples to vines, and corn to maize, and it was not -until daylight had gone on the evening of the second day that the train -rolled into the Estacion de Francia in Barcelona. - -The porter at the Beau-Sejour at Chamonix had written down the names of -two or three hotels at which he thought English would be spoken, and -passing out of the station, French showed the paper to a taxi driver. -The man at first ogled it distrustfully, then with a smile of -comprehension he emitted a rapid flood of some unknown language, opened -the taxi door, bowed his fare in, and rapidly cranking his engine, set -off into the night. French was conscious of being whirled down a great -avenue wider than any he had yet seen, brilliantly lighted, and with -rows of palms down the centre; they turned through a vast square with -what looked like a commemorative column in the middle, then up a -slightly narrower, tree-lined boulevard, where presently the vehicle -swung into the curb and French found himself at his destination—the -Hôtel d’Orient. - -To his extreme relief, the head porter spoke English. He got him to -settle with the taxi man, and soon he began to forget the fatigues of -the journey with the help of a luxurious bath and dinner. - -He decided that he had done enough for one day, and presently, soothed -by a cigar, he went out into the great street in front of the hotel, -with its rows of trees and brilliant arc lamps. He did not know then -that this gently-sloping boulevard was one of the famous streets of the -world—the Rambla, known as is Piccadilly in London, the Champs Élysées -in Paris, or Fifth Avenue in New York. For an hour he roamed, then, -tired out, he returned to the Orient, and a few minutes later was sunk -in dreamless slumber. - -Early next morning he was seated with the manager, who also spoke -English. But neither the manager nor any of his staff could help him, -and French recognised that so far as the Orient was concerned he had -drawn blank. He therefore set to work on the other hotels, taking the -larger first, the Colon, in the Plaza de Cataluna, the Cuatro Naciones, -and such like. Then he went on to the smaller establishments, and at the -fourth he paused suddenly, thrilled by an unexpected sight. - -The hotel was in a side street off the Paseo de Colon, the great -boulevard through which he had been driven on the previous evening. The -entrance door led into a kind of lounge in which were seated half a -dozen people, evidently waiting for déjeuner. With one exception these -were obviously Spaniards, but that exception, French felt he could -swear, was the original of the photograph. - -In spite of such a meeting being what he was hoping for, the Inspector -was taken aback. But his hesitation was momentary. Passing immediately -on to the little office at the back of the lounge, he said in English: - -“Can I have lunch, please? Will it soon be ready?” - -A dark-eyed, dark-haired girl came forward, smiling but shaking her head -regretfully, and murmuring what was evidently that she couldn’t -understand. - -“You don’t speak English, miss?” the detective went on, speaking loudly -and very clearly. “I want to know can I have lunch, and if it will soon -be ready?” - -As the girl still shook her head, French turned back into the lounge. - -“Excuse me,” he addressed the company generally, “but might I ask if any -of you gentlemen speak English? I can’t make this young lady -understand.” - -The little ruse succeeded. The man resembling Vanderkemp rose. - -“I speak English,” he answered. “What is it you want?” - -“Lunch,” French returned, “and to know if it will soon be ready.” - -“I can answer that for you,” the other declared, after he had explained -the situation to the girl. “Lunch will be ready in exactly five minutes, -and visitors are usually welcome.” - -“Thank you.” French spoke in a leisurely, conversational way. “I am -staying at the Orient, where one or two of them speak English, but -business brought me to this part of the town, and I did not want to go -all that way back to lunch. A confounded nuisance this language -business! It makes you feel pretty helpless when you want to talk to -people.” - -“That’s true,” the stranger admitted. “In most of the larger hotels they -speak French and English, but at practically none of the smaller. In -this one, for example, one waiter has a few words of French only. No -English or Italian or German. Some of the staff don’t even speak -Spanish.” - -French was interested in spite of the larger question which was -occupying his mind. - -“Not Spanish?” he repeated. “How do you mean? What do they speak?” - -“Catalan. This is Catalonia, you know, and both the race and the -language are different from the rest of Spain. They are more go-ahead -and enterprising than the people farther south.” - -“That sounds a bit like Ireland,” French remarked. “I’ve been both in -Belfast and in the south, and the same things seems to hold good. Though -Dublin is a fine city, and no mistake.” - -They continued discussing peoples and languages and the northerly -concentration of energy to be found in most countries, until the hands -of the clock pointed to noon and lunch time. Then French caught what he -had been angling for. The stranger asked him to share his table. - -The Inspector continued to make himself agreeable, and after they had -finished invited the other to have coffee and a cigar with him in a -deserted corner of the lounge. Then thinking his companion was by this -time off his guard, he introduced a new subject after a lull in the -conversation. - -“It’s strange the different businesses people are engaged on,” he -remarked ruminatively, as he poured himself out a second cup of coffee. -“Now, I wouldn’t mind betting a ten-pound note you wouldn’t guess what I -am, and what my business here is.” - -The other laughed. - -“I confess I was wondering,” he admitted. “I am afraid I should lose my -money. I won’t guess.” - -“Well, I’ll tell you, though our business is not a thing we speak of as -a rule. I am a detective inspector from Scotland Yard.” - -As he spoke French watched the other’s face. If this were the man of -whom he was in search, he could swear he would make him exhibit some -emotion. - -But so far he did not succeed. His new acquaintance merely laughed -again. - -“Then I should have lost. I admit I never thought of that.” - -French continued to observe, and he went on with more seriousness in his -manner. - -“Yes, and I’m on rather important business, too. Man wanted for murder -and robbery in the City. A bad affair enough. He murdered the -confidential clerk of a diamond merchant in Hatton Garden and rifled the -safe and got off with I don’t know how many thousand pounds’ worth of -stuff.” - -At the commencement of French’s reply the stranger had listened with but -little more than a conventional interest, but at the mention of a -diamond merchant in Hatton Garden he figuratively sat up and began to -take notice. - -“Hatton Garden?” he repeated. “That’s an extraordinary coincidence. Why, -I belong to a firm of diamond merchants in Hatton Garden. I know them -all. Who was the man?” - -Inspector French was puzzled. Either Vanderkemp—for there could no -longer be any doubt of his identity—was innocent, or he was an almost -incredibly good actor. Anxious to observe the man further, he fenced a -little in his reply. - -“Is it possible you haven’t heard?” he asked in apparent surprise. “How -long is it since you have heard from home?” - -“Haven’t had a line of any kind since I left, and that’s nearly three -weeks ago; on the night of the 25th of last month to be exact.” - -“The 25th! Well, that’s a coincidence, too. That’s the very night poor -old Mr. Gething was killed.” - -Vanderkemp stiffened suddenly and his hands closed on the arms of his -chair. - -“What?” he cried. “Not Charles Gething of Messrs. Duke & Peabody?” - -French, now keenly observing him without any attempt at concealment, -nodded. - -“That’s the man. You knew him then?” - -“Of course I knew him. Why, it’s my own firm. Good God, to think of poor -old Gething! And you say the safe was rifled? You don’t tell me Mr. -Duke’s collection of stones is gone?” - -“All of it, and money as well. The murderer made a clean sweep.” - -Vanderkemp whistled and then swore. - -“Tell me about it.” - -French was more than ever puzzled. The traveller’s manner, his evident -emotion, his questions—all seemed those of an innocent man. He felt -doubts arising in his mind; possibly there might be an -explanation. . . . He did not at once reply, as he turned over in his -mind how he could best surprise the other into an admission of the -truth. - -But Vanderkemp also was evidently thinking, and suddenly an expression -of deeper concern showed on his face. He made as if to speak, then -hesitated and a wary look appeared in his eyes. He cleared his throat, -then in a changed voice asked, “At what time did it happen?” - -French leaned forward swiftly and fixed his eyes on his companion as he -said in a low, tense tone, “That’s what I want to ask you, Mr. -Vanderkemp.” - -The man started. He did not answer, and the wary look in his eyes -changed into definite anxiety, which deepened as the moments passed. At -last he spoke. - -“It had just dawned on me from what you said, Inspector, that our -meeting here was not such a coincidence as I at first imagined. I see -that you suspect me of the crime. What has happened I don’t know, what -you have against me I don’t know either, but I can tell at once that I -am not only absolutely innocent, but until you told me just now I was -ignorant that a crime had been committed. I will tell you my whole story -and answer any questions you may like to ask, whether you believe me or -not.” - -French nodded. Certainly, if guilty, this man was a consummate actor. -There was at least the chance that he might be innocent, and he answered -accordingly. - -“I don’t accuse you of anything, Mr. Vanderkemp. But there are certain -suspicious circumstances which require an explanation. You may be able -to account for all of them—I hope you will. At the same time it is fair -to warn you that, failing an explanation, your arrest is not impossible, -and in that case anything that you may say now may be used against you -in evidence.” - -Vanderkemp was by this time extremely ill at ease. His face had paled -and had already taken on a somewhat drawn and haggard expression. For a -while he remained silent, buried in thought, then with a sudden gesture -as of throwing further caution to the winds, he began to speak. - -“I’ll tell you what I know, Inspector,” he said earnestly. “Whether, if -you are going to arrest me, I am wise or foolish, I don’t know. But I -can at least assure you that it is the literal truth.” - -He looked at the Inspector, who nodded approval. - -“Of course I can’t advise you, Mr. Vanderkemp,” he remarked, “but all -the same I believe you are doing the wise thing.” - -“I am in a difficulty,” Vanderkemp went on, “as I don’t know how much of -the circumstances you are familiar with. It would therefore be better if -you would ask me questions.” - -“I shall do so, but first I should like your own statement. I am aware -of your name and position in the firm. Also that Mr. Schoofs received a -letter on the 21st of last month, asking him to send you to London to -undertake an important commission in Sweden. Also that you left your -lodgings in the Kinkerstraat at 8.30 on the evening of the 24th. I have -since learned certain other facts as to your subsequent movements, which -I need not mention at the moment. What I want you now to do is to let me -have a detailed account of your experiences from the moment of your -leaving your lodgings until the present time.” - -“I will do so.” Vanderkemp spoke eagerly, as if now anxious to get -through with the matter. “But there is one thing which comes earlier in -point of time which I must mention. You have probably heard of it from -Mr. Duke, but I shall tell you anyway. I mean about my further -instructions as to my London visit—the private instructions. You have -seen a copy of them?” - -French, always cautious, was not giving away information. He wondered to -what the other was referring, but merely said, “Assume I have not, Mr. -Vanderkemp. It is obvious that I must check your statement by the -information in my possession.” - -“Well, then, though you probably know it already, I may tell you I -received additional instructions about my visit. Mr. Duke wrote me a -private letter, addressed to my lodgings, in which he told me—but I -have it here, and you can see it for yourself.” - -He took an envelope from his pocketbook and passed it across. It -contained a note almost identical in appearance with the forged one -which Mr. Schoofs had received. It was typewritten on a sheet of the -firm’s cheaper memorandum paper, with the same kind of type and the same -coloured ribbon. Examination with the lens showed the same defects in -the n and the g, the signature was obviously forged, and the back of the -sheet was marked from a heavy touch. Evidently both letters had been -written by the same person, and on the Hatton Garden machine. The note -read: - - “DEAR VANDERKEMP,—Further to my note to Mr. Schoofs re your - call here on Wednesday morning, 26th inst., the business on - which I wish to see you has turned out to be more urgent than I - at first believed, and I shall therefore have to ask you to - advance the hour of your interview, and also to leave London for - Paris—not Stockholm—immediately after it. I shall return to - the office after dinner on Tuesday evening, 25th inst., and - shall be glad if you will call there at 8.30 p.m., when I shall - give you your instructions. This will enable you to catch the - 9.30 p.m. for Paris, via Southampton and Havre. - - “I wish to impress on you that as the business in question is - exceptionally confidential, you will oblige me by keeping your - change of plans to yourself. - - “Yours truly, - “R. A. DUKE.” - -Inspector French was keenly interested, but he recognised with -exasperation how inconclusive the letter was as evidence. Either it had -been sent to Vanderkemp as he stated, in which case he might be -innocent, or the man had written it himself, in which case he certainly -was guilty, it was true that in this instance an envelope was -forthcoming which bore a London E.C. postmark and the correct date, but -here again there was no proof that this was really the covering in which -the letter had come. These points passed through the Inspector’s mind, -but he banished them as matters to be thought out later, and turned once -more to his companion. - -“I shall keep this, if you don’t mind,” he declared. “Please proceed.” - -“I carried out the instructions in the letter,” Vanderkemp resumed. “The -change of hours necessitated my leaving Amsterdam by the night train on -the 24th, and I spent the following day at my hotel in London, and in -doing a matinee. At 8.30, with my luggage, I reached Hatton Garden. I -found the outer office was in darkness, but a light shone out of the -doorway of the inner office. Mr. Gething was there alone. He told me to -come in and shut the door, and I did so, and sat down in the clients’ -arm-chair. Mr. Gething was seated at Mr. Duke’s desk, which was open.” - -“Was the safe open?” - -“No, nor was it opened while I was there. Mr. Gething told me that Mr. -Duke had intended to be present to give me my instructions in person, -but at the last moment he had been prevented coming down, and that he -had asked him, Mr. Gething, to do it instead. It seemed that Mr. Duke -had got information from a confidential agent at Constantinople that a -member of the old Russian aristocracy had escaped with his family jewels -from the clutches of the Bolsheviks, and that he now wished to dispose -of the whole collection for what it would bring. He was at one time Duke -Sergius of one of the Ural provinces—I have the name in my book -upstairs—but was now passing himself off as a Pole under the name of -Francisko Loth. The collection was one of extraordinary excellence, and -Mr. Duke believed it could be purchased for a third, or even less, of -its real value. He had approached the duke through the agent, and had -offered to deal. The trouble, however, was that the Soviet Government -had learned of the duke’s escape, and were displaying immense energy in -the hope of recapturing him. Their agents were scouring the whole of -Europe, and Loth was in mortal terror, for discovery meant certain -death. Mr. Gething told me straight also, that should I succeed in -purchasing, my life would not be worth a tinker’s curse until I had -handed over the stuff. He said that, recognising this, Mr. Duke -considered that my commission should be substantially increased, and he -asked me was I willing to take on the job.” - -“And you agreed?” - -“Well, what do you think? Of course I agreed. I asked for further -details, and he let me have them. For both my own safety and Loth’s, I -was to take extraordinary precautions. My name is pretty well known in -dealers’ circles over Europe, and therefore would be known to the Soviet -emissaries, so I was to take another. I was to become John Harrison, of -Huddersfield, a tinplate manufacturer. I was not to write to the office -direct, but to send my reports, if any were necessary, to Mr. Herbert -Lyons, a friend of Mr. Duke’s, who lived not far from him at Hampstead. -If I had to write, I was to be most careful to phrase my letter so that -were I suspected and my correspondence tampered with, it would not give -the affair away. Instructions to me would be sent to Harrison and -written on plain notepaper, and would be worded in a similar careful -way. Mr. Gething gave me a code by which I could wire the amount agreed -on, when the money would be sent me by special messenger; that is, if we -could come to terms.” - -Vanderkemp paused and glanced at the Inspector, but the latter not -speaking, he continued: - -“Loth was hidden in Constantinople, but was trying to come west. He was -not sure whether he could do so best by land or sea. If he could get out -of Turkey by land, he would work his way up the Danube to Austria and -Switzerland, and would stop eventually at the Beau-Sejour Hotel in -Chamonix. If that proved impossible, he would try to leave by sea, and -would travel by one of the Navigazione Generale Italiana boats to Genoa, -and thence to Barcelona, where he would put up at the Gomez Hotel, that -is, this one. He had let Mr. Duke know through his Constantinople friend -that if he didn’t turn up at Chamonix by the 4th, it would mean either -that the Bolsheviks had caught him, or that he was making for Barcelona. -My instructions, therefore, were to go to Chamonix, put up at the -Beau-Sejour, and look out until the 4th for a tall, white-complexioned, -dark-haired man named Francisko Loth. If by that time he had not turned -up, I was to move on here. I was to wait here for a fortnight, at the -end of which time, if I had still heard nothing of him, I was to go on -to Constantinople, look up Mr. Duke’s agent, and try for news of Loth’s -fate.” - -“And you carried out the instructions?” - -“Yes. I went to Chamonix, and stayed there for a week. Seeing no one who -could possibly be the man, I came on here, and have been waiting here -ever since. To-morrow I proposed to leave for Constantinople.” - -French threw away the butt of his cigar and selected another. - -“Such a trip could not be accomplished without money,” he said slowly. -“How were you equipped in that way?” - -“Mr. Gething handed me a hundred pounds in ten-pound notes. I changed -two in Chamonix and I have the remaining eight in my pocket.” - -“You might let me see them.” - -Vanderkemp readily complied, and the Inspector found, as he expected, -that the eight notes were among those stolen from the safe. He resumed -his interrogation. - -“You say you reached the office in Hatton Garden about half-past eight?” - -“Yes, and left about nine. My business occupied only half an hour.” - -“And you saw no one except Mr. Gething?” - -“No one.” - -French, having offered his possible future prisoner another cigar, sat -silent, thinking deeply. He had no doubt that the story of the escaped -Russian was a fabrication from beginning to end. Besides being an -unlikely tale in itself, it broke down on the point of its authorship. -Vanderkemp’s statement was that Gething had been told the story by Mr. -Duke, and that Mr. Duke would have been present to tell it to him, -Vanderkemp, in person, were he not prevented by some unexpected cause. -This also was an obvious fabrication, but the reason of its insertion -into the tale was clear enough. Without it, the story would have no -authority. The use of Mr. Duke’s name was an essential part of any such -scheme, just as the forging of Mr. Duke’s signature had been necessary -for the letters of instruction to Schoofs and Vanderkemp. - -But though French felt sure enough of his ground so far, on trying to -take a further step he was held up by the same difficulty with which he -had been faced in considering the forged letters. Was Gething guilty, -and had he invented this elaborate plan to throw suspicion on to -Vanderkemp, or was Vanderkemp the criminal, and the story his scheme for -accounting for his actions since the murder? That was a real difficulty, -and French sat wondering if there was no test he could apply, no way in -which he could reach certainty, no trap which the victim would be unable -to avoid? - -For some time he could think of none, but presently an idea occurred to -him which he thought might be worth while following up. Some information -might be gained through the typewriting of the two forged letters. Could -Vanderkemp type, and if so, was his work done with a light or heavy -touch? He turned to his companion. - -“I wish you would write me a short statement of your movements in London -on the night of the crime, stating the times at which you arrived at and -left the various places you visited. I should prefer it typed—that is, -if you can type. Can you?” - -Vanderkemp smiled wanly. - -“I think so,” he answered. “I type and write shorthand in four -languages. But I’ve no machine here.” - -“Borrow one from the office,” French suggested, as he expressed his -admiration of the other’s prowess. - -It took a personal visit to the office, but Vanderkemp, anxious to defer -to the Inspector’s whims, managed to overcome the scruples of the -languorous, dark-eyed beauty who reigned therein, and returned -triumphant with the machine. Ten minutes later French had his -time-table. - -Instantly he saw that Vanderkemp typed as an expert—with a light, sure -touch that produced a perfect impression, but did not dint the paper. It -was a point in the man’s favour. By no means conclusive, it was still by -no means negligible. - -Inspector French was puzzled. His experience told him that in this world -the ordinary, natural and obvious thing happened. A man who secretly -visited the scene of a crime at about the hour at which the crime was -known to be committed, and who then left the country on a mysterious and -improbable mission, the reality of which was denied by its alleged -author, a man, further, who had in his pocket bank-notes stolen from the -scene of the crime, such a man in ordinary, prosaic, everyday life was -the criminal. Such, French thought, was common sense, and common sense, -he considered, was right ninety-nine times out of a hundred. - -But there was always the hundredth chance. Improbabilities and -coincidences _did_ occasionally happen. He would have given a good deal -at that moment to know if this case was the exception that proves the -rule. - -He saw clearly that his second explanation, if somewhat more -far-fetched, was still quite possibly true. It certainly might be that -Vanderkemp had been duped, that he had been sent on this wild goose -chase by the murderer, with the object of drawing on himself just that -suspicion which he had attracted, and thus allowing the real scent to -cool. A good many of the facts tended in that direction, the forged -letters, the keeping of the alleged deal from Schoofs, the fact that no -Russian nobleman had turned up at either of the rendezvous named, the -travelling under a false name, the warning against communications with -the office, and last, but not least, Vanderkemp’s manner during the -interview, all these undoubtedly supported the view that the traveller -had been used to lay a gigantic false clue. - -If so, it was a fiendish trap to set for the unfortunate dupe. French -thought he could see how it was intended to pan out. Vanderkemp, while -on these mysterious journeys—certainly when he reached Mr. Duke’s agent -in Constantinople—would learn of the murder, and he would at once see -how he had been victimised. The more he learned of the details, the more -he would realise how completely he was in the toils. He would recognise -that if he went home and told his story he would not have a dog’s chance -of clearing himself, and he would turn his apparent flight into a real -one, and so permanently fasten upon himself a tacit admission of guilt. -It was an ingenious scheme, and if it really were the explanation of -these mysterious happenings, it gave an indication of the character and -mentality of the man who had devised it. - -French was by no means decided as to the truth of the matter, but on the -whole he thought that though he undoubtedly had evidence to justify him -in applying for the arrest and extradition of the traveller, he would -prefer to avoid this step if possible. If the man tried to give him the -slip, the local police would get him in no time. Accordingly he turned -once more to Vanderkemp. - -“Mr. Vanderkemp,” he began, “I am strongly inclined to believe your -story. But as a man of the world you will readily see that it must be -more completely examined before it can be fully accepted. Now the -question is, Are you willing to come back with me to London and give me -your assistance towards finding out the truth? I can make you no promise -that you will not be arrested on reaching British ground, but I can -promise you that you will be fairly dealt with and get every chance and -assistance to prove your innocence.” - -Vanderkemp did not hesitate in his reply. - -“I will go,” he said promptly. “I am aware that you can have me arrested -here, if you want to, by applying to the Spanish authorities, so I have -no choice. But I think I should go in any case. I have done nothing -contrary to the law, and I have done nothing to be ashamed of. I cannot -now rest until my innocence is admitted.” - -French nodded gravely. - -“Once again, sir, I think you are doing the wise thing. Let us go -to-night by the Paris express. In the meantime come with me to the post -office and help me to send a wire to the Yard.” - -Two mornings later they reached London. Mr. Duke was naturally amazed at -his subordinate’s story, and on hearing the evidence, gave it as his -opinion that Vanderkemp was the dupe of some person or persons unknown. -What was more to the point, Chief Inspector Mitchell, French’s immediate -superior, took the same view, and Vanderkemp, therefore, was not -arrested, though he was shadowed night and day. French undertook an -investigation into his life and circumstances, which showed that these -had been painted in somewhat darker colours than appeared justifiable, -but which revealed no evidence about the crime. Furthermore, none of the -jewels could be traced to him, nor any of the stolen notes other than -those he had spoken of. - -Once more the days began to slip past without bringing to light any -fresh fact, and as time passed French grew more worried and despondent, -and his superior officers more querulous. And then something occurred to -turn his attention to a completely different side of the case, and send -him off with fresh hope and energy on a new clue. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - CONCERNING A WEDDING - - -WHEN Inspector French felt really up against it in the conduct of a -case, it was his invariable habit to recount the circumstances in the -fullest detail to his wife. She, poor woman, haled from the mysterious -household employments in which her soul delighted, would resignedly -fetch her sewing and sit placidly in the corner of the Chesterfield -while her lord and master strode up and down the room stating his -premises, arguing therefrom with ruthless logic and not a few gestures, -sifting his facts, grouping them, restating them. . . . Sometimes she -interjected a remark, sometimes she didn’t; usually she warned him to be -careful not to knock over the small table beside the piano, and -invariably she wished he would walk on the less worn parts of the -carpet. But she listened to what he said, and occasionally expressed an -opinion, or, as he called it, “took a notion.” And more than once it had -happened that these notions had thrown quite a new light on the point at -issue, a light which in at least two cases had indicated the line of -research which had eventually cleared up the mystery. - -On the second evening after his return from Spain, the Inspector was -regaling her with a by no means brief _résumé_ of the Hatton Garden -crime. She had listened more carefully than usual, and presently he -found she had taken a notion. - -“I don’t believe that poor old man was out to do anything wrong,” she -declared. “It’s a shame for you to try to take away his character now -he’s dead.” - -French, stopping his pacing of the room, faced round. - -“But I’m not trying to take away his character, Emily dear,” he -protested, nettled by this unexpected attack in the rear. “I’m only -saying that he’s the only person we know of who could have got an -impression of the key. If so, it surely follows he was out to rob the -safe.” - -“Well, I believe you’re wrong,” the lady affirmed, continuing with a -logic as relentless as his own, “because if he was out to rob the safe, -he wasn’t the sort of man that you described, and if he was the sort of -man that you described, why, then, he wasn’t out to rob the safe. That’s -what I think about it.” - -French was a trifle staggered. The difficulty he had recognised from the -beginning, but he had not considered it serious. Now, put to him in the -downright, uncompromising language in which his wife usually clothed her -thoughts, it suddenly seemed to him overwhelming. What she said was -true. There was here a discrepancy. If Gething really bore the character -he was given by all who had known him, he was not a thief. - -He ceased his restless movement, and sitting down at the table, he -opened his notebook and began to look up what he had actually learned -about the dead man. And the more he did so, the more he came to believe -that his wife was right. Unless all this cloud of witnesses were -surprisingly mistaken, Gething was innocent. - -His mind reverted to the other horn of the dilemma. If Gething were -innocent, who took the impression of the key? It was not obtained from -that in the bank, therefore it was copied from that in Mr. Duke’s -possession. Who had done it? - -No one at the office, at least not unless Mr. Duke was greatly mistaken. -And he did not believe the principal could be mistaken on such a point. -The breaking through of his regular custom in a matter of such -importance would almost certainly be noted and remembered. No, French -felt that he might rely on Mr. Duke’s statement so far. - -But with regard to his assertion that no one in his house could have -tampered with the key, the Inspector saw that he was on more shaky -ground. In the nature of the case, the diamond merchant would be less -alert in dealing with the members of his own household than with his -business acquaintances. Believing he was surrounded by friends, he would -subconsciously be more ready to assume his precautions adequate. Was Mr. -Duke’s belief that no one would touch the key not the real basis of his -statement that no one had done so? - -It seemed to French that here was a possibility that he had overlooked, -and it was in the nature of the man that the moment he reached such a -conclusion he began to consider a way of retrieving his error. - -At first he thought of taking Mr. Duke into his confidence and asking -him to assist him in some subterfuge by which he could enter the house. -But presently he saw that it would be better if the old gentleman knew -nothing of his plan, lest he might inadvertently warn a possible -criminal. - -For the same reason—that Mr. Duke might get to know of it—he decided -he would be wiser not to undertake the business in person. But he knew -the man for the job—a certain detective-sergeant named Patrick Nolan. -This man was something of a Don Juan in his way, and had a positive -genius for extracting confidences from the fair sex. If he could scrape -acquaintance with the maids of the establishment, it would not be long -before he knew all they had to tell. - -Accordingly next morning he sent for Sergeant Nolan and explained his -idea, and Nolan, who, where his superiors were concerned, was a man of -few words, said, “Yes, sir,” and withdrew. - -The following day he returned with his first report. It seemed that, -changing into the garb of a better-class mechanic and taking a small kit -of tools with him, he had called at Mr. Duke’s in the character of an -electrician who had been sent to overhaul the light fittings. - -Miss Duke happened to be out, and the rather pretty housemaid who opened -the door, charmed with the newcomer’s manner, admitted him without -hesitation. He had gone all over the house, paying particular attention -to Mr. Duke’s bedroom. In the middle of the day he had asked and been -granted leave to heat his can of soup at the kitchen fire, and to such -purpose had he used the opportunities thus gained that before he left he -had prevailed on the pretty housemaid to go with him to supper and the -pictures on her next evening out. “Once I get a drop of spirits into her -I’ll get all she knows,” he concluded, “though I doubt if it’ll be -much.” - -“That’s all right so far as it goes,” French admitted, “but what have -you actually found out?” - -“Well, there’s first of all the family. It’s a small one; there’s only -the father and the daughter, Miss Sylvia. The mother’s alive, but she -has been in a lunatic asylum for years, quite incurable, they said. Miss -Sylvia is a nice-looking young lady and well liked, by what Rachael -says—that’s the housemaid. Then there’s the servants; this Rachael, and -another girl, Annie, and Sarah, the cook, and there’s a shover they call -Manley. I didn’t see him, but the girls seem all right—not the kind -that would be after the keys of jewel safes anyway.” - -“What’s the house like?” - -“It’s a middling big house, and the furniture’ll have been good when it -was bought, though it’s getting a trifle shabby now. Mr. Duke’s bedroom -is at the end of the left wing, and Miss Duke’s is in the front of the -house, so anybody could go through Mr. Duke’s room without being seen. -Anybody could get a mould of that key if he left it in his room, say, -while he was having his bath.” - -“Did you find out any possibilities; any tradesmen in, like yourself, or -any one staying in the house?” - -The Sergeant shook his head. - -“I did not, sir,” he admitted. “I thought I had maybe done enough for -one day. I didn’t want to be after starting them wondering about me. But -I’ll get that out of Rachael to-morrow night.” - -“Better see that Manley, the chauffeur—or no, I shall see him myself. -You stick to what you’re at. Anything else?” - -“No, sir, I think not. What the girls talked most about was Miss -Sylvia’s engagement. It seems she was engaged to some friend in the City -and they were to have been married at the end of the month, and now -they’ve had some bust up and the whole thing’s postponed, if not off -altogether.” - -“That so? They didn’t tell you the reason?” - -“They did not, sir. But I can likely find out from Rachael if you want -to know.” - -“I don’t suppose I do,” French returned, “but you might as well find out -what you can—on spec. You know who the young man is?” - -“No, sir. They didn’t say.” - -French looked up his notebook. - -“I seem to know a deal more about it than you do,” he grumbled. “He is a -clerk in Mr. Duke’s office, name of Harrington—Stanley Harrington. I -interviewed him with the others in the office on the day after the -murder, and he told me about the engagement. It seemed to be going -strong then. When did they postpone it?” - -“They didn’t say that either, sir.” - -“Well, find that out, too. That’ll do for the present.” - -That evening French, in the guise of an out-of-work mechanic, took up -his stand near Mr. Duke’s house, and presently saw the old gentleman -arrive back from business in his car. An hour later he followed the -chauffeur from the garage to a house in a small street off Esther Road. -There French hung about for perhaps another hour, when he had the -satisfaction of seeing the quarry emerge again, pass down the street, -and disappear into the Rose and Thistle bar. This was just what the -Inspector had hoped for, and after a few minutes he followed him in. - -To scrape acquaintance was easy enough. French, as a motor mechanic out -of work, was provided with a ready introduction to any chauffeur, and -over a couple of glasses of beer he learned first of the chances of jobs -in the district, and secondly, by skilful pumping, many details of his -new companion’s work and of the Duke menage. But he heard nothing that -seemed in the slightest degree suspicious or interesting. The man -himself, moreover, seemed of an honest, harmless type, and much too -stupid to be concerned personally in enterprises with keys of safes. - -For a day the inquiry hung fire, and then Sergeant Nolan brought in a -report which turned the Inspector’s thoughts into still another channel. -Nolan had, it appeared, taken the pretty housemaid, Rachael, first to -the pictures and then to supper at a popular restaurant. The girl had -what the Sergeant called “the gift of the gab,” and it had only been -necessary for him judiciously to supply an occasional topic, to have a -continuous stream of more or less relevant information poured into his -receptive ears. - -First he had tried to ascertain whether any one had recently had access -to Mr. Duke’s dressing-room during the night or early morning, and he -soon learned that, prior to his own visit, no tradesmen had been in the -house for many months. Moreover, the only visitor who had stayed -overnight for a considerable time was Mr. Stanley Harrington, Miss -Duke’s _fiancée_. The two young people had been feverishly engaged in -rehearsals for a play given by a local amateur dramatic society, and for -the four nights previous to the entertainment Miss Duke had refused to -allow her swain to waste time in going to and from his rooms, and had -insisted on his putting up with them. This occurred about a month before -the murder, and Harrington had slept in a room just opposite to Mr. -Duke’s. It was obvious, therefore, that had the key been left in the -dressing-room at any time, Harrington could easily have taken the -necessary impression. - -Nolan then went on to tell what he had found out as to the postponed -wedding, and in this French felt he had food for thought. It appeared -that the trouble, whatever it was, had come suddenly, and it had taken -place on the day after the murder. On the evening of the crime, so -Rachael had said, Mr. Duke was not at home for dinner, but Mr. -Harrington had turned up. He and Miss Duke had dined together, and then -everything was _couleur de rose_. They had gone out together after -dinner. About ten, Miss Duke had returned and had gone straight to bed. -Almost certainly, therefore, she had not known that night of Mr. Duke’s -call to the office. Next morning she had breakfasted with her father, -and had presumably then learned of the tragedy. But not five minutes -after breakfast began she had slipped out of the room and had made a -telephone call, and directly Mr. Duke had left the house she had put on -her things and followed him. She had been absent for about twenty -minutes, and had then gone direct to her bedroom, where, on the plea of -a headache, she had spent the day. When Rachael had had occasion to -enter, she found her lying down, but the girl had heard her hour after -hour pacing the room, and in her opinion, her mistress’s indisposition -was more mental than physical. About four o’clock that afternoon Mr. -Harrington had called. Miss Duke saw him in her own sitting-room, and -during the interview some terrible quarrel must have taken place. Mr. -Harrington left in about half an hour, and Rachael, who had opened the -door to let him out, said that he looked as if he had received his death -warrant. His face wore an expression of the most acute consternation and -misery, and he seemed like a man in a dream, stupefied by some terrible -calamity. He usually spoke pleasantly to the girl when leaving, but on -this occasion he did not appear to notice her presence, but stumbled -blindly out of the house and crept off like a broken man. Later the same -evening she had seen Miss Duke, and she noticed that her eyes were red -and swollen from crying. Since then, the young lady had changed out of -all knowing. She had become silent, melancholy, and depressed. She had -grown thin and old looking, and was eating nothing, and, Rachael had -opined, if something were not done, they would soon see her in a -decline. - -Inspector French was not a little intrigued by all this information. -That there was a connection between the murder of Charles Gething and -the postponed wedding he could scarcely believe, and yet some of the -facts seemed almost to point in that direction. - -If Miss Duke had first learned of the tragedy from her father at -breakfast, was this knowledge the cause of her telephone call? To whom -was the call made? What had she done during her twenty-minute absence -from the house? What had taken place at the interview between Miss Duke -and Harrington, and, most important of all, why had the wedding been -postponed? French felt that he could not rest until he had obtained -answers to all these questions, and it seemed to him that the only way -he could do so would be to trace the girl’s movements in detail during -the whole period in question. - -For a long time he continued sitting at his desk as he considered ways -and means. At last he telephoned once more for Sergeant Nolan. - -“Look here,” he began, when the man presented himself, “I want you to -get something more out of that girl. When can you see her again?” - -“Sunday, sir,” said the charmer. “I left an opening for meeting her for -fear it would maybe be wanted.” - -“And this is Friday. Well, I suppose I shall have to wait. Better see -her on Sunday and find out these things in this order. First, in what -vehicle Miss Duke drove to her friend’s girls’ club on the night of the -crime; secondly, what vehicle she came back in, and thirdly, whether she -received any note or message between the time she returned that night -and Mr. Harrington’s call next day, other than what she might have -learned during her telephone call and absence from the house after -breakfast. Got that?” - -Nolan, signifying that he had, left the room, and French turned his -attention to his routine work, which had got sadly behind. - -On the following Monday morning, Sergeant Nolan made his report. He had -taken his fair quarry up the river on Sunday afternoon, and there he had -got his information. - -Miss Duke and Mr. Harrington had left in Mr. Duke’s car shortly before -eight. Manley, the chauffeur, had mentioned to Rachael that his young -mistress had told him he need not wait for her, as she expected that Mr. -Duke would want him later in the evening to take him home from his club. -She had returned about ten in a taxi, and had come in quickly and gone -to her room. So far as Rachael knew, she had received no caller, note or -other message from then until Mr. Harrington arrived next day, other -than those excepted in the question. - -French was anxious to keep secret the fact that he was looking into Miss -Duke’s doings, and he was therefore unwilling to question Manley on the -matter. He had learned from Harrington the address of the girls’ club, -and he thought inquiries there might give him his information. -Accordingly an hour later saw him standing before a somewhat dilapidated -church school-house in a narrow street of drab and depressing houses in -the Shadwell district. The school was closed, but inquiries next door -produced the information that the caretaker lived in No. 47. - -He betook himself to No. 47, and there found a pale, tired-looking young -woman with a baby in her arms, who, when he asked for a few moments’ -conversation, invited him into an untidy and not overclean kitchen. She -told him, in reply to his questions, that the club was run by a number -of ladies, headed by a Miss Amy Lestrange. It was open each evening, but -she, the speaker, was not present, her duty being only to keep the rooms -clean. But her husband, the caretaker, was there off and on every -evening. He might have been there when the young lady in question -arrived, she did not know. But he worked in the factory near by, and -would be in for his dinner in half an hour, if the gentleman liked to -wait. - -French said he would call back presently, and strolled out through the -depressing neighbourhood. In forty-five minutes he was back at No. 47, -where the caretaker had just arrived. French told him to go on with his -dinner, and sat beside him as he ate. The man, evidently hoping the -affair would have its financial side, was anxious to tell everything he -knew. - -It seemed that he had been present at the club on the evening in -question, and when French had described his young couple, he remembered -their arrival. It was not usual for so fine a motor to penetrate the -fastnesses of that dismal region, and its appearance had fixed the -matter in his memory. The gentleman had got out first and asked him if -this was the Curtis Street Club, and had then assisted his companion to -alight. The lady had called to the chauffeur that he need not either -wait or return for her. She had then gone into the club, leaving the -gentleman standing on the pavement. About half-past nine a taxi had -driven up, and the same gentleman had got out and sent him, the -caretaker, in to say that Mr. Harrington was waiting for Miss Duke. The -young lady had presently come down with Miss Lestrange, the head of the -club. The three had talked for a few minutes, and then the strangers had -got into the taxi and driven off. - -“She’s a fine girl, Miss Duke,” French observed, as he offered the -caretaker a fill from his pouch. “I never have seen her anything but -smiling and pleasant all the years I’ve known her.” - -“That’s right,” the man returned, gloatingly loading his pipe. “She’s a -peach and no mistake.” - -French nodded in a satisfied way. - -“I should have laid a quid on it,” he declared, “that she would have -been as smiling and pleasant going away as when she came. She always -is.” - -“Well, you’d ha’ pulled it off. But, lor, guv’nor, it’s easy for lydies -as wot ’as lots o’ money to be pleasant. W’y shouldn’t they be?” - -French rose. - -“Ah, well, I expect they’ve their troubles like the rest of us,” he -said, slipping half a crown into the man’s eager hand. - -If the caretaker was correct and Miss Duke was in good spirits on -leaving the club, it followed that the upset, whatever it had been, had -not up to then taken place. The next step, therefore, was obviously to -find the taxi in which the two young people had driven to Hampstead, so -as to learn whether anything unusual had occurred during the journey. - -He returned to the Yard, and sending for some members of his staff, -explained the point at issue. But, as he would have been the first to -admit, it was more by luck than good guidance that on the very first day -of the inquiry he gained his information. Taximan James Tomkins had -driven the young couple on the evening in question, and by five o’clock -he was at the Yard awaiting French’s pleasure. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - SYLVIA AND HARRINGTON - - -TAXIMAN TOMKINS was a wizened-looking man with a surly manner and the -air of having a constant grievance, but he was evidently overawed by the -situation in which he found himself, and seemed anxious to do his best -to answer the Inspector’s questions clearly. - -He remembered the evening in question. He had been hailed by a gentleman -near Liverpool Street, and told to drive to the Curtis Street Girls’ -Club. There, after some delay, they had picked up a young lady. - -“What address did you get?” French asked. - -“I don’t just remember,” the man said slowly scratching his head. -“Somewhere in Hampstead it was, but I’m blest if I could tell you -where.” - -“The Cedars, Hampstead, perhaps?” - -“That’s right guv’nor. That was it.” - -“And the two started off together?” - -“Yes, the other young lydie just saw them off.” - -“Now tell me, did they meet any one else on the way home?” - -“Not while they were in the keb, they didn’t.” - -“Or buy a paper, or stop for any purpose whatever?” - -“They stopped and got out for a ’arf a mo’, but I can’t say if it was to -buy a paper.” - -“Oh, they stopped, did they? Where was that?” - -“In Holborn, just past the end of Hatton Garden.” - -“What?” cried French, surprised out of his usual calm superiority. “Tell -me about that.” - -The driver was stupid and suspicious, but in time the details came out. -The most direct route led along Holborn, and he had taken it, but when -he reached the point in question the young man had hailed him through -the speaking tube. “Hold on a minute, driver,” he had called. “Look -sharp, please.” He had pulled over to the kerb, but almost before he had -come to a stand the young man had jumped out and had hurried across the -street. The lady had then alighted, had told Tomkins to wait, and had -followed him. Tomkins had at first feared he was going to lose his -money, but after a couple of minutes they had both returned and the girl -had got in. She had bidden good-night to her friend, and he, Tomkins, -had driven her off, leaving the man standing on the pavement. On arrival -at Hampstead, the lady had paid him and entered the house. As far as the -driver had noticed neither of the young people was excited or upset. - -This information gave French cause for thought. On obtaining -Harrington’s statement on the morning after the murder, he had imagined -the young man was keeping something back. And now he found that he had -been right. The young fellow had not mentioned the fact that he had been -within a few yards of the scene of the crime at the time at which it had -taken place. He had stated that he had seen Sylvia home, and now it -appeared he had not done so, but had accompanied her only half-way. -French reminded himself with satisfaction that his instinct on such a -point was seldom far astray. - -Furthermore, this news confirmed his growing suspicion that Miss Duke -also knew something about the affair. It seemed too far-fetched a -coincidence that this unexpected stop near the scene of the crime, the -mental upset of both herself and Harrington, and the postponing of the -wedding, were unconnected with the tragedy. What the connection might be -he could not imagine but he could not but believe it existed. - -Determined to put the matter to the test without further delay, he drove -to the Hatton Garden office and asked for Harrington. The young fellow -received him politely, though French thought he could sense an air of -strain in his manner. After the briefest greeting he came directly to -the point. - -“Mr. Harrington,” he began, “I want to ask you one question. In our -conversation on the morning after the crime you told me you had seen -Miss Duke home on the previous night. Why did you state this when you -had only seen her as far as Hatton Garden?” - -The young man paled somewhat. He did not seem taken aback, rather he -gave French the impression of feeling that he was now face to face with -a crisis he had long expected. He answered without hesitation and with -an evident attempt at dignity. - -“I quite admit that I left Miss Duke near the end of Hatton Garden, but -I don’t admit that that was in any way inconsistent with what I told -you. Certainly I had no intention of deceiving you.” - -“I don’t appreciate your point, Mr. Harrington,” French said sternly. -“There is a very considerable difference between seeing Miss Duke home -and not doing so.” - -The young man flushed. - -“I got a cab, drove to the club to meet Miss Duke, picked her up, and -accompanied her a considerable part of the way home. I consider I was -perfectly justified in saying I saw her home.” - -“Then our ideas of the meanings of words are strangely different. I -shall be glad if you will now tell me why you both alighted from your -taxi near this street, and why you then allowed Miss Duke to proceed -alone.” - -This time Harrington seemed taken aback, but in a moment he pulled -himself together, and he answered coherently enough: - -“Certainly, there is no secret or mystery about it. As we were driving -along, Miss Duke suddenly pointed to a tall girl in one of those glossy -blue waterproofs, and told me to stop the cab, as she wished to speak to -her. I shouted to the driver, and when he drew in to the kerb I jumped -out and ran after the girl. Unfortunately she had disappeared, and -though I searched round I could not find her. When I came back I found -that Miss Duke had also alighted. I explained that I had missed her -friend, but she only said, ‘Never mind, it can’t be helped.’ She got -into the cab again, and I was about to follow, but she said No, that -there was no use in taking me farther out of my way, and that she would -go home alone.” - -“Did you know the girl?” - -“No, Miss Duke did not tell me who she was.” - -“You might describe her.” - -“I really could not, except that she was tall and wearing the blue -waterproof and carrying an umbrella. You see, it was dark, and I only -got a glimpse of her by the street lamps. She was swinging along quickly -towards Oxford Street.” - -“What did you do after Miss Duke drove off?” - -“I went home, as I have already told you.” - -And that was all Inspector French could get out of him. In spite of all -his questions, the young man stuck absolutely to his story. - -It was obvious to French that he must next get Miss Duke’s statement, -and with this in view he drove out to The Cedars. He asked Harrington to -accompany him, so as to prevent his telephoning to the young lady to put -her on her guard, and on reaching the house he bade him good-day with a -somewhat sardonic smile. - -Miss Duke was at home, and presently joined him in the breakfast-room to -which he had been shown. - -She was a comely maiden, slightly given to plumpness, perhaps, but -pretty and kindly and wholesome looking, a sight indeed to warm a man’s -heart. But she looked pale and worried, and French felt that her -experience, whatever it was, had hit her hard. - -“I am sorry to trouble you, Miss Duke, but I am inquiring into the -recent crime at your father’s office, and I find I require to ask you a -few questions.” - -As he spoke he watched her sharply, and he was intrigued to notice a -flash of apprehension leap into her clear eyes. - -“Won’t you sit down?” she invited, with a somewhat strained smile. - -He seated himself deliberately, continuing: - -“My questions, I am afraid, are personal and impertinent, but I have no -option but to ask them. I will go on to them at once, without further -preamble. The first is, What was it that upset you so greatly on the day -after the crime?” - -She looked at him in evident surprise, and, he imagined, in some relief -also. - -“Why, how can you ask?” she exclaimed. “Don’t you think news like that -was enough to upset any one? You see, I had known poor Mr. Gething all -my life, and he had always been kind to me. I sincerely liked and -respected him, and to learn suddenly that he had been murdered in that -cold-blooded way, why, it was awful—_awful_. It certainly upset me, and -I don’t see how it could have done anything else.” - -French nodded. - -“Quite so, Miss Duke, I fully appreciate that. But I venture to suggest -that there was something more in your mind than the tragic death of your -old acquaintance; something of more pressing and more personal interest. -Come now, Miss Duke, tell me what it was.” - -The flash of apprehension returned to her eyes, and then once again the -look of relief. - -“You mean the loss of the diamonds,” she answered calmly. “I deplored -that, of course, particularly on my father’s account. But it was Mr. -Gething’s death that really, as you call it, upset me. The diamonds we -could do without, but we could not give the poor old man back his life.” - -“I did not mean the loss of the diamonds, Miss Duke. I meant something -more personal than that. I’m afraid you must tell me about it.” - -There was now no mistaking the girl’s uneasiness, and French grew more -and more hopeful that he was on the track of something vital. But she -was not giving anything away. - -“You must be mistaken,” she said in a lower tone. “It was the news of -the murder, and that alone, which upset me.” - -French shook his head. - -“I would rather not take that answer from you. Please reconsider it. Can -you tell me nothing else?” - -“Nothing. That is all I have to say.” - -“Very well. I trust it may not be necessary to reopen the matter. Now I -want you to tell me why you postponed your wedding with Mr. Harrington.” - -Miss Duke flushed deeply. - -“I will tell you nothing of the sort, Mr. Inspector!” she declared with -some show of anger. “What right have you to ask me such a question? That -is a matter between Mr. Harrington and myself alone.” - -“I hope you are right, Miss Duke, but I fear there is a chance that you -may be mistaken. Do you absolutely decline to answer me?” - -“Of course I do! No girl would answer such a question. It is an -impertinence to ask it.” - -“In that case,” French said grimly, “I shall not press the matter—for -the present. Let me turn to another subject. I want you next to tell me -why you stopped at Hatton Garden on your way home from the Curtis Street -Girls’ Club on the night of the crime.” - -For a moment the girl seemed too much surprised to reply, then she -answered with a show of indignation: “Really, Mr. French, this is too -much! May I ask if you suspect me of the crime?” - -“Not of committing it,” French returned gravely, “but,” he leaned -forward and gazed keenly into her eyes, “I do suspect you of knowing -something about it. Could you not, Miss Duke, if you chose, put me on -the track of the criminal?” - -“Oh, no, no, no!” the girl cried piteously, motioning with her hands as -if to banish so terrible a thought from her purview. “How can you -suggest such a thing? It is shameful and horrible!” - -“Of course, Miss Duke, I can’t make you answer me if you don’t want to. -But I put it to you that it is worth your while thinking twice before -you attempt to keep back information. Remember that if I am not -satisfied, you may be asked these same questions in court, and then you -will have to answer them whether you like it or not. Now I ask you once -again, Why did you leave your taxi at Hatton Garden?” - -“I think it is perfectly horrible of you to make all these insinuations -against me without any grounds whatever,” she answered a little -tremulously. “There is no secret about why I stopped the taxi, and I -have never made any mystery about it. Why it should have any importance -I can’t imagine.” She paused, then with a little gesture as if throwing -discretion to the winds, continued: “The fact is that as we were driving -home I suddenly saw a girl in the street whom I particularly wished to -meet. I stopped the cab and sent Mr. Harrington after her, but he missed -her.” - -“Who was she?” - -“I don’t know; that is why I was so anxious to see her. I suppose you -want the whole story?” She tossed her head and went on without waiting -for him to reply. “Last summer I was coming up to town from Tonbridge, -where I had been staying, and this girl and I had a carriage to -ourselves. We began to talk, and became quite friendly. When they came -to collect the tickets found I had lost mine. The man wanted to take my -name, but the girl insisted on lending me the money to pay my fare. I -wrote down her name and address on a scrap of paper so that I could -return the money to her, but when I reached home I found I had lost the -paper, and I stupidly had not committed the address to memory. I could -not send her the money, and I don’t know what she must have thought of -me. You can understand, therefore, my anxiety to meet her when I saw her -from the cab.” - -“But why did you pay your fare a second time? You must have known that -all you had to do was to give your name and address to the ticket -collector.” - -“I suppose I did,” she admitted, “but I preferred to pay rather than -have the trouble of explanations and probably letters to the head -office.” - -Inspector French was chagrined. Instinctively he doubted the story, but -Miss Duke had answered his question in a reasonable way, and if she -stuck to the tale, he did not see how he could break her down. After -this lapse of time it would be quite impossible to obtain confirmation -or otherwise of the details, especially as Miss Duke’s hypothetical -fellow-traveller could not be produced. He pointedly made no comment on -the statement as he resumed his investigation. - -“To whom did you telephone after breakfast on the morning after the -murder?” - -That Miss Duke was amazed at the extent of the Inspector’s knowledge was -evident, but she answered immediately. - -“To Mr. Harrington.” - -“To say what?” - -“If I must repeat my private conversations to my future husband, it was -to ask him to meet me at once as I had something to say to him.” - -“What was the nature of the communication?” - -Miss Duke flushed again. - -“Really,” she exclaimed, “I protest against this. What possible -connection can our private affairs have with your business?” - -“It is your own fault, Miss Duke. You are not telling me the whole -truth, and I am therefore suspicious. I want to find out what you are -keeping back, and I may tell you that I am going to do so. What did you -want to see Mr. Harrington about so urgently?” - -The girl seemed terribly distressed. - -“If you will have it, it was about the postponement of the wedding,” she -said in a low voice. “You understand, we had been discussing the matter -on the night before, when no conclusion had been come to. But on -sleeping on it I had made up my mind in favour of the postponement, and -I wanted to tell Mr. Harrington at once.” - -“But why was it so urgent? Could you not have waited until later in the -day?” - -“I felt I couldn’t wait. It was so important to us both.” - -“And you refuse to give the reason of the postponement?” - -“I do. You have no right to ask it.” - -“You did meet Mr. Harrington that morning?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where?” - -“At the entrance to the Finchley Road tube station.” - -“Why did you not tell him to call on you instead of yourself going out?” - -“In order as far as possible to prevent him from being late at the -office.” - -French suddenly remembered that Harrington had entered the office during -his visit there on the morning after the crime, and had apologised to -Mr. Duke for his late arrival. It had not struck French at the time, but -now he recalled that when Mr. Duke had spoken to him of the tragedy he -had stated he had heard of it already. Where? French now wondered. Was -it merely from the morning paper, or _was it from Miss Duke_? Or, still -more pressing question, had they both known of it on the previous night? - -Suddenly a possible theory flashed into his mind, and he sat for a few -moments in silence, considering it. Suppose that on the stop near Hatton -Garden, Harrington had mentioned that he wanted for some purpose to call -at the office, or suppose Miss Duke had asked him to do so, and that he -had left her for that purpose. Next morning at breakfast she hears from -her father of the murder, and is at once panic stricken about -Harrington. She sees that if he admits his visit he may be suspected of -the crime, and she sends for him before he reaches the office in order -to warn him. Or could it be that, knowing of this hypothetical visit, -Miss Duke had herself suspected Harrington, and had sent for him at the -earliest possible moment to hear his explanation? French was not -satisfied with these suggestions, but he felt more than ever certain -these two young people had conspired to hide vital information. - -He left the house profoundly dissatisfied, and returning to Hatton -Garden, had another interview with Harrington. He pressed the young man -as hard as he could, taxing him directly with having been present in the -office on the fatal night. This Harrington strenuously denied, and -French could get nothing further out of him. He went again into the -man’s movements on the night of the crime, but without getting any -further light thrown thereon. Harrington said he had walked to his rooms -after parting from Miss Duke, but no direct evidence was forthcoming as -to the truth or falsehood of his statement. - -Suddenly another theory leaped into the detective’s mind, but after -careful thought he felt he must reject it. If Vanderkemp were guilty, -the whole of these mysterious happenings would be cleared up. Harrington -was under a deep debt of gratitude to his uncle, and appeared attached -to him. Whether Miss Duke shared, or was endeavouring to share, his -feelings, French did not know, but it was certainly possible. Suppose he -and Miss Duke, driving home from the East End, had seen Vanderkemp at -the end of Hatton Garden. Suppose, moreover, something in the man’s -appearance had attracted their attention, something furtive or evil, -something unlike his usual expression. This, coupled with the fact that -the traveller was supposed to be in Amsterdam, might easily have -impelled Harrington to stop the cab to have a word with his uncle. But -by the time he had reached the pavement, Vanderkemp had disappeared. The -incident would have been dismissed by both as trivial, until next -morning at breakfast, when Miss Duke learned of the murder, its -significance would become apparent. She might not believe the traveller -guilty, but she would recognise that the circumstances required some -explanation. Immediately the paramount importance of communicating with -Harrington would appear, lest he might incautiously mention that he had -seen his uncle virtually on the scene of the murder. She would instantly -telephone in the hope of catching her lover before he left his rooms. -She could not give her message over the telephone, so she would arrange -the meeting. She would instruct Harrington to return to her as soon as -possible, so as to hear what had taken place at the office. He would -therefore call in the afternoon, and at the interview they would decide -that in the uncertainty of the situation, the wedding should be -postponed. The supposed flight of Vanderkemp would confirm their -suspicions, and would account for the perturbed state of mind which both -exhibited. - -The theory was so fascinating that next day French once more interviewed -Harrington and Miss Duke and put the question directly to them, Had they -seen Vanderkemp? But both denied having done so, and baffled and -irritated, he wrathfully watched another promising clue petering out -before him. He had the two young people shadowed, and spent a -considerable time in investigating their past life, but without result. - -So the days began to draw out into weeks, and the solution of the -mystery seemed as far off as ever. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - MRS. ROOT OF PITTSBURG - - -ONE morning about six weeks after the murder in Hatton Garden, Inspector -French was summoned to the presence of his chief. - -“Look here, French,” he was greeted, “you’ve been at that Gething case -long enough. I can’t have any more time wasted on it. What are you doing -now?” - -French, his usual cheery confidence sadly deflated, hesitatingly -admitted that at the moment he was not doing very much, embellishing -this in the course of a somewhat painful conversation with the further -information that he was doing nothing whatever, and that he was -severally up against it and down and out. - -“I thought so,” the chief declared. “In that case you’ll have time to go -and see Williams & Davies, of Cockspur Street, the money-lenders. I have -just had a ’phone from them, and they say that some diamonds recently -came into their possession which they are told resemble those stolen -from Duke & Peabody. You might look into the matter.” - -It was a rejuvenated French that fifteen minutes later ascended the -stairs of Straker House, Cockspur Street, to the office of Messrs. -Williams & Davies. Gone was the lassitude and the dejection and the -weary brooding look, and instead there was once again the old cheery -optimism, the smiling self-confidence, the springy step. He pushed open -a swing door, and with an air of fatherly benevolence demanded of a -diminutive office boy if Mr. Williams was in. - -The senior partner was disengaged, and two minutes later French was -ushered into a small, rather dark office, in which sat a tall, -well-groomed man with graying hair, and a precise, somewhat pedantic -manner. - -“They ’phoned me from the Yard that you were coming across, Inspector,” -he announced, when French had introduced himself. “I can only say I hope -I have not brought you on a wild goose chase. But the affair should -certainly be looked into.” - -“I have not heard the circumstances yet, sir,” French reminded him. “I -shall naturally be glad if you can give me some helpful information.” - -“I did not care to give details over the ’phone,” Mr. Williams -explained. “You can never tell who overhears you. I once heard a girl -declining what was evidently a proposal of marriage. The circumstances -in this case are very simple. About six weeks ago a lady, giving her -name as Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, and evidently an American, called and -asked if she could see one of the principals of my firm. She was shown -in to me, and she explained that she was the wife of a Mr. Chauncey S. -Root, a rich steel manufacturer of Pittsburg. She had just crossed by -the _Olympic_ for a holiday in Europe, reaching London on the previous -evening. She said a series of misfortunes had brought her into a -somewhat awkward predicament, and she wondered if I could do anything to -assist her. In the first place she had been foolish enough to get into a -gambling set on the way over, and had lost, as she expressed it, ‘the -hell of a lot of money.’ She spoke in a very racy and American way, but -she gave me the impression of being thoroughly competent and efficient. -Her losses ran into several hundred pounds—she did not tell me the -exact amount—but all her ready money was gone and in addition she had -given several I.O.U.’s. This, however, she would not have thought twice -about, as she had letters of credit for many times the amount, had it -not been that a further calamity befell her in Southampton. There, in -the crush on the quays, the small despatch case in which she kept her -ready money and papers had been snatched from her, and she was left -practically penniless, as well as without her letters of credit and her -passport or other means of identification. She had, of course, reported -the matter to the police authorities, but they had rather shaken their -heads over it, though promising to do everything possible. She had had, -indeed, to borrow a twenty-pound note from one of her travelling -acquaintances to get her to London, and now she was practically without -money at all. She wished, therefore, to borrow £3000, which would enable -her to pay her gambling debts and to carry on in London until fresh -letters of credit could be sent. Fortunately, she had with her a -collection of unmounted diamonds, which she intended to have set by -London jewellers, of whose skill she had heard great accounts. These -diamonds she proposed to deposit as security, and she would agree to pay -whatever rate of interest was customary. She asked me if my firm would -be prepared to lend the money on these terms.” - -“Why did she not cable to her husband?” - -“I asked her that, and she explained that she did not wish to tell Mr. -Root, as he had an inveterate dislike to gambling, and they had had -several disagreements about her betting proclivities. In fact, relations -had been seriously strained until she had promised amendment, and a -confession might easily lead to a serious breach. She could not, either, -attribute the loss to the theft, as it ran to so great a figure that she -could not possibly be carrying the amount in her despatch case. She said -she would prefer to borrow the money until she could write to her man of -business to realise some of her own stocks. - -“I said that her proposition, as such, was acceptable, as we frequently -took stones and jewellery as security for loans, but that as she was a -stranger to us, before we could do business we should obviously require -some evidence of her _bona fides_. She replied that that was all right, -that she quite recognised that owing to the loss of her papers and -particularly of her passport something of the kind would be necessary. -She said we could make what inquiries we liked, provided only we were -quick about them, for she wanted the money as soon as possible. She -asked how long we should take, and when I said twenty-four hours, she -admitted that was reasonable. She suggested that if we did business we -should take the stones to be valued to one of the best-known London -jewellers. I agreed to this, and rang up Mr. Stronge, of Hurst & -Stronge, of Bond Street, to ask him if he would undertake the valuation. -He is, as you probably know, one of the most famous experts in the -world. He consented, and I settled with him the amount of his fee. -Finally it was arranged that, provided our inquiries were satisfactory, -I should meet Mrs. Root at Hurst & Stronge’s at half-past ten on the -following morning, she with the stones and I with my cheque book. I was -to pay her five-sixths of the value of the diamonds. She said she -expected to pay back the loan in about four weeks, and suitable terms of -interest were arranged.” - -Mr. Williams paused and glanced at his companion, as though to assure -himself that his story was receiving the attention he evidently felt it -deserved. But French’s air of thrilled interest left him no room for -doubt, and he continued: - -“I made my inquiries, and all appeared satisfactory. I called up Mrs. -Root at the Savoy, told her I was prepared to deal, and at the hour -named met her at Hurst & Stronge’s. Mr. Stronge took us to his private -room, and there Mrs. Root produced a bag of stones, mostly diamonds, -though there were a few emeralds and a large ruby, all unmounted. There -were sixteen stones ranging in value from £40 to £400, but averaging -about £200 or £220. Mr. Stronge valued them very carefully, and after a -long wait we got his opinion. The whole were worth about £3300, and in -accordance with our bargain I proposed to hand Mrs. Root a cheque for -£2750. She admitted the correctness of this, but said she wanted the -£3000, and after some conversation I agreed to meet her wishes and -filled the cheque for the latter sum. She then objected that no bank -would pay her without inquiring as to her identity, which would mean -another delay, and asked me if I would go with her to the bank to -certify that she was the person for whom I intended the money. I agreed -to this, and we went to the Piccadilly branch of the London and Counties -Bank. There we saw the manager, and there I left her. I returned here -and lodged the stones in my safe.” - -“The manager took your identification, I suppose?” - -“Oh, yes. I know him personally and there was no difficulty. That ended -the matter as far as I was concerned, and for four weeks I thought no -more of it. But as the fifth and sixth week passed and the lady made no -sign, I began to wonder. I telephoned to the Savoy, but it appeared she -had left on the day of our deal. I assumed, however, that she was on the -Continent, and no suspicion that all was not right occurred to me.” - -“Then what roused your suspicion?” - -“I am coming to that,” Mr. Williams answered in a slightly frigid tone. -“This morning I happened to show the stones—without saying how they -came into my possession, of course—to a personal friend of my own, a -diamond merchant named Sproule, who had called with me on other -business. When he saw them he grew very much excited, and asked me where -I had got them from. I pressed him for an explanation, and he said they -fitted the description circulated of those stolen from Messrs. Duke & -Peabody. He was emphatic that I should inform the firm, but I thought it -better to ring you up instead.” - -“Very wise, sir,” French approved. “That was certainly your proper -course. Now, I take it the first thing we have to do is to see if your -friend, Mr. Sproule, is correct in his supposition. I have a list of the -missing stones in my pocket, but I don’t know that I’m expert enough to -identify them. I think we’ll have Mr. Duke over. May I use your ’phone?” - -Mr. Duke was naturally eager to learn details of the new development, -and in less than half an hour he joined the others in Mr. Williams’s -office. French explained the situation, ending up, “Now we want you, Mr. -Duke, to tell us if these were among the stones you lost.” - -The diamond merchant, obviously much excited, began at once to make his -examination. He inspected the stones minutely through a lens, weighed -them on a delicate balance he had brought, and put them to other tests -which greatly interested his companions. As he put each down he gave his -judgment. One after another were identified. All were among those stolen -from him. They were the sixteen smallest and least valuable stones of -the collection. - -The fact was learned by the three men with very different emotions. Mr. -Duke’s gain was Mr. Williams’s loss, and resulting satisfaction and -consternation showed on their respective faces, while French’s -countenance wore an expression of the liveliest delight, not unmixed -with mystification. - -“Good heavens!” Mr. Williams cried, his voice trembling with agitation -and excitement. “Then I’ve been swindled! Swindled out of three thousand -pounds!” He glared at the Inspector as if he were at fault. “I suppose,” -he continued, “that if this gentleman establishes his claim, the loss -will fall on me? God knows, I can ill afford it.” - -“We shall hope not, sir,” French said sympathetically. “We shall hope -that with luck you’ll recover your money. But we must not waste any more -time. I shall start by going to the bank to see if all the money has -been withdrawn. I’d be obliged, Mr. Williams, if you would come also. -I’ll keep you advised, Mr. Duke, how things go on, and of course you’ll -get back your stones after the usual formalities have been carried out.” - -Mr. Williams had recovered his composure, and, the gems having been -locked in his safe, the three men left the office and descended to the -street. There French said good-day to Mr. Duke, who somewhat reluctantly -took his leave, the other two continuing to the bank. After a few -moments’ wait they were shown into the manager’s room. - -“I am afraid, Mr. Scarlett, I have had a serious misfortune,” Mr. -Williams began, almost before they were seated. “I have just learned -that I have been swindled out of £3000. This is Inspector French of -Scotland Yard, and we both want your help in the matter.” - -Mr. Scarlett, a well-groomed, middle-aged gentleman of fashionable -appearance and suave manners, looked suitably concerned. He shook hands -with French, and expressed his commiseration with his client’s loss in a -few easy words, declaring also his desire to be of service. - -“Do you remember,” Mr. Williams went on eagerly, “my coming to see you -one morning about six weeks ago with a lady whom I introduced as Mrs. -Root, of Pittsburg, U. S. A.? She held my cheque for £3000, and I came -to introduce her to you.” - -The manager recalled the incident. - -“That money was a loan, for which she deposited with me a number of -diamonds. The diamonds were valued by Mr. Stronge of Hurst & Stronge’s, -and I gave her less than their value. I thought I had taken all -reasonable precautions, but now,” Mr. Williams made a faint gesture of -despair, “now it seems that they were stolen.” - -“Stolen?” Mr. Scarlett repeated in a shocked voice. “My dear sir! Allow -me to say how extremely sorry I am to have to tell you that I fear your -discovery has come too late. Your cheque had been paid practically in -full.” - -Mr. Williams gave a little groan, though he had evidently been expecting -the bad news. He would have spoken, but French broke in with, “Is that -so, sir? That is really what we came to ask. Now I want you please to -give me as detailed an account of the whole business as you can.” - -“I will do so, of course,” Mr. Scarlett returned, “but I fear my story -will not help you much.” He raised his desk telephone. “Ask Mr. -Plenteous to come here,” he directed, and when a young, fair-haired man -had entered he resumed, “This is Mr. Plenteous who carried out the -details of the transaction. As Mr. Williams has said, he and the lady -called on me,” he turned over the leaves of a diary, “about midday on -Thursday, 26th November. He introduced the lady as a Mrs. Chauncey S. -Root, of Pittsburg, and stated he had called to certify that she was the -person referred to in a cheque he had made out. She produced a cheque -for £3000, and Mr. Williams identified it as his. She thanked him and he -withdrew. She then said that she wished to open a temporary account, and -that she would like cash for £1500, and to lodge the remainder. I sent -for Mr. Plenteous, and asked him to arrange the matter, and he showed -the lady out to his counter. Next day the balance was withdrawn except -for a few shillings, which I believe we still hold. Is not that correct, -Plenteous?” - -“Yes, sir,” the fair-haired young man answered, “quite correct. I can -turn you up the exact balance in a moment.” - -“Presently, thank you, Mr. Plenteous,” French interposed. “In the -meantime perhaps you would tell us what took place between you and the -lady after you left this office.” - -After a glance at his chief, the clerk answered: - -“Mrs. Root handed me the cheque for £3000, and said she wished to lodge -half. I filled the customary forms, took her signature, and gave her a -passbook, all in the usual way. Then she told me she would like the -other £1500 cashed in notes of small value. She said she was a stranger -to London, but that already she had discovered the difficulty of -changing Bank of England notes. Being short of ready money, she had -proffered a twenty-pound note in a shop. It was refused, and on asking -for change in a bank which happened to be next door, the cashier -politely informed her he was not permitted to change notes for -strangers. She had, indeed, to go back to her hotel before she could get -it done. She said she therefore wanted nothing larger than ten pounds, -and at her further request I counted her out a hundred tens and a -hundred fives. She stowed them away in a despatch case she was carrying. -I pointed out that that was not a very safe way to carry so large a sum, -but she laughed and said she guessed it was all right, that no one would -know she had money in it. She said good-day and went out, and that was -the last I saw of her.” - -“You noticed nothing in any way suspicious about her manner or actions?” - -“Nothing whatever.” - -“You say the lodgment was subsequently withdrawn? You might tell me -about that.” - -“It was withdrawn in the sense that cheques were issued for almost the -whole amount. The lady did not herself call again, nor was the account -closed. There is still a small balance.” - -French nodded. - -“Yes, I understood you to say so. Could you let me see the ledger, and -also the cheques that were issued?” - -In a few seconds the clerk returned with a ponderous tome, which he -opened at the name of Mrs. Helen Sadie Root. The account possessed but -few items. On the debit side there was but the single entry of £1500, -but on the other side there were six entries, varying from £210 10s. to -£295, and totalling £1495 7s. 9d. Six cancelled cheques corresponded -with the entries. As French examined these, he was interested to see -that all were made out on fashionable London jewellers. - -“Can you lend me these?” he asked, pointing to the cheques. - -The clerk hesitated, but Mr. Scarlett intervened. - -“Certainly,” he answered readily, “but you will have to give us a -receipt for our auditors.” - -This was soon arranged, and after French had asked a few more questions, -he and Mr. Williams left the bank. - -“Now,” he said briskly, before his companion could frame a remark, “I am -going round to these six jewellers, but first I want some further -information from you. Shall we go back to your office?” - -Mr. Williams assented eagerly. He had lost his air of detached -precision, and, like a somewhat spoiled child, plied the other with -questions as to his probable chances of success. French answered in his -usual cheery, optimistic way, and it was not until they were once more -seated in Mr. Williams’s sanctum that he dropped his air of fatherly -benevolence and became once more the shrewd and competent officer of -Scotland Yard. - -“In the first place,” he began, as he took out his notebook, “I want -_your_ description of the lady. I gather she was a good-looking woman, -attractive both in appearance and manner. Did you find her so?” - -Mr. Williams hesitated. - -“Well, yes, I did,” he admitted, somewhat apologetically, as French -thought. “She certainly had a way with her—something different from my -usual clients. From her manner I never should have suspected she was -other than all right.” - -“Most women crooks are attractive looking,” French declared smoothly. -“It’s part of their stock in trade. Just let me have as detailed a -description of her as you can.” - -It seemed she was of middle height, and dark, very dark as to hair and -eyelashes, but less so as to eyes. They were rather a golden shade of -brown. She had a somewhat retroussé nose, and a tiny mouth set in an -oval face, with a complexion of extreme, but healthy, pallor. She wore -her hair low over her ears, and her smile revealed an unexpected dimple. -Mr. Williams had remarked these details so thoroughly that French smiled -inwardly, as he solemnly noted them in his book. The money-lender had -not particularly observed what she was wearing, but this did not matter -as Mr. Scarlett had, and a detailed description of her dress was already -entered up. - -“Tell me next, please, Mr. Williams, what identification the lady gave -of herself, and what inquiries you made to test her statement. She had -lost her passport?” - -“Yes, I told you how, or rather I told you what she said about it. She -gave me her card, and showed me the envelopes of several letters -addressed to her at Pittsburg. She also showed me some photographs of -groups in which she appeared which had been taken on board the -_Olympic_, as well as a dinner menu dated for the third day out. She -explained that her return ticket had been stolen with the passport, so -that she could not let me see it.” - -“Not very conclusive, I’m afraid,” French commented. “All that evidence -might have been faked.” - -“I quite see that, and saw it at the time,” declared the money-lender. -“But I did not rest there. I applied to Dashford’s, you know, the -private inquiry people. I asked them to cable their agents in Pittsburg -for a description of Mrs. Root, and to know if she had left for England -on the _Olympic_. There is the reply.” - -He took a paper from a file and handed it across. It was headed, “J. T. -Dashford & Co., Private Inquiry Agents,” and read: - - “DEAR SIR, - - “MRS. CHAUNCEY S. ROOT. - - “In reply to your inquiry of yesterday, we beg to inform you - that we have cabled our agents in Pittsburg on the matter in - question, and have received the following reply: - - “‘Chauncey S. Root, partner local steel firm, wealthy, wife - handsome, height middle, hair dark, complexion pale, face oval, - mouth small, manner bright and attractive. Left for Europe by - _Olympic_. Family O. K.’ - - “We trust this information will meet your requirements. - - “Yours faithfully, - “J. T. DASHFORD & CO., - “M.S.” - -French whistled thoughtfully. - -“That seems right enough,” he said slowly. “I know something about -Dashford’s people, and they are reliable enough about a thing like this. -It’s beginning to look like impersonation.” - -“Ah,” Mr. Williams ejaculated. “Impersonation! I hadn’t thought of -that.” He paused in his turn, then continued, “But yet I don’t see how -it could be. I didn’t stop with an application to Dashford’s. I rang up -the White Star offices, and they told me there that Mrs. Root had -actually made the journey. I also rang up the Savoy, and they told me -there that she had arrived at the hour she had told me, with trunks -bearing _Olympic_ labels. Finally, to make the matter, as I thought, -sure, I ’phoned the Southampton police and found out from them that the -story of the stolen despatch case was true. It had happened just as Mrs. -Root described. When I got all this information I felt absolutely -satisfied.” - -“I’m not surprised at that, sir,” French admitted. “It would have -satisfied most people. You see, it’s quite different with us now, -because our suspicions have been aroused. There was nothing in the -circumstances of this lady’s call to make you doubt her story. I quite -sympathise with you, though I’m afraid that doesn’t help the situation -much. . . . But you see now, of course, that none of the information you -collected is really conclusive. I have no doubt that there is a Mrs. -Chauncey S. Root of Pittsburg who travelled to Europe in the _Olympic_, -and that, generally speaking, she resembles your friend, but I very -gravely doubt that she was the lady who negotiated the loan. You see, -the real identifications, the passport, the return ticket, on which her -name would be inscribed, were missing. Moreover, she refused to allow -Mr. Root to be consulted. No, I think we may take it that the woman who -came here was not Mrs. Root. But, on the other hand, she must either -have been acquainted with Mrs. Root personally or have known a -thundering lot about her. How does that strike you, sir?” - -“It sounds right, it certainly sounds right, Inspector. I fear it must -be as you say. But if so, what chance is there of getting back my -money?” - -French shook his head. - -“I’m afraid the prospects are not very rosy,” he admitted. “But you -never know. We’ll try to get our hands on the woman, of course, and we -may find she has not spent the money. Now, sir, if there is nothing more -than you can tell me, I think I shall get along to the Savoy and to -those shops where she paid the cheques.” - -Inspector French walked slowly down Cockspur Street, his brain bemused -by this unexpected development. The impersonation of Mrs. Root was -easy—or, at least, comparatively easy—to understand. He could see that -it would present no serious difficulties to a resourceful woman, though -the application to the Southampton police was certainly staggering. But -what he could not form the slightest idea of was how this woman could -possibly have got hold of Mr. Duke’s diamonds. The impersonation must -have actually been arranged _before_ the robbery took place, and if this -were so, it pointed to a much more far-reaching crime than he had had -any conception of. And there must have been more than one in it, -too—unless this mysterious woman had actually committed the murder, -which he found hard to believe. He smiled with satisfaction as he -thought of the vistas of possible information which were opening out -before him, and by which he might hope to retrieve the loss of prestige -which he had suffered. - -Suddenly he thought of Miss Duke. Was there a connection between her and -this mysterious woman? Was Mrs. Root the woman in the waterproof? Was -she Miss Duke herself? Here were far-reaching questions. As he -considered them, he saw that his work for the next few days was cut out -for him. - - - - - CHAPTER X - SOME PAIRS OF BLANKETS - - -DURING Inspector French’s brief lunch hour he continued turning over in -his mind the immediate problem which Mr. Williams’s story had raised for -him, namely, at what point he had best attack his new inquiry. - -The facts postulated a good deal of obvious detailed investigation, and -he felt he should carry this through in his usual systematic way before -attempting to evolve a comprehensive theory of the crime. He had first -to learn what he could of the mysterious Mrs. Root, and in this -connection he foresaw inquiries at Pittsburg, from the White Star -people, from the Southampton police at the Savoy, and at the various -firms of jewellers to whom the cheques had been made out. He had, if -possible, to find the lady, or her impersonator. These things -accomplished, he could turn his attention to an attempt to connect the -person found with Miss Duke, or at all events with Mr. Duke’s jewels, -and subsequently with the murder of Charles Gething. - -By the time his meal was ended he had decided that he would commence -operations at the Savoy, and ten minutes later he turned into the -courtyard, and making his way to the office, inquired for the manager. - -In due course he explained his business to the great man, but the latter -shook his head when he heard what was required of him, and asked French -for suggestions as to how he could help. - -“First I should like to see the register,” French explained. - -“That, at least, is easily done.” - -The manager led the way to the office and introduced French to the -radiant young woman who presided at the reception counter. Then turning -over the pages of the register, he presently exclaimed, “That looks like -it, Inspector, I fancy.” - -The entry read: “Nov. 24. Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, Pittsburg, U. S. A. -137.” - -French drew out the cheques he had obtained from Mr. Scarlett and -carefully compared the signatures. “That’s it,” he declared. “There’s -not a doubt those are in the same handwriting. Now the question is, Can -this young lady remember the woman?” - -The clerk hesitated. - -“We had a lot of Americans in that day,” she said slowly, as she ran her -eyes down the list of names. “It is not easy to keep track of them all. -And this is six weeks ago.” She paused again, then shook her head. “I’m -afraid I can’t just place her.” - -“It was the day the _Olympic_ got to Southampton,” French prompted. -“There would no doubt have been a number of people off the steamer -special.” He glanced once more at the book. “See, here is a crowd of -Americans all together. New York, Boston, New York, New York, -Philadelphia, and so on. That represents the special. But——” He paused -and ran his finger down the column. “Now, this is really rather -interesting. Mrs. Root’s name is not among them. Here it is, down near -the end of the list. That means that she came in late in the evening, -doesn’t it? Does that help you at all, Miss Pearson?” He waited, but the -girl not replying, he continued, “Or the room? Does No. 137 bring -anything to your mind?” - -The girl shook her pretty head. - -“Turn up the account, Miss Pearson,” the manager suggested. - -The girl produced another huge book, and all three went through the -items. Mrs. Root, it appeared, had paid for the rooms—No. 137 was a -suite consisting of one bedroom, bathroom and sitting-room—for the -three nights, the 24th, 25th, and 26th of November. She had had seven -meals in the hotel, dinner on the night of arrival, and breakfast, -lunch, and dinner on the next two days. All these meals she had had -served in her private room. - -“Avoiding publicity,” French thought, continuing aloud, “Then she didn’t -breakfast on the morning she left?” - -At his remark Miss Pearson gave an exclamation. - -“I remember her now,” she cried. “It was your saying that brought her to -my mind. No, she didn’t breakfast the morning you mean because she left -on the previous night. I remember the whole circumstances now. She came -in on the night”—she glanced at the register—“of the 24th—pretty -late—it was between seven and eight, I should think—and asked for a -suite for three or four weeks. She was dark-haired and pale complexion -and very American in her speech. I fixed her up with No. 137, and she -said she wanted dinner sent up to her room. Two evenings later, shortly -before eight o’clock, she came back to the office and said she had had -an urgent wire from Paris, and that she had to go over that night. She -hoped to be back in about a week, but she would not keep the rooms on, -as she was not certain of her plans. I made out the bill, and what -brings the thing back to my mind is that I had to charge her for that -night in accordance with our rule. She didn’t seem to mind, the way some -people do in such a case. She left then, and I never saw her since.” - -This being all the pretty clerk could tell him, French asked next to see -the chambermaid who had attended No. 137 on the night in question. - -From this woman he at first learned nothing. For a quarter of an hour he -prompted fruitlessly, then, just as in the case of the clerk, a chance -word brought a ray of light. Asked if she could remember having seen -luggage with _Olympic_ labels and the name Mrs. Root, she suddenly -admitted that she could. Her attention had been attracted by the name -Root, as she had been reading in the papers of a distinguished American -of the same name, and she had wondered if the owner of the luggage was -any connection. She remembered the luggage distinctly. There were two -big, new-looking American trunks, labelled on steamer labels, Mrs. -Something Root. Yes, she thought it was Chauncey. Something like that -anyway, some queer, foreign name that only an American would bear. But -though she remembered the luggage, the chambermaid could not recall -anything about the lady herself. - -After fruitlessly interrogating several other of the hotel servants, -French retreated into a deserted corner of the lounge and set himself to -think the thing out. And presently it occurred to him that the trunks -might represent a clue. Did their removal not involve a taxi, and if so, -could he find it? - -He went back to the head porter to make inquiries. Vehicles were usually -obtained from the rank in the street adjoining. Of course it frequently -happened that a driver looking for a fare would pass at the critical -moment and be employed, but seven out of ten were obtained from the -rank. - -French left the hotel, and, sauntering down to the cab rank, engaged the -driver of the leading car in conversation. All the taxis on the rank, -the man stated, were the property of one firm, Metropolitan Transport, -Ltd. The men returned the runs they had made on their daily journals, -and French could, if he chose to apply to the office in Victoria Street, -learn all there was to be known about it. - -French did choose, and a quarter of an hour later was in conversation -with the manager. But that gentleman was dubious that he could supply -the desired information. It was true they kept a pretty complete record -of the runs made and these had to balance with the readings of the -meters and with the money handed in, but obviously no note was made of -the names or descriptions of the fares. He could find out if a car had -gone from the Savoy to Victoria about 7.45 p.m. on the night of the 26th -November, but he could not say who might have travelled in it. - -“If you could let me have a note of the cars which left the hotel -between 7.40 and 8.10, irrespective of their destinations, I should be -obliged,” French declared. “I could see all the drivers, and possibly -some one of them might remember the woman.” - -“I can give you that,” the manager assented, “but it will take a little -time to get out.” He rang for a clerk and gave the necessary -instruction, then leaned back in his chair and went on conversationally, -“What’s the trouble? Is it indiscreet to ask?” - -French smiled benevolently. - -“Certainly not,” he assured the other. “I’ll tell you the whole thing. -We believe that the lady I’m after is a crook—a diamond thief. She gave -out that she was the wife of a wealthy American steel magnate, but we -believe she’s no more that than you are. She left the hotel that night -with two trunks and some small luggage, to go to Paris by the 8.20 from -Victoria, and has vanished. I’m trying now to trace her.” - -The manager seemed interested. - -“Well,” he said, “that’s a useful hint you have given just now. Our -drivers record the luggage, that is, outside luggage for which there is -a charge. It’ll narrow the thing down a bit if we’ve only to count -vehicles with two packages outside.” - -“That’s a point,” French admitted, “and a good one. But I only know that -there were two large trunks besides hand luggage. There might have been -more than two packages outside.” - -“It’s not likely. If there was only one lady she would have taken the -hand stuff in with her. Ah, here’s the list.” - -From the tabulated sheet handed to the manager, it appeared that between -the hours of 7.40 and 8.10 on the night in question, no less than -twenty-eight taxis had left the Savoy. Of these, twenty had gone to -theatres. Of the remaining eight, two had gone to Euston, one to King’s -Cross, one to Hampstead, one to Kensington, and three to Victoria. - -“There you are,” said the manager, pointing to the second to Victoria. -“See under extras, ‘Two packages.’ That’s what you want.” - -It looked as if the manager was right. The first of the three vehicles -to Victoria had no outside luggage, and the third was for a party of -five. No. 2 had left at 7.55 with one passenger and two outside -packages. - -“It’s promising enough,” French admitted. “If you could tell me where to -find the driver of that car I should be much obliged.” - -“John Straker.” The manager picked up his desk telephone. “Where is John -Straker at present?” he called, and in a moment to French, “He’s out at -work. He’s on the stand beside the Savoy, and if you go there now, and -don’t mind waiting, you’ll see him. I’ll give you a note to him. It will -make him more ready to talk. He’s a peculiar-looking man, cleanshaven, -with a thin white face and hooked nose and very black eyes; you’ll -recognise him at once. Better take his time-book also. It may bring the -trip back to his memory.” - -French, having thanked the manager, returned to the cab rank. As he -walked down it glancing at the drivers, a taxi drove up and took its -place at the tail of the line. Its driver answered the description, and -when he had switched off his engine and seemed at liberty, French -accosted him and explained his business. - -For some seconds the man pondered, scratching his head and turning over -the leaves of his time-book. At last he looked at French. - -“I remember the trip,” he said. “It’s a strange thing, but that was the -only trip I made to Victoria that week. It’s a place we’re at pretty -often, as you’ll understand. But I remember going that night. It was -with a lady, and she had two big boxes; I remember them because they -were rather big for the space on the car. But I got them fixed up all -right.” - -“Where did you go to?” - -“I believe the main line departure side of Victoria, though I’m not just -certain.” - -“Good!” said French heartily. “Now, could you describe the lady?” - -This, however, was beyond the driver’s powers. He had not noticed her -specially, nor could he describe the porter who had taken the luggage. -But French had not expected that, indeed, he was surprised and delighted -at having got so much. - -The rest of that day and most of the next he spent at Victoria, -interviewing porters, inspectors, ticket collectors, and any other -officials he could find, who might by chance have seen the quarry. But -nowhere had he any luck. The unknown remained unknown. - -As he continued turning the matter over in his mind, a further possible -clue in connection with the trunks occurred to him. They were large; -they could not be taken in the carriage. It was nearly certain, -therefore, that they must have been registered through. Were there -records, he wondered, of such registration? - -He went to the registration office and saw the clerk in charge. Yes, -there were records; they were kept for a while and then destroyed. He -could with a little trouble turn up those for the Newhaven boat train on -the 26th November, and he would certainly do so to oblige the Inspector. - -But the records, when at last they were produced, revealed neither the -name of Mrs. Root nor the fact that any one had registered two large -trunks by that train. - -French discussed the possibility of those in question having been taken -unregistered. It seemed that this was possible, but most unlikely. In -any case, had it been done, the clerk believed the Customs people would -have noted it. But it would take some time to find out. - -“Don’t trouble about it,” French told him; “at least, not in the -meantime.” - -Suppose this woman crook was impersonating Mrs. Root, as he believed she -was, would she not, as soon as she had disposed of the diamonds, seek to -vanish and to resume her real personality? If so, did this not involve -getting rid of the trunks? Did she really require them, or had they -served their purpose when they reached Victoria? - -As a forlorn hope, he decided he would act on this idea. Suppose she -wanted to get rid of them, how would she do it? - -There were several ways, but he felt satisfied that the easiest and best -would be simply to leave them in the left luggage office. A considerable -time would elapse before any question would arise about them, and it -would then probably only take the form of their being opened by the -railway company, and their contents sold for what they would bring. - -He went round to the left luggage office and propounded his inquiry. And -immediately he received a pleasant surprise. The clerk to whom he was -referred smiled, and turning over some papers, pointed to an item. It -read, “Two large American trunks: White Star labels, S. S. _Olympic_. -Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, passenger to Southampton.” - -“Bit of luck for you, sir,” the clerk remarked. “I was looking over the -list only to-day, and I noticed the item. Boxes were left in on 26th of -last month, and have not been claimed.” - -“I want to open them and perhaps take them to the Yard.” - -The necessary authority was soon obtained, and French followed the clerk -to a huge room stored with luggage of all descriptions. Calling the -porter in charge, they were conducted to a corner in which stood two -large boxes, and French, looking at the labels, found they were those of -which he was in search. - -“Pull those out, George,” the clerk directed, “so as this gentleman can -open them, and let him take them away if he wants to. That all you want, -sir?” - -French, left to himself, began by satisfying himself that the -handwriting on the labels was the same as that of the cheques. Then, -taking a bunch of skeleton keys from his pockets, he set to work on the -locks. In a few moments both stood open. - -For a space he stood staring down in amazement at their contents. They -were full of blankets! Just new, thin blankets of a poor cheap quality. -They were fairly tightly packed, and completely filled the trunks. - -He took out the blankets, and opening each out, shook it to make sure -that no small article was concealed in the folds. But there was nothing. - -Nor was there any smooth surface within the empty trunks upon which -finger impressions might have been left. They were lined with canvas, -fine as to quality, but still too rough to carry prints. - -Inspector French felt more puzzled and baffled than ever. What, under -the sun, were the blankets for? And where was the woman who had carried -them about? - -He was certainly no further on as to finding her, whether she had -crossed to France, or travelled to some other point on the Southern -system, or had simply walked out of the station and been swallowed up in -the wilderness of London, she was just as completely lost to him as -ever. Hard luck that so unexpected a lift as the finding of the trunks -should have led to so little. - -But there was one thing it had led to. It settled the question of the -impersonation. On no other hypothesis could the abandonment of the -trunks be explained. - -A point of which he had already thought recurred to him. If the unknown -had impersonated Mrs. Root she either knew her or knew a great deal -about her. The chances, therefore, were that Mrs. Root knew the unknown. -It also seemed pretty certain that Mrs. X, as he began to call the -unknown in his mind, had really crossed in the _Olympic_. How else would -she obtain the labels and the dinner menu? Granted these two -probabilities, it almost certainly followed that the real Mrs. Root and -Mrs. X had met on board. If so, would it not be worth while interviewing -Mrs. Root in the hope that she might by the method of elimination -suggest the names of one or more persons who might have carried out the -trick, and thus provide French with another point of attack. - -Thinking it would be worth while to investigate the matter, he returned -to the Yard and sent a cable to the Pittsburg police asking them to -obtain Mrs. Root’s present address. - -He glanced at his watch. It was not yet five o’clock, and he saw that he -would have time to make another call before going off duty. Fifteen -minutes later he pushed open the door of Dashford’s Inquiry Agency in -Suffolk Street, off the Strand. - -“Mr. Parker in?” he demanded of the bright young lady who came to the -counter, continuing in response to her request for his name, “Inspector -French from the Yard, but Mr. Parker’s an old friend and I’ll just go -right in.” - -The girl eyed him doubtfully as he passed through the counter, and, -crossing the office, tapped at a door in the farther wall. Without -waiting for a reply, he pushed the door open and passed within, shutting -it behind him. - -Writing at a desk in the centre of the room was an enormously stout man. -He did not look up, but grunted impatiently “Well?” - -“Well yourself,” French grunted, mimicking the other’s tone. - -The fat man looked up, then a smile dawned on his rubicund countenance, -and he got heavily to his feet and held out a huge hand. “Why, Joe, old -son, I’m glad to see you. It’s a long time since you blew in. Bring the -chair around to the fire and let’s hear the news.” - -French did as he was told, as he answered, “All’s well, Tom? Busy?” - -“Not too busy for a chat with you. How’s the Yard?” - -“The Yard’s going strong; same old six and eightpence. I often think you -did wisely to chuck it up and start in here. More your own boss, eh?” - -The fat man shook his head. - -“I don’t know,” he said slowly, handing a tobacco pouch to his visitor. -“I don’t know. More your own boss, perhaps; but more worry. If you don’t -get jobs here, you don’t get your pay, and no pension at the end except -the interest on what you save up. I’ve thought of that pension many a -time since I left.” - -“Rubbish!” French exclaimed genially as he filled his pipe. “You’re too -young to be talking of pensions. I was here looking for you about a week -ago, but you were in Scotland.” - -“Yes, I was at that Munro case. Acting for old Munro. I think he’ll pull -it off.” - -“I dare say.” The talk drifted on, then French turned it to the object -of his call. - -“I’m on a case that you people have had a finger in. I wish you’d tell -me what you can about it. It’s that business of Mrs. Root of Pittsburg -that Williams & Davies of Cockspur Street put you on to six weeks ago. -They wanted you to find out what she was like, and if she crossed by the -_Olympic_.” - -“Huh,” said the fat man. “Well, we told ’em. I handled it myself.” - -“Did they tell you why they wanted to know?” - -“Nope. Only asked the question.” - -“That’s where they made the mistake. A woman called on Williams, saying -she was Mrs. Root and had crossed by the _Olympic_. She said she had -lost her despatch case with her passport and tickets and money, and she -wanted a loan of £3000 on the security of diamonds she had in her -trunk.” - -“Well? Was it not right?” - -“It was perfectly right so far. Williams was satisfied from what you -told him that she was the woman, and he lent the money.” - -French paused, smiling, and his friend swore. - -“Confound it, man! Can’t you get on? Were the stones paste?” - -“Not at all. They took them to Stronge, of Hurst & Stronge’s, and he -valued them. They were perfectly all right, worth £3300 odd, -_but_”—French paused and became very impressive—“they were all stolen -from Duke & Peabody the night before!” - -The fat man was visibly impressed. He stared fixedly at French, as he -might had that philosopher turned into Mrs. Root before his eyes. Then -heavily he smote his thigh. - -“Je—hosaphat!” he observed slowly. “The night before! Some crook that! -Tell me.” - -“That’s about all there is to tell,” French declared. “The woman arrived -at the Savoy about eight o’clock, the night before, ostensibly from the -_Olympic_, and she left next night and has vanished. No clue so far. I -traced her to Victoria and there lost the trail.” - -The fat man thought profoundly. - -“Well, if Williams & Davies want to blame us for it, they can look -elsewhere,” he presently announced. “They asked us a question, and we -gave them a correct and immediate reply.” - -“I know that,” French agreed. “Williams asked you the wrong question. -Mrs. Root was impersonated; at least, that’s my theory. But what I -wanted to know from you was how you got your information. Between -ourselves, are you satisfied about it?” - -The fat man shook his fist good-humouredly. - -“Now, young man,” he advised, “don’t you get fresh with me. But I’ll -tell you,” he went on, suddenly grave. “It was through Pinkerton’s. We -have an arrangement with them. I cabled their New York depot and they -got the information.” - -“I knew it would be all right,” French answered, “but I was curious to -know how you worked.” - -The two men chatted for some time, then French said he must go. Half an -hour later he reached his house, and with a sigh of relief at the -thought of his slippers and his arm-chair, let himself in. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - A DEAL IN JEWELLERY - - -INSPECTOR FRENCH’S cheery self-confidence was never so strongly marked -as when his mind was free from misgiving as to his course of action in -the immediate future. When something was obviously waiting to be done he -invariably went straight in and did it, shrinking neither from -difficulty nor unpleasantness, provided only he could carry through his -task to a successful conclusion. It was only when he did not see his way -clear that he became depressed, and then he grew surly as a bear with a -sore head, and his subordinates kept at as great a distance from him as -their several activities would permit. - -On the morning following his conversation with the stout representative -of the inquiry agency, he was in great form, signifying that not only -were his plans for the day satisfactorily in being, but that no doubt of -their super-excellence clouded his mind. He had decided first to call on -the jewellers to whom Mrs. X had paid the cheques, after which, if these -visits indicated no fresh line of attack, he would prosecute inquiries -at the White Star company’s office. By that time a reply from Pittsburg -should have arrived. - -When he had made his usual report at the Yard, he took out the cheques -and made a note of the places to be visited. The first two were in -Piccadilly, and he began his quest by taking a bus thither. - -By one o’clock he had been round the whole six, and as he sat lunching -in a small French restaurant off Cranbourne Street, he thought over what -he had learned. In each shop, after more or less delay, he had found the -salesman who had served Mrs. X. All six men remembered her, and her -proceedings with each seemed to have been the same. In each case she had -asked for a piece of jewellery for a dear friend who was going to be -married—something plain, but good; a diamond ring or a jewelled bangle -or some costly trifle which would please a young girl’s fancy. In each -shop her purchases came to somewhere between two and three hundred -pounds, and in each case she had proffered a cheque. She had volunteered -to wait while a messenger was sent to the bank, as she had admitted that -she couldn’t expect the shop people to take her cheque when they didn’t -know her. The salesmen had all protested that this was unnecessary, and -had politely kept her talking while they took the precaution. Finally, a -telephone from the bank having reassured them, they had handed her her -purchase and bowed her out. None of them had either noticed or suspected -anything unusual in the transactions, and all were satisfied everything -about them was O. K. - -French was considerably puzzled by the whole business, but under the -stimulus of a cup of coffee, a possible theory flashed into his mind. - -Was it not probable that this purchase of costly but commonplace -articles of jewellery at six different shops was simply a part of the -plan to transform Mr. Duke’s sixteen stones into money? As he thought -over it, French thought he could dimly grasp that plan as a whole. -First, the minds of Mr. Williams and of Mr. Hurst were prepared for what -was coming by a previous visit. It was impossible that any suspicion -could attach to that first visit, as when it was paid the robbery had -not taken place. And now French saw that, but for the accident of the -clerk, Orchard, visiting the office, these two gentlemen would not have -known anything about the robbery when the second call was made, a -distinctly clever achievement from the criminal’s point of view. -However, be that as it might, Mrs. X’s bluff carried her through, and -she exchanged her stones, or rather Mr. Duke’s, for Mr. Williams’s -cheque. But she was evidently afraid to cash the whole of the cheque, -and French saw her point, namely, that the opening of an account and the -lodging of £1500 was an astute move, calculated to prevent the suspicion -that might possibly be caused by the cashing of £3000 in small notes. -But this safeguard left her with the necessity of devising a plan for -cashing her deposit, and here, in the purchase of the jewellery, French -saw the plan. _Would she not sell what she had just bought?_ If she -could do so, there was the whole £3000 changed into untraceable notes. - -Of course there would be a loss at every step of the operation. There -was first of all a loss in disposing of the jewels. Mr. Stronge had -valued them at £3300, and she had received only £3000 from Mr. Williams. -She would lose even more heavily if she really had sold the jewellery -she bought in Piccadilly and Regent Street, and she had lost a small -deposit which she had left in her bank. But in spite of this, her scheme -was well worth while. By it she would obtain perhaps seventy to eighty -per cent. of the value of the stones, whereas, if she had dealt with one -of the recognised fences she would not have received more than from -fifteen to twenty per cent. Moreover, her plan was safe. Up to the -present she had succeeded in concealing her identity, but application to -a fence would have left her either in his power to blackmail, or in that -of the intermediary she employed to reach him. No, the plan was clear -enough and good enough, too, and in spite of all French’s optimism there -remained at the back of his mind the sinking fear that she might yet -pull it off. - -But if this theory were true, it followed that if he could trace these -sales he would be furnished with another jumping-off place or places -from which to resume his quest of the elusive Mrs. X. His next problem -therefore became, had Mrs. X sold the trinkets, and if so, could he -trace the sales? - -He went back to the six jewellers, and obtained a detailed description -of the articles bought. Then he returned to the Yard, and with the help -of a directory and his knowledge of the City, drew up a list of dealers -who might be expected to handle such business. Half a dozen -plain-clothes men were then impressed into the service, with orders to -call on these persons and find out if any of the articles in question -had fallen into their hands. - -Inspector French had just completed these arrangements when a cable was -handed to him. It was in reply to his of the previous night, and read: - - “Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, Hotel Bellegarde, Mürren, till end of - month.” - -Mürren? That was in Switzerland, wasn’t it? He sent for an atlas and a -Continental Bradshaw, and looked it up. Yes, it was in Switzerland; -moreover, it was close to where he had already been, past that lake with -the marvellous colouring—the Lake of Thun, and so to Interlaken and the -far-famed Bernese Oberland, places which he had long desired to visit. -It was with more than a little eagerness that he once more ran over his -reasons for wanting to see Mrs. Root, and then, satisfied, went to his -chief’s room. The great man listened and was convinced, and French, -jubilant, went to prepare for his departure on the following evening. - -On his way to the Yard next morning, he called at the White Star offices -and got a copy of the _Olympic’s_ passenger list of the trip in -question. The ship, they told him, was in New York, but would be sailing -in another three days. She would therefore be due in Southampton on the -following Wednesday week. - -He learned also that specimens of the handwriting of each traveller were -available. Forms were filled and declarations signed both in connection -with the purchase of the ticket and with the passing of the luggage -through the customs. If French was anxious to examine these, he could do -so by applying to their Southampton office or to the customs authorities -in the same city. - -French decided that if his interview with Mrs. Root led to nothing, he -would follow this advice, and he resolved that in this case he would go -to Southampton when the _Olympic_ was in, so as to interview the ship’s -staff as well. - -When he returned to the Yard, he found that some information had already -come in about the jewellery. One of his six plain-clothes men had had a -stroke of luck. At his very first call, Robsons’ of Oxford Street, he -had found a ring which answered the description of one of the purchased -articles, and which had been bought from a lady on the afternoon of the -day after that on which Mrs. X had opened her bank account. He had taken -the ring to Messrs. Lewes & Tottenham, who had made the sale in -question, and they identified it as that sold to Mrs. X and paid for by -a Mrs. Root’s cheque. Robson had paid £190 for it, while Messrs. Lewes & -Tottenham had charged £225, so the lady had lost rather badly over the -transaction. She had taken her money in notes of small value, the -numbers of which had not been observed. - -The assistant at Robsons’ who had served Mrs. X could not recall her -appearance; in fact, it was only when confronted with the records of the -purchase that he remembered the matter at all. But he was satisfied the -client was an American lady, and he thought she was neither very old nor -very young, nor in any way remarkable looking. - -Inspector French was delighted with his news. It proved to him beyond -possibility of doubt that his theory was correct. The purchase of these -jewels was simply part of the plan to turn the stolen diamonds into -money in a form which could not be traced. Further, it showed that he -had also been right in assuming the lady had not gone to France on the -evening she drove to Victoria; on the following day she was still in -London. - -But so far as he could see, the discovery brought him no nearer to -finding the mysterious woman. The dealer’s assistant could not describe -her, nor had she left any traces which could be followed up. In fact, -here was another promising clue which bade fair to vanish in smoke, and -as he thought over the possibility, some measure of chagrin began to -dull the keenness of his delight. - -During the forenoon another of the plain-clothes men struck oil, and by -lunch time a third transaction had come to light. Unfortunately, both of -these cases was as unproductive as the original discovery. None of the -shop people could remember who had sold the trinket. French went himself -to each shop, but his most persistent efforts failed to extract any -further information. - -That night he left for Mürren. In due time he reached Berne, and -changing trains, travelled down past Spiez, under the great conical hill -of Niesen, along the shores of the lake of Thun and into Interlaken. -There he slept the night, and next morning took the narrow gauge line -that led south into the heart of the giants of the Bernese Oberland. He -felt overpowered by the towering chain of mountains, the Matterhorn, the -Eiger, the Mönch, the Jungfrau, and as they wound their way up the -narrow valley he felt as if the overwhelming masses were closing down on -him from either side. Reaching Lauterbrunnen, he went up by the -funiculaire to the Mürren plateau, and continued his way by the electric -tramway to the famous resort. There, as he walked to the Bellegarde, he -gazed fascinated across the valley at the mighty buttresses of the -Jungfrau, one summit of dazzling white succeeding another, up and up and -up into the clear, thin blue of the sky. It took more to bring him to -earth than a fellow-traveller’s gratified suggestion that at last they -would be able to get a decent drink after all that travelling through -the snow. He and his new friend went to the bar of the Bellegarde and -had two of Scotch, and gradually the magic of the mountains faded, and -the interview with Mrs. Root began to reassume its former importance. - -An examination of the register revealed the name, Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, -Pittsburg, U. S. A., same as at the Savoy, but here it was written in -quite a different hand. The real Mrs. Root this time, French thought, as -he turned away from the office. - -He decided to wait until after lunch before tackling the lady, but he -got the head waiter to point her out as she entered the restaurant. She -undoubtedly answered the description given by the American detectives as -well as by Mr. Williams, but on looking at her he recognized more than -ever the vague and unsatisfactory nature of that description. It was one -that would apply to hundreds of women. - -In the lounge after lunch he spoke to her. He apologised for intruding, -explained who he was, and begged that she would give him an interview, -and, if possible, some information. - -“Why certainly,” she agreed. “We’ll go right to my sitting-room,” and -French told himself that from nowhere on earth save the United States of -America could that voice have come. - -“You are Mrs. Chauncey S. Root?” he began, when they were settled in the -private room of the best suite the hotel contained. “I should be glad -if, before we begin to talk, you would be good enough to let me see your -passport. I shall explain why later.” - -“I guess you’d better tell me first,” she returned, leaning back in her -arm-chair and lighting a cigarette. - -French smiled. - -“As you will, madam. The fact is that two ladies, each calling herself -Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, of Pittsburg, U. S. A., crossed by the _Olympic_ -to Southampton. I have been sent from Scotland Yard to find out which is -the real one.” - -The lady looked incredulous. - -“Say, now, what started you on to that yarn? I crossed by the _Olympic_, -but there was no one else of that name aboard.” - -“Nevertheless a Mrs. Chauncey S. Root, who had just crossed by the -_Olympic_, turned up at the Savoy Hotel on the day the ship reached -Liverpool, and put through a fraud on a man in London to the tune of -£3000. I know, madam, it was not you, but I have to get some proof of it -that will convince my superiors.” - -With little ejaculations of interest and astonishment the lady arose, -and unlocking a despatch case, took from it a book. - -“You can have that passport right now,” she declared. “You have -interested me quite a lot. Start right in and tell me the story.” - -French examined the document, and as he did so his last doubt vanished. -The lady before him was Mrs. Root. Mrs. X remained—Mrs. X. - -Asking her to keep the story to herself, he told her in considerable -detail all that he knew of Mr. Williams’s mysterious visitor, -continuing: - -“Now, Mrs. Root, you will see where I want your help. Some one has -impersonated you, some one who more than probably crossed with you from -New York. I want you to think whom it might have been. Here’s a copy of -the passenger list. Please take your time, and go over the people you -met on the trip. Eliminate those you are sure of, and put a mark -opposite the others. You follow what I mean?” - -“I follow you all right, but it isn’t as easy as you seem to think. I -couldn’t remember all the people I came across between New York and -London.” - -“I suppose not. But, after all, the thing isn’t so big as that. Only a -very few of the women would fill the bill. First, she must be roughly of -your height and your figure—not very like, of course, but -approximately. You need not mind her colouring, for she could make that -up—except her eyes; her eyes are a light golden brown. Can you remember -any one with eyes like that?” - -The lady shook her head, and French went on: - -“Then she must be a clever woman; clever and courageous and determined, -and something of an actress also. She must be all those things to have -carried such a deal off successfully.” - -French paused to allow his words to sink in, then continued once more: - -“And she knows quite a lot about you. Not only has she observed your -appearance, but she would obviously try to find out all she could about -you, so that she might answer questions she might be asked. Do none of -these points bring any one to your mind? Please, Mrs. Root, try to help -me. If you cannot give me some ideas I may as well confess I don’t know -where to turn next.” - -“Well, I’ll do what I can, but I don’t see any light so far.” She -crossed the room and once more hunted through the despatch case. “Here -are some pictures I took with my kodak. Maybe they’ll suggest some one.” - -There were two dozen or more photographs of groups of passengers, taken -on board the liner. Mrs. Root began with systematic precision to go -through them. As she pointed to each individual she repeated to the -Inspector what she knew about her. - -“Mrs. Jelfs—guess she wouldn’t do—too fat. Miss—Miss——I just don’t -recall that young woman’s name. But she’s too tall anyway; half a head -taller’n me. Next is Haidee Squance, daughter of Old Man Squance of -Consolidated Oil. I’ve known her since I’ve known anything. Then this -one is—say now, who is this one? I’ve got it; a little girl called -Dinsmore: Irish, I think. She’s no good either—eyes of the lightest -blue I ever saw. Next is Mrs. Purce,” and so on for five-and-twenty -minutes by the electric clock on the mantelpiece. - -French was highly delighted with the efficient way in which his hostess -had tackled the job, but when all was said and done the result was -disappointingly small. Eight persons in the photographs had been marked -as possibles, of whom Mrs. Root remembered the names of five. Of these -five, one, a Mrs. Ward, whom Mrs. Root had met for the first time on -board, seemed the most likely for several reasons. She was about Mrs. -Root’s height, though stouter, had, Mrs. Root believed, light brown -eyes, and had been friendly, and, Mrs. Root now remembered, just a -trifle inquisitive. But she was ruled out by her nationality. That she -really was English, as she claimed, Mrs. Root had no doubt whatever. -French showed her the cheques, but she could not recall ever having seen -the handwriting in which they were filled out. - -But she did give him one hint that he felt might prove valuable. She -said that the stewardess who had looked after her cabin was a peculiarly -intelligent and observant woman. Mrs. Root had been surprised on -different occasions by the intimate knowledge of herself and her fellow -travellers which this stewardess exhibited. She did not exactly accuse -her of spying, but she thought she would be more likely to answer -French’s inquiries than any one else he could find. She did not remember -the woman’s name, but she was rather striking-looking, with dark eyes, a -young face, and perfectly white hair, and he would have no difficulty in -identifying her. - -Mrs. Root was extremely interested in the whole affair, and begged the -Inspector to keep her posted as to developments. This he promised to do, -as he took his leave. - -He had now more reason than ever for visiting Southampton when the -_Olympic_ was next in, and he set out on the following morning on his -return journey, reaching London on the Tuesday afternoon. - -At the Yard he found that three more of the transactions of the -mysterious lady had come to light, but unfortunately in each case -without supplying any clue which might lead to her identification. These -discoveries accounted for some £1200 worth of the jewellery Mrs. X had -bought, and for this she had received £1090, making a loss on the -transaction of only about nine per cent. - -He took an early opportunity of visiting Mr. Williams, to ask him if he -could identify his mysterious caller in Mrs. Root’s group. But the -money-lender was not illuminative. He did not reply for some time, -turning the cards over as if uncertain, but finally he pointed to Mrs. -Ward’s figure. - -“That’s like the lady,” he said doubtfully, “but I confess I am not sure -of her. If it is she, it is an uncommonly bad photograph.” He continued -staring at the picture. “You know,” he went on slowly, “I’ve seen that -woman before; that woman that you say is Mrs. Ward. I’ve certainly seen -her somewhere. It’s a curious thing, but I had the same impression when -my visitor called here with the diamonds; I thought vaguely that I had -seen her before. But I wasn’t so sure as I am about this Mrs. Ward. -Somewhere, at some time, I’ve seen her. I wish to heaven I could -remember where.” - -“I wish to heaven you could,” French agreed in somewhat aggrieved tones. -“It would make things a lot easier for me.” - -“If I can’t remember to help find my £3000, it’s not likely I shall be -able to do it to ease your job,” the other declared dryly. “I can’t -place her. I’ve thought and thought, and it’s no good. Some one I’ve -seen in a train or a restaurant most likely. I don’t think it’s any one -I’ve ever met.” - -French next called at the Piccadilly branch of the London and Counties -Bank, and saw Mr. Scarlett and the clerk, Plenteous. Both these -gentlemen hesitatingly selected Mrs. Ward’s photograph as being like -that of their mysterious client, though neither believed it was she. As -in the case of Mr. Williams, the manager thought the lady’s features -were familiar, though he was sure he had never met her before. With -this, French had to be content. - -He spent his afternoon in driving round the shops and agents with whom -the elusive Mrs. X had dealt. Of the eleven assistants who had served -her, seven thought she was like Mrs. Ward, and four could not recall her -appearance. - -All this testimony was very unsatisfactory to French, but he thought the -balance of probability was in favour of Mrs. Ward being the woman he -sought, and more hopeful than he had been for some time, he travelled -down to Southampton on the Wednesday evening, so as to be there for the -arrival of the _Olympic_ on the following day. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - THE ELUSIVE MRS. X - - -INSPECTOR FRENCH put up at a small hotel near the town station, and next -morning was early at the White Star offices. There he learned that the -_Olympic_ was even at that moment coming in, and he went down to the -quays and watched the berthing of the monster vessel. It was an -impressive experience to see her creep up to her place, manœuvre into -position, and make fast. Then from her gangways began to stream the -travellers who, for the better part of a week, had journeyed aboard her. -Some were hurrying, already intent on business or anxious to catch -trains, others leisurely awaiting taxis and motorcars, some smilingly -greeting friends or waving farewells to voyage acquaintances, all -drifting gradually away, their places taken by others—and still -others. . . . French began to think the exodus would never cease, but at -last the crowd diminished, and he pushed his way on board and began a -search for the purser. Urgent work in connection with the arrival -prevented that busy official from attending to him at once, but he sent -a steward to show French to his cabin, and presently joined him there. - -“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Inspector,” he apologised. “You want -some information about our home trip in late November?” - -“Yes,” French answered, and he explained his business and produced Mrs. -Root’s marked photographs, concluding, “I want to find out the names and -addresses of these eight women, and as much information as possible -about them.” - -“I’m afraid I could scarcely give you that,” the purser answered. “The -records of each trip go ashore at the end of the trip, and I have only -those of this present run. But some of the staff might remember the -names of the ladies, and if so, you could get their addresses at the -office ashore.” - -“That would do excellently. I have a copy of the passenger list here, if -it would be of any use.” - -“Yes, it would be a reminder. Let me see now if I can help you myself, -and if not, I think I can put you in the way of getting to know.” He -began to scrutinise the photographs. - -“That’s Mrs. Root,” French indicated, moving round and looking over the -other’s shoulder. “She gave me the names of five, but I should like to -check her recollection. The other three she couldn’t remember.” - -The purser nodded as he turned the pictures over. “That’s a Mrs. -Forbes,” he pointed, “and I rather think that is a Miss Grayson or -Graves or some name like that. I remember most of these other faces, but -not the people’s names.” - -“Mrs. Forbes and Miss Grayson are correct according to Mrs. Root.” - -The purser laid down the photographs with the air of quiet decision -which seemed characteristic. - -“I’m afraid that’s my limit.” He touched a bell. “Ask Mrs. Hope to come -here,” he ordered, continuing to French, “Mrs. Hope is the chief -stewardess. You can go round with her, and I expect she’ll get you what -you want all right.” - -Mrs. Hope was an efficient-looking woman, who quickly grasped what was -required of her. She asked French to accompany her to her sanctum, and -there looked over the photographs. She was herself able to identify six -of the portraits, and on calling on some of her underlings, the names of -the remaining two were speedily forthcoming. - -French was glad to find that Mrs. Root’s recollection of the names of -her fellow travellers had been correct as far as it had gone, and as he -left the great vessel he devoutly hoped that she might have been correct -also in her belief that Mrs. X was among the eight women she had -indicated. If so, he was well on his way to identify that elusive lady. - -He returned to the White Star office and explained that he wanted to -know the Christian names, addresses, and other available particulars of -the eight women whose names were marked on the passenger list which he -handed in, as well as to see a specimen of the handwriting of each. - -He realised that the only conclusive test was the handwriting. If one of -the eight women wrote the hand of the Mrs. X cheques, he had reached his -goal. If not, he determined to go through the declarations of every -woman who had crossed on the trip in question in the hope of finding -what he sought. - -The clerk who had been instructed to attend to him brought out a mass of -papers. “I wonder,” he said apologetically, “if you would mind looking -through these yourself? It is our busy day, and I’ve an awful lot to get -through. You see, it’s quite simple. These are the embarkation -declarations for the trip, and you can turn up any one you want quite -easily. They are arranged in alphabetical order in the different -classes. They’ll give you what you want to know straight off.” - -“Right you are,” French declared, delighted thus to get a free hand. -“Don’t you bother about me. I’ll peg away, and come and ask you if I get -into trouble.” - -He “pegged away,” looking up the declaration of each of the eight women, -noting the name, address, nationality, and other particulars, and then -comparing the handwriting with the signatures on the Mrs. X cheques. - -He was not a handwriting expert, but he knew enough about the science to -recognise the characteristics which remain unchanged when the writing is -disguised. He was, therefore, very patient and thorough in his search, -never passing a signature because it looked unlike the model at first -sight, but testing each by the rules he had learned, and satisfying -himself that it really had been written by a different hand. - -He went on without incident until he reached the eighth name on his -list. But when he turned to the declaration of Mrs. Ward, the lady whom -Mrs. Root had thought the most likely of the lot, he gave a sudden -little chuckle of delight. There was the hand of the cheques, the same -hand unquestionably, and written without any attempt at disguise! There -it was! Mrs. Elizabeth Ward, aged 39, British subject, etc., etc., of -Oaklands, Thirsk Road, York. He had reached his goal! - -But immediately he was assailed by misgivings, Mrs. Root had thought of -Mrs. Ward, but had ruled her out because of her nationality. Mrs. Ward, -she had said, was English, while all the people who had seen Mrs. X, -seventeen or eighteen persons at least, had agreed she was an American. -He would have assumed that Mrs. Root had made a mistake, but for the -fact that the declaration said English also. French was puzzled, and he -decided that he would go back to the ship and ascertain the views of the -staff on the point. - -But they all supported Mrs. Root. Mrs. Ward was English; undoubtedly and -unquestionably English. The stewards and the stewardesses had some -experience on the point, and they guessed they knew. Also he came across -the doctor, who, it appeared, had spoken on several occasions to Mrs. -Ward, and he was equally positive. - -It chanced that as he was leaving the ship he encountered the woman to -whom Mrs. Root had advised him to apply, the striking-looking stewardess -with dark eyes and white hair, and he stopped and spoke to her. - -Unfortunately, she could not tell him very much. She remembered Mrs. -Ward, both by name and appearance, though she had not attended to her. -But it chanced, nevertheless, that her attention had been specially -directed to her because of a certain incident which had taken place -towards the end of the voyage. Passing down the corridor while lunch was -being served, she had seen the door of one of the cabins in her own -charge, open slightly, and a lady appear and glance quickly round, as if -to see if she was unobserved. The cabin was occupied by a Mrs. Root, an -American, but the lady was this Mrs. Ward. Something stealthy and -furtive in her appearance had excited the stewardess’s suspicion, and -she had drawn back into another cabin to await developments. Mrs. Ward, -evidently satisfied that she was unnoticed, had turned to the dining -saloon, and taken her place. The stewardess had kept her eye on her, and -after the meal she had seen her go up to Mrs. Root and speak to her, as -if reporting the result of her mission. This action had lulled the -stewardess’s suspicion, but she had returned to Mrs. Root’s cabin and -had had a look round to see if anything had been disturbed. So far as -she could see, nothing had, nor had Mrs. Root made any complaint about -her things having been interfered with. - -If further confirmation of his suspicions were needed, French felt that -this episode supplied it. Doubtless Mrs. Ward was amassing information -as to the other’s clothes and belongings to assist her in her -impersonation. Perhaps also she was photographing envelopes or other -documents of which to prepare forgeries in case of need. - -There still remained the difficulty of her nationality. Obviously it is -easy to mimic the accent and manner of a foreigner, but French found it -hard to believe that such mimicry could be so perfect as to deceive a -large number of persons, many of whom were experts on that particular -point. This, however, was only a small part of the general problem, and -did not affect his next business, to find Mrs. Elizabeth Ward, Thirsk -Road, York. - -He went ashore, and, turning into a telegraph office, sent a wire to the -chief of police at York, asking him if a lady of that name lived at the -address in question and, if so, to wire was she at home. - -His next business was at police headquarters, and thither he was -directing his steps when a thought struck him, and he turned aside to -the sheds in which the transatlantic luggage is examined. Several of the -customs officers were still there, and he went up and spoke to one of -them. - -“Now,” the young fellow answered in surprise, “it’s a darned queer thing -that you came to me about that. Quite a coincidence, that is. I know the -man who went through those trunks. He told me about it at the time. It -seemed a darned silly thing that any one should want to bring trunks of -blankets from America. If you come along I’ll find him for you. And so -the lady’s wanted, is she? Say, Jack!” he called a colleague, another -clean, efficient young fellow of the same type, “here’s some one wants -you. He wants to know about those trunks of blankets you were telling me -about two or three trips of the _Olympic_ back. A darned queer -coincidence that he should come to me about them. That’s what I call -it!” - -“Yes, you’ve made a lucky shot, haven’t you?” the second man said to -French. “I remember the trunks and the lady they belonged to, because I -couldn’t understand why any one should want to bring trunks of blankets -across the Atlantic. I’ve never known any one do it before.” - -“You didn’t make any remark about them,” French asked. - -“No, but she did. She said she reckoned I hadn’t often seen trunks of -blankets brought over from America. You see, I was a bit suspicious at -first, and was examining the things pretty carefully. I said that was -so, and she said she was taking back a small but valuable collection of -porcelain ornaments, which she would pack in the blankets, and that when -she had to bring the trunks anyway, she thought she might as well bring -the packing as well and so save buying new. I thought the whole business -a bit off, but there was nothing dutiable in the case, and it wasn’t my -job to interfere. Is there anything wrong about it?” - -“I don’t know,” French told him. “I think the woman was a crook, but I’m -not on to the blanket stunt yet. By the way, is she in one of those -groups?” - -The young man identified Mrs. Ward without hesitation, and French, -finding he had learned all that the customs men could tell him, resumed -his way to the police station. - -He wondered what this blanket business really did mean. Then as he -walked slowly along with head bent forward and eyes vacantly scanning -the pavement, a possible explanation occurred to him. These trunks, -apparently, were required solely as properties to assist in the fraud. -Mrs. Root, the wife of a Pittsburg magnate, would scarcely arrive at the -Savoy from America without American trunks. But when Mrs. Root came to -disappear, the trunks would become an embarrassment. They would have to -be got rid of, and, as a matter of fact, they were got rid of. They must -therefore contain nothing of the lady’s, no personal possession which -might act as a clue to its owner. But they must contain something. Empty -trunks would be too light, and might be observed by the chambermaid, and -comments might be occasioned among the hotel staff which might reach the -management, and which would become important if Mr. Williams rang up to -make his inquiries. But blankets would exactly fill the bill; indeed, -French could think of nothing more suitable for the purpose. They would -give the trunks a moderate weight, they would not supply a clue to Mrs. -Ward, and they would be cheap, while their presence could be accounted -for sufficiently reasonably to the customs officers. Yes, French -thought, it was a probable enough explanation. - -Arrived at the police station, he sent in his name with a request to see -the officer in charge. - -Superintendent Hayes had been stationed in London before he got his -present appointment, and had come across French on more than one -occasion. He therefore greeted the Inspector cordially, found him a -comfortable chair, and supplied him with an excellent cigar. - -“From Trinidad,” he explained. “I get them direct from a man I know out -there. And what’s the best news of you?” - -They discussed old times for some minutes, then French turned to the -business in hand. - -“It’s an interesting case,” he said as he gave the other the details, -continuing, “The woman must be a pretty cool hand. She could easily -invent that tale about losing her passport, for old Williams’s -edification, but under the circumstances her coming to you about it was -a bit class.” - -“She had a nerve, yes,” the Superintendent admitted. “But, you see, it -was necessary. She must have known that the absence of the passport -would strike Williams as suspicious, and it was necessary for her to -remove that suspicion. She couldn’t very well get a bag of that kind -stolen without informing the police, so she had to inform them. She -would see how easily Williams could check her statement, as indeed he -did. No, I don’t see how she could have avoided coming to us. It was an -obvious precaution.” - -“I quite agree with all you say,” French returned, “but it argues a cool -customer for all that; not only, so to speak, putting her head into the -lion’s mouth, but at the same time calling his attention to it’s being -there. Anyway, I’ve got to find her, and I wish you’d let me have -details about her. I’ve got some from the _Olympic_ people, but I want -to pick up everything I can.” - -The Superintendent telephoned to some one to “send up Sergeant McAfee,” -and when a tall, cadaverous man entered, he introduced him as the man -who had dealt with the business in question. - -“Sergeant McAfee has just been transferred to us from Liverpool,” he -explained. “Sit down, McAfee. Inspector French wants to know some -details about that woman who lost her handbag coming off the _Olympic_ -some seven weeks ago. I think you handled the thing. Do you remember a -Mrs. Root of Pittsburg?” - -“I mind her rightly, sir,” the man answered in what French believed was -a Belfast accent. “But it wasn’t coming off the _Olympic_ she lost it. -It was later on that same day, though it was on the quays right enough.” - -“Tell us all you can about it.” - -The Sergeant pulled out his notebook. “I have it in me other book,” he -announced. “If ye’ll excuse me, I’ll get it.” - -In a moment he returned, sat down, and turning over the dog’s-eared -pages of a well-worn book, began as if reciting evidence in court: - -“On the 24th November last at about 3.00 p.m., I was passing through the -crowd on the outer quays when I heard a woman cry out. ‘Thief, thief,’ -she shouted, and she ran up and caught me by the arm. She was middling -tall and thinnish, her face pale and her hair dark. She spoke in an -American voice, and seemed upset or excited. She said to me, breathless -like, ‘Say, officer,’ she said, ‘I’ve just had my despatch case stolen.’ -I asked her where, and how, and what was in it. She said right there -where we were standing, and not three seconds before. She was carrying -it in her hand, and it was snatched out of it. She turned round and saw -a man juke away in the crowd. She shouted and made after him, but he was -away before she could get near. I asked her what the case was like, and -she said a small square brown morocco leather one with gold fittings. I -went and told the two men on duty close by, and we kept a watch on the -exits, but we never saw a sign of it.” Sergeant McAfee shook his head -gloomily as he concluded. “She hadn’t any call to be carrying a gold -fitted case in that crowd anyway.” - -“That’s a fact, Sergeant,” the Superintendent agreed. “And you never -came on any trace of it?” - -“No, sir. I brought her up to the station, and took her name and all -particulars. There’s the report.” He unfolded a paper and laid it on the -Superintendent’s desk. - -In the document was a detailed description of the lady, of the alleged -despatch case and its contents, and of the means that had been taken to -try to trace it. The pawnbrokers had been advised and a special watch -kept on fences and other usual channels for the disposal of stolen -goods. - -When French had digested these particulars, he brought out once more his -photographs and handed them to the Sergeant. - -“Look at those, Sergeant, and tell me if you see the woman among them.” - -Slowly the Sergeant turned them over, gazing at them in precisely the -same puzzled way as had done Mr. Williams, Mr. Scarlett, and the other -London men to whom they had been shown. And with the same doubt and -hesitation he presently fixed on Mrs. Ward. - -“That would be to be her,” he declared slowly, “that is, if she’s there -at all. It isn’t a good likeness, but I believe it’s her all the same.” - -“You wouldn’t swear to her?” - -“I’d hardly. But I believe it’s her for all that.” - -French nodded. The Sergeant’s statement, agreeing as it did with those -of Messrs. Williams, Scarlett and Co., seemed capable of but one -explanation. Mrs. X was Mrs. Ward all right, but before meeting these -men she had made herself up to impersonate Mrs. Root. They saw a -likeness to Mrs. Ward because it really was she, but they were doubtful -because she was disguised. - -The Inspector leaned forward and tapped the photograph. - -“Put it this way, Sergeant,” he suggested. “Here is a picture of the -lady as she really is. When you saw her she was made up to look like -another woman. How’s that, do you think?” - -In Sergeant McAfee’s lacklustre eye there shone a sudden gleam. “That’s -just what it is, sir,” he answered with an approach to something almost -like interest in his manner. “That’s it and no mistake. She’s like the -photograph by her features, but not by her make-up.” He nodded his head -several times in appreciation. - -“Very good.” Inspector French invariably liked as many strings to his -bow as he could get. “Now I want some hint from you that will help me -trace her.” - -But this was just what Sergeant McAfee could not supply. The woman had -given two addresses, the Savoy in London and Mrs. Root’s home in -Pittsburg. There was no help in either, and no other information was -forthcoming. - -He lunched with his friend the Superintendent, afterwards withdrawing to -the lounge of his hotel to have a quiet smoke and to think things over. - -While he sat there, a page appeared with a telegram. It was a reply from -the police at York and read: - - “Your wire. No one of that name or address known.” - -French swore disgustedly. He had, of course, realised that the name -might be false, but yet he had hoped against hope that he might really -have reached the end of at least this portion of his quest. But here he -was, as far from the truth as ever! He would now have to make a fresh -start to trace this elusive lady—he used another adjective in his -mind—and he couldn’t see that he was any better equipped for the search -now than when he had started out from Mr. Williams’s office. It was a -confoundedly exasperating case—just bristling with promising clues -which one after another petered out as he came to follow them up. Being -on it was like trying to cross a stream on stepping-stones which -invariably gave way when he came to place his weight on them. It was an -annoying thought also that that would scarcely be the view his chief -would take of the matter. The chief had not been over-complimentary -already in his comments on his handling of the case, and French felt -that he would view this new check in anything but a sympathetic spirit. - -However, grousing about it wouldn’t lead anywhere, and with an effort he -switched his thoughts back to his problem. As he thought it over a -further point occurred to him. - -Since his first visit to the Savoy he had wondered why the lady had -turned up there so much later than the other passengers from the -_Olympic_, and now he saw the reason. The episode of the handbag had -taken place some four hours after the vessel’s arrival, long after the -special boat train had left. Mrs. X—for she was still Mrs. X—must -therefore have travelled up by an afternoon train, probably the 5.26 or -6.22 p.m. from the West Station, which got in 6.58 and 8.20 -respectively. Now, why this delay? What had she done during these four -hours? - -The answer was not far to seek. Was it not to give her time and -opportunity to assume her disguise? He felt it must be so. - -The lady was her natural self—other than in name—on board the -_Olympic_, and having no opportunity to alter her appearance, she had -passed through the customs in the same character. Hence the ship’s staff -and the customs officer had instantly recognised her photograph. But it -was obvious that her impersonation of Mrs. Root must begin before she -interviewed the Southampton police, and that accounted for the -hesitation of Sergeant McAfee and the people in London in identifying -her. She had therefore made herself up between passing through the -customs at, say, eleven o’clock, and calling on the Sergeant at three. -Where was she during those four hours? - -He put himself in her place. Confronted with her problem, what would he -have done? - -Gone to a hotel, unquestionably. Taken a room in which to assume the -disguise. Had Mrs. X engaged a bedroom in one of the Southampton hotels -for that afternoon? - -As he thought over the thing, further probabilities occurred to him. The -lady would go up to her bedroom as one person and come down as another. -Therefore, surely, the larger the hotel, the less chance of the -transformation being observed. One of a crowd, she would go to the -reception office and engage a room for a few hours’ rest, and pay for it -then and there. Then, having accomplished the make-up, she would slip -out, unobserved in the stream of passers-by. Yes, French felt sure he -was on the right track, and, with a fresh accession of energy, he jumped -to his feet, knocked out his pipe, and left the building. - -He called first at the South Western and made his inquiries. But here he -drew blank. At the Dolphin he had no better luck, but at the Polygon he -found what he wanted. After examining the records, the reception clerk -there was able to recall the transaction. About midday an American lady -had come in, and saying she wanted a few hours’ rest before catching the -5.26 to London, had engaged a bedroom on a quiet floor until that hour. -She had registered, and French, on looking up the book, was delighted to -find once more the handwriting of the lady of the cheques. It was true -that on this occasion she figured as Mrs. Silas R. Clamm, of Hill Drive, -Boston, Mass.; but knowing what he knew of her habits, French would have -been surprised to have found a name he had seen before. - -At first he was delighted at so striking a confirmation of his theory, -but as he pursued his inquiries his satisfaction vanished, and once more -depression and exasperation swept over him. For the reception clerk -could not remember anything more than the mere fact of the letting of -the room, and no one else in the building remembered the woman at all. -With his usual pertinacity, he questioned all who might have come in -contact with her, but from none of them did he receive the slightest -help. That Mrs. X had made herself up at the hotel for her impersonation -stunt was clear, but unfortunately it was equally clear that she had -vanished from the building without leaving any trace. - -The worst of the whole business was that he didn’t see what more he -could do. The special clues upon which he had been building had failed -him, and he felt there was now nothing for it but to fall back on the -general one of the photographs. One of the portraits was excellently -clear as to details, and he decided he would have an enlargement made of -Mrs. X, and circulate it among the police in the hope that some member -at some time might recognise the lady. Not a very hopeful method -certainly, but all he had left. - -He took an evening train from the West Station, and a couple of hours -afterwards reached his home, a thoroughly tired and disgruntled man. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - MRS. FRENCH TAKES A NOTION - - -BY the time Inspector French had finished supper and lit up a pipe of -the special mixture he affected, he felt in considerably better form. He -determined that instead of going early to bed, as he had intended while -in the train, he would try to induce the long-suffering Mrs. French to -listen to a statement of his problem, in the hope that light thereon -would be vouchsafed to her, in which in due course he would participate. - -Accordingly, when she had finished with the supper things he begged her -to come and share his difficulties, and when she had taken her place in -her accustomed arm-chair and had commenced her placid knitting, he took -up the tale of his woes. - -Slowly and in the fullest detail he told her all he had done from the -time he was sent to Messrs. Williams & Davies, when he first heard of -the mysterious Mrs. X, up to his series of visits of that day, -concluding by expressing his belief that Mrs. X and Mrs. Ward were one -and the same person, and explaining the difficulty he found himself up -against in tracing her. She heard him without comment, and when he had -finished asked what he proposed to do next. - -“Why, that’s just it,” he exclaimed a trifle impatiently. “That’s the -whole thing. If I was clear about that there would be no difficulty. -What would you advise?” - -She shook her head, and bending forward seemed to concentrate her whole -attention on her knitting. This, French knew, did not indicate lack of -interest in his story. It was just her way. He therefore waited more or -less hopefully, and when after a few minutes she began to question him, -his hopes were strengthened. - -“You say that Mrs. Root and those steamer people thought the woman was -English?” - -“That’s so.” - -“There were quite a lot of them thought she was English?” - -“Why, yes,” French agreed. “There was Mrs. Root and the doctor and the -purser and her dinner steward and at least four stewardesses. They were -all quite satisfied. And the other passengers and attendants must have -been satisfied too, or the thing would have been talked about. But I -don’t see exactly what you’re getting at.” - -Mrs. French was not to be turned aside from her catechism. - -“Well, do _you_ think she was English?” she persisted. - -French hesitated. Did he? He really was not sure. The evidence seemed -strong, and yet it was just as strong, or stronger, for her being an -American. Mr. Williams, for example, was—— - -“You don’t know,” Mrs. French broke in. “Well, now, see here. Mr. -Williams said she was American?” - -“That’s it,” her husband rejoined. “He said——” - -“And that bank manager and his clerk, they thought she was American?” - -“Yes, but——” - -“And the shops she bought and sold the jewellery at, and the Savoy, and -the Southampton police, they all thought she was American?” - -“Yes, but we don’t——” - -“Well, that ought surely to give you something.” - -“That they were sisters? I thought of that, but the handwriting shows -that they weren’t.” - -“Of course I don’t mean sisters. Think again.” - -French sat up sharply. - -“What do you mean, Emily? I don’t follow what you’re after.” - -His wife ignored the interruption. - -“And there’s another thing you might have thought of,” she continued. -“That Williams man thought he had seen the woman before. What age is -he?” - -French was becoming utterly puzzled. - -“What age?” he repeated helplessly. “I don’t know. About sixty, I should -think.” - -“Just so,” said his wife. “And that other man, that Scarlett, he thought -he had seen her before. What age is he?” - -The Inspector moved nervously. - -“Really, Emily,” he protested, “I wish you’d explain what you’re getting -at. I don’t take your meaning in the least.” - -“You would if you’d use your head,” his wife snapped. “What age is that -Scarlett?” - -“About the same as the other—fifty-five or sixty. But what has that got -to do——” - -“But the young fellow, that bank clerk; he didn’t remember her?” - -“No, but——” - -“Well, there you are—silly! What would a woman be who could make up -like another woman, and put on an English or American talk, and be -remembered by old Londoners? Why, a child could guess that, Watson!” - -When Mrs. French called her husband by the name of the companion of the -great Holmes, it signified two things, first, that she was in what he -always referred to as “a good twist,” and secondly, that she felt -pleasantly superior, having seen something—or thinking she had—which -he had missed. He was therefore always delighted when a conversation -reached this stage, believing that something helpful was about to -materialise. - -But on this occasion he grasped her meaning as soon as she had spoken. -Of course! How in all the earthly world had he missed the point? The -woman was an actress; a former London actress! That would explain the -whole thing. And if so, he would soon find her. Actors’ club secretaries -and attendants, theatrical agents, stage doorkeepers, the editors of -society papers—scores of people would have known her, and he would have -an easy task to learn her name and her history. - -He jumped up and kissed his wife. “By Jove, Emily! You’re a fair -wonder,” he cried warmly, and she, still placidly knitting, -unsuccessfully attempted to hide the affection and admiration she felt -for him by a trite remark anent the folly of an old fool. - -Next morning, French, with a new and thoroughly satisfactory programme -before him, sallied forth at quite the top of his form. He had made a -list of theatrical agencies at which he intended first to apply, after -which, if luck had up to then eluded him, he would go round the theatres -and have a word with the stage door keepers, finally applying to the -older actor-managers and producers and any one else from whom he thought -he might gain information. - -But his quest turned out to be even simpler than he had dared to hope. -The superior young ladies of the first three agencies at which he called -shook their pretty heads over the photograph and could throw no light on -his problem. But at the fourth, the girl made a suggestion at which -French leaped. - -“No,” she said, “I don’t know any one like that, but if she’s left the -stage some time I wouldn’t; I’ve only been here about two years. And I -don’t know any one who could help you; this place has not been open very -long. But I’ll tell you,” she went on, brightening up. “Mr. Rohmer is -inside. If any one in London would know, he should. If you catch him -coming out you could ask him.” - -Mr. Horace Rohmer! The prince of producers! French knew his name well, -though he had never met him. He thanked the girl and sat down to wait. - -Presently she called to him, “He’s just going,” and French, stepping -forward, saw a short, stout, rather Jewish-looking gentleman moving to -the stairs. He hastened after him, and, introducing himself, produced -his photograph and asked his question. - -The famous producer glanced at the card and smiled. - -“Oh, Lor’ yes,” he announced, “I know her. But these people wouldn’t.” -He indicated the agency and its personnel with a backward nod. “She was -before their time. Why, that’s the great Cissie Winter; at least, she -had the makings of being great at one time. She was first lady in -Panton’s company a dozen years ago or more. I remember her in _Oh, -Johnny!_, _The Duchess_, _The Office Girl_, and that lot—good enough -plays in their day, but out of date now. I hope she’s not in trouble?” - -“It’s a matter of stolen diamonds,” French answered, “but I’m not -suggesting she is guilty. We want some explanations, that’s all.” - -“I should be sorry to hear there was anything wrong,” Mr. Rohmer -declared. “I thought a lot of her at one time, though she did go off and -make a muck of things.” - -“How was that, sir?” - -“Some man. Went off to live with some man, a married man, and well on to -being elderly. At least, that was the story at the time. I’m not -straight-laced, and I shouldn’t have minded that if she had only kept up -her stage work. But she didn’t. She just dropped out of sight. And she -might have risen to anything. A promising young woman lost. Sickening, I -call it.” - -“I suppose you could give me no hint as to how I might trace her?” - -The producer shrugged his shoulders. - -“Not the slightest, I’m afraid. I didn’t even know that she was alive.” - -“What theatres did she play in?” - -“Several, but it was in the Comedy she did her best work.” - -“I’ll try there.” - -“You can try, but don’t build too much on it. Theatrical staffs change -quickly and have short memories. If you’ve no luck there you should go -to Jacques—you know, Richard Jacques the producer. If my memory serves -me, he put out those plays I mentioned. If not, he can tell you who -did.” - -French was overjoyed. This was indeed a stroke of luck. He had proved -his theory—he was already beginning to overlook the part his wife had -played in it—he had done a neat piece of deduction, and it had been -justified. He had now obtained information which must lead him -infallibly to his goal. His next business must be at the Comedy, where, -if his luck held, he might obtain information which would put him -straight on the woman’s track. - -As he turned away from the agency, French felt a touch on his shoulder. -It was Mr. Duke, and the old gentleman greeted him warmly and asked of -his progress. - -“I’m just going in here for some coffee,” he went on, indicating the -somewhat old-fashioned and retiring restaurant before which they stood. -“Come and have a cup with me. It’s ages since I saw you or heard what -you were doing.” - -French was full of his discovery, and eagerly seized the chance of a -victim to whom to unfold the tale of his prowess. Accordingly, when they -were seated in a quiet nook he began with gusto to relate his exploits. -He told of his visit to Mürren, and of the photographs given to him by -Mrs. Root, of his tracing the movements of the elusive lady in -Southampton, of his deduction that she was an actress, and finally of -his great stroke in learning her identity. - -Mr. Duke, who had been following the recital with a thrilled interest -that satisfied even French’s egotism, remembered the lady’s name, though -he could not recall anything else about her. - -“This will be good news for Vanderkemp,” he declared. “I must tell him -at once. Though you have taken off your surveillance, he feels that he -has never really been cleared of suspicion. This discovery of yours will -go far to satisfy him. Yes, and what then?” - -He settled himself again to listen, but when he realised that French had -finished his tale and was no nearer finding Miss Cissie Winter than he -had been of getting hold of Mrs. X, his features took on an expression -of the keenest disappointment, bordering almost on despair. - -“Good heavens, Inspector! After raising my hopes, don’t tell me now that -you are really practically no farther on,” he lamented. Then sinking his -voice, he went on slowly, “If something isn’t discovered soon I may tell -you I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m getting to the end of my -tether. I’m even getting short of cash. The insurance company won’t -pay—yet; they say it is not certain the stones will not be recovered. -They say I must wait. But my creditors won’t wait.” - -He stopped and stared before him vacantly, and French, looking at him -more keenly than he had yet done, was shocked to see how old and worn -the man was looking. “Even if the insurance company paid all, I don’t -know that I could make ends meet,” he went on presently. “I’m beginning -to see ruin staring me in the face. I thought I was strong and could -scoff at reverses, but I can’t, Inspector, I can’t. I’m not the man I -was, and this affair has shaken me severely.” - -French was somewhat taken aback by this outburst, but he felt genuinely -sorry for the old man, who at the close of a life of comparative luxury -and success was faced with failure and poverty. He gave him what comfort -he could, pointing out that the discovery of Mrs. X’s identity was a -real step forward, and expressed the belief that so well known a -personality could not long remain hidden. - -“I sincerely trust you are right,” Mr. Duke answered, “and I am ashamed -of having made such a fuss. But do try, Inspector,” he looked -imploringly at the other, “do try to push on the affair. I know you -are,” he smiled, “doing all that any one could do, but it’s so -desperately important to me. You understand, I hope, that I am not -complaining? I fully appreciate your splendid work in the face of great -difficulties.” - -French assured him that he himself was just as anxious to clear up the -mystery as any one else could be, and that he need not fear but that -everything possible would be done to that end, and with further -expressions of mutual amity they parted. - -The Inspector next turned his steps to the Comedy theatre. Rehearsals -were in progress, and the building was open. Going round to the stage -door, he spoke to the doorkeeper. - -“No, sir,” the man said civilly, “I’m not here long. Only about nine -months.” - -“Who was before you?” - -“A man they called Dowds, an old man. He was getting too old for the -job. That’s why he left.” - -“Could you put me on to where I should find him?” - -“I should try at the office, sir. I expect they’d have his address. To -the right at the end of this passage.” - -With some difficulty French found his way to the office. A young man -glanced up from the desk over which he was bending. “Well, sir?” he said -briskly. - -French explained his business. He was inquiring as to the whereabouts of -the former actress, Miss Cissie Winter, and failing information as to -her, he would be obliged for the address of the ex-stagedoor keeper, -Dowds, who might be able to assist him in his main inquiry. - -“Miss Cissie Winter?” the sharp young man repeated. “I’ve heard of her, -but she wasn’t on here in my time. Any idea of her dates or plays?” - -“Twelve or more years since she left the stage, I’m told. She played in -_The Office Girl_ and _The Duchess_ and _Oh, Johnny!_” - -The young man whistled beneath his breath as he sat thinking. - -“’Fraid I can’t help you about the lady,” he declared at last. “There -are no records here of twelve years back. But I can put you on to Dowds -all right, or at least I can give you his address when he left us.” - -“Much obliged, I’m sure.” - -The young man crossed the room, and taking a book out of a cupboard, -turned over the pages rapidly. - -“29 Babcock Street. It’s off Charing Cross Road, about half-way down on -the left hand side going south. You’ll get him there if he hasn’t -moved.” - -French, having noted the address, turned to go. - -“Wait a sec’,” said the young man. “I’m not certain, but I believe -Richard Jacques put out those plays you mentioned. If so, he could -probably help you better than any one. He does business at that new -place he has taken over, the Aladdin in Piccadilly. You should try him.” - -French thanked his new friend, and after again traversing the endless -corridors of the huge building, found himself once more in the street. - -At 29 Babcock Street the door was opened to him by a respectable-looking -woman, who said that her husband, Peter Dowds, was within. His health -was poor, but if the gentleman would come in, he would make shift to -come down to see him. - -French sat down to wait in the tiny parlour. Presently a shuffling -became audible in the hall, and the door, opening slowly, revealed a -short but immensely stout man, whose small eyes blinked inquisitively at -his visitor as the latter rose and wished him good-day. - -“Good-day, good-day,” the man wheezed, as he steered himself across the -room and sank into one of the chairs. “It’s the asthma,” he went on in a -husky voice. “It’s always bad this time of year.” He stopped and sat -panting, then went on, “You wanted to see me?” - -“Yes,” French admitted, “but I’m sorry to find your asthma so bad. What -do you do for it?” - -The Inspector had found from long experience that the time spent in -discussing his illness with an invalid was not wasted. The pleasure he -gave had the effect of creating a sympathy and good feeling which -assisted him when he came to the second part of the interview, the -favour he wanted for himself. He was not altogether a hypocrite in this. -It was part of the technique of his business, and besides, he was a -good-natured man who really did like giving pleasure. He therefore -talked asthma and asthma cures for some minutes before turning to the -subject of Miss Cissie Winter. - -But in the present case the excellent impression which he undoubtedly -produced brought him but little benefit. The stout old doorkeeper -remembered Miss Winter well, and instantly recognised her photograph, -but he knew nothing about her present whereabouts. She had gone off with -some man, a man whom also he remembered well, as on many occasions they -had chatted together while the former waited at the stage door for the -lady’s appearance. He was tall and well built, well on in middle age, -and with the air of a professional or business man. His name, Dowds -believed, was Vane, but of this he was not positive. Asked how he knew -that the lady had gone off with this or any other man, it transpired -that he did not really know at all, but that this had been the generally -accepted theory at the time. He had never learned the man’s address, but -he seemed to have plenty of money and was liberal in his tips. Since -that time, about thirteen years previously, Dowds had not heard or seen -anything of either. Of Miss Winter he had but a poor opinion. She might -be a good actress, but she was hard and mean and had a sharp tongue. -What the man could have seen in her he, Dowds, did not know, but he had -evidently been pretty completely bowled over. - -When French had gleaned these particulars, he found he had reached the -end of the old doorkeeper’s usefulness, and he was soon on his way to -his next call, the Aladdin theatre in Piccadilly. - -Mr. Jacques was in the building, but engaged, and French fretted and -fumed for nearly two hours before being ushered into his presence. But -then he felt himself completely compensated for his long wait. Like most -others who came in contact with him, French soon fell a victim to the -great producer’s winning personality and charm of manner. The old -gentleman apologised courteously for his engagement, which, he -explained, was a troublesome rehearsal, and then listened with close -attention to what French had to say. - -But he could not tell so very much after all. He remembered Miss Winter, -and after a search through some details of her life. He had first seen -her in the Tivoli theatre in New York, some sixteen years previously, -and had been struck by her acting. She had somehow learned of his -presence, for she had followed him to his hotel, and explaining that she -was anxious to get a footing on the English stage, had asked him for a -part in one of the plays she had heard he was then bringing out. He had -agreed, and when she had completed her New York engagement, she had -followed him to England, and he had starred her in _Oh, Johnny!_ and -certain other plays of that period. In all she had appeared in seven -productions, and Mr. Jacques had a high opinion of her capabilities. - -Some three years later she had given him notice that she wished to leave -the stage at the end of her then current contract. He had protested, -telling her that she was ruining an extremely promising career, but she -had insisted, explaining that she was going to be married. This he had -not believed, though he had no definite reason for his opinion. It was -generally accepted that she had gone off with some married man, but how -this story arose he could not say. He had, at all events, completely -lost sight of her. Her age when she left his company thirteen years -earlier was twenty-nine, and her address was 17 Stanford Street, -Chelsea. - -“I’m afraid,” French said, “that she has turned crook,” and he outlined -her impersonation of Mrs. Root. - -“Of course I know nothing about that,” Mr. Jacques answered, “but I can -at least tell you that no one could have carried out a scheme of the -kind better than Cissie Winter. She had the brains and the nerve and the -knowledge. I’m sorry to hear she has gone wrong, but if you are up -against her, I can assure you you’ll find her no mean antagonist.” - -French smiled ruefully as he rose. - -“I’ve discovered that already,” he admitted, “but knowing what I know -now, it can’t be long until I have my hands on her.” - -“I suppose I ought to wish you luck,” Mr. Jacques declared, holding out -his hand, “but I don’t know that I can. I thought a lot of the young -woman once, and I’m sorry that she’s in trouble.” - -Inspector French, having cabled to the New York police asking for -information as to the actress’s early history, made his way to 17 -Stanford Street, which he found was a better-class boarding house. But -here he could learn nothing. The former proprietor was dead, and none of -the present staff had been connected with the place for thirteen years, -or had ever heard of Miss Winter. - -Disappointed once more, he returned to the Yard and put through his -earlier scheme. He arranged to have the lady’s photograph inserted in -the next number of the _Police Bulletin_, together with the best -description of her that he could write, and a note that she was wanted. -It was not a promising clue, but it was all he had left. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - TRAGEDY - - -SOME days later Inspector French was once again sent for by his chief. -The great man seemed in an irritable frame of mind, and he began to -speak before the other had well entered the room. - -“See here, French,” he greeted him; “here’s a fresh development in that -confounded Gething case. Read that.” - -French stepped up to the desk and took the postal telegraph sheets his -superior held out. They bore a message from the Chief of Police at the -Hook, which had been sent out at 8.27 that morning. - - “Captain of the S. S. _Parkeston_ reports that tall, - cleanshaven, white-haired man, apparently named Duke, committed - suicide during passage from Harwich last night. Overcoat and - suitcase found in cabin with letter addressed Miss Duke, The - Cedars, Hampstead. Am sending letter with detailed statement.” - -French was considerably surprised by the news. Though he had never felt -actually cordial towards the old gentleman, he had respected him for his -kindly conduct towards his subordinates and for the sportsmanlike way in -which he had taken his loss. But it was evident the man had been hit -harder than he had shown. French recalled the details of their last -interview, the merchant’s drawn, anxious face, his weary air, his almost -despairing words, “I’m getting to the end of my tether. I see ruin -staring me in the face.” At the time, French had not taken the complaint -as seriously as it had now proved to warrant. Mr. Duke was evidently in -difficulties which nothing less than the return of the stolen diamonds -would solve, and French did not see how he could have done more to -achieve that end than he already had. - -“Unexpected, that, isn’t it?” the chief remarked, “though I don’t -suppose it will really affect the case.” - -“No, sir, I don’t think it will,” French returned, answering the last -part of the sentence first. “But I don’t know that it’s so unexpected -after all. Leastwise it is and it isn’t. I mean, I’m surprised that a -man of Mr. Duke’s character should take that way of escaping from his -difficulties, but I knew he was in difficulties.” - -The chief raised his eyebrows. - -“You didn’t tell me that.” - -“The truth is, sir, that I didn’t take what the old gentleman said -seriously enough. I met him last week in Piccadilly, and he appeared -anxious to hear my news and asked me to have a cup of coffee with him. -He was pretty down in the mouth then, saying he was getting short of -cash, and near the end of his tether, and so on. He was looking pretty -old, too, old and worn.” - -The chief grunted. - -“As I say, I don’t suppose it will make any difference,” he declared. -“But there’s that girl to consider. I think you’d better go along and -see her. After all, she should have some warning before she sees it in -the paper.” - -“That’s so, sir. Then I shall go now.” - -It was a job he hated, but there was no help for it, and having ’phoned -to Miss Duke that he was going out on urgent business, he set off. - -That his message had alarmed her was obvious. She met him with pale -cheeks and anxious eyes, and once again the thought occurred to him that -she knew something that she was holding back, and had feared her secret -was the subject of his call. - -But his news, when haltingly and with some awkwardness he had succeeded -in conveying it, took her utterly by surprise. It was evidently quite -different to what she had expected to hear, and the poor girl was -terribly overcome. She gave a low cry, and sat gazing at him with eyes -dilated with horror. The shock seemed utterly to have benumbed her, and -yet French could not help thinking that her emotion contained also an -element of relief. He was profoundly sorry for her, but his suspicion -remained. - -Presently she began to speak. Her voice was dull and toneless as she -explained that she had known her father was lately terribly worried and -unhappy, and that though he had made light of it, he had told her enough -to show that financial trouble was at the root of his distress. He had -said to her on one occasion that if only the insurance people would pay, -things would be easier, but he had spoken cheerily, and she had had no -idea things were so serious. - -“When shall we get details?” she asked presently. “Should I go over to -the Hook?” - -“I fear there would be little use in that,” French answered, “and it -would certainly be painful for you. Of course, I don’t wish to dissuade -you; if you think it would be an ease to your mind you should go. But in -any case would it not be better to wait until you read your letter? -Besides, the report from the Dutch police may show that a visit is -unnecessary.” - -She thought for some seconds, then agreed. French explained that the -documents might be expected by the first post on the following morning, -and promised to take them out to Hampstead immediately. - -“In the meantime, Miss Duke,” he went on, with real kindness in his -tone, “it’s not my business, of course, but would you not be better to -have some one in the house with you—some lady friend, an aunt, a -cousin? Or Mr. Harrington? I mean, is there anything that I can do to -take a message or send a wire?” - -Her eyes filled with tears as she thanked him and asked him to telephone -to the office for Harrington. It appeared that she had no near -relations. She was an only child, and her father was now dead, and -French knew that for many years her poor mother had been worse than -dead, dragging out a colourless existence in a mental hospital at -Otterham. - -When he had put through his call, French took his leave. There was -nothing more to be done until the details of the tragedy were received. - -As he sat in the tube on his way back to the Yard, he was conscious of -some misgivings as to the way in which he had handled the interview. He -had done his best to make it easy for Miss Duke. This was, of course, -the natural and the kindly thing to do, but was it his duty? Should he -not rather have used the news as a lever to startle some admission out -of the girl which would have given him the information which he -suspected she possessed. If he had allowed a promising clue to slip he -had neglected his duty and injured himself. And his chief was no fool. -He would unfailingly see the possibility and ask what use had been made -of it. - -But though French felt thus a trifle uneasy, he could not bring himself -to regret his course of action. He was not only a man of natural -kindliness of heart, but he had the gift of imagination. He saw himself -in the girl’s place, and was glad he had not added to her trouble. - -Next morning the report came from Holland, together with Miss Duke’s -letter. The former was a long document giving very complete details of -the tragedy. The essential portions of it read: - - “4th January. - - “At 7.21 to-day a telephone message was received from the - Harwich boat wharf office at the Hook that a passenger had - disappeared during the crossing under circumstances which - pointed to suicide. Inspector Van Bien was sent down to make - inquiries, and he obtained the following information: - - “Some little time before the boat berthed, the stewards, - according to custom, went round the staterooms to arouse the - passengers. There was no reply from stateroom N, a single-berth - cabin on the port side, and when John Wilson, the steward in - question, had knocked a second time, he looked in. The cabin was - empty, but bore evidence of having been occupied. The bed had - been lain on, though not slept in, a large suitcase was on the - floor, and various articles of a man’s toilet were scattered - about. The steward, thinking the traveller, whom he remembered - to be a white-haired old man, was perhaps on deck, passed on. - About half an hour later he looked in again, to find things in - the same condition. He was engaged until after the boat berthed, - but when the passengers were going ashore he went back to the - stateroom, and again found everything as before. Becoming - anxious, he reported the matter to the chief steward. The latter - accompanied Wilson to cabin N, and they made a search. They - found a half-sheet of paper and an envelope propped behind the - tumbler in the little wooden shelf above the washstand basin. - The former bore the words: - - “‘Financial embarrassments having made my life - impossible, I am going to make an end of it to-night. I - shall simply drop off the ship, and my death will be - quick and easy. Please oblige by posting my letter. - - “‘R. A. DUKE.’ - - “The letter was addressed to ‘Miss Duke, The Cedars, Hampstead, - London.’ Both note and letter are enclosed herewith. - - “The tickets on this route are dealt with as follows: There is - no check on passengers leaving the wharf, as this would entail - too long a delay at the gangway. On coming on board, passengers - apply at the chief steward’s office, have their tickets either - collected or punched, and get their berth numbers and a landing - ticket. The landing tickets are collected as the travellers go - ashore, and this constitutes the check that all have paid for - their passage. On the occasion in question, 187 landing tickets - were given out, and only 186 were collected, showing that one of - the passengers who came aboard at Harwich did not go ashore at - the Hook. - - “A search of the ship revealed no trace of the missing man, nor - had any one seen him passing through the corridors or on the - deck during the night. The chief steward recalled his - application for his berth, which had been reserved in advance, - and remembered having noticed that the old man was - absent-minded, and seemed to be suffering from acute repressed - excitement. - - “The suitcase was found to contain articles of toilet and - clothing suitable for an absence of three or four days, but - nothing to throw any further light on the tragedy. We are - sending it to you for transmission to Miss Duke, to whom - presumably it belongs.” - -When Inspector French had read the report he turned his attention to the -letter. The envelope was square and of good quality paper, and the -address was in Mr. Duke’s handwriting. French sat turning it over. He -wondered. . . . He would rather not, but on second thoughts he believed -he ought. . . . There might be something that would give him a -hint. . . . - -He took a Gillette razor blade from his drawer, and inserting it beneath -the gummed flap, worked it this way and that. In a moment the envelope -was open, and he drew out a letter and cautiously unfolded it. It also -was written by Mr. Duke, and read: - - “MY DEAREST SYLVIA, - - “When you receive this you will have heard what I am about to - do. My dear, I will not try to justify myself; I suppose I - should be brave and fight to the end. But I just couldn’t bear - the ruin and disgrace which face me. Even before the robbery - things were not going too well. As you know, the war hit - businesses like mine worse than most. Now, even if the insurance - company paid, I shouldn’t get clear; I should still be many - thousands in debt. Sylvia, don’t think too hardly of me, but I - couldn’t face it. Loss of position, friends, home, - everything—and at my time of life. I just couldn’t. - - “But chiefly I couldn’t bear dragging you down with me. You will - be free from that now. Your mother’s jointure cannot be touched; - it is hers—and yours. You will see that all expenses for her - are paid, and the remainder will be yours. Of course the house - must go, but you will have enough to live on. You will marry; I - trust soon. Remember that it is my last wish and my last charge - to you that you marry the man of your choice as soon as may be - convenient. Though we have not always seen eye to eye, you have - been a good daughter to me. - - “Dear Sylvia, try not to take this too much to heart. I face the - future, if there is one, without misgivings. Though the way I - take may be the coward’s way, it is the easiest and the best way - for us all. - - “Good-bye, my dearest girl, and if there be a God, may He bless - you. - - “Your devoted father, - “R. A. DUKE.” - -Inspector French had a slight feeling of shame as he refolded this -unhappy epistle and, working deftly and mechanically, regummed the flap -of the envelope and stuck it down. He was disappointed to find that the -letter contained no helpful information, and with a sigh he set out to -bear his news to Hampstead. - -Miss Duke and Harrington were anxiously awaiting him, and he handed the -former both the report and the letter, saying he would wait if she cared -to read them in another room. She remained calm and collected, but the -pallor of her face and dark rings beneath her eyes indicated the tension -under which she was labouring. She withdrew with a word of apology, -Harrington accompanying her, and French sat thinking, wondering if a -direct question, unexpectedly sprung upon them, might surprise one or -other into some unguarded admission which would give him a hint of the -secret which he believed they held. - -But when they returned some half-hour later, Miss Duke momentarily -disarmed him by holding out her letter. - -“You had better read that,” she said. “You may want to see it and there -is nothing private in it.” - -French was momentarily tempted to confess his action with the safety -razor, but he saw that he must not divulge police methods, and taking -the letter, he reread it and handed it back with a word of thanks. - -“Did your father say he was going to Holland?” he inquired. - -“Yes, it was one of his usual trips to the Amsterdam office. He expected -to be away for two or three days. But I now think he had made up his -mind—about—this—before he left. He said good-bye——” - -She paused, her lip trembling, then suddenly flinging herself down on -the sofa, burst into an uncontrollable flood of tears. “Oh!” she cried -brokenly, “if only it hadn’t taken place at sea! I can’t bear to think -of him—out there——” She sobbed as if her heart would break. - -French saw that she had settled the matter of his procedure. In her -present condition he could not probe her with subtle questions. There -was nothing for it but to take his departure, and this he did as -unobtrusively as he could, leaving her in Harrington’s charge. - -He wondered who would take Mr. Duke’s place in the firm, with whom he -would have to deal if his efforts to trace the missing diamonds became -successful, and determined to call at the office and make some -inquiries. He therefore took the tube to the City, and some half-hour -later was mounting the steps of the Hatton Garden establishment. - -Mr. Schoofs had already taken charge, and saw his visitor in his late -principal’s office. The business, he believed, would belong to Miss -Duke, though he had no actual reason to say so. However, Messrs. Tinsley -& Sharpe of Lincoln’s Inn were the deceased gentleman’s solicitors, and -no doubt fuller information could be obtained from them. - -“I came over last night, and am just carrying on in the meantime,” he -explained, “and you can deal either with me or with Mr. Tinsley.” - -“Thanks,” French answered. “Then I shall deal with you.” - -“We’re really closed for business to-day, you understand,” went on Mr. -Schoofs. “I’m merely taking the opportunity to go through Mr. Duke’s -papers and see how things stand. If only Harrington had had his -partnership, it would be his job, but as it is, everything devolves on -me.” - -French, having replied suitably, made a move to go, but he lingered and -went on: - -“Unexpected, the old man going off like that, wasn’t it? I shouldn’t -have thought he was that kind at all.” - -Mr. Schoofs made a gesture of commiseration. - -“Nor was he,” he agreed, “but it’s not so surprising after all. You -possibly didn’t see him during the last week or two, but I can tell you, -he was in a bad way; very depressed, and getting worse every day. I -don’t think he was well—I mean in health, and I think it reacted on his -mind. He was worrying over the loss of his money.” - -“Was he really bankrupt?” - -Mr. Schoofs had not the figures, but he very gravely feared it. It was a -bad lookout for his daughter. Indeed, it was a bad lookout for them all. -It was hard lines on elderly men when they had to give up their jobs and -start life again. It was that damned war, responsible for this as well -as most of the troubles of the times. It had probably made a difference -to the Inspector also? - -“Lost my eldest,” said French gruffly, and turned the conversation back -to the late principal. He was, it seemed, going to Amsterdam on routine -business. He had no stones with him, and there was therefore nothing to -suggest that his disappearance could have been due to other than -suicide. - -French had not really doubted the conclusions of the Dutch police, but -the death by violence of a man bearing a packet of great value is always -suspicious, and he was glad to be sure such had not obtained in this -instance. - -His next visit was to Messrs. Tinsley & Sharpe, the Lincoln’s Inn -solicitors. Mr. Tinsley was the sole surviving partner, and to him -French was presently admitted. - -It appeared that Mr. Duke had left everything to Sylvia, “Though, poor -girl,” Mr. Tinsley added, “by all accounts that won’t be much.” Mr. -Tinsley was executor, therefore any further dealings French might have -about the robbery would be with him. Mr. Duke and he had been old -friends; in fact, he had been Mr. Duke’s best man, he didn’t like to -think how many years previously. He had been shocked by the change in -the old gentleman when three days prior to his death he had called to -see him. He seemed ill and depressed, and had said, “I’m not feeling -well, Tinsley. It’s my heart, I’m afraid, and this confounded worry -about money matters,” and had gone on to obtain the solicitor’s promise -to look after Sylvia “if anything happened.” - -“In the light of what has since taken place,” Mr. Tinsley concluded, “I -am afraid he had made up his mind then that suicide was the easiest way -out, though I was terribly surprised and shocked when I heard of it.” - -“I am sure of that, sir,” French answered as he rose to go. “Then if any -further developments occur about the robbery, I shall communicate with -you.” - -He returned to the Yard, made his report, and when he had attended to a -number of routine matters, found it was time to knock off work for the -day. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - THE HOUSE IN ST. JOHN’S WOOD - - -IT was one of Inspector French’s most constant grumbles that a man in -his position was never off duty. He might come home after a hard day’s -work looking forward to a long, lazy, delightful evening with a pipe and -a book, and before he had finished supper some development at -headquarters might upset all his plans and drag him off forthwith to do -battle with the enemies of his country’s laws. Not for him was the -eight-hour day, overtime at high rates, “on call” or country allowances, -expenses. . . . His portion was to get his work done, or take the -consequences in lack of promotion or even loss of such position as he -held. - -“And no thanks for what you carry off either,” he would complain, -“though if you make a slip you hear about it before you’re an hour -older.” But his eye would twinkle as he said it, and most of his friends -knew that Mr. Inspector French was making an exceedingly good thing out -of his job, and was, moreover, destined by his superiors for even -greater and more remunerative responsibilities in the early future. - -But on this evening his grouse was illustrated, if not justified. -Scarcely had he sat down to his meal when a ring came to the door, and -he was told that Constable Caldwell wished to speak to him. - -“Let him wait,” Mrs. French answered before her better half could speak. -“Show him into the sitting-room, Eliza, and give him the evening paper.” - -French half rose, then sank back into his seat. - -“Ask him if it’s urgent,” he called after the retreating girl, partly -from genuine curiosity, and partly to preserve the fiction that he was -master of his own movements in his own house. - -“It’s not so urgent as your supper. Just let him wait,” Mrs. French -repeated inexorably. “What difference will a minute or two make anyway?” - -Her view, it soon appeared, was upheld by the constable himself. - -“He says it’s not urgent,” Eliza corroborated, reappearing at the door. -“He can wait till you’re ready.” - -“Very well. Let him wait,” French repeated, relieved that the incident -had ended so satisfactorily, and for another fifteen minutes he -continued steadily fortifying the inner man. Then taking out his pipe, -he joined his visitor. - -“’Evening, Caldwell. What’s wrong now?” - -Caldwell, a tall, heavy-looking man of middle age, rose clumsily to his -feet and saluted. - -“It’s that there circular of yours, sir,” he explained. “I’ve found the -woman.” - -“The deuce you have!” French cried, pausing in the act of filling his -pipe and immediately keenly interested. “Who is she?” - -Caldwell drew his notebook from his pocket, and slowly turned the -well-thumbed pages. His deliberation irritated his quicker-witted -superior. - -“Get along, Caldwell,” French grumbled. “Can’t you remember that much -without your blessed book?” - -“Yes, sir,” the man answered. “Here it is.” He read from the book. “Her -name is Mrs. Henry Vane, and she lives in a small detached house in St. -John’s Wood Road; Crewe Lodge is the name.” - -“Good!” French said heartily. “I suppose you’re sure about it?” - -“I think so, sir. I showed the photograph to three different parties, -and they all said it was her.” - -This sounded promising, particularly as French remembered that Dowds, -the ex-doorkeeper at the Comedy, had stated that Miss Winter’s admirer -was named Vane. He invited the constable to sit down and let him hear -the details, offering him at the same time a fill of tobacco. - -Constable Caldwell subsided gingerly into a chair as he took the -proffered pouch. - -“Thank you, sir, I don’t mind if I do.” He slowly filled and lighted his -pipe, ramming down the tobacco with an enormous thumb. “It was this way, -sir. I had that there circular of yours with the woman’s photo in my -pocket when I went off duty early this afternoon. On my way home I -happened to meet a friend, a young lady, and I turned and walked with -her. For want of something to say, so to speak, I showed her the photo, -not expecting anything to come of it, you understand. Well, the moment -she looked at it, ‘I know that there woman,’ she said. ‘You what?’ I -said. ‘You know her? Who is she, then?’ I said. ‘She’s a woman that -comes into the shop sometimes,’ she said, ‘but I don’t just remember her -name, though I have heard it,’ she said. ‘I should say the young lady, -her I was speaking to, worked in a drapery shop until a couple of weeks -ago, though she’s out of a job at the moment. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I’d like -to know her name. Can’t you remember it?’ ‘No,’ she said, she couldn’t -remember it. She’d only heard it once, and hadn’t paid much attention to -it.” - -“Yes?” French murmured encouragingly as the constable showed signs of -coming to an end. - -“I said that if she couldn’t remember, that maybe some of the other -young ladies might know it. She wasn’t having any at first, for I had -promised to take her to tea and on to the pictures, and she was set on -going. But when she saw I was in earnest, she gave in, and we went round -to the shop she used to work in. After asking three or four of the -girls, we found one that remembered the woman all right. ‘That’s Mrs. -Vane,’ she said. ‘She lives up there in St. John’s Wood; Crewe Lodge is -the name. I’ve made up her parcels often enough to know.’” - -“Good,” French approved once more in his hearty voice. - -“I thought I had maybe better make sure about it,” went on the constable -in his slow, heavy way, “so I asked Miss Swann—that was the young lady -that I was with—to walk round that way with me. I found the house near -the Baker Street end, a small place and very shut in. I didn’t want to -go up and make inquiries, so I asked Miss Swann if she’d go next door -and ask if Mrs. Vane was in. She went and asked, and they told her to go -next door; that was to Crewe Lodge. So when I saw it was all right, I -put off going to the pictures for this evening and came straight here to -tell you.” - -French beamed on him. - -“You’ve done well, Constable,” he declared. “In fact, I couldn’t have -done it better myself. I shall see that you don’t lose by it. Take -another fill of tobacco while I get ready, and then call a taxi and -we’ll go right out now.” - -He rang up Scotland Yard, asking for certain arrangements to be made, -with the result that by the time he and Constable Caldwell reached the -great building, two plain clothes men were waiting for them, one of whom -handed French a small handbag and a warrant for the arrest of Mrs. Vane, -alias Mrs. Ward, alias Mrs. Root of Pittsburg, U. S. A. Then the four -officers squeezing into the taxi, they set off for St. John’s Wood Road. - -Big Ben was striking half-past nine as they turned into Whitehall. The -night was fine, but there was no moon, and outside the radius of the -street lamps it was pitchy dark. The four men sat in silence after -French had in a few words explained their errand to the newcomers. He -and Caldwell were both in a state of suppressed excitement, French owing -to the hope of an early solution of his difficulties, the constable to -the possibilities of promotion which a successful issue to the -expedition might involve. The other two looked upon the matter as a mere -extra job of work, and showed a lamentable lack of interest in the -proceedings. - -They pulled up at St. John’s Wood Road, and dismissing the taxi, -followed Constable Caldwell to the gate of a carriage drive which there -pierced the high stone wall separating the houses from the street. On -the upper bar of the gate were the words, “Crewe Lodge.” To the right -hand was a wicket gate, but both it and the larger one were closed. -Inside the wall was a thick belt of trees through which the drive curved -back, and, lit up through the interstices of the branches by the street -lamps, the walls and gable of a small house showed dimly beyond. No -light was visible from the windows, and, after a moment’s hesitation, -French opened the wicket gate and all four entered. - -“Wait here among the trees, Pye and Frankland,” he whispered. “Caldwell, -you come on with me.” - -The drive was short, not more than forty yards long, and the complete -outline of the house was speedily revealed. It seemed even smaller than -the first glance had shown, but was charmingly designed, with a -broken-up roof, large bow windows, and a tiny loggia into which opened a -glass panelled door. To be so near the centre of a great city, it was -extraordinarily secluded, the trees and wall, together with some clumps -of evergreen shrubs, cutting off all view of the road and the -neighbouring houses. - -The front of the house was in complete darkness, and instinctively -treading stealthily, the two men moved round to the side. Here also -there was no light, and they pushed slowly on until they had completed -the circuit and once more reached the front door. - -“Looks as if the place is empty,” French whispered as he pressed the -electric bell. - -There was no response to his repeated rings. The house remained dark and -silent. French turned again to the constable. - -“Call up those other two men,” he ordered, and soon Pye was posted at -the corner between the front and side, and Frankland at that diagonally -opposite, with orders to keep out of sight and to allow any one who came -to enter, but no one to leave the building. - -Electric torch in hand, French then began a guarded survey of the doors -and windows. Finally fixing on the door opening on the loggia, he made -Caldwell hold the light while, first with a bunch of skeleton keys, and -then with a bit of wire, he operated on the lock. For several minutes he -worked, but at last with a snap the bolt shot back, and turning the -handle, the two men cautiously entered the room and closed the door -behind them. - -They found themselves in a small, expensively-furnished sitting-room, -evidently a lady’s. It was fitted up in a somewhat flamboyant and -pretentious manner, as if costliness rather than good taste had been the -chief consideration in its furnishing. It was unoccupied, but looked as -if it had been recently used, there being ashes in the grate and books -lying about, one of which lay open face downwards on a chair. On an -occasional table stood an afternoon tea equipage with one used cup. - -French did not remain to make any closer examination, but passed on to a -tiny hall, off which opened three other rooms, and from which the -staircase led to the first floor. Beneath the stairs was a row of -clothes-hooks on which were hanging a man’s garments, a couple of hats -and coats, and a waterproof. - -Rapidly he glanced into the other rooms. The first was a smoking-room, a -man’s room, furnished with dark-coloured, leather upholstery, and walls -panelled in dark oak. Next door was a dining-room, also small, but -containing a quantity of valuable silver. The fourth door led to the -kitchen, scullery, pantry, and yard. Here also there were evidences of -recent occupation in the general untidiness, as well as in the food -which these places contained. - -Satisfied that no one was concealed on the ground floor, French led the -way upstairs. In the largest bedroom, evidently that of the mistress of -the house, there was a scene almost of confusion. Drawers and wardrobe -lay open, their contents tumbled and tossed, while the floor was -littered with dresses, shoes, and other dainty articles of feminine -apparel. French swore beneath his breath when he saw the mess. Things -were beginning to look uncommonly like as if the bird had flown. -However, it was possible that some one might arrive at any minute, and -he hurriedly continued his search. - -Next door was a man’s dressing-room and bedroom. Here there was not the -same litter, nor was the unoccupied bedroom adjoining other than tidy, -but in the maids’ room, which he next entered, it was evident there had -been a recent clearing out. Here the wardrobe drawers were pulled out -and the door of a hanging press in the wall was standing open. Papers -and a few obviously worn-out garments littered the floor. But the room -differed from Madame’s in that everything of value had been taken. - -French swore again. There seemed no doubt that he was late. Mrs. X, -alias Mrs. Vane, had taken fright and fled. If so, what hint, he -wondered, had she received of her danger? - -He stood for a moment in the disordered room, thinking. Under these new -circumstances, what was his proper course? - -First, it was obvious that he must make absolutely sure that this Mrs. -Vane was really the woman he sought. Next, he must learn if she had -really gone, and, if so, why, and, if possible, where. If her departure -was a flight, he must find out how or by whom she had been warned. -Lastly, he must follow her to her hiding-place and arrest her. - -But he must not end with Mrs. Vane. Her husband must also be found. If -she was Mrs. X, the receiver of the stolen diamonds, possibly the -murderer of old Gething, Mr. Vane must be in it, too. It was -inconceivable that he could have avoided becoming involved. - -His first job must therefore be to make all the inquiries he could as to -the mysterious occupants of Crewe Lodge. There were several obvious -lines of research. First there was the house itself. People left the -impress of their personalities on the houses they inhabited, and a -careful search of this one must yield considerable information as to the -pair. Next there were the servants. If they could be found, their -testimony might prove invaluable. From the neighbours and local -tradesmen and dealers he did not expect so much, but among them all some -useful hints would surely be gleaned. Lastly, there were the house -agents. They might or might not be able to help. - -It was by this time nearly eleven, but he decided that his obvious duty -was then and there to begin the search of the house, even if it meant an -all-night job. He therefore called in Pye and Frankland, who were -experienced in such work, leaving Constable Caldwell to patrol the -grounds. - -Then commenced an investigation of the most meticulous and thorough -description. Taking the house room by room, the three men went over with -the utmost care every piece of furniture, every book, every paper, every -article of clothing. Hour after hour the search proceeded in spite of a -growing weariness and hunger, and it was not until half-past six on the -following morning that it was complete. Then in the growing daylight the -three Yard men slipped out one by one on to the road, and joining forces -round the corner, walked to the nearest tube station, and went to their -several houses for breakfast. French rang up the Yard from the first -exchange they came to, and arranged for a man to be sent to relieve -Caldwell, who had been left in charge. - -As French smoked his after-breakfast pipe before returning to the Yard, -he jotted down in his notebook a list of the points which had struck him -during the search. There was nothing that led him to either Mr. or Mrs. -Vane, but there was a certain amount that was suggestive. - -In the first place, it seemed evident that the departure of the lady had -been sudden and unexpected. There was the evidence of the disordered -bedrooms, of the used-looking sitting-room with the book evidently laid -down where it could be picked up again without losing the place, of the -ashes in the sitting-room fireplace and range, the used tea tray, and of -the kitchen. There it appeared that cooking had been just about to -begin, for a number of saucepans were on the range, and various kinds of -food lay on the table as if ready for the saucepans. There was a good -deal of food of various kinds about the kitchen and larder, and some -wine and whisky in the dining-room sideboard. On the other hand, there -was no evidence of any hurried departure on the part of the master of -the house. - -The date of the departure French thought he could roughly fix from the -condition of the food. The milk, of which there was a bowl and two jugs, -was sour, but not thick. Some fresh meat hanging in the larder was good. -The bread was rather dry and hard. Some lettuces lying on a shelf in the -scullery had gone limp. But some bunches of chrysanthemums standing in -water in the sitting-room, were quite fresh. - -On the whole, he thought the evidence pointed to a flight some four days -earlier, and this view was supported by another piece of evidence on -which he had come. - -In the letter box at the back of the hall door he had found a letter -addressed “Mrs. Vane, Crewe Lodge, St. John’s Wood Road.” The postmark -showed that it had been posted in London on the 3rd. It had, therefore, -been delivered on the evening of the 3rd or morning of the 4th. But this -was the 8th. Therefore the lady had gone at least four days earlier. - -The letter itself had considerably intrigued him. It was simply a list -of certain sales and purchases of stock, covering a large number of -transactions, and running into some thousands of pounds in value. The -items were not dated, and there was no accompanying letter nor any -intimation of the sender. It was clear that some one was engaged in -complicated financial operations, but there was nothing to indicate his -or her identity. - -That the Vanes were at least comfortably off seemed certain from the -general appointments of the house. The furniture and fittings were heavy -and expensive. The sitting-room was small, as has been stated, but -French reckoned that the carpet would not have been bought for less than -£120. Madame’s dresses were of rich silks, and while no actual jewellery -had been left behind, there were costly ornaments and personal -knick-knacks. Moreover, the half-empty box of cigars in the smoking-room -contained Corona Coronas. There was, however, no garage and no car, but -it was obvious that a car might have been kept at some neighbouring -establishment. Altogether it looked as if the couple had been living at -the rate of two or three thousand a year. But this was a matter that -could easily be tested, as the name of Mrs. Vane’s bank was among her -papers. - -One other point struck the Inspector as curious. Neither the master nor -the mistress of the house seemed to have literary tastes. There was a -number of well-bound “standard works” in a bookcase in the smoking-room, -but it was evident from their condition that they were there purely as -part of the decorative scheme. Of actually read books in the -smoking-room there were none. In the sitting-room were a number of the -lighter type of novels, together with a number in French and Spanish -with extremely lurid and compromising jackets. But among these, as out -of place as an Elijah at a feast of Baal, lay a new copy of _The Concise -Oxford Dictionary_. - -There were several old bills in Madame’s inlaid davenport, but save for -the names of firms with whom the lady had recently been dealing, French -had learned nothing from them. In the sitting-room also was an excellent -cabinet photograph of a lady who seemed to him the original of Mrs. -Root’s steamer snapshot, and this he had slipped into his jacket pocket. - -Having completed his notes, he knocked the ashes out of his pipe and set -out upon the business of the day. Returning to St. John’s Wood Road, he -interviewed Esler, the constable who had been sent to relieve Caldwell, -and learned that no one had as yet approached the house. Then he began -to call at the adjoining houses and nearer shops. At each he stated that -he was looking for Mrs. Vane, but that her house was shut up, and asked -if any one could tell him how he might find her. - -Aware that in a great city neighbours might live beside each other for -years without ever meeting, he did not hope for much result, and at the -first two houses at which he called he did not get any. But at the third -he had an unexpected stroke of luck. The maid who opened the door seemed -to know something about the Vane household. But she was suspicious, and -on French’s putting his usual questions, showed evident unwillingness to -give away information. Keeping any suggestion of eagerness out of his -manner, French went on conversationally: - -“I wanted to see Mrs. Vane about a question of the ownership of a field -in the country near Canterbury, where she used to live. I represent -Messrs. Hill & Lewesham, the solicitors of Lincoln’s Inn, and we want -some information about the boundaries of her father’s place. It’s not -exactly important, but it would be worth five shillings to me to get in -touch with her, and if you could see your way to help me, you’d have -very fairly earned it.” - -The girl seemed impressed. She glanced back into the hall, came out into -the porch, and drawing the door to after her, spoke rather hurriedly. - -“I don’t know much about it,” she explained, “but I’ll tell you what I -can,” and she went on to say that on the previous Friday, that was five -days earlier, Mrs. Vane had got a cable that her husband in New York had -met with a serious accident and was dying, and for her to go at once. -She had packed hurriedly and driven off to catch the boat train for -Liverpool, closing the house. As to Mr. Vane himself, the girl knew -nothing. She seemed to consider him a negligible part of the -establishment. He was but seldom at home, and even then was rarely to be -seen. - -French asked her how it came that she knew so much about the family, and -she explained that she and Mrs. Vane’s housemaid had become acquainted -over her young gentleman’s model aeroplane, which had flown over the -dividing wall into the grounds of Crewe Lodge, and which had been -ignominiously handed back by the girl in question. As a result of the -incident an acquaintance had grown up between the two, in the course of -which much information as to their respective employers had been -exchanged. On that Friday evening Mrs. Vane’s maid had called the -narrator to the wall by means of a certain signal which they had -devised, and had hurriedly told her of her mistress’s sudden call to -America, and also that the house was being closed and the services of -herself and the cook dispensed with. “She’s in a most terrible fluster -to catch the boat train,” the girl had said, “and we have to be out -before her so that she may lock up the house.” The girl had breathlessly -bid her friend good-bye and had vanished. - -Though French was delighted to have learned these facts, they were not -in themselves all that he could have wished. The story of the husband in -New York might be true, in which case a good deal of the theory he had -been building up would fall to the ground. It would, however, be an easy -matter to find out whether the lady really did sail on the date in -question. He turned back to the servant. - -“I should like very much to find that friend of yours,” he said. “Could -you give me her name and address?” - -Her name, it appeared, was Susan Scott, but her address was not known. -For a moment French was at a loss, then by judicious questions he -elicited the facts that Miss Scott spoke like a Londoner, and that she -probably patronised one of the several registry offices to be found in -the region surrounding the Edgware Road. - -“Now there is just one other thing,” he added. “Can you tell me the name -of the landlord or agents of Crewe Lodge?” - -The girl was sorry she couldn’t. - -“Then of this house?” French persisted. “As they are close together, the -two places may belong to the same man.” - -The girl did not know that either, but she said that her master would -know, and that he had not yet gone out. French asked for an interview, -and on stating his identity, received the information that the agents -for both houses were Messrs. Findlater & Hynd, of Cupples Street, behind -the Haymarket. - -Thinking he had got all the information he could, French paid over his -five shillings to the maid and took his departure. - -The next item on his programme was a visit to Mr. Williams, and twenty -minutes later he pushed open the door of the office in Cockspur Street. -Mr. Williams greeted him with what with him took the place of -enthusiasm. - -“Good-day, Inspector,” he exclaimed, “I’m glad to see you. You bring me -some good news, I hope?” - -French sat down and drew from his pocket the cabinet photograph of Mrs. -Vane which he had found in that lady’s sitting-room. - -“I don’t know, Mr. Williams,” he answered quietly, “whether that will be -news to you or not.” - -Mr. Williams’s eyes flashed with excitement as he saw the portrait. - -“Bless my soul!” he cried. “Have you found her at last? Mrs. Root!” - -“That’s what I wanted to ask you. Are you sure it is Mrs. Root?” - -“Sure? Absolutely positive. At least, that’s the woman who got my three -thousand pounds, whatever her name may be. Have you found her?” - -“Well no,” French admitted. “I’ve not found her yet. But I’m in hopes.” - -“Tell me about it.” - -“Unfortunately, there’s not much to tell. I’ve got information to the -effect that this woman, the original of the photograph, left for New -York last Friday. I don’t know if it’s true. If it is, the American -police will get her on the ship.” - -Mr. Williams pressed for details, but French was reticent. However, -before leaving he promised to let the other know the result of his -further inquiries. - -From Cockspur Street it was but a short distance to the office of the -house agents, Messrs. Findlater & Hynd. Here French saw Mr. Hynd, and -learned that the firm were agents for Crewe Lodge. But beyond this fact -he learned little of interest and nothing helpful. The house had been -taken five years previously by Mrs. Vane, though Mr. Vane had signed the -lease. They were very desirable tenants, paying their rent promptly and -not demanding continual repairs. - -“One more call before lunch,” French thought, and a few minutes later he -turned into the office of the White Star line. Here, though it did not -exactly surprise him, he received some information which gave him -considerably to think, and incidentally reassured him that at last he -was on the right track. No steamer, either of the White Star or of any -other line, had left Liverpool for America before the previous Saturday -afternoon, and there was no boat train from Euston on the Friday night. - -Mrs. Vane was therefore without any doubt the woman of whom he was in -search, and her departure was definitely a flight. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - A HOT SCENT - - -INSPECTOR FRENCH had now so many points of attack in his inquiry that he -felt somewhat at a loss as to which he should proceed with first. The -tracing of Mrs. Vane was the immediate goal, but it was by no means -clear which particular line of inquiry would most surely and rapidly -lead to that end. Nothing would be easier than to spend time on side -issues, and in this case a few hours might make all the difference -between success and failure. The lady had already had five days’ start, -and he could not afford to allow her to increase her lead by a single -unnecessary minute. - -He considered the matter while he lunched, eventually concluding that -the first step was the discovery of the maid, Susan Scott. The -preliminary spadework of this required no skill and could be done by an -assistant, leaving himself free for other inquiries. - -Accordingly he returned to the Yard and set two men to work, one to make -a list of all the registry offices in the Edgware Road district, the -other to ring up those agencies one by one and inquire if the girl’s -name was on their books. Then he went in to see his chief, told him of -his discoveries, and obtained the necessary authority to interrogate the -manager of Mrs. Vane’s bank on the affairs of that lady. - -He reached the bank just before closing time and was soon closeted with -the manager. Mr. Harrod, once satisfied that his usual professional -reticence might in this case be set aside, gave him some quite -interesting information. Mrs. Vane had opened an account with him some -five years earlier, about the same time, French noted, as the house in -St. John’s Wood Road had been leased. Her deposit had not been large, -seldom amounting to and never exceeding a thousand pounds. It had stood -at from four to eight hundred until comparatively recently, but within -the past few months it had dwindled until some ten weeks earlier it had -vanished altogether. Indeed, the payment of a cheque presented at this -period had involved an overdraft of some fifteen pounds, and the teller -had consulted Mr. Harrod before cashing it. Mr. Harrod, knowing Crewe -Lodge and the scale on which the Vanes lived, had not hesitated in -giving the necessary authority, and his judgment had proved correct, for -some three days later Mrs. Vane had personally lodged over £100. This -had since been drawn upon, and there remained at the present time a -balance of eleven pounds odd in the lady’s favour. - -All this information seemed to French to work in with the case he was -endeavouring to make. The Vanes had apparently been living beyond their -income, or at least Mrs. Vane had been living beyond hers, and she was -finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. He did not see that -any other interpretation of the dwindling balance and the overdraft -could be found. That overdraft represented, he imagined, part of the -lady’s ticket to America. Then a hundred pounds was paid in on the very -next day, as he soon saw, to that on which Mr. Williams had paid Mrs. X -her £3000. Here was at least a suggestion of motive for the robbery, and -also the first fruits of its accomplishment. Moreover the subsequent -withdrawal of all but a small balance, left doubtless to disarm -suspicion, would unquestionably work in with the theory of flight. On -the whole, French was well pleased with the results of his call. - -But he was even more pleased to find on his return to the Yard that his -assistants had located a registry office whose books included the name -of Susan Scott. By some extraordinary chance, the very first call they -made struck oil. The men, of course, had realised that there must be -many Susan Scotts in London, but when they found that this one had -placed her name on the firm’s books on the day after Mrs. Vane’s -departure, they felt sure that they were on the right track. They had -not, therefore, proceeded further with their inquiry, but had spent -their time trying to locate the Inspector with the object of passing on -the information with the minimum of delay. - -The address was Mrs. Gill, 75 Horsewell Street, Edgware Road, and -thither before many minutes had passed Inspector French was wending his -way. The registry office was a small concern, consisting of only two -rooms in a private house in a quiet street running out of Edgware Road. -In the outer were two young women of the servant class, and these eyed -French curiously, evidently seeing in him a prospective employer. Mrs. -Gill was engaged with a third girl, but a few seconds after French’s -arrival she took her departure and he was called into the private room. - -The lady was not at first inclined to be communicative. But when French -revealed his profession and threatened her with the powers and majesty -of the law, she became profusely apologetic and anxious to help. She -looked up her books and informed him that the girl was lodging at No. 31 -Norfolk Terrace, Mistletoe Road. - -As it was close by, French walked to the place. Here again his luck held -in a way that he began to consider almost uncanny. A tall, coarsely -good-looking blonde opened the door and announced in answer to his -inquiry that she herself was Miss Scott. Soon he was sitting opposite to -her in a tiny parlour, while she stared at him with something -approaching insolence out of her rather bold eyes. - -French, sizing her up rapidly, was courteous but firm. He began by -ostentatiously laying his notebook on the table, opening it at a fresh -page, and after saying, “Miss _Susan_ Scott, isn’t it?” wrote the name -at the head of the sheet. - -“Now, Miss Scott,” he announced briskly, “I am Inspector French from -Scotland Yard, and I am investigating a case of murder and robbery.” He -paused, and seeing the girl was duly impressed, continued, “It happens -that your recent mistress, Mrs. Vane, is wanted to give evidence in the -case, and I have come to you for some information about where to find -her.” - -The girl made an exclamation of surprise, and a look, partly of fear and -partly of thrilled delight, appeared in her blue eyes. - -“I don’t know anything about her,” she declared. - -“I’m sure you know quite a lot,” French returned. “All I want is to ask -you some questions. If you answer them truly, you have nothing to fear, -but, as you probably know, there are very serious penalties indeed for -keeping back evidence. You could be sent to prison for that.” - -Having by these remarks banished the girl’s look of insolence and -reduced her to a suitable frame of mind, French got on to business. - -“Am I right in believing that you have been until last Friday house and -parlourmaid to Mrs. Vane, of Crewe Lodge, St. John’s Wood Road?” - -“Yes, I was there for about three months.” - -French, to assist not only his own memory but the impressiveness of the -interview, noted the reply in his book. - -“Three months,” he repeated deliberately. “Very good. Now, why did you -leave?” - -“Because I had to,” the girl said sulkily. “Mrs. Vane was closing the -house.” - -French nodded. - -“So I understood. Tell me what happened, please; just in your own -words.” - -“She came in that afternoon shortly before four, all fussed like and -hurrying, and said she was leaving immediately for New York. She said -she had just had a cable that Mr. Vane had had an accident there, and -they were afraid he wouldn’t get over it. She said for cook to get her -some tea while I helped her pack. She just threw her clothes in her -suitcases. My word, if I had done packing like that I shouldn’t half -have copped it! By the time she’d finished, cook had tea ready, and -while mistress was having it, cook and I packed. I started to clear away -the tea things, but mistress said there wasn’t time for that, for me -just to leave them and run out and get two taxis. She said there was a -special for the American boat that she must catch. So I got the taxis, -and she got into one and cook and I into the other, and we drove away -together, and that’s all I know about it.” - -“What time was that?” - -“About half-past four, I should think. I didn’t look.” - -“Where did you get the taxis?” - -“On the stand at the end of Gardiner Street.” - -“Who gave Mrs. Vane’s taxi man his address?” - -“I did. It was Euston.” - -“It was rather hard lines on you and the cook, turning you out like that -at a moment’s notice. I hope she made it up to you?” - -Miss Scott smiled scornfully. - -“That was all right,” she answered. “We told her about it, and she gave -us a fiver apiece, as well as our month’s wages.” - -“Not so bad,” French admitted. “Who locked up the house?” - -“She did, and took the key.” - -“And what happened to you and cook?” - -“We drove on here and I got out. This is my sister’s house, you -understand. Cook went on to Paddington. She lives in Reading or -somewhere down that way. Mrs. Vane said that when she came back she -would look us up, and if we were disengaged we could come back to her. -But she said not to keep out of a place for her, as she didn’t know how -long she might have to stay in America.” - -French paused in thought, then went on: - -“Was Mrs. Vane much from home while you were with her?” - -“No, she was only away once. But she stayed over three weeks that time. -It’s a bit strange that it was an accident, too. Her sister in Scotland -fell and broke her collar bone, so she told us, and she had to go to -keep house till she was better. Somewhere in Scotland, she said.” - -“When was that?” - -The girl hesitated. - -“I don’t know that I could say exactly,” she answered at last. “She’s -back about six weeks or two months, and she left over three weeks before -that, about a couple of weeks after I went. Say about ten weeks -altogether.” - -This was distinctly satisfactory. Mrs. Vane’s absence seemed to cover -the period of Mrs. X’s visit to America. - -“I should like to fix the exact dates if I could,” French persisted, “or -at least the date she came back. Just think, will you, please. Is there -nothing you can remember by?” - -The girl presumably thought, for she was silent for some moments, but -her cogitations were unproductive. She shook her head. - -“Did you stay in the house while she was away?” - -“No. I came here and cook went home.” - -This was better. The attention of a number of people had been drawn to -the date, and some one of them should surely be able to fix it. - -“On what day of the week did you go back?” French prompted. - -The girl considered this. - -“It was a Thursday,” she said at last. “I remember that now, because -Thursday is my night out, and I remembered thinking that that week I -shouldn’t get it.” - -French was delighted with the reply. It was on a Thursday night, seven -weeks earlier, that Mrs. X had driven from the Savoy to Victoria, left -her boxes there, and vanished. The thing was working in. - -“What time of the day did she arrive?” - -“In the evening.” Miss Scott answered promptly this time. “It was about -half eight or a quarter to nine.” - -Better and better! Mrs. X left the Savoy shortly before eight, and it -would take her about three-quarters of an hour to drive to Victoria, -leave her trunks in the left luggage office, and get out to St. John’s -Wood Road. - -“Now,” French went on, “if you or your sister could just remember the -week that happened, I should be very much obliged.” - -Susan Scott sat with a heavy frown on her rather pretty features. -Concentrated thought was evidently an unwonted exercise. But at last her -efforts bore fruit. - -“I’ve got it now,” she said with something of triumph in her tone. “It -was the last week of November. I remember it because my brother-in-law -got his new job in the first week of December, and that was the -following Monday. I heard that much about his job that I ought to know.” - -French had scarcely doubted that this would prove to be the date, but it -was most excellent to have it fixed in so definite a manner. He felt -that he was progressing in his weaving of the net round the elusive Mrs. -X. - -“That’s very good,” he said approvingly. “Now will you tell me about Mr. -Vane?” - -The girl sniffed. - -“Him?” she said scornfully. “There ain’t much to tell about him. He -didn’t trouble us much with his company.” - -“How was that? Did they not get on? Remember we’re speaking in -confidence.” - -“Why, I never even saw him. He didn’t turn up all the three months I was -there. But I heard about him from cook. He was away all the time or next -thing to it. When he did come, it was generally for two days. He would -come late in the evening, so cook said, and stay for two days without -ever going so much as outside the door, and then go away again in the -evening.” - -“You mean that if he came, say, on a Monday night, he would stay until -the following Wednesday night?” - -“Yes; or sometimes for three days, so cook said.” - -“What time in the evening would he come and go?” - -“About half-past ten he always came, and a little before eight he left.” - -“Do you mean that he arrived and left at the same time on each visit?” - -“Yes, always about the same time.” - -“After dark?” - -“No. Just at those times. It was the same summer and winter. At least, -that’s all what cook told me. We talked about it many a time. She -thought he was balmy.” - -French was somewhat puzzled by this information. The whole story had -what he called with a fine disregard for metaphorical purity, a “fishy -ring.” At first it had looked uncommonly like as if Mr. Vane were paying -clandestine visits to his own house, and, if so, he might well be the -man the old stage doorkeeper had spoken of, and still have another -establishment elsewhere. But this last answer seemed to suggest some -other explanation of Vane’s mysterious movements. After a pause, French -went on: - -“Did it ever strike you he was trying to keep his visits secret?” - -“I can’t say it did,” the girl answered with apparent regret. “Cook -never said that. But,” more hopefully, “it might have been that, -mightn’t it?” - -“I don’t know,” French rejoined. “I’m asking you.” - -Miss Scott didn’t know either, but in her opinion the Inspector’s -suggestion might well be the truth. French noted the matter as one for -future consideration as he continued his interrogation. - -“What was Mr. Vane like in appearance? Did cook ever say?” - -Cook, it appeared, had supplied information on this point also. Even -French, who knew the ways of servants, was amazed at the detailed -thoroughness with which these two had evidently discussed their -employers’ affairs. Mr. Vane was tall, but stooped, with a sallow -complexion, a heavy dark moustache, and glasses. - -As French listened to this description an almost incredible idea flashed -into his mind. He seemed to see a vision of the Duke & Peabody office in -Amsterdam, and to hear again the voice of the dapper agent, Schoofs, -saying: “A tall man, but stooped, with a sallow complexion, a heavy dark -moustache, and glasses.” Could it be? Could this mysterious Mr. Vane be -none other than his old acquaintance, Vanderkemp? - -For a time he sat motionless, lost in thought, as he considered the -possibility. It would certainly clear up a good deal that was mysterious -in the case. It would account for Vanderkemp’s actions previous to the -murder, as well as his bolt to Switzerland; it would supply a cause for -Sylvia Duke’s perturbation and for the postponement of the wedding; and -it would explain how Mrs. Vane received her warning, Mr. Duke having -stated he would, without delay, tell Vanderkemp of the discovery of -Cissie Winter. The choice of the name Vane even tended in the same -direction. There were advantages in an alias beginning with the same -letter as the real name, lest an inadvertent initial on clothing or -elsewhere should give the secret away. Moreover, the theory involved -nothing inherently impossible. Vanderkemp was then, and had been for -some time, ostensibly on an extended tour in the United States, so that, -as far as he could see at present an alibi was out of the question. - -At first sight it seemed to French as if he had hit on the solution of -the mystery, but as he continued turning it over in his mind he became -less and less certain. Several important points were not covered by the -theory. First of all, it did not, in his opinion, square with -Vanderkemp’s personality. The Inspector had a very exalted opinion of -his own powers as a reader of character—with considerable -justification, it must be admitted—and the more he thought of -Vanderkemp’s bearing during their momentous interview at Barcelona, the -more satisfied he felt of the traveller’s innocence. He found it hard to -believe, further, that a man who had just benefited to the extent of -over £30,000 would be able to deny himself at least a very slight -betterment in his standard of living. But the real difficulty was to -connect Vanderkemp with Miss Winter’s escapade with the sixteen -diamonds. How did she receive them? She was in the Savoy building all -the time between the theft at Hatton Garden and the traveller’s -departure from London, and it was therefore impossible that they could -have met. Nor did French think it likely that so dangerous a package -would have been entrusted to other hands or to the post. - -Here were undoubted objections to the theory, nevertheless French felt a -pleasurable glow of excitement as he wondered if they could not be met -and if he really had not reached the last lap of his long investigation. -He determined that his first action on reaching the Yard would be to put -the matter to the test. - -Having arrived at this decision, he turned again to Miss Scott. - -“I should like cook’s address, please.” - -Miss Scott did not know cook’s address. She believed the woman lived -somewhere down near Reading, but more than that she could not say, -except that her name was Jane Hudson, and that she was small and stout -and lively. - -French felt that if he wanted the woman he could find her from this -information. He scarcely hoped that she would be able to tell him more -than the parlourmaid, but thought that it might be worth while to have -her looked up on chance, and he decided to give the necessary -instructions, to one of his men on his return to the Yard. - -By this time it was evident that Miss Scott had exhausted her stock of -information, and he presently took leave of her, having asked her to -ring him up if she heard or saw anything either of cook or of her former -employers. - -Returning to the Yard he rang up the Hatton Garden office, and having -obtained Vanderkemp’s last known address, sent a cable to the United -States police, asking that inquiries should be made as to the man’s -whereabouts. - -His next business was to find the man who had driven Mrs. Vane to -Euston. A few minutes’ walk took him to Gardiner Street, and he soon -reached the cab rank. Five vehicles were lined up, and he called the -drivers together and explained his business. He took a strong line, -demanding information as a right in his capacity of an officer of the -C.I.D. It had immediate effect. - -One of the drivers said that he and the man next on the rank were called -to Crewe Lodge by a rather pretty girl about 4.30 on the afternoon in -question. It looked as if the house was being closed. A lady, apparently -the mistress, got into his friend’s taxi and was driven off, then the -girl who had called him and a friend—he took them to be -servants—entered his car and followed. He set the girl down at some -street off Maida Vale—Thistle Road or Mistletoe Road—he wasn’t just -sure, and took the other woman on to Paddington. The colleague who had -driven the lady was not then on the stand, but he had been gone a -considerable time and might turn up any moment. Would the Inspector -wait, or should the man be sent on to the Yard on his return? - -French decided to wait, and in less than half an hour he was rewarded by -the appearance of the car. Taximan James Tucker remembered the evening -in question. He had followed his _confrère_ to Crewe Lodge, and a lady -whom he took to be the mistress of the house had entered his vehicle. -The girl who had called him from the stand had told him to drive to -Euston, and he had started off through North Gate and along Albert Road. -But when he had nearly reached the station the lady had spoken to him -through the tube. She had said that she had changed her mind, and would -go on to St. Pancras. He had accordingly driven to the latter station, -where the lady had paid him off. - -“Had she any luggage?” French asked. - -Yes, she had two or three—the man could not be quite sure—but either -two or three suitcases. No, there wouldn’t be any note of them on his -daily return as they were carried inside the vehicle. The lady got a -porter at St. Pancras, he believed, but he could not identify the man -now. No, she had spoken to no one during the journey, and he could not -suggest any reason why she should have changed her mind. - -Inquiries at St. Pancras seemed to French to be the next item on his -programme, and entering Tucker’s vehicle, he was driven to the old -Midland terminus. Where, French wondered, had his quarry been going? -With Tucker’s help he fixed a few minutes before 5.00 as the hour of the -lady’s arrival, and then, after paying the man off, he went to the -time-tables to find out what trains left about that hour. - -In the nature of the case—a woman making a hurried flight from the -attentions of the police—he thought it more than likely that the -journey would have been to some distant place. While a very clever -fugitive might recognise that a change to another part of London was -perhaps his safest policy, the mentality of the average criminal leaned -towards putting as many miles as possible between himself and the scene -of his crime. It was by no means a sound deduction, but in the absence -of anything better, he thought the main line trains should be first -considered. - -He looked up the tables and was struck at once by the fact that an -important express left at 5.00 p.m. It called at Nottingham, -Chesterfield, Sheffield, and Leeds, and there were connections to -Harrogate, Bradford, Morecambe, and Heysham for the Belfast boat. But -any one of these places might be the starting-point of some further -journey, and unless he got a lead of some kind it was quite hopeless to -try to follow the traveller. Besides, she might not have gone by this -train. There was a 5.5 stopping train to Northampton, a 5.35 to -Nottingham, stopping at a number of intermediate places, and a 6.15 -express to the north, not to mention local trains. No, he did not see -that much was to be gained from the time-tables. - -He made what inquiries he could at the station, exhibiting the lady’s -photograph to officials who were on duty when the trains in question -were starting. It was, of course, a forlorn hope, and he was not greatly -disappointed when it led to nothing. - -As another forlorn hope, he wired to the police at Nottingham, -Chesterfield, Sheffield, Leeds, Harrogate, Bradford, Morecambe, Heysham, -and Belfast, saying that the woman referred to in page four of the -previous week’s _Bulletin_ was believed to have gone to their respective -towns, and urging that a vigilant lookout be kept for her. - -French once more felt baffled. Again in this exasperating case he was -left at a loose end. The information he gained always seemed to fail him -at the critical moment. In something very like desperation he sat down -that evening at his desk and spent a couple of hours going through his -notes of the case, wondering if by any chance he could find some further -clue which he had hitherto overlooked. After careful thought, he decided -that there was still one line of research unexplored—an unpromising -line, doubtless, but still a line. That list of dealings on the Stock -Exchange: could anything be made of that? Would, for example, the -secretaries of the various firms be able to tell him who had carried out -the transactions in question? If so, it should lead to Mrs. Vane or to -some one who knew her intimately. He was not hopeful of the result, but -he decided that if next day he had no other news he would look into it. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - A DEAL IN STOCKS - - -FULL of his new idea, French on arrival at his office on the following -morning took from his archives the letter addressed to Mrs. Vane which -he had found in the box on that lady’s hall door and spread it out -before him on his desk. - -As he looked down the list of sales and purchases of stock, he was -struck once again not only by the surprising number of the transactions, -but also of the diversity of the stocks dealt in. There were British War -Loan, Colonial Government and foreign railway stocks, as well as those -of banks, insurance companies, stores, and various industrial -concerns—some five-and-twenty altogether. He wondered from which of -them he would be most likely to obtain the desired information. - -Finally he selected James Barker and _The Daily Looking Glass_, and -taking the latter first, he went to the registered offices of the -company and asked to see the secretary. His question was a simple one. -In his investigations of the affairs of a suspect, he had come across a -memorandum of the sale of £895 19s. 8d. worth of _Daily Looking Glass_ -ordinary stock. Could the secretary please inform him either of the -parties to the transaction or of the stockbroker through whom it was -carried out? - -The secretary was dubious. He asked French the date of the sale, and -when the latter replied that he did not know, dilated on the complexity -of the search. This ignorance as to time, together with the constantly -varying value of the stock, made the sale very difficult to trace; in -fact he was not sure that the information could be obtained. French in -his turn dilated on the urgency and importance of the matter, with the -result that two clerks were set to work and a report promised for the -earliest possible moment. - -So far so good, but this was not enough. French went on to James -Barker’s, where he set similar inquiries on foot. Then, anxious to leave -no stone unturned, he asked the same questions at the registered office -of the Picardie Hotel. - -The latter was the first to reply. The secretary telephoned to say that -he had had a careful search made, and that no transaction covering the -exact amount in question had taken place. Nothing within eight pounds of -the figure given by Inspector French had been dealt with. - -He had scarcely finished the conversation when the secretary of James -Barker rang up. He, too, had made a careful search for several years -back, and he, too, had found that stock of the amount mentioned by the -Inspector had not changed hands during the period. On the 2nd March -previously a sale had taken place of slightly over a pound more than the -Inspector’s figure, £1 2s. 1d. to be exact, but with the exception of -this there was nothing very close to it. An hour later came a similar -reply from the Picardie Hotel. No transaction could be traced within ten -pounds of the amount mentioned by the Inspector. - -Could the discrepancies, French wondered, represent broker’s commission, -stamp duties or tax of some kind? To make sure of this would, he -thought, be a tedious business, involving research through the books of -a considerable number of the companies concerned. He was rather ignorant -of the business of stockbroking, and he had no idea of the scale of the -brokers’ fees nor how these were paid. He thought, however, that if in -the case of, say, six companies, a note were made of the names of those -concerned with all transactions of amounts approximating to those -mentioned in Mrs. Vane’s letter, and if the same broker, seller, or -purchaser occurred in the deals of each company, he would be justified -in assuming that person had some connection with Mrs. Vane. It was -somewhat complicated as well as unpleasantly vague, but it did at least -represent a clue. French decided he would get on with it, though exactly -how he did not see. - -After some thought he decided he would put his problem before a -stockbroker friend of his own. George Hewett was junior partner of a -small firm with offices in Norfolk Street off the Strand, and French, -having made an appointment for fifteen minutes later, put the list in -his pocket and set off to walk along the Embankment. - -His friend greeted him as a long-lost brother, and after lighting up -cigars, they discussed old times as well as the testamentary affairs of -one Bolsover, deceased, which had involved a Chancery action in which -Hewett had given evidence. That subject exhausted, French turned to his -immediate business. He handed his list to the other, and telling his -story, ended up by asking for an expert opinion on the whole affair. - -The stockbroker took the paper and glanced rapidly down it; then he -began to reread it more slowly. French sat watching him, puffing the -while at his cigar. Finally the other made his pronouncement. - -“Hanged if I know, French. It is evidently a statement of some one’s -dealings in the money market, but it’s not in the form a professional -man would use. In fact, I never saw anything quite like it before.” - -“Yes?” French prompted. “In what way is it different from what you’re -accustomed to?” - -Hewett shrugged his shoulders. - -“I suppose if I said in every way, I shouldn’t be far wrong. First -place, there are no dates for the transactions. Of course if the -statement was only intended to show the net result of the deals the -dates wouldn’t so much matter, but a stockbroker would have put them in. -Then it’s impossible to get at any idea back of the sales. You see here -that 4% War Loan was sold and 5% War Loan was bought; Great Westerns -were sold and North-Easterns bought, while Australian 6% was sold and -British East Africa 6% bought. These stocks are all pretty much the same -in value, and there was nothing to be gained by selling one and buying -another. Same way no sensible man would sell Alliance Assurance and buy -Amalgamated Oils. You get what I mean?” - -“Quite. But mightn’t the operator have been ignorant or misled as to the -values?” - -“Of course he might, and no doubt was. But even allowing for that, he’s -had a rum notion of stock exchange business. Then these small items are -unusual. What does ‘balances’ mean? And why are ‘telegrams’ shown as a -sale and not a purchase? I don’t mind admitting, French, that the thing -beats me. It’s the sort of business you’d expect to be done on the stock -exchange in Bedlam, if there is one.” - -“I tried to get at the operator through the secretaries of some of those -companies, but that was no good.” - -“Which ones?” - -“_The Daily Looking Glass_, James Barker, and the Picardie Hotel.” - -“And they couldn’t help you?” - -“They said no transactions of those exact figures had been carried out. -The nearest were within a few pounds of what I wanted. I wondered would -the amounts include brokers’ fees or stamp duty or taxes of any kind -which would account for the difference?” - -“I don’t think so.” Hewett pored in silence over the paper for some -seconds, then he turned and faced his visitor. “Look here,” he went on -deliberately, “do you want to know what I think?” - -“That’s what I came for,” French reminded him. - -“Very well, I’ll tell you. I think the whole thing is just a blooming -fraud. And do you know what makes me sure of it?” - -French shook his head. - -“Well, it’s a thing you might have found out for yourself. It doesn’t -add. Those figures at the bottom are not the sum of the lines. The -thing’s just a blooming fraud.” - -French cursed himself for his oversight, then suddenly a startling idea -flashed into his mind. Suppose this list of sales and purchases had -nothing whatever to do with finance. Suppose it conveyed a hidden -message by means of some secret code or cipher. Was that a possibility? -His voice trembled slightly, as with a haste verging on something very -different from his usual Soapy Joe politeness he took his leave. - -He hurried back to the Yard, eagerly anxious to get to work on his new -inspiration, and reaching his office he spread the list on his desk and -sat down to study it. It read: - - Stock and Share List - - _Bought_ _Sold_ - £ _s._ _d._ £ _s._ _d._ - 1. War Loan 5% 328 4 2 - 2. Australia 6% 568 5 0 - 3. Great Western Ord. 1039 1 3 - 4. Associated News Ord. 936 6 3 - 5. Aerated Bread 713 9 2 - 6. Barclay’s Bank 991 18 1 - 7. Alliance Assurance 394 10 19 - 8. Lyons 463 17 5 - 9. Picardie Hotel 205 14 11 - 10. Anglo-American Oil 748 3 9 - 11. War Loan 4% 403 18 10 - 12. British East Africa 6% 401 3 9 - 13. L. & N. E. 292 1 1 - 14. Brit. American Tobacco 898 5 7 - 15. Army & Navy Stores 1039 0 4 - 16. Lloyd’s Bank 586 10 10 - 17. Atlas Assurance 922 4 5 - 18. Telegrams 16 7 - 19. Maple 90 19 6 - 20. Mappin & Webb 463 4 5 - 21. Amalgamated Oils 748 5 7 - 22. War Loan 4½% 568 2 3 - 23. Canadian Govt. 3½% 958 5 6 - 24. Balances 17 3 - 25. Metropolitan Railway 812 10 4 - 26. _Daily Looking Glass_ Ord. 895 19 8 - 27. J. Barker 371 18 11 - --- --- --- --- --- --- - £6935 12 1 £9127 18 2 - 6935 12 1 - --- --- --- - £2192 6 1 - -The first question which occurred to French was whether, assuming the -list did contain some secret message, this was hidden in the names of -the stocks or in the money, or in both? - -Taking the former idea first, he began trying to form words out of -certain letters of the names, selected on various plans. The initials, -W, A, G, A, A, . . . were not promising, even when read bottom upwards, -J, D, M, B, C. . . . Nor were the final letters, downwards and upwards, -any better. Those next the initials and the penultimates were equally -hopeless, nor did diagonal arrangements promise better. - -French tried every plan he could think of, working steadily and -methodically through the various cases of each, and not leaving it until -he was satisfied that he was on the wrong track. He came on no solution, -but he did make one discovery which seemed to indicate that the message, -if such existed, was contained in the money columns rather than in the -names. He noticed that in the majority of cases the names of the various -stocks began with one of the earlier letters of the alphabet, and where -this did not obtain, the stock in question was one of the first of that -kind of stock to be quoted. He picked up a _Daily Mail_ and looked at -the financial page. The stocks were divided under various headings, -British Stocks, Overseas Dominions, Home Railways, Canadian and Foreign -Railways, and such like. The first division was British Stocks, and the -first item in it was War Loan 5%. But the first item on Mrs. Vane’s list -was War Loan 5%. - -The second item on the list was Australia 6%, and referring to the -_Daily Mail_ once more, French saw that Australia 6% was the first item -on the second division. This was sufficiently interesting, but when he -found that the next five items, Great Western, Associated News, Aerated -Bread, Barclay’s Bank, and Alliance Assurance were each the first of -their respective divisions, he felt he had stumbled upon something more -than a coincidence. - -He re-examined the list on this new basis, only to find his conclusions -verified. Apparently the person writing it had simply copied down the -stocks given in some paper—probably the _Daily Mail_. In order to -obtain variety and to make an unsuspicious-looking list, he had not -simply copied them consecutively; he had taken the first out of each -division. Then he had gone over the divisions again, using the second -name in each case, and so on until he had obtained the whole twenty-five -names that he had required. It had not been done with absolute accuracy, -but there was no doubt of the general method. From this it followed that -any message which the list might convey was contained in the money -columns, and French accordingly transferred his attention to the latter. - -The amounts extended from 16s. 7d. up to £1039, and varied surprisingly -between these extremes. There were none in the £100’s or the £600’s, but -all the other hundreds were represented. Speaking broadly, there were -more of the £800’s and £900’s than of the lower numbers. But he could -not see where any of these facts tended. - -There being no obvious line of research, he began a laborious and -detailed investigation into the possibilities of substitution, that is, -one of those ciphers in which a number or other sign is used to denote a -letter. It was clear that single numbers were insufficient for this -purpose, as in that case only ten letters of the alphabet could be used. -Some combination was therefore involved, and French tried various -schemes of addition to meet the case. But though he got three men to -assist him in the details of his various tests, he could not find -anything which gave the least suggestion of an intelligible combination. - -While engaged in this manner, he noticed that so far as the pounds were -concerned there were no less than three similar pairs, numbers 2 and 22, -3 and 15, and 10 and 21. He examined these pairs for some time, and then -he suddenly made a discovery which seemed to show that at last he was on -the right track. He had put the figures down beside each other, so: - - £ _s._ _d._ - No. 2 568 5 0 - No. 22 568 2 3 - -when suddenly he noticed that if the shilling and pence of each item -were added the result would be the same: 5+0=5; 2+3=5. Eagerly he turned -to the other pairs and wrote them out similarly, - - £ _s._ _d._ - No. 3 1039 1 3 - No. 15 1039 0 4 - -and, - - £ _s._ _d._ - No. 10 748 3 9 - No. 21 748 5 7 - -Here he saw at a glance that the same thing obtained, the pounds alone, -and the pence and shillings added together, making two similar pairs, -and therefore presumably standing for the same word. - -This discovery restored all his eager interest. It seemed definitely to -prove three things, each several one of which afforded him the liveliest -satisfaction. First, these combinations of figures proved that there -really was some underlying scheme, and that in its turn involved the -hidden message; secondly, they showed that he, French, was on the direct -road towards a solution; and thirdly, they indicated a code or cipher -built up of pairs of numbers, a frequent combination, embracing many -well-known varieties of cryptogram. - -His next step was, therefore, to rewrite the list in dual column, the -pounds in front, the pence and shillings added together behind. This -gave him a new jumping-off place in the following: - - 328—6 - 568—5 - 1039—4 - 936—9 - 713—11, and so on. - -On this he started his three men, making them try to work out keys on -squares and parallelograms, as well as in other well-established ways. -Then the pounds figure proving too large for this, he tried adding the -various digits of these figures together. In this way, 328 became 3+2+8 -or 13, and so he compiled a second list beginning: - - 13—6 - 19—5 - 13—4 - -But in spite of all his own and his men’s efforts he was unable to find -any clue to the key. They worked until long after the usual quitting -time, and at length he had to agree to an adjournment for the night. - -Next day he again attacked the problem, but it was not until well on in -the afternoon that he made an advance. Tired and dispirited, he had sent -for a cup of coffee to clear his brain, and after it he had, contrary to -his custom, lighted his pipe, while he leaned comfortably back in his -chair still turning the matter over in his mind. He was beginning to -think the puzzle insoluble, when suddenly an idea flashed into his mind, -and he sat up sharply, wondering if he had hit on the solution. - -He had been considering numerical ciphers of which the key is some book. -These consist usually of sets of three numbers, the first representing -the page, the second the line on that page, and the third the word on -that line. But he recognised that one of these latter numbers might be a -constant, that is, that the word should always be on, say, the fifth -line of the page, or that it should be the first or second of the line. -In this way the cipher could be worked with pairs of numbers. The -difficulty in these cases was of course to find the book which each of -the communicating parties used. - -So far had he progressed when he got his great idea. Where had he seen a -book which seemed strangely out of keeping with its fellows? Of course! -That was it at last! The _Concise Oxford Dictionary_ in Mrs. Vane’s -sitting-room! - -As he thought over this he felt more and more certain that he had -reached the explanation. Not only was there the fact of the book being -there, but a dictionary was obviously not only the kind of book best -suited for the purpose, but also that best suited for a dual number -system. The first number would represent the page and the second the -word on that page. The idea, further, was confirmed by the fact that -while the figure for the pounds—or pages—ran 1 to about 1000, that for -the shillings and pence—or words on the page—never rose above 30. -There was no doubt, French thought, that he had got it at last. - -At Scotland Yard all things are procurable at short notice. He rang up a -subordinate and gave urgent instructions that a _Concise Oxford -Dictionary_ was to be obtained immediately and sent up to him. - -Five minutes later he was eagerly turning over the leaves. It took but a -second or two to find page 328, and another second to count down to the -sixth word. It was “French.” - -Without waiting to consider whether this might refer to himself, in -which case he had found the solution, or merely be a coincidence, in -which case he hadn’t, he hastily went on to the next number. Page 568, -word 5, was “On.” - -“French on.” Still it might make sense or it might not. He looked up No. -3. - -The fourth word on the 1039th page was “Your.” “French on your” was -going all right, but when he turned up No. 4 and found that the ninth -word on page 936 was “Track,” all doubt was at an end. “French on your -track.” He had got it with a vengeance! - -The remaining words came easily until he came to number 17, Atlas -Assurance £922 4s. 5d. The ninth word on page 922 did not make sense. -But he had gone so far that this further problem could not long hold him -up. After a very few seconds he saw that if he added the shillings and -pence of the following line—which showed no figure in the pounds -column—to those of the £922, he found the word he wanted. It simply -meant that there were more than thirty words preceding that in question -on that page of the dictionary. 19 and 11, or 30, was the largest number -one line of shillings and pence would show, therefore a larger number -than 30 required two lines of shillings and pence to one of pounds. The -word “telegrams” had evidently been written as a blind, and he soon saw -that the item “balance” was wanted for a similar purpose. After this a -few minutes sufficed to turn up all the words, and presently he sat back -and looked at the completed result of his work. - - “French on your track rendezvous victory hotel lee d s if i fail - take your own ticket boat leave s on twenty six t h.” - -This as it stood was clear, but he rewrote it, putting in stops and -capitals, and joining the broken words. - - “French on your track. Rendezvous Victory Hotel, Leeds. If I - fail take your own ticket. Boat leaves on twenty-sixth.” - -So they were trying to escape by sea, Mrs. Vane and the person who had -sent her the warning! Who that person was, French had but little doubt. -Almost certainly it was Mr. Vane, and if so, it seemed to him also -beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Vane was the murderer. At all events, -whether or not, the person who had sent cipher directions to Mrs. Vane -regarding their joint flight was the person he wanted. He chuckled to -himself as he thought that he would soon know all about it now. He would -soon find the boat they were sailing in, and then he would have them in -the hollow of his hand. - -But would he? As his eye fell on the almanac hanging above the -chimneypiece he swore. Inexorably it reminded him that this was the -twenty-sixth. The steamer had left on that very day! - -But be that as it might, his procedure was clear. He must find the boat. -For a moment he sat considering ways and means, and then his attention -was attracted to the wording of the last phrase of the message: “Boat -leaves on twenty-sixth.” This surely suggested a clue—that the service -was other than daily. Had the latter obtained, the phrase would have -been, “Take next Thursday’s boat,” or words to that effect. If his -deduction was correct, it meant that the steamer was a sea-going ship, -not merely a cross-Channel packet. This view, moreover, was to some -extent supported by the probability that the fugitives would almost -certainly make for a distant rather than an adjacent country. - -From where, then, in the neighbourhood of Leeds, did steamers start to -distant lands? Liverpool was, of course, the obvious answer, but it need -not necessarily be Liverpool. From Hull and Grimsby, or even Manchester -and Goole, ships left for foreign ports. It would be necessary to make a -list of all the ocean-going steamers which left all the ports near Leeds -on the current date. - -Late though it was, French stuck to his task. A study of the shipping -news revealed the fact that seven steamers were booked to leave -Liverpool and Hull and the ports adjoining. From Liverpool there was a -White Star liner to Boston and Philadelphia, a Lamport & Holt boat to -Buenos Aires and Rosario, a Booth liner to Para and Manáos, and a Bibby -liner to Egypt, Colombo and Rangoon. From Hull, a Finland liner sailed -to Helsingfors and a Wilson boat to Copenhagen, while another Wilson -liner left Grimsby for Christiansand. Besides these, there were -doubtless numbers of cargo boats, some of which might take passengers, -but these were the only regular liners, and French determined to try -them first. - -He called up the head office of each of the lines in question and asked -had any persons named Vane booked passages on their ships leaving on -that day, and if not, could they tell him if a couple answering the -description which he gave had done so. There was a considerable delay in -getting replies, but when he received that from the Booth Line he did -not grudge the loss of time. It stated that a Mr. and Mrs. Vane, of -Crewe Lodge, St. John’s Wood Road, had booked passages to Manáos by the -_Enoch_, which left Liverpool at 3.00 p.m. that afternoon; further, -these persons had gone on board at Liverpool, and as far as the head -office knew, had actually sailed. - -French was a trifle hazy about the Booth Line. He knew that Manáos was -in South America—Brazil, he imagined, but whether the steamer sailed -there direct or made intermediate calls at which it might be overtaken -and at which an arrest might be made, he did not know. - -He telephoned to have the information sent up to him. “The last lap!” he -thought contentedly, as he pictured the arrival of the steamer at Manáos -and the descent of the fugitives on to the wharf into the clutches of -the waiting police. And for him it would mean not only the completion of -a peculiarly worrying and difficult case, but undoubted kudos, if not -actual promotion. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - THE S. S. “ENOCH” - - -IN the vast organisation of Scotland Yard the indexing of information on -every available subject has been brought to something more than a fine -art. If French had wished to know the number of inhabitants of Prague, -the favourite recreations of the Elder Brethren of Trinity House, or the -width of the Ganges at Allahabad, some notes or books of reference would -immediately have been forthcoming which would have fully supplied the -desired information. How much more when the question was merely one of -trains and steamers. He had not long to wait for an answer to his -telephone, and this revealed the fact that the Booth liner _Enoch_, -which had left Liverpool on the previous afternoon, called at Havre, -Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, and Para, before completing her voyage to -Manáos by a sail of a thousand miles up the Amazon. Moreover, she -awaited at Havre the arrival of the Southhampton boat, the connection of -which left Waterloo at 9.30 on the night of the 27th. - -“To-night!” French thought as he hastily glanced at his watch. It was -just 8.42. _What_ a stroke of luck! He would travel by it, and with any -reasonable good fortune he would have these Vanes safe in his clutches -before another dozen hours had passed. - -As a man of action French was unsurpassed. Within five minutes he had -called an assistant, a keen, efficient young sergeant named Carter, and -instructed him to join him that night on the 9.30 Continental train from -Waterloo, had sent another keen, efficient helper post-haste to have -extradition warrants and other necessaries sent to the same train, and -had rung up for a taxi to take him home to tell his wife of his change -of plan and to put two or three things together for the journey. In -short, thanks to his energy, the hands of the Waterloo station clock had -scarcely reached 9.25 when he and Sergeant Carter reached the platform -from which the boat train was about to start. Awaiting them was Manning, -the other keen and efficient assistant, who handed over warrants for the -arrest and extradition of Mr. and Mrs. Vane, passports, English and -French money, as well as an introduction to the French police at Havre. - -“Good, Manning! That’s all right,” French approved as he took over the -munitions of war. In another couple of minutes the train drew slowly out -of the station, and increasing its speed as it passed the myriad lights -of South London, was soon roaring through the darkness of the open -country beyond. - -Fortunately, the night was calm and the boat was not crowded, so that -the detectives were able to get berths and a sleep to prepare them for -their toils on the following day. They reached Havre on time, and -jumping into a taxi were driven to the berth of the _Enoch_, which was -some distance down the docks. French hurried on board and asked to see -the Captain, while Carter remained at the gangway lest the quarry, -seeing French and knowing his appearance, might take fright and attempt -to slip ashore. - -Captain Davis saw French immediately. - -“Sit down, Mr. French,” he said pleasantly when he had examined the -other’s credentials, “and let me know what I can do for you.” - -French took the proffered seat as he drew from his pocket Mrs. Vane’s -photograph as well as her description and that of her husband. - -“I’ll tell you, Captain,” he answered. “I’m after a man and woman who -are wanted for murder and robbery. They call themselves Mr. and Mrs. -Vane, though I don’t know if this is their real name or even if they are -married. I have learned that they booked with you from Liverpool to -Manáos, but I only found that out last night, so I came over by -Southampton in the hope of making an arrest. There,” he passed over his -photograph and papers, “are the descriptions.” - -The Captain glanced at him as he took the papers. He did not speak until -he had looked through the latter, then he said gravely: - -“I’m afraid, Mr. French, they’ve been one too many for you this time. A -Mr. and Mrs. Vane did book passages and even came on board at Liverpool, -but they left the ship almost immediately and didn’t turn up again. I -assumed that some accident had prevented their return, and that they -would follow by Southampton as you did, but from what you tell me it -looks as if they had learned you were on their track and made a bolt for -it. But we had better see the purser. He will tell us details.” - -French was aghast. Once again had happened to him what he had so often -previously experienced. When he was most sure of himself and most -confident of success, that was the time of failure! How often had he -taken a sporting chance, doubtful of himself and his ability to meet a -situation, and the occasion had resulted in a brilliant coup. And how -often, alas, had his certainty of success ended in disaster! - -By the time the purser arrived, he had to some extent recovered his -equanimity. “Mr. Jennings—Inspector French of the C.I.D.,” the Captain -introduced them. “Sit down, Jennings, and hear what the Inspector wants. -It’s about that Mr. and Mrs. Vane that came aboard at Liverpool and left -again before we sailed. Ask him what you want to know, Mr. French.” - -Mr. Jennings was a shrewd, efficient-looking man of about forty, and as -French began to speak he felt a comfortable assurance that at least he -would receive in answer to his questions concisely-worded statements of -accurately observed facts. - -“It’s this way, Mr. Jennings,” he explained. “These Vanes are wanted for -murder and robbery. I traced them to your ship, and crossed last night -from London, hoping to arrest them here. But the Captain tells me I have -missed them. Perhaps you’ll give me any information you can about them.” - -“There’s not much to tell,” the purser answered. “They came aboard about -noon on Thursday, and Mr. Vane showed me their tickets and asked for -their stateroom. The tickets were singles from Liverpool to Manáos, all -O. K. An upper deck stateroom, No. 12, had been reserved at the London -office, and I gave the number to their cabin steward and saw him leading -the way there with the luggage. About half an hour later they came back -to my office and asked what time the ship sailed. I told them three -o’clock. Mr. Vane said they had to go ashore to complete some business, -but would be back in good time. They then left in the direction of the -gangway.” - -“Did you actually see them go ashore?” - -“No, you can’t see out on deck from the office.” - -“Yes? And then?” - -“After dinner their cabin steward asked me if I knew anything about -them. He said they hadn’t been down for dinner, and he couldn’t find -them anywhere about the ship. We had a look round, and then I spoke to -Captain Davis, and he had a thorough search made. They have never been -seen since, and they’re certainly not on board now.” - -“They couldn’t have hidden somewhere and slipped ashore here in Havre?” - -“Quite impossible. There’s not the slightest doubt they missed the boat -at Liverpool.” - -“Intentionally or unintentionally?” the Captain interjected. - -“I don’t know anything about that,” Mr. Jennings replied, “but they -certainly did not sail with us. Perhaps, Inspector, they learned when -they went on shore that you were after them?” - -“Impossible,” French declared. “I did not myself know where they had -gone until last night.” - -He felt ruefully sure that the whole thing was part of the elaborate -laying of a false trail, but he did not see that anything was to be -gained by discussing this with the ship’s officers. He pushed his papers -towards the purser. - -“Can you recognise the parties from those, Mr. Jennings?” - -A glance at the photograph sufficed. The original was undoubtedly that -Mrs. Vane who had for a brief half-hour boarded the _Enoch_. And the -description was that of Mr. Vane also. French was forced to the -conclusion that his quarry had indeed, in the Captain’s words, been too -many for him. He swore bitterly beneath his breath. - -“You say they left some luggage in their stateroom,” he went on. “Could -I have a look at it?” - -“Of course. But, you know, they may still be here. On several occasions -I have known passengers to miss the ship at Liverpool and follow on -here. They may turn up at any minute.” - -“If they do, so much the better,” French answered. “But I won’t bank on -it. If you don’t mind, I’ll have a look at the luggage now. What time do -you sail?” - -“In about half an hour.” - -“That will just give me time. Meantime I have a man at the gangway, and -he’ll spot them if they come along.” - -There were four large suitcases in the roomy and comfortable stateroom -set apart for the Vanes, as well as a number of articles of toilet and -apparel which might well represent the first hurried attempt at -unpacking. The suitcases were locked, but French soon opened them with -his bunch of skeleton keys. And here he got confirmation of his theory -that all this journey to Manáos was merely a carefully thought out plan. -The cases were empty. Dummy luggage, brought in to bolster up the trick. -But there was nothing in the cabin to give any hint of where the -fugitives had really gone. - -“I needn’t wait for them to turn up,” French said grimly. “Those empty -suitcases give the show away.” - -“I’m afraid it looks like it,” the purser admitted. “Sorry we didn’t -know about it sooner.” - -“Can’t be helped. That’s what we Scotland Yard men are up against all -the time.” He bid the friendly purser good-day and slowly left the ship. - -But he did not leave the wharf. Though he thought it unlikely, there was -still just a chance that the quarry had missed the ship and were -following on. He would make sure. - -But though he waited until the _Enoch_ cast off and swung her bows round -towards the open sea, there was no sign of any late arrivals, and when -he had once seen the liner under way he turned disconsolately to his -satellite. - -“It’s all U P, Carter, as far as this trip is concerned. They’ve given -us the slip about proper. Goodness only knows where they are by this -time; perhaps half-way to the States. Let’s find a telegraph office and -report to Headquarters.” - -A few minutes later French had sent a long wire to his chief at the -Yard. Then at a loose end, he turned to Sergeant Carter. - -“Well, Carter, what shall we do with ourselves now? Here’s ten o’clock -and we can’t get back until the evening. We have the whole day to play -round in.” - -Except that he believed he could do with a bit more breakfast, the -Sergeant’s ideas were nebulous. French laughed at him. - -“It’s what I was thinking myself,” he admitted, “but it’s a bad time. -These folk over here have no notion of what a good breakfast means, and -it’s a bit early for their lunch. However, we’ll see what we can do.” - -They went into a small restaurant and asked for coffee and ham and eggs. -This proving too much for the waiter, the proprietor was summoned. He -had a little English and at last understood. - -“But yes, messieurs,” he cried, waving his hands. “The ham, the eggs, -the omelette; is it not so?” He bowed low. “Immediately, messieurs. Will -messieurs be pleased to be seated.” - -Messieurs were pleased to be seated, and in an incredibly short space of -time a smoking omelette arrived, garnished with chip potatoes and -onions, together with coffee and delicious rolls and butter. To this the -hungry men did full justice, and Carter’s estimate of the French, which -had been low, went up several points. They took their time over the -meal, but eventually it was finished, and the problem of how to fill in -their time once more became insistent. - -“We might go round and see some of these coast places,” French -suggested. “St. Malo or some of those. Or I dare say we could work -across somehow to Dieppe and catch the afternoon boat to Newhaven. What -do you say?” - -Carter voted for going to the station and looking into the -possibilities, and they walked slowly up the town, fascinated by the -foreign life of the busy port. Havre is a fine city with good streets, -shops, and public buildings, but it is not an interesting town, and by -the time they reached the station, a mile and a half away, they felt -they had seen enough of it. - -An examination of the time-tables showed that they were too late for -Dieppe—the English boat would have left before they could possibly get -there—and St. Malo, they discovered, was not in that part of the -country at all, but miles away to the south-west. Trouville was only -eight or ten miles away across the bay, but Trouville in winter did not -seem an attractive prospect. - -“Tell you what,” French said at last. “We’ve got an introduction to -these French johnnies. We’ll go and look ’em up, and perhaps see -something of their police station.” - -Sergeant Carter, delighted with his superior’s condescension, hurriedly -agreed, and a few minutes later the two men found themselves ascending -the steps of a large building which bore over the door the legend -“Gendarmerie.” Here French tendered his introduction, with the result -that he was shown into the presence of and politely welcomed by the -officer in charge. - -“I regret the Chief is out of town at present,” the latter said in -excellent English. “He will be sorry not to have seen you. I hope that -presently you will give me the pleasure of your company at lunch, and in -the meantime let me know if there is anything I can do for you.” - -French explained the circumstances. He would not stay for lunch, as he -had but a short time since finished an excellent breakfast, but he would -be most grateful if the other would tell him how best he could spend the -time until his return boat to Southampton. - -“That’s not until midnight,” answered the Frenchman. “You don’t know -this country?” - -“Not at all. It was just that if there was anything to see within reach, -we might as well see it.” - -“Of course, naturally. Well, monsieur, were I in your place I should -certainly go to Caen. It is an interesting old town, well worth a visit. -There is a steamer all the way, but you would scarcely have time for -that; it is rather slow. I should recommend you to go to Trouville by -steamer—it’s just across the bay—and then go on from there to Caen by -rail. In the time at your disposal I really do not think you could do -anything better.” - -French thanked him, and the other continued, “The steamer sails -according to the tide. To-day,” he glanced at an almanac, “it leaves at -midday. You should get to Caen about two, and you could dine there and -come back in the evening in time for your boat.” - -At ten minutes to twelve French and his satellite reached the wharf, -having delayed on their walk down town to consume bocks in one of the -many attractive cafés in the main streets. They took tickets and went on -board the little steamer. The day was cold though fine, and there were -but few travellers. They strolled about, interested in the novel scene, -and at last finding two seats in the lee of the funnel, sat down to -await the start. - -Midday came, and with leisurely movements the horn was blown, the -gangway run ashore, and the ropes slacked. The Captain put his lips to -the engine-room speaking tube, but before he could give his order an -interruption came from the shore. Shouts arose and a man in the blue -uniform of a gendarme appeared running towards the boat and -gesticulating wildly. The Captain paused, the slackened ropes were -pulled tight, and all concerned stood expectant. - -The gendarme jumped on board and ran up the steps to the bridge, eagerly -watched by the entire ship’s company. He spoke rapidly to the Captain, -and then the latter turned to the staring passengers below. - -“Monsieur Fr-r-onsh?” he called in stentorian tones, looking inquiringly -round the upturned faces. “Monsieur Fr-r-onsh de Londres?” - -“It’s you, sir,” cried Carter. “There’s something up.” - -French hastened to the bridge and the gendarme handed him a blue -envelope. “De monsieur le chef,” he explained with a rapid salute, as he -hastened ashore. - -It was a telegram, and it contained news which, as it were, brought the -Inspector up all standing. It was from the Yard and read: - - “Liverpool police wire Vanes went aboard _Enoch_ and did not go - ashore again. Mackay was watching ship for Henson and saw them. - They must still be on board. Follow ship to Oporto or Lisbon.” - -“Come ashore, Carter,” French cried rapidly, rushing to the side. The -boat was actually moving, but the two men, jumping, reached the wharf -amid the execrations of the Captain and staff. - -“Here, officer,” he called, beckoning to the gendarme, who had watched -the proceedings with a horrified interest, “how do you get quickly to -Headquarters?” - -The man bowed, shrugged his shoulders, and indicated in dumb show that -he did not understand. French hailed a passing taxi and pushed his -companions in. - -“Monsieur le chef!” he cried to the bewildered gendarme, producing and -tapping the telegram. “Monsieur le chef?” - -The man understood. A smile dawned on his perturbed countenance, and -with a rapid flow of French he gave the required address. In ten minutes -they were once more at the gendarmerie, French still clamouring for -“Monsieur le chef.” - -He was shown into the room of the same polite officer whom he had -previously met. - -“Ah,” the latter said, “so my man was in time. You got your telegram?” - -“Yes, sir, I did, and greatly obliged to you I am for your trouble. But -I can’t make head or tail of the thing. Those ship’s officers this -morning were absolutely positive the wanted couple had not sailed.” - -The officer shrugged his shoulders. - -“Doubtless,” he said smoothly. “All the same I thought you should have -the message, lest you should wish to follow up the steamer as -suggested.” - -“I have no choice,” French returned. “It is an order from Headquarters. -Perhaps, sir, you would add to your already great kindness by telling me -my route. With this confounded difference of language I feel myself all -at sea.” - -The officer, who had seemed bored as to the movements of the Vanes, -became once more the efficient, interested consultant. The obvious -route, he said, was via Paris. It was true that you could get across -country to pick up the international express at Bordeaux, but Paris was -quicker and more comfortable. Fortunately, French had returned in time -to catch the midday train to the capital. It left at 12.40, and he could -easily reach the station and book in the twenty minutes which remained -before that hour. - -His time from the receipt of the wire until the Paris express pulled out -of Havre station had been so fully occupied that French had not been -able seriously to consider the message sent. Now, seated in the corner -of a second-class compartment with Carter opposite, he drew the flimsy -sheet from his pocket and reread it carefully. He understood the -reference to Mackay and Henson. Detective-Sergeant Mackay was one of the -best men of the Liverpool detective staff, and he was on a very similar -job to French’s own. He was watching the outgoing steamers in the hope -of capturing one Charles Henson, who with a couple of others had made a -sensational raid on a country bank, and after murdering the manager, had -got away with a large haul from the safe. French knew Mackay personally, -and he was satisfied that if he had said the Vanes had gone on board and -remained there, they had done so. - -He wondered how it came that Mackay had not at the time recognised the -Vanes as a wanted couple. Probably, he thought, the man had been so much -occupied with his own case that he had not read up the particulars in -the _Bulletin_, which, after all, was a magazine intended more for the -rank and file than for men on specialised duties. However, the fact -remained that Mackay had missed his chance, though his habit of detailed -observation had enabled him to some extent to redeem his error. - -But if it was true that the Vanes had not left the ship at Liverpool, -what became of the statements of the Captain and Purser? It was not -likely that these men could be hoodwinked over such a matter. They were -experts; moreover, they were dealing with a ship with whose every part -they were familiar. To the Vanes, on the other hand, the ship would be -strange, and they would be ignorant of its routine. Under these -circumstances it was absolutely out of the question that the pair could -have hidden themselves on board. No, if they were there, the Captain -would have known of it. French could not devise any explanation of the -matter. The whole thing seemed a contradiction. - -He had, however, to settle his own plans. The kindly French police -officer had helped him by ’phoning the local office of the Booth Line -and finding out the itinerary of the _Enoch_. This was Saturday, and on -the afternoon of the following day, Sunday, the steamer was expected to -reach Leixoes, the port of Oporto. She would remain there that night and -the next day, leaving Leixoes about 8 o’clock on the Monday evening. -Next day about noon she was due in Lisbon, where she would remain for -two days. After that her first call was Madeira. - -French had intended to meet her in Lisbon, but it now occurred to him -that he might be able to make Oporto in time to join her there. He had -bought a railway guide in Havre, and he now proceeded to look up the -trains. The route, he saw, was to Bordeaux by the Paris-Orleans line, -then on by the Midi to the Spanish frontier at Irun, and so by Medina -and Salamanca to Oporto. The first through train from Paris after their -arrival at 4.35 p.m. was the 10.22 p.m. from the Gare Quai d’Orsay, and -this reached Oporto at shortly after midday on the next day but one, -Monday. Oporto to Leixoes was only half an hour’s run, so he had six or -seven hours’ margin. Oporto, he decided, was his goal. - -They were fortunate in securing sleeping berths between Paris and -Bordeaux, and there was a restaurant car on the train to Irun. They -waited an hour at the frontier station, and French blessed the -intelligence of Manning, who had had their identification papers made -available for Spain and Portugal as well as France. - -French on his trip from Chamonix to Barcelona had been amazed by the -illimitable extent of the earth, but his feelings of wonder on that -occasion were as nothing compared to those he now experienced. The -journey from Irun to Oporto was absolutely _endless_; at least he -thought so as interminable mile succeeded interminable mile, while day -turned into night and night more slowly turned back into day. It was -cold, too, through the high tableland of Spain—bitterly cold, and the -two men could not get the kind of meals they liked, nor could they sleep -well in the somewhat jolting coaches. But all things come to an end, and -at half-past one on the Monday, about an hour late, the train came -finally to a stand in the Estacao Central of Oporto. There was plenty of -time, and the travellers went straight to the Porto Hotel for a short -rest before setting out to find the tramway to Leixoes. - -French was immensely struck with the picturesque, old world city, -nestling on the steep, hilly banks of the Douro, and he marvelled to -feel quiver at every horse-hoof the great high level Dom Luez bridge, -which throws its spidery steel arch in a single span of nearly 600 feet -across the placid river flowing far beneath. Then after passing down the -steeply-inclined streets to near the water’s edge, he and Carter boarded -the tram and set off seawards along a road skirting the right bank of -the stream. - -In spite of the business which had brought them so far, both men gazed -with intense interest at the unwonted sights they passed, the -semi-tropical vegetation, the long, narrow, four-wheeled carts with -their teams of oxen, the mole constructed across some three-quarters of -the mouth of the Douro to increase the scour through the remainder, -then, passing a stretch of sandhills, they finally reached the houses of -Leixos, with lying below them the harbour contained within its two -encircling stone piers, and, blessed sight, the _Enoch_ lying at anchor -therein. - -They made a bargain with a dusky boatman for what seemed to French a -fortune of reis, and ten minutes later they had ascended the ladder and -were once more on the steamer’s deck. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - FRENCH PROPOUNDS A RIDDLE - - -IF Captain Davis experienced surprise on seeing French reappear at the -door of his cabin, he gave no indication of his feelings. - -“Good-afternoon, Inspector,” he greeted him quietly. “Come aboard again? -You should have stayed with us, you know.” He smiled quizzically. “It -would have been much less tiring than going all that way round by land, -and for the matter of that, a good deal cheaper. Found your criminals?” - -“Well, I’ve not,” French answered slowly, “—yet. But I hope to soon. -Captain, I’ve had a wire from the Yard that those people are on board -after all.” - -The Captain frowned. - -“No doubt the Yard is a wonderfully efficient organisation,” he said -gravely, “but when it comes to telling me who is or is not aboard my -ship—well, I think that is a trifle, shall we say, thick? How do they -profess to know?” - -“I’ll tell you. I got a wire shortly after the ship left Havre on -Saturday, and it said that one of the Liverpool detectives, Sergeant -Mackay, was watching your ship before she sailed. He was looking out for -a man also wanted for murder, not this Vane—a different person -altogether. He saw the Vanes going on board, though, of course, he did -not realise they also were wanted. But he saw them right enough, at -least, he was able to convince the Yard as to their identity. Mackay -waited until the ship sailed, and he states the Vanes did not go ashore. -I know Mackay personally, and he is a most careful and accurate officer. -I am satisfied that if he makes this statement it is true. Now, none of -your people saw them go ashore, and with all due respect to you and your -purser, the suggestion is that they’re still on board. The wire ended by -instructing me to follow up the ship either here or to Lisbon, and -investigate further.” - -“You’ve certainly followed us up all right, but having overtaken us I -should like to ask, if it is not an indiscreet question, what you -propose to do next?” - -French saw that if he was to retain the help of Captain Davis he would -have to be careful how he answered. - -“There, Captain, I was going to ask for your kind help, though I feel I -have troubled you more than enough already. I’ll tell you what I was -thinking over in the train. Suppose for argument’s sake the Yard is -right, and that these people really are on board. It is obvious from -your search that they’re not here in their own characters, therefore -they must be posing as two other people. That, I take it, is what the -people at the Yard had in mind also.” - -“Well?” - -“This is not such an unlikely supposition as it sounds. The woman is, or -rather was, an actress, and we know she is a clever one. Not only was -she well thought of when on the stage, but she has recently carried off -successfully a far stiffer test than that. She crossed from New York to -Southampton on the _Olympic_, and convinced the people on board that she -was English, and then she went on to London and convinced the people -there that she was an American. I have seen the people in each -case—critical, competent people who know the world—and each lot -ridiculed the idea that she was not what she seemed. If she could do -that, she could surely manage another impersonation. A comparatively -simple disguise would do, as there would be nothing to make you or the -purser suspect.” - -The Captain was listening with considerable interest, but it was evident -that his ruffled feelings were not yet entirely smoothed down. - -“That may be all very well,” he admitted, “but you have not taken into -consideration the evidence of the bookings. 176 passengers booked from -Liverpool, and in almost every case their tickets were taken and their -staterooms reserved several days in advance. The exceptions in all cases -were men. 176 passengers turned up, Mr. and Mrs. Vane among them. But -there were only 174 passengers on board when we left Liverpool. You -follow what I mean; that all the other passengers on board are accounted -for?” - -“I see that,” French admitted slowly, “and you may be right. It -certainly doesn’t seem easy to answer what you say. At the same time, in -the face of the instructions I have had from the Yard, I daren’t do -other than go on and sift the thing further.” - -“Naturally, but how?” - -“I don’t know. I don’t see my way clear as yet. For one thing, I shall -have to meet every woman on board, with the special object of trying to -penetrate any disguise which may have been attempted. If that fails I -may give up the search or I may try something else. I suppose you can -take me on as far as Lisbon at all events?” - -“With pleasure.” The Captain seemed to have recovered from his momentary -irritation. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you. -Though I confess I think you’re on a wild goose chase, I’ll give you -every facility I can.” - -“Thank you, Captain. You will understand that whatever I may think -myself, I am not my own master in the matter. The only thing I should -like at present is a chat with the purser over the passenger list.” - -“That, at all events, is easily arranged,” answered Captain Davis as he -touched a bell. - -The purser had not observed French’s arrival, and professed amazement on -finding him on board. - -“I begin to wonder if the ship’s not haunted,” he smiled as he shook -hands. “Mr. and Mrs. Vane we leave behind at Liverpool, and you say -they’re aboard at Havre. You we leave behind at Havre—I saw you myself -on the wharf—and here you are aboard at Leixoes! What distinguished -stranger are we to expect to find on board at Lisbon?” - -“I hope there’ll be a clearance of four at Lisbon,” French rejoined. -“Though it sounds impolite, nothing would please me better than to -change to a homeward bounder in company with my Sergeant and Mr. and -Mrs. Vane.” - -“What? Do you still think they’re on board?” - -“The Inspector still thinks so,” the Captain intervened, “and he wants -to talk to you about it. Better take him to your cabin and give him any -help you can.” - -“Right, sir. Will you come along, Mr. French?” - -Mr. Jennings, in spite of his obvious competence, had a pleasant, -leisurely manner which conveyed to the many who sought his counsel that -though he might be busy enough at other times, he was not too hurried at -that moment to give them his most careful and undivided attention. So he -listened to French’s story, and so he took out the passenger list, and -set himself to discuss the personalities of those enumerated thereon. - -“I’ll deal with the women first,” French explained. “You say that there -are sixty-seven on board, as against about twice as many men. Besides, I -have more information about Mrs. Vane than her husband. Now, if you -don’t mind, let’s get on with them.” - -The purser ran his finger down the list. - -“Miss Ackfield is the first,” he explained. “She is a lady of between -fifty and sixty, I should say. You can easily see her, but in my opinion -there is not the slightest chance that she could be otherwise than what -she seems.” - -French noted the particulars. - -“Right,” he said. “Next, please.” - -“The next is Miss Bond. She’s also pretty well on in years, but she -couldn’t be your friend because she’s at least four inches taller.” - -“Very good.” - -“Then there is Mrs. Brent. She is a young girl. Her husband is on board, -and they are evidently newly married. She’s too young.” - -They worked on down the list, provisionally eliminating the unlikely. -Mrs. Cox was too tall, Miss Duffield too short, Mrs. Eaglefield too -stout, Miss Felton too thin, and so on. In the end they had reduced the -number to ten, of which French had to admit that not one seemed in the -least promising. - -There was indeed one couple who had at first appealed to him, a Mr. -Pereira da Silva, and his daughter, Miss Maria da Silva, because they -kept almost entirely to their cabins, mixing but little with the life of -the ship. Mr. da Silva, a man of over seventy, Mr. Jennings thought, was -an invalid, and had come on board with difficulty, leaning on a stick -and his daughter’s arm. He was practically confined to bed, and Miss da -Silva was assiduous in her attention to him, reading to him and keeping -him company when many another similarly placed daughter would have been -on deck or in the saloon, amusing herself among the other passengers. -The two had their meals together, and the lady, though friendly enough -when she did go on deck or when occasionally she sat in the saloon, was -but rarely seen. This was, thought French, a likely enough ruse for the -fugitives to adopt, and his suspicions were strengthened by the fact -that Miss da Silva’s general appearance was not unlike that of Mrs. -Vane. But Mr. Jennings soon demolished his house of cards. The da Silvas -were obviously Brazilian. They, or rather the girl, for the old man had -been too feeble even to deal with the business of the tickets, spoke -fluent Portuguese, the Portuguese of a native, and her English was not -only broken, but was spoken as a Portuguese alone speaks it. Besides, -she looked like a Portuguese. They lived at Rio, so Mr. Jennings had -gathered, and had visited England to see Mr. da Silva’s brother, a -London merchant. They had booked to Para, near where other relatives -lived, and from where they would return to Rio. They had taken tickets -and reserved their staterooms some time before the Vanes. - -French was disappointed. He booked on to Lisbon on chance, then not -wishing to be seen, he retired to his cabin, leaving Sergeant Carter to -watch the ladder leading to the shore boats. - -As he sat smoking beside the open porthole, he kept on racking his -brains for some method of solving his problem, but at last it was a -chance word of the purser’s that give him his idea. Mr. Jennings had -dropped in just after the ship, pushing out between the two great stone -moles of the harbour, had dipped her nose into the deep, slow-moving -Atlantic swell, and he had said: “Talking of disguises, it’s a pity you -couldn’t disguise yourself and come into the saloon to-night, Mr. -French. We are having our first sing-song, and you would have a good -chance then of seeing the lady passengers.” - -“That’s rather an idea,” French had replied. “Could you not hide me -somewhere, say, near the door of the saloon through which those -attending must enter, so that I could see each as she passed?” - -Mr. Jennings had believed it might be possible, and had promised to see -what could be done. And then as he was taking his leave, the idea -flashed into French’s mind, and he had called him back. - -“Don’t trouble about that business in the meantime, Mr. Jennings. Would -it be convenient to you to call back again in half an hour? I shall have -something to ask you then.” - -Jennings glanced at him curiously, but all he said was “Right-o!” as he -went on his business. After the allotted span he came back, and French -spoke earnestly. - -“Look here, Mr. Jennings, if you could do something for me you’d put me -under a heavy debt of gratitude. I’ll tell you what it is. First I want -you to smuggle me into the saloon before the concert begins, without any -one having seen me. I want to sit in some place where I can’t be seen by -a person entering until he or she is right inside the room. Is that -possible?” - -“Why, yes, I think so. I’ll fix it for you somehow. I take it your -notion is that if the lady sees you so suddenly and unexpectedly she -will give herself away?” - -“Quite, but there is something else, Mr. Jennings. That scheme would -only work if she knows my appearance, but I don’t think she does. I want -some one to read this out as an item. Will you do it?” - -He handed over a sheet of paper which he had covered with writing during -his half-hour’s wait. It read: - - “RIDDLE. - - “A prize of a 5-lb. box of chocolates is offered for the best - answer to the following riddle: - - “If she is Winter in Comedy, - Ward in _Olympic_, - Root in Savoy, and - Vane in Crewe, - What is she on the _Enoch_?” - -Mr. Jennings looked somewhat mystified. - -“I don’t quite get you?” he suggested. - -“Woman’s aliases and the places where she used them.” - -Something like admiration showed in the purser’s eyes. - -“My word! Some notion, that! If the woman is there and hasn’t smelt a -rat, she’ll give herself away when she hears that. But why don’t you -read it yourself?” - -“If she makes a move to leave I want to be out before her. If she -leaves, it will mean that her husband is not present, and I want to get -her before she can warn him. Carter’ll be on the same job.” - -“Well, I’ll read it if you like, but frankly I’d rather you had some one -else to do it.” - -“What about Captain Davis?” - -Jennings glanced round and sank his voice. - -“If you take my advice, you’ll leave the old man out of it altogether. -He just mightn’t approve. He treats the passengers as his guests, and -bluffing them like that mightn’t appeal to him.” - -“But I’m not bluffing them,” French retorted with a twinkle in his eye. -He drew a pound note from his pocket and passed it over. “That’s for the -chocolates, and whoever puts in the best answer gets it. It’s all -perfectly straight and above board. Whether we get the woman over it or -not no one need ever know.” - -The purser smiled, but shook his head doubtfully. - -“Well, it’s your funeral. Anyway, I’ve said I’ll go through with it, and -I will.” - -“Good!” French was once more his hearty, complacent self. “Now there is -another matter if this one fails. Mrs. Vane may stay in her cabin. I -want you to check the women present by your list, and give me a note of -any absentees. Then I shall go round their cabins and make some excuse -to see each.” - -The purser agreed to this also. “I’ll send you some dinner here, and at -once,” he added as he rose to take his leave, “then I’ll come for you -while the passengers are dining, and get you fixed up in the saloon.” - -“Better send Carter here, and he can dine with me while I explain the -thing to him.” - -When Mr. Jennings had gone, French stood in front of his porthole gazing -out over the heaving waters. Daylight had completely gone, but there was -a clear sky and a brilliant full moon. The sea looked like a ghostly -plain of jet with, leading away across it, a huge road of light, its -edges sparkling with myriad flashes of silver. His cabin was on the port -side, and some three miles off he could dimly trace the white line of -surf beating along the cliffs of the coast. The sea looked horribly -cold, and he turned from it with a slight shudder as the door opened and -Sergeant Carter entered. - -“Ah, Carter, Mr. Jennings is sending us in some dinner. We’ll have it -together. I have a job on for to-night,” and he explained his plan and -the part his subordinate was to play therein. Carter said, “Yes, sir,” -stolidly to everything, but French could see he was impressed. - -Shortly before eight, Mr. Jennings appeared and beckoned his -fellow-conspirators to follow him. They passed quickly across the deck -and along some passages, and reached the saloon unobserved. There they -found that the purser had placed two arm-chairs for their use close to -the door, but hidden from outside it by screens. From French’s chair the -face of each person who entered the room would be visible, while -Carter’s was arranged so that he could see all those of the seated -audience which were out of French’s immediate purview. - -The concert was timed for half-past eight and before that hour little -groups of people began to arrive. French, with a novel open on his -knees, sat scrutinising unostentatiously each person as he or she -entered. Once he stared with increased eagerness, as a dark, stoutish -woman entered with two men. It seemed to him that she bore some -resemblance to the photograph, but as he watched her foreign gestures -and as he listened to her rapid conversation in some unknown language, -he felt sure she could not be the woman he sought. He called a passing -steward, and learned from him that she was the Miss da Silva whom he had -already suspected and acquitted in his mind. - -As the time drew on the saloon gradually filled, but nowhere did he see -any one whose appearance he thought suspicious. When the hour arrived, -the proceedings were opened with a short recital by a well-known pianist -who was making the voyage to Madeira for his health. - -French was not musical, but even if he had been he would have paid but -scant attention to the programme. He was too busily engaged in covertly -scrutinising the faces of the men and women around him. He was dimly -conscious that the well-known pianist brought his contribution to an end -with a brilliant and highly dexterous feat of manual gymnastics, that -two ladies—or was it three—sang, that a deep-toned basso growled out -something that he took to be a Scotch song, and that a quiet, rather -pretty girl played some pleasant-sounding melody on a violin, when his -attention was suddenly galvanised into eager life and fixed with an -expectant thrill on what was taking place. Mr. Jennings had ascended the -platform. - -“Ladies and gentlemen,” the purser said in his pleasantly modulated -voice, “while possibly it may be true that the days of riddles have -passed, and while it certainly is true that the middle of a concert is -not the happiest time for asking them, still perhaps you will allow me -to put this one to you. It is a topical riddle concerning our voyage -made up by one of our company, and he offers a prize of this large box -of chocolates for the best solution. The riddle is this, and I can let -any one who cares to consider it have a copy: ‘If she is Winter in -Comedy, Ward in _Olympic_, Root in Savoy, and Vane in Crewe, what is she -aboard the _Enoch_?’” - -The audience listened with good-humoured attention, and for a moment Mr. -Jennings stood motionless, still smiling pleasantly. The little buzz of -conversation which usually sprang up between the items had not yet -begun, and save for the faint, all-pervading murmur of the engines, the -gently swaying saloon was momentarily still. Then through the silence -came a slight though unexpected sound. Miss da Silva’s handbag had -slipped off her knee, and the metal hasp had struck the parquet floor -with a sharp tap. - -French glanced at her face with a sudden thrill. It had gone a queer -shade of yellowish brown, and her hand, hanging down by her side, was -clenched till the knuckles showed the same livid brownish hue. She -evidently had not noticed her bag fall, and in her fixed and staring -eyes there grew the shadow of a terrible fear. No one but French seemed -to have noticed her emotion, and a man beside her stooped to pick up the -bag. At the same time the silence was broken by a stout, -military-looking old gentleman, who with some “Ha, ha’s!” and “Be -Gad’s!” adjured the company to set about solving the puzzle, and -conversation became general. Miss da Silva rose quietly and moved rather -unsteadily towards the door. - -For French to get up and open the door for her was an act of common -politeness. With a slight bow he held it as she passed through, then -following her immediately, he closed it behind him. - -They were alone in the passage leading to the companion-way, and as he -glanced keenly at her face he felt no further doubt. Disguised by some -adroit alterations to hair and eyebrows, and, he believed, with a -differently-shaped set of false teeth, a darkened complexion and -glasses, there stood before him the original of the photographs. He laid -his hand on her arm. - -“Miss Winter,” he said gravely, “I am Inspector French of Scotland Yard. -I arrest you on a charge of being concerned in the murder of Charles -Gething and the theft of precious stones and money from Messrs. Duke & -Peabody’s on the 25th of November last.” - -The woman did not reply, but like a flash her free arm went to her -mouth. French grasped wildly and caught it. She gulped, and at the same -moment reeled. French, himself trembling and with beads of perspiration -on his forehead, laid her gently on the floor, where she lay -unconscious. He hastily stepped back into the saloon, and moved quietly -to where he had seen the ship’s doctor sitting, whispered in his ear. -Sergeant Carter got up at the same moment, and a second later the two -detectives stood looking down with troubled faces, while Dr. Sandiford -knelt beside the motionless figure on the floor. - -“Good God!” he cried at once, “she’s dead!” He put his nose to her lips. -“Prussic acid!” He gazed up at his companions with a countenance of -horrified surprise. - -“Yes; suicide,” said French shortly. “Get her moved to my cabin before -any one comes.” - -The doctor, ignorant of the circumstances, looked at the other with a -sudden suspicion, but on French’s hurried explanation he nodded, and the -three men bore the still form off and laid it reverently on the sofa in -the Inspector’s stateroom. - -“When you’ve examined her, tell the Captain,” French said. “Meantime -Carter and I must go and arrest the poor creature’s husband. You might -show me his cabin when you’re through.” - -A few seconds sufficed the doctor for his examination, and then in -silence he led the way to a cabin on the boat deck. French knocked, and -instantly opening the door, passed inside, followed by the others. - -It was a large, roomy stateroom, fitted up as a private sitting-room, an -open door revealing a bedroom beyond. The room had a comfortable, used -appearance. Books and papers lay about, a box of chessmen and a pack of -cards were on a locker, while in a lounge chair lay a woman’s crochet -work. On a table stood an empty coffee cup and the smell of a good cigar -was heavy in the air. - -In an arm-chair under the electric light, clad in a dressing-gown and -slippers, sat an old gentleman, the cigar in one hand and a book in the -other. He seemed a tall man, and his long hair was pure white. He wore a -long white beard and moustache, and had bushy white eyebrows. He sat -staring at the intruders with surprise and apparent annoyance. - -But as his eyes settled on French’s face their expression changed. -Amazement, incredulity, and a growing horror appeared in rapid -succession. French advanced, but the other sat motionless, his eyes -still fixed on his visitor’s with a dreadful intensity, like that of an -animal fascinated by a snake. And then French began to stare in his -turn. There was something familiar about those eyes. They were a -peculiar shade of dark blue that he recalled very clearly. And there was -a mole, a tiny brown mole beneath the corner of the left one, which he -had certainly seen not long previously. So, for an appreciable time both -remained motionless, staring at one another. - -Suddenly French recalled where he had seen that shade of iris and that -mole. With a murmur of amazement he stepped forward. “Mr. Duke!” he -cried. - -The other with a snarl of anger was fumbling desperately in his pocket. -Like a flash, French and Carter threw themselves on him and caught his -arm as it was half-way to his mouth. In the fingers was a tiny white -pilule. In another second he was handcuffed, and French’s skilful -fingers had passed over his clothes and abstracted from his pocket a -tiny phial containing a few more of the little white messengers of -death. At the same moment Captain Davis appeared at the door. - -“Shut the door, if you please, Captain,” French begged. “The Yard was -right after all. This is the man.” - -A few sentences put the Captain in possession of the facts, and then -French gently and with real kindness in his tones broke the news of Miss -Winter’s death to his unhappy prisoner. But the man expressed only -relief. - -“Thank God!” he cried with evidently overwhelming emotion. “She was -quicker than I. Thank God she was in time! I don’t care what happens to -myself now that she’s out of it. If it wasn’t for my daughter”—his -voice broke—“I’d be thankful it was over. I’ve lived in hell for the -last few months. Wherever I turn I see Gething’s eyes looking at me. -It’s been hell, just _hell_! I shouldn’t wish my worst enemy to go -through what I have. I admit the whole business. All I ask is that you -get on and make an end quickly.” - -The whole scene had been enacted so quickly that French, after his first -moment of overwhelming surprise, had not had time to think, but -presently, after the immediate exigencies of the situation had been met, -the mystery of this amazing dénouement struck him even more forcibly. He -felt almost as if he had glimpsed the supernatural, as if he had been -present and had seen one raised from the dead. Mr. Duke was dead, at -least so until a few minutes earlier he had unquestioningly believed. -The evidence of that death was overwhelming. And yet—it was false! What -trick had the man played? How had he managed so completely to deceive -all concerned as to the events of that mysterious crossing from Harwich -to the Hook? French felt it would not be easy to control his impatience -until he learned how the thing had been done, and the more he thought of -the whole problem, the more eager he grew to be back at the Yard so that -he might once again attack it, this time with the practical certainty of -clearing up all the features of the case which still remained obscure. - -The next afternoon they dropped anchor in the Tagus off Lisbon, and -there French transferred with his prisoner to a homeward-bound liner. On -the third morning after they were in Liverpool, and the same night -reached London. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - CONCLUSION - - -GIVEN the key of the identity of the murderer, it was not long before -Inspector French had unearthed all the details of the murder of Charles -Gething and the theft of the diamonds, and had arranged them with a due -regard to their proper bearing and sequence. And he found, as he had so -often found before, that what had seemed a complicated and insoluble -mystery was really a very simple happening after all. Briefly the facts -which came out, partly as the result of a renewed investigation, and -partly from Mr. Duke’s confession, were as follows: - -Reginald Ainsley Duke had lived a happy and contented life until a -terrible calamity befell him—his wife’s brain gave way, and with -splendid physical health she had to be removed to an asylum, a dangerous -and incurable lunatic. Though he had never been passionately in love -with her, they had been sincerely attached, and for some time he was -crushed beneath the blow. But in his case, as in others, time softened -the sharpness of his grief, and this terrible period of his life -gradually became a hideous though fading nightmare. Then he saw Miss -Cissie Winter act at the Comedy, and feeling attracted to her, he -arranged a meeting. The attraction proved to be mutual, and other -meetings followed, as a result of which he fell violently, -overwhelmingly in love with her. To his unbounded and ecstatic delight, -he found his passion was returned. - -Their problem then was a common one. Obviously they could not marry, so -after much thought they did what a good many other people would have -done in their place—set up an unconventional household. Their -difficulty was Duke’s daughter. Had it not been for her, they would have -taken no trouble to hide their predicament. But Duke did not want any -stigma to rest on her, and with Miss Winter’s approval he decided to -live a double life and keep two establishments. A simple disguise being -necessary, he took for his model Vanderkemp, partly because the -traveller was somewhat of his own height and build, and partly in the -hope that were he at any time followed from the office to his second -dwelling, he might be mistaken for Vanderkemp. With the help of the -actress, he evolved a make-up, consisting of a wig, a false moustache -and glasses, and exchanged his own upright carriage for Vanderkemp’s -stoop. As Duke he retained his own personality, as Vane he wore the -makeup. Their plan had met with such success that no suspicions were -aroused. To his daughter he explained his frequent absences by saying he -had to keep in constant touch with the Amsterdam branch, and the -servants at Pennington, the forerunner of Crewe Lodge, were given to -understand he was a traveller for a firm of engineers. - -The arrangement worked successfully until the war began to interfere -with the profits of his business, and then the keeping up of his two -homes became a burden greater than he could bear. For a time he -struggled on, but an insidious temptation had begun to haunt him, and -the greater his difficulties grew the stronger it became. Here was he -virtually in control of the business. His partners gave it but little -attention. Peabody was old and doddering, and Sinnamond was well-off and -spent most of his time travelling. A little juggling with figures, a few -slight alterations to the books, and he would have all the money he -wanted. He resisted with all his strength, but even in doing so he saw -fresh ways in which the thing could be carried out—with absolute -safety, as he believed—and eventually he fell. His plans worked as he -had expected, his financial difficulties were met, and he congratulated -himself that all would be well. - -But there was one thing on which he had not reckoned. He forgot that a -man cannot start a deceit or a swindle and stop when he likes. He soon -discovered that each falsified entry required some further manipulation -to buttress it up, and in spite of all his efforts he found himself -becoming more and more deeply involved. And then came the inevitable -unforeseen catastrophe. His head clerk, Charles Gething, began to -suspect. He made an investigation, confirmed his suspicions, and with -characteristic straightforwardness showed his discoveries to his -employer, declaring that his duty required him to call in the other -partners. - -Duke, seeing he was up against it, played for time by stoutly swearing -that Gething had made a mistake and promising him a complete explanation -and proof that all the books were in order, if the clerk would only wait -until he got some balancing figures from the Amsterdam office. He left -that evening for Crewe Lodge, and there he told Miss Winter the whole -story. That astute lady saw that though through the simple expedient of -wearing a wedding ring she had covered up their first departure from -orthodoxy, this was a different matter. Here discovery would mean prison -for her lover and destitution for herself. It did not take her long to -make up her mind that there should be no discovery. - -Exercising all her arts, she succeeded after a struggle in bringing Duke -round to her way of thinking, and the two set their wits to work to -devise a scheme by which to safeguard themselves. Miss Winter supplied -the main idea of the plan; Duke, who was thorough rather than brilliant, -worked out the details. In short, the scheme was to stage a robbery at -the office, murder Gething, get hold of as many stones as possible, and -then make a leisurely departure for distant and more healthy spheres. - -Miss Winter had a complete and first-hand knowledge both of Brazil and -the United States. Her father was English, but having as a young man -been sent to Rio as representative of his firm, he had settled down -there, married a Portuguese wife, and made his home in the Brazilian -capital. His daughter had a genius for acting, and on her parents’ death -while she was yet in her teens, she succeeded in getting a start on the -Rio stage. After five years, she accepted an engagement with an -enterprising New York manager who had seen her act during a visit to -Brazil. Two years later she came to London, and had there met Mr. Duke -as already stated. - -This knowledge of Brazil and America supplied the foundation of her -scheme. Brazil represented an ideal country to which to retire after the -crime, and their first care was to arrange a line of retreat thereto. -They were well known in the neighbourhood as Mr. and Mrs. Vane and had -no difficulty in getting the certificates and letters of recommendation -necessary to obtain their Brazilian passports. Having received the -passports, Duke forged similar certificates and letters in the names of -da Silva, and having with the aid of Miss Winter’s theatrical knowledge -made themselves up in character, they applied at the same office a -second time, obtaining two more passports in the assumed names. Thus -they had two sets of Brazilian passports in the names of Vane and da -Silva respectively. - -The next point was to procure some ready money immediately after the -crime, to enable the fugitives to purchase the necessary tickets to -Brazil, and for the host of other expenses which were certain to arise. -With this object, the visit of Mrs. Vane to New York was arranged. She -was to travel there by one line and immediately return by another. -During the voyage home she was carefully to observe the passengers, and -select the most suitable person she could find to impersonate. She was -to make friends with this woman, find out all she could about her, and -observe her carefully so as to obtain as much data as possible to help -on the fraud. On arrival at Southampton she was to see her prototype off -at the station, ascertaining her destination, then going to some hotel, -she was to make the necessary changes in her appearance, proceed to -London in her new character, and put up where she was unlikely to meet -the other. On the next day she was to interview Williams, and if all had -gone well up to this point she was to telephone to Duke from a public -call office, so that he could proceed with his part of the affair. -Finally she was to meet him at 9.45 on the next evening on the emergency -staircase of the Holborn Tube station to obtain from him the portion of -the spoils destined for Williams. - -In the meantime, Duke was to pacify Gething by promising him a full -explanation of the apparent discrepancies, together with a sight of the -actual cash needed to put matters right, on the receipt of certain -letters from America. He was also to get together as large a collection -of stones as he possibly could. He was then to ask Gething to meet him -at the office on the evening in question—the evening of the day of Miss -Winter’s first interview with Williams—to go into the whole matter and -see the proofs that all was right. Having thus got Gething into his -power, he was to murder him, take out the diamonds and some money that -was also in the safe, and having handed over to Miss Winter the few -stones for Williams, go home as quickly as possible with the remainder. - -Though this scheme seemed to them good, the conspirators were not -satisfied with it, and they added on three additional features to -safeguard themselves still further in the event of suspicion being -aroused. - -The first of these was an alibi for Mr. Duke. He arranged that he would -dine and spend the evening at his club with his solicitor, leaving at a -certain definite prearranged hour. By suitable remarks to the solicitor -and the club porters, he would fix this hour, and by similar remarks to -his servants he would establish the time at which he reached his house. -The interval between would be sufficient to enable him to walk home, and -he would take care to inform the police that he had so occupied it. But -in reality he would taxi from near the club to near the office, commit -the murder, and return to Hampstead by tube. - -The second safeguard took the form of an attempt to throw suspicion on -to Vanderkemp. In carrying this out, Duke himself typed the secret -instructions which brought the traveller to London, and he gave Gething -orders to see Vanderkemp on his arrival, send him on his wild goose -chase to the Continent, and hand him some of the notes of which he had -reason to believe the bank had the numbers, and which he afterwards -swore were stolen from the safe. - -Events after the crime moved so well from the conspirators’ point of -view that they did not at first put their third safeguard into action. -Indeed they began to think that even retirement to Brazil would be -unnecessary, and that they could continue their life in London as -formerly. But the chance remark of Inspector French to Duke that he had -discovered that the elusive Mrs. X was Miss Cissie Winter showed that -their house of cards was falling to the ground, and immediate flight -became imperative. Duke, afraid to visit Crewe Lodge, wrote the warning -in a cipher on which they had previously agreed. But by one of those -strange chances which interfere to upset the lives and plans of mortals, -just after he had posted it the guilty pair met in a tube train. -Loitering in a passage till they were alone, Duke gave his news by word -of mouth. Then Miss Winter made the slip which compassed their -downfall—she forgot about the cipher letter which Duke had said he had -sent, and fled, leaving the letter to fall into the hands of the police. - -Duke then proceeded to carry out his third safeguard—to fake a suicide -in order to account for his disappearance. This he did by means of a -trick which they had carefully worked out beforehand, and which they -also intended to employ on the Booth liner to put the detectives off in -case suspicion should be aroused. In his personality of Duke, he bought -at Cook’s office a return ticket from London to Amsterdam via Harwich, -engaging his berth for that night and impressing his identity on the -clerk. He then went on to Liverpool Street and in his personality of -Vane he took a return ticket from London to Brussels by the same route. -As Duke he had the passport he used on his occasional visits to -Amsterdam. As Vane he had obtained a passport for Holland and Belgium -some eighteen months earlier, when he and Miss Winter had gone there for -a short holiday. - -As Duke he travelled down on the boat train to Harwich, choosing his -carriage so that he would be among the first on board. He gave up his -ticket at the office, received his landing ticket, and was shown to his -cabin. There he arranged his things and left the note for his daughter. -Then he put on his Vane make-up, slipped out of the cabin unobserved, -and joining the last stragglers from the train, presented his second -ticket and was shown to the cabin he had reserved as Vane. As Vane next -day he went ashore, leaving behind him incontrovertible evidence of the -death of Duke. - -At Rotterdam he took tickets for return via Hull, and travelling to -Leeds, put up at the Victory Hotel until the date of the sailing of the -_Enoch_. He and Miss Winter joined forces in the train between Leeds and -Liverpool, and on going on board the liner they attempted to throw any -pursuing detective off the scent by carrying out the same ruse by which -Duke had faked his suicide. They had taken two sets of tickets—one set -at Cook’s to Manáos in the name of Vane, and the other at the Booth Line -offices to Para in the name of da Silva, and had engaged staterooms and -tried to impress their personalities on the clerks on each occasion. -They had further provided themselves with sets of large and small -suitcases. The small ones, in which they packed their clothes and the -diamonds, they labelled “da Silva,” the large ones they labelled “Vane.” -They then put the “da Silva” suitcases inside the “Vane,” went on board -as Vane, and were shown to their cabin. As Vane, they went back to -purser and said they were going ashore. They went out on deck in the -direction of the gangway, but instead of crossing it they regained their -cabin, made up as the da Silvas, took out their small da Silva -suitcases, and slipping unseen from the cabin, returned to the Purser as -having just come on board. - -The scheme as a whole worked out according to plan—save for Miss -Winter’s lapse in omitting to wait for and destroy the cipher -letter—but though the principals did not know it, a coincidence took -place which came within an ace of wrecking it. When Sylvia and -Harrington were driving home from the East End on the night of the crime -they saw Mr. Duke turn out of Hatton Garden into Holborn. He was -hurrying anxiously along the pavement with very different mien to his -usual upright, leisurely bearing. There was something furtive about his -appearance, and his face, revealed by a bright shaft of light streaming -from a confectioner’s shop, was drawn and haggard. Fearing some ill -news, Sylvia had stopped the taxi and hurried after him, but before she -had reached the pavement he had disappeared. She did not, however, take -the matter seriously until at breakfast the next morning he told her of -the crime. Even then it never occurred to her to suspect him; in fact, -she had forgotten the incident, but when he went on to state, as it were -casually, that he had been at his club all evening and had walked -directly home from there, she remembered. She realised that he was -lying, and suspicion was inevitable. In desperation lest Harrington -should unwittingly give away information which might put the police on -her father’s track, she rang him up and arranged an immediate meeting at -which she warned him of the possibilities. That afternoon Harrington -called to tell her how things had gone at the office, and then she had -overwhelmed him by insisting on the postponement of the wedding until -the affair should be cleared up. When, however, she learned that French -suspected Harrington and herself of knowing the criminal, she thought -the postponed marriage might give direction to his investigations, and -to avoid this she gave out that the ceremony had once again been -arranged. The poor girl’s mind was nearly unhinged thinking of what she -should do in the event of the police making an arrest, but fortunately -for her she was not called upon to make the decision. - -It remains merely to say that some weeks later Reginald Ainsley Duke -paid the supreme penalty for his crimes, and his daughter, hating London -and England for the terrible memories they held, allowed herself to be -persuaded for the third time to fix the date of the wedding with Charles -Harrington, and to seek happiness with him on his brother’s ranch in -Southern California. The firm of Duke & Peabody weathered the storm, and -the surviving partners did not forget the Gething sisters when balancing -their accounts. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER NOTES - -Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. Where multiple -spellings occur, majority use has been employed. - -Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious printer errors -occur. - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INSPECTOR FRENCH’S GREATEST CASE *** - -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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