THE STORYTELLER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10536, 10 August 1912, Page 2

THE STORYTELLER.

THE 'IANGrOfIO"GH CASE.

(By THOMAS COBB.) .'Author of "Enter Bridget," "The Anger of Olivia," etc.

[All Riohts Reskhvkd.] ' Inspector Bvann was sitting by his own fireside one evening with a pipo between his lips, and a deep f;f-wn on bis .brow. When Mrs Brann glanc d up ,from her needlework to make a domet"tio remark, he answered curtly, and taking the evening paper from the table, pretended to be absorbed by its news. .There was, no doubt, a sense of un--/'easiness in the public mind. Several murders had been committed during the last few months, and th? criminals: v.ere ''Still at large. Questions had been ask- ' '«d in the House of Commons, and Scot- , * land Yard came in for somewhat severe \' criticism. / Was the Langborough case to be add'•d to the list of unsolved problem--? '" Certainly Inspector Brann could not "ew» the slightest clue to the perpctn*"tor. The facts were simple enough! ; 'Sir Archibald Langborough, baronet. ' bad travelled by the six-thirty train ■' 'from Hemingway on Tuesday, November 5: a corridor train, in which ho ' vm the sole oocupant of a first-class *'smoking compartment. At Tun brook elation, about thirtv miles from London, i ';!h,B was discovered lying on a sent, *Wif he had. gone to sleep, and, with--1 but awakening, been stabbed to tho heart by a small dagger, or stiletto, its 'i points having penetrated one comer of the silk pocket-handkerchief that cover- ■ i-"«d his face and chest. The handksr- , ./'chief had been slightly displaced, proi bably by the withdrawal of the weapon. The motive of the crime could not .-,.is'have been robbery; Sir Archibald's ,' i feporee, watch and chain, scarf-pin, and , V UT fact all his property were left. Al- , mnch blood had flois'cd, there < • "VWere no signs of a struggle. Nothing 1 remained to afford the remotest clue to his assailant, nor could the railway 'officials at Hemingway, at Tunbrcok, -or along the line, point to any passen:ger' on whom suspicion might fall. *; Sir Archibald Langborough was a "indower; sixty-tour years of age, generally respected, with an extensive en- - '" tailed estate, which had. descended to 'lns only son. As far as Inspector ,'Brann could see, there existed no mo- ■ ' - tive for the crime. Although the inquest had been.held and the only pos- ' mble rerdiot returned (wilful murder ' •' against some person unknown), the new baronet was unable to appear as a ,'; witness, and in fact Inspector Brann was eagerly awaiting the day when Sir , 'Hugh might be strong enough to grant , ';kim an interview. T : ;.'At the time of the murder, more t . - than a fortnight ago, it seemed p'ro- ' ■;. bable' that such an interview would never take place. Hugh Langborough, ■- being on a visit to some old friends at *-,. Brighton, was suddenly taken ill on Friday, November 1. four days previ- :,' <ms to the crime, and indeed Sir ArohiJ -.bald had been travelling with all haste to what he feared would be his son's .. , • doathbed. < Hugh had, however, under- ,' gone a serious operation on that fatal ,]< Tuesday, and since rallied in the most -.".' surprising way, so that Inspector Brann hoped to De permitted to see him before j.jnany more days went by. y- ..One afternoon, towards the end of November, a dismally foggy day in ,-■,:' rLondon, but bright and sunny on tho ', south coast, the inspector obtained the • long-desired interview in a handsomely'.:*f furnished drawing-room at Lewes CresHugh Langborough was thirty of age, tall, with a large frame, ut at present carrying very little flesh. .' His clothes hung upon him loosely, ho lay at full length on a sofa in . ! '. front of an enormous fire.\ A fair*it haired, handsome, pleasant-looking man, obviously not yet fit to endure t -anything of the nature of a painful or-J>;-/deal. inspector Brann, however, felt „• > anxious to obtain such information conI'Aoerning Sir Archibald's privp + * life as ' s only his son, with whom he had always - to live on the most affection- .. ate terms, might be able to afford. , Sitting near ; the head of the sofa, .Inspector Brann saw a dark-haired girl " '"who looked about twenty-three years of . age, of middle height, with a more than ' usually attractive face and figure, and a Sculiarly gracious manner. This was iss Delia Ranfield, whose brother, at ' ( present in India, had been Hueh's f *«j 'chum at Eton and Christ Church. Delia . ' had evidently been reading aloud, and, closing her book, she smiled agreeably at the visitor before rising from her - * - chnii. For a moment she bent over the /. invalid, who gazed after her as she <' walked towards the door, with an ex- , i": pression capable (in the inspector's I''- 'opinion) of one obvious interpretation. -As soon as Delia had left the room, '.} Inspector Brann was invited to sit ' down, whereupon he began to ask a ! . l > ttumber of questions relating to the late '- habits of life.

-' " Afraid I can tell you nothing to the , 'purpose," said Hugh presently. "'There was no hidden place in my father's life : , s 'iio skeleton in his cupboard at least." ' 'i' - Pausing for an instant, Hitch Lang- ,, borough seemed to find a difficulty in ' -controlling his voice. His present ' 'condition of extreme weakness doubt.',<lmb made him more apt than usual to I betray his feelings. In any case, In-'-'•pector Brann drew his own conclusions. i' &■- " Well nowj Sir Hugh Langborough;" 1 lie Baid to himself, "if there was no skeleton in Sir Archibald's cupboard. 's-I'M lay my life there's one in yours 1" -., "My father hadn't an enemy in the world, Hugh continued. " I can • j 'think of no one who had a grudpe , against him—no one who stood to gain 'by his death, except myself, of course. II Mthotigh," said, Hugh, with consider «*.' able emotion, "if you understood what • jny father and I always were to each ' other, you would realise that my loss is • tncelonlabk "

• "When," asked Inspector Brarm. ."do you think you will be strong , enough to remove to London, Sir Hugh?" "It's impossible to say for certain," win the answer. "I hope by the end of the present week" . After Inspector Brann's departure, Hugh closed, his eyes, lying for some time m if asleep, but as a matter of ftet he had quite , enough and more . . than enough to keep him wide awake. For some time past Hugh Langborongb had done his utmost to avoid Delia Ranfield, and it was only at her mother's urgent invitation that he had at last tempted to give way, and pay a visit to the house in Lewes Crescent for a oouple of nights. The compulsory prolongation of his stay had Cost him dear, whilst he could not remain blind to the fact thnt henceforth tis pain must bo shared by Delia. \ .The question which troubled him most this afternoon was whether he should tell her the reason why he durst not ask her to become his wife, as Mrs Ranfield, at least, expected? - Torn this way ana that, exhnusted by his recent interview, Hugh nt last i.made up his mind. At whntfvcr pain • to himself, he would enlighten Delia before he went to his room far the night. So when she returned to his fide, beautiful, sympathetic and cheerful, as usmilj he took her hand as she stood by the sofa, and forced himself to tell the miserable tale. - tl No one knew," he explained, " exeept my father and our family Folici,tors. I made a clean breast of it to hiin when I came back to my sense? ";'» fortnight after my marriage. It

SHORT AiVO SERIAL,

! took place fix -?nvu .';r«, duri"g my third your at •!■ u r o : I— I wv\ t. !'> about iny- ray w'.ic." sniO r A ~d, Dell,. I"ri:Ui.ti-'t »f '.:J' lave for v< u I havi n't ■.;•:•'ii he. .vii!C?. w< n:rte\l ■..■•{!-.•;•., - - of the wrddi; ■'■: (Ik, I r.i.r-.r wi. h < l o sof her ar-iin. I bm-fi't tho r ;*. -f-> '--on j f'liorr r.J,P Ir.-,-:.. J-.-t Ir.thr " e«e >T i., r , r,!rr,-vr. r;f .'.V' 1 .:'! CO'- r -':'!tV.C:» ! IOt:S look rdv;t:-- thro ■".•> on; Ycu : bow, !>Un." !.-,, -'I have mm I te keen a;-: IV : iwr>v f™"- fen a;; pos~ ! <viKV a l -'! ; i it !;:"(' ''t been for tins i mirerrtble. nines;;- -well, I .shouldn't be I here now." I " D..'.irp'~t " she whiyp'—ed, bonding ! towards" him o- bo !aj* nronv on the i cofn "it. re;'.do ri di.»■'•<•neo_-no o'fi forence ii» the wo-H. Nothing wou;d ■have made an? dilTv.renee." T rr . r -, W ere in b"r <-jes, and <w she and Hn"h r.tav.*rl d-.tari'y togolhsr yet in few mi'uitos before the nurses were I str-nvj"vd to tike him ups-tuirs, every i piwp-ct of happiness seemed to pass j out nf Deli t's l:fe. . . I Briin. m the tram to ! T.opdon Inter t!«?.{ could r-ot ' cnncratulata liiins<- : r or tbo rwult ot : th>"interview V.; which ho had ardently M<,()'-od forv.a-d. L( a liiu? back in the corner of hi? corrpartr-ent, smckirg \i'± pino, he tnrncrl th" matter ovor tn his m'i-d. as he hnd dono a score of ■tines plreadv. Tlr- only f"rt Thich he brd olToi>ed'from Sir flush's manner : r«thcr than from his *orfc. rolatod to th- son inrtpad of the father In a Iprs ur-nromtsinK cast; such a slight and iperharw irr-1-vant su<r-:estion micht |,av<s man will clutch at a straw. That Sir Huffh Lanphorourch had a sJceleton m his' 3 cupboard, Br*nn felt convinced, "nd ! miftht n«t this ■have conceivably re-actFd'on Sir Archibald P Now ; v.-hore a man of TTnrh's age and station waa concerned-ch'Prchez la femme!" - The following morning Inspector Brann mndc his" way to the offices of Me&srs T/ontworth and Gordon, an old-established firm of solicitors, who had acted for tho Langboroughs for more than one generation. It was not difficult to invent a plausible excuse for the visit, and ns Inspector Brann rose to leave Mr Wentworth's private room, he looked straight into the solitor's eyes.

" I seo there's a lady in the case," he remarked. " There usually is." "A lady! I'm afraid I don't understand," was the answer. " At Lewes Crercent, Brighton—Miss Ranfield: nice-looking young lady," said Brann. " Likely to become Lady Langborough before very long, I should fancy." " Noj no," returned Mr Wentworth hastily. " Nothing in the world could be less likely. You may take my word for it, Sir Hugh Langborough is not a marrying man!" "I should be much obliged if you would tell me why not, Mr Wentworth," said the inspector. " That has nothing in the world to do with your department. Brann." "You don't know, sir, insisted the inspector. " You never can tell where we come in. I happened to see Sir Hugh and Miss Ranfield together yesterday, and, well, if those two woudn't got married, my name's not Joseph Brann." The consequence was a complete explanation. Hugh Langborough, while still an undergraduate, had, it appeared, married a woman from an Oxford restaurant; she was several years older than himself, and soon appeared to be a confirmed drunkard. Fortunately there was not a child; the two had separated within a month of the wedding, and Sir Archibald had made the woman an allowance until the day of' his death. " She was a thorough bad lot, Brann," said Mr Wentworth. "Of no earthly use to you, although she has been a terrible nuisance to us. Always getting drunk and running put of money, and pestering us for more before it's due." " What might be the amount of her allowance?" asked Inspector Brann, with his head on one side. " Three hundred pounds a year." . " Not such a large sum if you come to consider Sir Archibald's position!" said the inspector. " You see, it was this way: the more money, the more brandy," was the answer. " Besides, *you must remember that Hugh Langborough hadn't a penny of his own until he came into the estate on his father's death." "If you've no objection I should like to have Lndy Langborough's address—after all, she is Lady Langborough," said Inspector Brann, taking a small note-book from his pocket. " She has lived the last twelve months at No. 113, Barleycorn Place, Brighton." " Brighton !" ejaculated the inspector. ' Lady Langborough lives at Brighton, too?" " fou must remember that Sir Huuh hasn't the remotest idea where sne lived," said Mr Wentworth " and upon my word I can't see that his wife can help you in any way, Brann." Nevertheless, the same afternoon found Inspector Brann once more at Brighton, and making his way direct from the station to No. 113, Barleycorn Place, he asked for the land-lady-Mrs Jones—a stout, youthfu'lopking wo'man, about thirty years of age. " Mrs Langborough," she said apparently ignorant of her lodger'a accession to the title, " was not in the town at the moment, although she bad left some of her property brhind and vould no doubt return for it later on. She was perhaps nearly forty; frequently intoxicated, and usually in arrears with her rent towards the end of every quarter." " Now perhaps you can tell me." suggest d Inspector Brann, " when she went away from here." " Let me see now; I don't wish to deceive you," was the answer. "It was Sunday morning by the early *rain, because I had to call her early, and for a wonder she w<-nt to bed al most sober the nijrht before. Tt nnut have been the first Sunday ' thi* month." " That would be the third of November," said Inspector Brann. "Yes, sir, I suppose it would be November 2," Mrs Jones ncreed. In c pector Brann tried not to look satisfied ns hj" remembered that Sir Archibald Lnnpborotr h had been murdered on Tuesday, November 5. The inspector then ask- d a number of questions., learning, among other thins;! 1 ., that Mrs hrd invepted ir a dozen chap a month or so ago. He induced Mrs Jones to pn upstrirs and her loc!per'« chert of drawer?, with the remit thai she returned with one of the portrait!in question. Mr? L'aneborough, it appeared, possessed scarcely any friend.--in th~ town.

"There's Mrs Hughes, to. be sure," enid the lard'udv, " e :he wa.? often herein the evening—they wer" birds of a feather, if you ask me. She came the Saturday night before Mrs Lan/ctboroush went nway, and agir'n on t)f Monday, and she "was quite took back to fird her Rons." " What is Mrs Hughes " asked Inspector Brann, in the most casual tone " Well, sir, she's a lady what's seen better diiys ns they say, and if you ask mo, it's ro wonder tiny got wor.se. Doar me I what a thousand pities it docs se< mto be sure! She goes out sewing by the day unci has quite a nice connexion amongst the ladies about h'2re."

Armed with Mrs Hughes's address, Inspector Brann made the best of hi: way to the street. Fortunately, sh' was at home—a woman of forty-five-small, shrivelled, with an emaciated careworn face, and a sharply-pointx-d red-tipped nose. Her nerves seemed t be in a condition, and o. hearing that her visitor was a mem-

brr of the Crimincl Investigation T>fpr.y* irte.itt uhe .-bowed 'rigns of a col-l;t\-:iC. "" T. r.-ant to know, said Inspector i"i ?■■:"., u ''hen you last went to work av Ti'vs K':;.,i"id's in Lewes Crescent?" ; '(i;-:«i ;;. ..- ; otrs tne! - ' ex- bjiux'd iuw i/.-iffhf.s with a start, " however did ;-ei; k m\v 1 wtmt '.i< svovk there'at ail? Yve.i f..?--i," s-'r <-or tinned, " tl;? hcuse-k?»-':ior wonted a h>>rs turned, and it t->ok two days without n minute to " \Vero you there on Saturday, .\oveuiber 2?" dtmr.iv.h?d. the inspector. ".'">■.■;.!• rue: nc-i to deceive vou, yes, I wr.fi, ,v,ir," was the astonished arswer. " You r,&w ?drs Langborough the same evening?" suggested the inKjwcfcor. "Bless my heart!" cried Mrs Hughes, holding a hand over the region of tl-p.t organ. "Ail you nnturpllv t-old her that som«one vra* lvi»g dangerously ill at Mr? Ranfield'sP" urg-:.d Inspector Brnrn. "H" wns dvirtcr. they told me," faltered Mrs Hughes. "No doubt," 5-id the insppetor, frsin<r his sitrnifieantly on her face. " Ar T--! Lan.aborourrh was very much surprised to fchpt the s'ck man's name ws" the same as her own?" Pinking into the nearest chair, Mrs Hnirbcs required a fow seconds to recover the pow-r of speech.. " Whereby Mr 3 Lanpcborongh said ho was no relation," ehe gasped at last. Tnepoctor Brann reached Loridoh aarain lato the. same night, and found a tempting supper awaiting him at home. EHs wif© sat up while he smoked his pir« afterwards, but although he seemed 'to he in the host of, tempers, she talked about the children without Rwcoedifig in arousing thefr unnatural father's interest. The following day he was off again directly after an early breakfast, and making his way to the railway station, ho took a ticket for Hemingway. It was halfpast eleven when he readied his destination, and from that moment all was plain sailing. Helped energetically by the local police, Inspector Brann soon discovered that Mrs LangborouKh (identified by tho photograph which had been brought from Brighton) 6lept at a cheap lodg-ing-house in the town on the night of Monday, November 4; that she took her departure at mid-day on Tuesday. The photograph was recoraiscd by the bookmg-cloi'k; the purchase of a stiletto in London (through which she must have passed to reach Hemingway) was E roved, and ,a few days later Lady angborough was arrested at Islington, brought before a magistrate, and committed to take her trial at the Central Criminal Court, where in due course she was found guilty of the capital crime, and eventually suffered the extreme penalty of the law. Several monthß later, in the beginning of October, Sir Hugh Langborough was once more in Mrs Ranfield's drawing-room at Lewes Crescent. This time he was alone, and pacing the carpet with manifest impatience; now stopping to gaze out at one of the windows, now to stand with his back to the fire. Presently the door opened and Delia entered, coming towards him with her face flushed, her hand held out. They had not met since the previous November, and now it seemed as if there was a certain degree of restraint between them. Hugh kept her hand so tightly, however, that she could not have withdrawn it if she would. " Is Mrs Ranfield all right P" he asked perfunctorily. "Oh, yes, mother is quite all right," answered Delia; "and you." she continued rather nervously, " look ever 60 much better than when I saw you last." "Delia," he said eagerly. "I couldn't see my way to come before, although my lite has been nothing but one intense longing to see your dear face again 1" "Oh, you must hare had a terribletime," she murumred. "Did you—did you see her?" she asked, with the most painful embarrassment " Only when 1 had to give my evidence. It was, by far, the worst experience of my life, except, perhaps, that awful Monday morning. Because you understand—though I hate to talk about it—my thoughts went back, and incomprehensible as it seems, there was a time—only a short time, a couple of months^—when to marry Lydia Beemed the height of earthly bliss. Delia," added Hugh, I did all I knew to get her a reprieve; I spared no effort,.but it couldn't be done." He sat down, leaning forward and covering his lace with his hands, Delia standing by his side until he raised his eyes again. " But even now." she said, after a long silence, " I don't quite understand what her motive could have been. My mother insisted on ueeping the papers away from me " "Then Mrs Ranfield knew," exclaimed Hugh, " 6he knew how matters were between you and meP" " Yes; ehe asked me, and, of cou "se, I told her. I was obliged to tell her," was the answer. '

"You must remember," Hugh explained with obvious distaste, ''that I possessed nothing in the world but the allowance from my father. In addition to that he paid Lydia three hundred a year. She had lived here in Brighton for some time, and one of her friends happened to be a woman who came to this house to work for your housekeeper. From her Lydia learned that I was your mother's guest and dangerously ill. Now," continued Hugh, anxious to come to an end of his explanation, "if I had died before my father tho whole csate would have gone to my cousin Harold, who scarcely would have been expected to increase Lydia's allowance, even if he had continued it. But if." said Hugh, "on the other hand, my father died while I was still

living, although at my last breath, my wife must inevitably have become Lady Langborough. According to our deed of entail she would also nave received a thousand a year for life."

" She— your wife—knew that?" suggested Delia. " I remember as well as if it wer& yesterday," Hmrh answered.. " explaining to her precisely how I stood. At first she was bv no moans r.->jT Cr to marrv me. but I felt I would give t!uworld for her in 'hose days. Sheknew tint I was entirely dependent on my father, and felt et'rnid lest he should turn his back on us. As an inducement I insisted that nothing could prevent me from some dny inheriting the estate, but then Lydin wanted to know how she- would stand h the event of rr;y death. So I told her that unless I drd before my father she could not fail to Ivjvo a thousand a year, to say nothing of what would h-.>r»j»«i! if wo had children. Thank (Jed we didn't!" cried Hugh fervently- " You see," he continued, after a short pau-e, " it was immensely to her interest thnt my father should die before me. Believing, as yon all believed that I was at my last Rasp, Lydia must have fovpetved the diabolical ic!f>n of murdering him, in the hope that I mi edit linger still a day or so longer. There's no doubt whatever." said Hngh. "that, having heard of my conditio?! from Mrs Hurries, she lost no iimt- in yoing to London. She would easily be able to discover that my father was at our place in the country, following him there, she kept him under observation, travelled in tho ssm» train to London, went nlong the corridor tn his compartment while passing through one of the tunnels, found him aslenp., and—and stabbed him to tho heart " As Hnr?\i conned speaking there was a profound sile7ice in the room. A minute Inter he drew in a long breath, and rising hastily turned his back on Delia as he walked to the_ nearest window. Ther*! ho stood, wi'h his neck bowed, his hands thrust deep in his pockets, his shoulders hunched up until he felt n light hand on one of them. . " Hugh," murmured Delia, " the past is over and done with. It simply won't bear thinking of. What you have to do is to try and forget it in the future." " If only I could." he replied, " but heaven knows it's difficult." Facing about he looked down at her face, and saw tho perfect sympathy it expressed. "Delia." he said, " I came to-day to ask whether you can seo your way to heln me." He made h*.r hands prisoners, but Delia lowered her eyes without a word. "I came to ask whether you will be my wife?" he whispered, and now she looked up again. Although she was still silent, her eyes were eloquent, and the nest instant she was clasped >'n his arms.