EVERY INCH A SOLDIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9581, 4 August 1894, Page 3 (Supplement)

EVERY INCH A SOLDIER.

BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER, Author of "Booties' Baby," "Beautiful Jim,' " Array Society," Garrison Gossip," " The Soul of the Bishop," etc. All Rights reserved. CHAPTER XI. A PLAIN QUESTION. " Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings." —Macbeth When Inspector Gallaghan left Sir Thomas Vivian's study, he wont round bo the stables, where he found the little carb in which he trundled himself about bho country on the business of the law, waiting for him. " Any fresh news aboub that 'ere job, Mr. Inspector ?" asked the stable boy, who was holding the pony's head. " No particular fresh news, Jim," the inspector replied. " We did 'ear as how it was a case of murder," the boy ventured. " Well, Jim," said the inspector, as he settled himself in the cart, and wrapped the warm rug about his knees, " well, if a skull as has been boat to a jelly means murder, then I should say this 'ere job does mean murder ; otherwise, it mighb be an accidenb, or it mighb be a suicide," and then he gathered up the reins, and with a nod to tho boy started the pony off ab a brisk trot. Ib was a well-stepping and willing little beast, and brought him in next to no time to the Cavalry Barracks, although the distance was a good three miles. ~~ He stopped at the great entrance gate, and inquired whether the adjutant was in the orderly-room, and received for answer that he was nob there, bub that he had just passed through the gates in plain clothes, and would probably be found in his own quarters. Now in Blankhampton the adjutant's quarters are situated in the same block as the mess-rooms, and aro, indeed, about the best rooms in the barracks. The inspector gave his pony in charge of a soldier who was hangirfg about, and, following his directions, mounted the stone stairs until he found the door marked "adjutant's quarters." At this ho thumped, a quiet, respectful thump, quite different from the careless bang-bang with which a brother officer would have prefaced his coming. A voice called out from within that he was to enter, and he did so. The adjutant, Mr. Drummond, was sitting in a big chair, reading a book and smoking. He looked up, and when he saw who his visitor was, put down his book and got up. If the truth be told, he was something more than anxious about .Jorvis, who was a particular friend of his, and he was in the frame of mind which scents danger from afar. " Ah, is that you, inspector ? Come in. Yes. Shut the door, please. I suppose you have come about that affair " I am afraid I have," said the inspector, gravely. " Oh ! Any explanation ? Anything fresh turned up since I' saw you this morning.?" "Well, sir, the doctor has seen the remains, and made an examination, as thorough as could be under the circumstances, and his opinion is—neither an accident nor a suicide." "Good heavens! You don't) say so! Not murder?" ; " Yes, sir, murder, I am afraid— back of the poor thing's 'ead is simply beaten to a jelly. She must have been dead long before she gob into the water. In fact, the doctor said there was no water in the lungs ab all—at least, nob before death. And as I may as well bell you at once, sir, without any bones about ib, that I have a warrant here for the arresb of Mr. Jervis.": "Oh, Jervis never did ib ! You are on the wrong tack, my r man. He never did it. Take my word for ib, Mr. Jervis was never mixed up with it in any way. Ho may have known the lady—indeed, in tho face of that letter be must have known her; but you are on the wrong track altogether, take my word for ib,". I

" Well, sir, I might bake your, word for it, bub the law would never be satisfied with either your word or mine, except as direct) evidence, and your opinion of Mr. Jervis general characber doesn'b amount to direct evidence. For the matter of that, it barely amounts to evidence of any kind, although ( if the worst comes to the worst, you will have an opportunity of speaking in his favour, as I suppose your colonel will, and any other of the officers thab are likely to have waighb with the jury. Bub facts are facts, una I've gob prebby good evidence that she was with Mr. Jervis on a certain date. Ab all' events, ikhe is innocent, he will nob mind coming Ipck to be confronted with the whole affair." * ■ "Of course not, of course not. I had better telegraph for him.; I had better recall him." - " I was going to suggest bhab you might do so," said the inspector. " Of course, ib is very unpleasant to go and' arrest ! him ab a country house and make an unpleasant scene and all that, and I think if you will recall him, thab will be better. At all events, no harm will be done." . , "I will write the telegram now,"said the adjutant, who believed in his friend as implicitly ait he believed that he had nob done ib himself.- He wenb to the door and shouted for a servant" Jackson 1 Jack— son 1" An answering shout came _ back from the far distance, and almost immediately a tall, good-looking soldier in plain clothes appeared at the door. " Oh, Jackson, go down to the, orderlyroom and find out whether any telegram has come during the day from Jervis. If so, bring me back his address." " Yes, sir,'" said Jackson, aud immediately disappeared. " Sit down, inspector, sit down," said Drummond, civilly. "Ib is a 'very bad business this. I don't like ib. The colonel won'b like ib ab all. Ib is a horrible thing to have one of our officers mixed up with a shady case of that kind. I suppose you will be turning the whole barracks out of windows presently ?" "No, sir.no. I shall have to turn oub Mr. Jervis' quarters, examine his papers, question his servants, thab's all." "H'm!" ■ ... - " I suppose you don'b happen to know," he continued, in a differenb tone, " how Mr. Jervis spenb the elevenbh of November?" " No. I haven't the smallest notion. Still, I daresay he will be able to account for his time —in fact, I feel as sure of ib as I do of my own existence." "Yes, of course,sir, but I thoughb you mighb have remembered the date, having had something to remember ib by." " I was away on long leave. I was down in the depths of Cornwall from the first of November till the end of the month. Of what went on here during that time I really know nothing, but doubtless there are others who can tell you pretty closely what happened. Very few secrets are kept in a barrack, inspector." " No, I daresay not, sir. Ib will perhaps help me in my business. I suppose, as you are tho adjutant, that I had better show you this as my authority for searching Mr. Jervis' rooms." "Oh, but you won'b meddle with his things until he comes back himself ?" " I should prefer to look around at once," said the inspector, looking up with very cold eyes at the officer. "Ib was for that) reason that I obtained this warrant." "Oh, well, of course, I won'b stand in your way. I should have preferred to wait myself until Mr. Jervis returned, but if you have got right on your side it is useless for me to protest, that it is nob exactly a polite thing to turn a man's rooms inside out during his absence. However, come this way and I will show you where they are." Now ib happened that Tinker, Jervis' servant, had been giving his master's sword and spurs the weekly clean up, which was what kept them in order during his absence. "Is this Mr. Jervis' servant?" said the inspector, eyeing Tinker from head to foot. " I am that same, sor," said Tinker, returning the stare as coolly as possible. " Well, I want to ask you a question. Do you remember anything about tho evening of the eleventh of November 2" CHAPTER XII. TINKER. "The waters swellbo'ore a boisterous storm; Hut leave it all to God." —King Richard 111. Now ib happened that Tinker had heard nothing whatever about the inquiry at the entrance gates for an officer of the White Horse bearing the Christian nameof "Philip." He was a very good and stolid young man, not over-blessed with education, and he occupied himself more with looking after his young woman for the time being than ho did in reading newspapers, or, for the matter of that, in indulging in barrack gossip. At the point-blank question of the inspector he scratched his head. That, of course, was a natural thing to do, because a private soldier always scratches his head whatever question is pub to him. I havo myself seen a private soldier in process of being married, groomed and polished until he resembled the " Monarch of Monarchs" for refulgence, with his smooth, wellcropped hair positively shining again with elbow grease—and perhaps grease of another kind—and when theofficiatingclergy man pub the all-important question to him, " Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to have and to hold?" etc., ho took the opportunity to scratch his head before committing himself to the answer, " I will 1" On that occasion Tinker scratched his head in some perplexity, looked at Drummond to see whether he would be right in giving a plain answer to what was certainly a very plain question, and gathering from the eagerness on that gentleman's face that lie was as anxious to hear the answer as the inspector, he replied, Yes, I remember all about the eleventh of November." " Oh, you do, do you ?" said tho inspector. " Well then, you can let us hear about it." In spite of the presence of the officer there were still lingering traces apparent in Tinker's manner of the old feud between red-coats and blue-bottles, and when he replied he addressed himself pointedly and particularly to Mr. Drummond. " Well, sir, I think" you was on long leave at that time ?" "I was," said Drummond. " Mr. Jervis, he gob a two days' leave, and he went to Londoif. He came back on the evening of the eleventh of November about nine o'clock—"' " Oh, he did ? He came back thab evening ab nine o'clock 1 You hear, Mr. Inspector ! I knew there would be an explanation." , „ , "And what else happened?" said the inspector, biting his nails and looking at Tinker with naif-closed eyes. " What makes you remember the evening bo particularly "I remember the evening, sir," said Tinker, still addressing Drummond, " because when Mr. Jervis gob back to the barracks there was a lady here." " A lady ? Oh 1 What kind of a lady ?" "Oh, she was a lady right enough," said Tinker. "Mr. Jervis said she was his sister. Rare and put out he was and all to find her here 1" < "How do you know that?" Well, sir, Mr. Jervis. haven't got the softest voioe in the world, and if he don't trouble to lower it, you cftn 'ear what he says right down bhe passage." Yes, yes, I know," said Drummond. " You heard whab he said, didn'b you ?" ;■ "I heard some of what he said, sir," said Tinker stolidly. " Yes, go on. Ib will all havo to come out, Tinker, so that you might as well leb this gentleman hear anything that you have to say." " - "Well, Mr, Jervis, he told me she was his sister, and I must say that he behaved as if she was his sister, because he pitched into her like anything for coming ! I 'eard him tell her she must have been mad,' that she couldn't stop here, thfet she' musb have, been out of her mind, and thivb she would have to go back again sharp.. They' talked for a long time. I could hear his voice down in my kitchen jusb below, and presently he came to the door and called me, and he says to ipe, 'Go arid order dinner for two. My sister has come to see me on very important business. She will have soma dinner with me before she returns,' and I must say the young lady looked miserable enough to be Mr. Jervis' sister 1 Bub later he came out and told me thab she could nob possibly get back that night, and I was bo make up a bed for him in any officers room that happened to be vacant. I pub a fire and made up the bed in Mr. Adams' room, and I took a whisky and soda up there to Mr. Jervis." " "And he slept there?" "Well, sir, I believe the geblemen were up very late that nighb. They were drawing Mr. Marjoribanks. They were certainly ab it ab two o'clock that morning. Bub probably his, Grerilte could tell you what

took place betber'n me, for I was asleep soon after two o'clock." V' M Bub didn'b you sleep in your own quarters ?" I " I did nob that nighb, sir. I made a shake-down in bhe kitchen as, 1 did some- ! times. ■ I had .orders from my master to wake him at half-pasb six, and I wenb bo j the. young lady's door first. I gob no 'answer when I knocked, and in knocking again a, bit harder ib ( slipped open, and I found bhab she had gone. I went ana woke Mr. Jervis arid told him about ib." . ; ".Was he surprised to hear that she was gone ?" the inspector asked. : "Yes, my master was very much surprised. The young lady 'adn't slept in her Bed, and she'ada't left a letternothing ! Mr. Jervis could 'ardly believe ib." " And what did he do afterwards ?" _ " He didn'b doanythingoubofbheordinary Course," replied Tinker. " Bub did he make no effort to find out how or where bhe young lady had gone?" " Nob thab I know of," replied the soldier. " He was asleep when you found him ?" ; " Oh, lord, yes, sir, he was asleep right enough. I had to shake him throe times before I could wake him !" " What made you say jusb now that she was nob Mr. Jorvis' sister?" " I never did say so 1" answered Tinker, sharply, directly answering the inspector for bhe first time. " No, ( I know that, bub you said bhab Mr. Jervis said she was his sister, and you added thab you must say that he behaved as if she was his sister. YVhab did you mean by that ?" ;; ■ ' ' " Well, I mean that I knew she wasn't his sister." " " How do you know it ?" " Because Mr. Jervis has no sister. I've 'eard him say so many a time." " Ah, I bee. Had you ever aeon that) young lady before ?" "Many a time," answered Tinker promptly. " On, you had ! Where?" ! "AbDanford." ' . "Oh ! Then you knew who she was, " I did," said Tinker stolidly. " What was her name "Her name was Vincent. I knew her the minute I clapped eyes on her. When she walked up them stairs inquiring for Mr. Jervis, I knew there would be a prebby kettle of fish when Mr. Jervis came back and found her. Mr. Jervis wasn't one as liked them sort of larks, and I musb say he give ib 'or proper. I hoard him myself." "Oh, well, I don'b think I need ask you any more questions just now, thank you, Jones." "Tinker, sir," said the man sharply. "Oh, yes, Tinker. Thank you, Tinker. Now then, Mr. Drummond," turning to bho adjutant, who had stayed more from a chivalrous feeling of standing by his friend and seeing fair play during his absence than from any desire to satisfy his curiosity, "if you please, sir, I will just look over the room. You will stay, won't you ?" " I shall certainly stay," said Drummond, quietly. " That is better," said the inspector, who j seemed bo the soldier, accustomed to a very different life, to be very careless and casual in his observations. He glanced ab the invitations in the letter-rack, looked ab the photographs, including one of Katey herself, placed in various parts of the room, closely examined a rack of walking-sticks which hung on the wall, then as closely scrutinised a corresponding rack in which hung various whips and hunting crops. • He examined the spur boots that were lying about, and made Tinker turn oub all his master's clothing, which he examined quickly, but with an alert professional eye, which sbruck you as one that would miss nothing that was there to be seen. This over he went to ! the chest of drawers, and with apparent carelessness examined the contents of such as were open. " I suppose this is a dispatch drawer," he said, indicating one that was locked. " Yes, I should imagine so," returned Drummond. We most of us have a dispatch box in that drawer." " I wonder if I have a key to fit it." " I don't think you ought to open that, you know," said the officer, who was aghast at the want of ceremony on tho part of the inspector. " My warrant enables me to open anything and everything, to use false keys, or to break open locks. The law knows no barriers, Mr. Drummond." "Ob, very well, you musb do as you please." ■ The inspector, however, had no key that would fit the lock of Jervis' dispatch drawer, so he put a seal upon it rather than break it open. "I will look at thab in Mr. Jervis' presence. By-the-byo; whab is that key hanging up thero?" he inquired, turning suddenly to the soldier's servant. " Thab key, sor," replied Tinker, who was wondering whab on earth ib all meant, "is not belonging to Mr. Jervis at all." "No ? Why is ib here, then ?" Tho man turned to his officer, " Ib is the key of the little wicket, you know, sir." Oh, I didn'b know Mr. Jervis had ib." " Mr. Jervis has had ib ever since we have been here, sir." " Ib is the key of a little gate leading oub into the road. . Rather a shorb cub to the town," Mrummond explained, in an off hand sort of way to the inspector. The inspector promptly put the key in his pocket. " I will take that key for the present, if you please," he remarked, coolly. "And now, that's all I wanb to see just now. I should like to know if Mr. Jorvis' address has been received." " Certainly. Come back to my quarters. Jackson is sure bo be back by this time." They left Jervis' quarters then, and went at once back to the adjutant's own quarters. There they found Jackson busily engaged in tidying up. It is, on the whole, an enlightening process to watch a soldier's servant tidying his master's sitting-room. He does ib so well and so deftly, yet in such an awkward and uneasy sorb of way. He arrives ab the desired end, bub his way of getting there is a marvel to the beholder. _ Oh, Jackson, did you get Mr. Jorvis' address ?" "Ib is on the table, sir," said Jackson, putting the finishing touches to the chim-noy-pieco. The address was written on a slip of paper, in an ordinary clerkly hand. "Ib musb have come since I was in the orderly-room," said Drummond to the inspector. " Then I will send off the telecram at once." "I think thab is your besb course, sir," said the inspector, in a tone of satisfaction. " Oh, yes. Mr. Jervis should know of this as soon as possible. At the same time, of course, you understand I don'b believe a single word of your theory. I don'b believe in it in the least." "No, perhaps not; but, of course, evidence is evidence, and being partly circumstantial, of course a suspected person is considered innocent until he is proved guilty, and I am sure, sir, I hope with all my heart that ib will burn out bo be a mare's nest." ' "When Inspector Gallaghan had gone, and was walking briskly across the square towards the entrance gates, Drummond stood ab the window of his quarters—watching the inspector's retreating figure, for it was too dark to do so—bub gazing oub reflectively over bho rows of twinkling lights which defined the greab vacanb square. " Yes," he said, with a deep sigh, as he dug his hands a shade further down into his pookebs, " I should think bhere is a lob of hope aboub you, my friend ! If Jervis, or I, or anyoue else in the White Horse, had our lives dependent upon your hopes, nob an insurance office in the kingdom would bhink them worth the value of a penny 1" : . .■ , . ll'o be continued on Wednesday next.)