The Secret of Chimneys
you were standing just behind me.”
Mr. Isaacstein who had been the victim of the impact waved his hand in
a friendly fashion.
“No harm done, my good fellow. I assure you no harm done.”
Tredwell retired looking contemptuous, and Isaacstein came forward and
dropped into an easy-chair.
“Hullo, Cade, so you’re back again. Been hearing all about last night’s
little show?”
“Yes,” said Anthony. “Rather an exciting week-end, isn’t it?”
“I should imagine that last night was the work of local men,” said
Isaacstein. “It seems a clumsy, amateurish affair.”
“Is there anyone about here who collects armour?” asked Anthony. “It
seems a curious thing to select.”
“Very curious,” agreed Mr. Isaacstein. He paused a minute, and then
said slowly: “The whole position here is very unfortunate.”
There was something almost menacing in his tone.
“I don’t quite understand,” said Anthony.
“Why are we all being kept here in this way? The inquest was over
yesterday. The Prince’s body will be removed to London where it is
being given out that he died of heart failure. And still nobody is
allowed to leave the house. Mr. Lomax knows no more than I do. He
refers me to Superintendent Battle.”
“Superintendent Battle has something up his sleeve,” said Anthony
thoughtfully. “And it seems the essence of his plan that nobody should
leave.”
“But, excuse me, Mr. Cade, you have been away.”
“With a string tied to my leg. I’ve no doubt that I was shadowed the
whole time. I shouldn’t have been given a chance of disposing of the
revolver or anything of that kind.”
“Ah, the revolver,” said Isaacstein thoughtfully. “That has not yet
been found, I think?”
“Not yet.”
“Possibly thrown into the lake in passing.”
“Very possibly.”
“Where is Superintendent Battle? I have not seen him this afternoon.”
“He’s gone to London. I met him at the station.”
“Gone to London? Really? Did he say when he would be back?”
“Early to-morrow, so I understood.”
Virginia came in with Lord Caterham and Mr. Fish. She smiled a welcome
at Anthony.
“So you’re back, Mr. Cade. Have you heard all about our adventures last
night?”
“Why, trooly, Mr. Cade,” said Hiram Fish. “It was a night of strenuous
excitement. Did you hear that I mistook Mrs. Revel for one of the
thugs?”
“And in the meantime,” said Anthony, “the thug——?”
“Got clear away,” said Mr. Fish mournfully.
“Do pour out,” said Lord Caterham to Virginia. “I don’t know where
Bundle is.”
Virginia officiated. Then she came and sat down near Anthony.
“Come to the boat-house after tea,” she said in a low voice. “Bill and
I have got a lot to tell you.”
Then she joined lightly in the general conversation.
The meeting at the boat-house was duly held.
Virginia and Bill were bubbling over with their news. They agreed
that a boat in the middle of the lake was the only safe place for
confidential conversation. Having paddled out a sufficient distance,
the full story of last night’s adventure was related to Anthony. Bill
looked a little sulky. He wished Virginia would not insist on bringing
this Colonial fellow into it.
“It’s very odd,” said Anthony, when the story was finished. “What do
you make of it?” he asked Virginia.
“I think they were looking for something,” she returned promptly. “The
burglar idea is absurd.”
“They thought the something, whatever it was, might be concealed in
the suits of armour, that’s clear enough. But why tap the panelling?
That looks more as though they were looking for a secret staircase, or
something of that kind.”
“There’s a Priest’s Hole at Chimneys, I know,” said Virginia. “And I
believe there’s a secret staircase as well. Lord Caterham would tell us
all about it. What I want to know is, what can they have been looking
for?”
“It can’t be the Memoirs,” said Anthony. “They’re a great bulky
package. It must have been something small.”
“George knows, I expect,” said Virginia. “I wonder whether I could get
it out of him. All along I’ve felt there was something behind all this.”
“You say there was only one man,” pursued Anthony, “but that there
might possibly be another, as you thought you heard some one going
towards the door as you sprang to the window.”
“The sound was very slight,” said Virginia. “It might have been just my
imagination.”
“That’s quite possible, but in case it wasn’t your imagination the
second person must have been an inmate of the house. I wonder now——”
“What are you wondering at?” asked Virginia.
“The thoroughness of Mr. Hiram Fish who dresses himself completely when
he hears screams for help downstairs.”
“There’s something in that,” agreed Virginia. “And then there’s
Isaacstein who sleeps through it all. That’s suspicious too. Surely he
couldn’t?”
“There’s that fellow Boris,” suggested Bill. “He looks an unmitigated
ruffian. Michael’s servant, I mean.”
“Chimneys is full of suspicious characters,” said Virginia. “I dare
say the others are just as suspicious of us. I wish Superintendent
Battle hadn’t gone to London. I think it’s rather stupid of him. By the
way, Mr. Cade, I’ve seen that peculiar-looking Frenchman about once or
twice, spying round the park.”
“It’s a mix up,” confessed Anthony. “I’ve been away on a wild-goose
chase. Made a thorough ass of myself. Look here, to me the whole
question seems to resolve itself into this: Did the men find what they
were looking for last night?”
“Supposing they didn’t?” said Virginia. “I’m pretty sure they didn’t,
as a matter of fact.”
“Just this, I believe they’ll come again. They know, or they soon will
know, that Battle’s in London. They’ll take the risk and come again
to-night.”
“Do you really think so?”
“It’s a chance. Now we three will form a little syndicate. Eversleigh
and I will conceal ourselves with due precautions in the Council
Chamber——”
“What about me?” interrupted Virginia. “Don’t think you’re going to
leave me out of it.”
“Listen to me, Virginia,” said Bill. “This is man’s work——”
“Don’t be an idiot, Bill. I’m in on this. Don’t you make any mistake
about it. The syndicate will keep watch to-night.”
It was settled thus, and the details of the plan were laid. After the
party had retired to bed, first one and then another of the syndicate
crept down. They were all armed with powerful electric torches, and in
the pocket of Anthony’s coat lay a revolver.
Anthony had said that he believed another attempt to resume the search
would be made. Nevertheless, he did not expect that the attempt would
be made from outside. He believed that Virginia had been correct in her
guess that some one had passed her in the dark the night before, and as
he stood in the shadow of an old oak dresser it was towards the door
and not the window that his eyes were directed. Virginia was crouching
behind a figure in armour on the opposite wall, and Bill was by the
window.
The minutes passed, at interminable length. One o’clock chimed, then
the half-hour, then two, then another half-hour. Anthony felt stiff and
cramped. He was coming slowly to the conclusion that he had been wrong.
No attempt would be made to-night.
And then he stiffened suddenly, all his senses on the alert. He had
heard a footstep on the terrace outside. Silence again, then a low
scratching noise at the window. Suddenly it ceased, and the window
swung open. A man stepped across the sill into the room.
He stood quite still for a moment, peering round as though listening.
After a minute or two, seemingly satisfied, he switched on a torch
he carried, and turned it rapidly round the room. Apparently he saw
nothing unusual. The three watchers held their breath.
He went over to the same bit of panelled wall he had been examining the
night before.
And then a terrible knowledge smote Bill. He was going to sneeze! The
wild race through the dew-laden park the night before had given him a
chill. All day he had sneezed intermittently. A sneeze was due now, and
nothing on earth would stop it.
He adopted all the remedies he could think of. He pressed his upper
lip, swallowed hard, threw back his head and looked at the ceiling. As
a last resort he held his nose, and pinched it violently. It was of no
avail. He sneezed.
A stifled, checked, emasculated sneeze, but a startling sound in the
deadly quiet of the room.
The stranger sprang round, and in the same minute Anthony acted. He
flashed on his torch, and jumped full for the stranger. In another
minute they were down on the floor together.
“Lights,” shouted Anthony.
Virginia was ready at the switch. The lights came on true and full
to-night. Anthony was on top of his man, Bill leant down to give him a
hand.
“And now,” said Anthony, “let’s see who you are, my fine fellow.”
He rolled his victim over. It was the neat, dark-bearded stranger from
the _Cricketers_.
“Very nice indeed,” said an approving voice.
They all looked up startled. The bulky form of Superintendent Battle
was standing in the open doorway.
“I thought you were in London, Superintendent Battle,” said Anthony.
Battle’s eyes twinkled.
“Did you, sir?” he said. “Well, I thought it would be a good thing if I
was thought to be going.”
“And it has been,” agreed Anthony, looking down at his prostrate foe.
To his surprise there was a slight smile on the stranger’s face.
“May I get up, gentlemen?” he inquired. “You are three to one.”
Anthony kindly hauled him on to his legs. The stranger settled his
coat, pulled up his collar, and directed a keen look at Battle.
“I demand pardon,” he said, “but do I understand that you are a
representative from Scotland Yard?”
“That’s right,” said Battle.
“Then I will present to you my credentials.” He smiled rather ruefully.
“I would have been wise to do so before.”
He took some papers from his pocket and handed them to the Scotland
Yard detective. At the same time, he turned back the lapel of his coat
and showed something pinned there.
Battle gave an exclamation of astonishment. He looked through the
papers and handed them back with a little bow.
“I’m sorry you’ve been man-handled, monsieur,” he said, “but you
brought it on yourself, you know.”
He smiled, noting the astonished expression on the faces of the other.
“This is a colleague we have been expecting for some time,” he said.
“M. Lemoine, of the Sûreté in Paris.”
19
Secret History
They all stared at the French detective, who smiled back at them.
“But yes,” he said, “it is true.”
There was a pause for a general readjusting of ideas. Then Virginia
turned to Battle.
“Do you know what I think, Superintendent Battle?”
“What do you think, Mrs. Revel?”
“I think the time has come to enlighten us a little.”
“To enlighten you? I don’t quite understand, Mrs. Revel.”
“Superintendent Battle, you understand perfectly. I dare say Mr. Lomax
has hedged you about with recommendations of secrecy—George would,
but surely it’s better to tell us than have us stumbling on the secret
all by ourselves, and perhaps doing untold harm. M. Lemoine, don’t you
agree with me?”
“Madame, I agree with you entirely.”
“You can’t go on keeping things dark for ever,” said Battle. “I’ve
told Mr. Lomax so. Mr. Eversleigh is Mr. Lomax’s secretary, there’s no
objection to his knowing what there is to know. As for Mr. Cade, he’s
been brought into the thing willy-nilly, and I consider he’s a right to
know where he stands. But——”
Battle paused.
“I know,” said Virginia. “Women are so indiscreet! I’ve often heard
George say so.”
Lemoine had been studying Virginia attentively. Now he turned to the
Scotland Yard man.
“Did I hear you just now address Madame by the name of Revel?”
“That is my name,” said Virginia.
“Your husband was in the Diplomatic Service, was he not? And you were