Lord Caterham, Virginia and Bundle were sitting in the library after din-ner. It was Tuesday evening. Some thirty hours had elapsed since An-thony’s rather dramatic departure.
For at least the seventh time Bundle repeated Anthony’s parting words,as spoken at Hyde Park Corner.
“I’ll find my own way back,” echoed Virginia thoughtfully. “That doesn’tlook as though he expected to be away as long as this. And he’s left all histhings here.”
“He didn’t tell you where he was going?”
“No,” said Virginia, looking straight in front of her. “He told me noth-ing.”
After this, there was a silence for a minute or two. Lord Caterham wasthe first to break it.
“On the whole,” he said, “keeping an hotel has some advantages overkeeping a country house.”
“Meaning—”
“That little notice they always hang up in your room. Visitors intendingdeparture must give notice before twelve o’clock.”
Virginia smiled.
“I daresay,” he continued, “that I am old-fashioned and unreasonable2.
It’s the fashion, I know, to pop in and out of a house. Same idea as an hotel—perfect freedom of action, and no bill at the end!”
“You are an old grouser,” said Bundle. “You’ve had Virginia and me.
What more do you want?”
“Nothing more, nothing more,” Lord Caterham assured them hastily.
“That’s not it at all. It’s the principle of the thing. It gives one such a rest-less feeling. I’m quite willing to admit that it’s been an almost idealtwenty-four hours. Peace—perfect peace. No burglaries or other crimes ofviolence, no detectives, no Americans. What I complain of is that I shouldhave enjoyed it all so much more if I’d felt really secure. As it is, all thetime, I’ve been saying to myself, ‘One or the other of them is bound to turnup in a minute.’ And that spoilt the whole thing.”
“Well, nobody has turned up,” said Bundle. “We’ve been left severelyalone—neglected, in fact. It’s odd the way Fish disappeared. Didn’t he sayanything?”
“Not a word. Last time I saw him he was pacing up and down the rosegarden yesterday afternoon, smoking one of those unpleasant cigars ofhis. After that he seems to have just melted into the landscape.”
“Somebody must have kidnapped him,” said Bundle hopefully.
“In another day or two, I expect we shall have Scotland Yard draggingthe lake to find his dead body,” said her father gloomily. “It serves meright. At my time of life, I ought to have gone quietly abroad and takencare of my health, and not allowed myself to be drawn3 into George Lo-max’s wildcat schemes. I—”
He was interrupted by Tredwell.
“Well,” said Lord Caterham, irritably4, “what is it?”
“The French detective is here, my lord, and would be glad if you couldspare him a few minutes.”
“What did I tell you?” said Lord Caterham. “I knew it was too good tolast. Depend up on it, they’ve found Fish’s dead body doubled up in thegoldfish pond.”
Tredwell, in a strictly5 respectful manner, steered6 him back to the pointat issue.
“Am I to say that you will see him, my lord?”
“Yes, yes. Bring him in here.”
Tredwell departed. He returned a minute or two later announcing in alugubrious voice:
“Monsieur Lemoine.”
The Frenchman came in with a quick, light step. His walk, more than hisface, betrayed the fact that he was excited about something.
“Good evening, Lemoine,” said Lord Caterham. “Have a drink, won’tyou?”
“I thank you, no.” He bowed punctiliously7 to the ladies. “At last I makeprogress. As things are, I felt that you should be acquainted with the dis-coveries—the very grave discoveries that I have made in the course of thelast twenty-four hours.”
“I thought there must be something important going on somewhere,”
said Lord Caterham.
“My lord, yesterday afternoon one of your guests left this house in acurious manner. From the beginning, I must tell you, I have had my suspi-cions. Here is a man who comes from the wilds. Two months ago he wasin South Africa. Before that—where?”
Virginia drew a sharp breath. For a moment the Frenchman’s eyes res-ted on her doubtfully. Then he went on:
“Before that—where? None can say. And he is just such a one as theman I am looking for—gay, audacious, reckless, one who would dare any-thing. I send cable after cable, but I can get no word as to his past life. Tenyears ago he was in Canada, yes, but since then—silence. My suspicionsgrow stronger. Then I pick up one day a scrap8 of paper where he haslately passed along. It bears an address—the address of a house in Dover.
Later, as though by chance, I drop that same piece of paper. Out of the tailof my eye, I see this Boris, the Herzoslovakian, pick it up and take it to hismaster. All along I have been sure that this Boris is an emissary of theComrades of the Red Hand. We know that the Comrades are working inwith King Victor over this affair. If Boris recognized his chief in Mr. An-thony Cade, would he not do just what he has done—transferred his allegi-ance? Why should he attach himself otherwise to an insignificantstranger? It was suspicious, I tell you, very suspicious.
“But almost I am disarmed9, for Anthony Cade brings this same paper tome at once and asks me if I have dropped it. As I say, almost I am dis-armed—but not quite! For it may mean that he is innocent, or it maymean that he is very, very clever. I deny, of course, that it is mine or that Idropped it. But in the meantime I have set inquiries10 on foot. Only today Ihave news. The house at Dover has been precipitately11 abandoned, but uptill yesterday afternoon it was occupied by a body of foreigners. Not adoubt but that it was King Victor’s headquarters. Now see the significanceof these points. Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Cade clears out from here precip-itately. Ever since he dropped that paper, he must know that the game isup. He reaches Dover and immediately the gang is disbanded. What thenext move will be, I do not know. What is quite certain is that Mr. An-thony Cade will not return here. But knowing King Victor as I do, I am cer-tain that he will not abandon the game without having one more try forthe jewel. And that is when I shall get him!”
Virginia stood up suddenly. She walked across to the mantelpiece andspoke in a voice that rang cold like steel.
“You are leaving one thing out of account, I think, M. Lemoine,” shesaid. “Mr. Cade is not the only guest who disappeared yesterday in a suspi-cious manner.”
“You mean, madame?—”
“That all you have said applies equally well to another person. Whatabout Mr. Hiram Fish?”
“Oh Mr. Fish!”
“Yes, Mr. Fish. Did you not tell us that first night that King Victor hadlately come to England from America? So has Mr. Fish come to Englandfrom America. It is true that he brought a letter of introduction from avery well-known man, but surely that would be a simple thing for a manlike King Victor to manage. He is certainly not what he pretends to be.
Lord Caterham has commented on the fact that when it is a question ofthe first editions he is supposed to have come here to see he is always thelistener, never the talker. And there are several suspicious facts againsthim. There was a light in his window the night of the murder. Then takethat evening in the Council Chamber12. When I met him on the terrace hewas fully1 dressed. He could have dropped the paper. You didn’t actuallysee Mr. Cade do so. Mr. Cade may have gone to Dover. If he did it wassimply to investigate. He may have been kidnapped there. I say that thereis far more suspicion attaching to Mr. Fish’s actions than to Mr. Cade’s.”
The Frenchman’s voice rang out sharply:
“From your point of view, that well may be, madame. I do not dispute it.
And I agree that Mr. Fish is not what he seems.”
“Well, then?”
“But that makes no difference. You see, madame, Mr. Fish is a Pinkerton’sman.”
“What?” cried Lord Caterham.
“Yes, Lord Caterham. He came over here to trail King Victor. Superin-tendent Battle and I have known this for some time.”
Virginia said nothing. Very slowly she sat down again. With those fewwords the structure that she had built up so carefully was scattered13 in ru-ins about her feet.
“You see,” Lemoine was continuing, “we have all known that eventuallyKing Victor would come to Chimneys. It was the one place we were sure ofcatching him.”
Virginia looked up with an odd light in her eyes, and suddenly shelaughed.
“You’ve not caught him yet,” she said.
Lemoine looked at her curiously14.
“No, madame. But I shall.”
“He’s supposed to be rather famous for outwitting people, isn’t he?”
The Frenchman’s face darkened with anger.
“This time, it will be different,” he said between his teeth.
“He’s a very attractive fellow,” said Lord Caterham. “Very attractive. Butsurely—why, you said he was an old friend of yours, Virginia?”
“That is why,” said Virginia composedly, “I think M. Lemoine must bemaking a mistake.”
And her eyes met the detective’s steadily15, but he appeared in no wisediscomfited.
“Time will show, madame,” he said.
“Do you pretend that it was he who shot Prince Michael?” she askedpresently.
“Certainly.”
But Virginia shook her head.
“Oh no!” she said, “Oh, no! That is one thing I am quite sure of. AnthonyCade never killed Prince Michael.”
Lemoine was watching her intently.
“There is a possibility that you are right, madame,” he said slowly. “Apossibility, that is all. It may have been the Herzoslovakian, Boris, who ex-ceeded his orders and fired that shot. Who knows, Prince Michael mayhave done him some great wrong, and the man sought revenge.”
“He looks a murderous sort of fellow,” agreed Lord Caterham. “Thehousemaids, I believe, scream when he passes them in the passages.”
“Well,” said Lemoine. “I must be going now. I felt it was due to you, mylord, to know exactly how things stand.”
“Very kind of you, I’m sure,” said Lord Caterham. “Quite certain youwon’t have a drink? All right, then. Goodnight.”
“I hate that man with his prim16 little black beard and his eyeglasses,”
said Bundle, as soon as the door had shut behind him. “I hope Anthonydoes snoo him. I’d love to see him dancing with rage. What do you thinkabout it all, Virginia?”
“I don’t know,” said Virginia. “I’m tired. I shall go up to bed.”
“Not a bad idea,” said Lord Caterham. “It’s half past eleven.”
As Virginia was crossing the wide hall, she caught sight of a broad backthat seemed familiar to her discreetly17 vanishing through a side door.
“Superintendent18 Battle,” she called imperiously.
The superintendent, for it was indeed he, retraced19 his steps with a shadeof unwillingness20.
“Yes, Mrs. Revel21?”
“M. Lemoine has been here. He says—Tell me, is it true, really true, thatMr. Fish is an American detective?”
Superintendent Battle nodded.
“That’s right.”
“You have known it all along?”
Again Superintendent Battle nodded.
Virginia turned away towards the staircase.
“I see,” she said. “Thank you.”
Until that minute she had refused to believe.
And now?—
Sitting down before her dressing22 table in her own room, she faced thequestion squarely. Every word that Anthony had said came back to herfraught with a new significance.
Was this the “trade” that he had spoken of?
The trade that he had given up. But then—
An unusual sound disturbed the even tenor23 of her meditations24. She lif-ted her head with a start. Her little gold clock showed the hour to be afterone. Nearly two hours she had sat here thinking.
Again the sound was repeated. A sharp tap on the windowpane. Virginiawent to the window and opened it. Below on the pathway was a tall figurewhich even as she looked stooped for another handful of gravel25.
For a moment Virginia’s heart beat faster — then she recognized themassive strength and square-cut outline of the Herzoslovakian, Boris.
“Yes,” she said in a low voice. “What is it?”
At the moment it did not strike her as strange that Boris should bethrowing gravel at her window at this hour of the night.
“What is it?” she repeated impatiently.
“I come from the master,” said Boris in a low tone which neverthelesscarried perfectly26. “He has sent for you.”
He made the statement in a perfectly matter-of-fact tone.
“Sent for me?”
“Yes, I am to bring you to him. There is a note. I will throw it up to you.”
Viriginia stood back a little, and a slip of paper, weighted with a stone,fell accurately27 at her feet. She unfolded it and read:
My dear (Anthony had written)—I’m in a tight place, butI mean to win through. Will you trust me and come to me?
For quite two minutes Virginia stood there, immovable, reading thosefew words over and over again.
She raised her head, looking round the well- appointed luxury of thebedroom as though she saw it with new eyes.
Then she leaned out of the window again.
“What am I to do?” she asked.
“The detectives are the other side of the house, outside the CouncilChamber. Come down and out through the side door. I will be there. Ihave a car waiting outside in the road.”
Virginia nodded. Quickly she changed her dress for one of fawn28 tricot,and pulled on a little fawn leather hat.
Then, smiling a little, she wrote a short note, addressed it to Bundle andpinned it to the pincushion.
She stole quietly downstairs and undid29 the bolts of the side door. Just amoment she paused, then, with a little gallant30 toss of the head, the sametoss of the head with which her ancestors had gone into action in the Cru-sades, she passed through.
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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irritably
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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punctiliously
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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prim
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| adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地 | |
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discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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unwillingness
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| n. 不愿意，不情愿 | |
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revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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gravel
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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