"The Metal Flask,"

Wairarapa Daily Times, 8 April 1931, Page 7

"The Metal Flask,"

PUBLISHED BY SPECAL ARRANGEMENT.

copyright

CHAPTER X.—Continued. ‘‘.Hid you mention it to anyone else?” “No, sir, I can swear to that.” “Why not? It was no secret.” “Well, 1 didn't give it another thought. ’ ’ Ellen, who had learned at the teatable below stairs what traps are laid for the unwary in question and ans\Yer, wondered whether she had }iut a rope round the neck of someone who had never harmed her. But the Inquisitors seemed to have tired of their questioning. They desired her to send -Mrs Woolston up to them. She found the Sybil resting in the housekeeper's room. Robert followed her in. “Mrs Woolston, you're wanted upstairs.” ‘ • Who wants me ?’ ’ “I can tell you, Mrs Woolston,” chimed in Robert. “It's the police.” The Sybil turned a solemn eye upon him. “It 's the truth I’m telling you, -Mrs Woolston. It’s the Police Inspector and a lawyer come all the way from town to question you.” “To question me? What for?”

“I Relieve it's this way, Mrs Woolston. You see, the jury found that the mistress was poisoned." .Right. What’s the next question? Who prepared the food that the mistress ate It wasn’t me and it wasn’t Ellen. It was you, and they want to know, the police do, what you put in it.” “I can tell them what I put in it and I can tell them a great deal more. Where are they ” “In the mistress’s bedroom.”

Mrs Woolston rose heavily and made her way upstairs charged with omens. No police inspector had any terrors for her. She dealt with personalities on a loftier plane. Even, Elliot seemed a little daunted by the presence lie had called up. “Mrs Woolston,” he began, half apologetically, “we want to ask you about this key.” “It wasn’t the key, gentleman. It was the milk-jug that jumped out of my tray on to the iloor. It was the pendulum of the old clock that fell off, no one touching it. It was the ink that Ellen spilt that ran like blood all over’ the carpet. Bless you, gentlemen, I knew what was coming. I knew that death was coming to this house, and I fear lie’s not far off from us now. It may be you next, Captain.” “Thank you, Mrs Woolston. That will do.” “I could tell you of signs we’ve had since the mistress’s death, poor soul.” “No, thank you, Mrs Woolston, we will not trouble you. Will you ask Miss Dawkins to come?” Dawkins obeyed the summons with a quaking heart. “There was one question we to ask you, Dawkins. Was anyone else in the room when you put the will away in the drawer?’.’

“Xo one but Mr Manderson, sir.” CHAPTER XI. The three men were silent for a- full minute after Dawkins had left the room. The Polise Inspelitor appeared to be waiting for one of the others to speak. - Endacott was the first to break silence. “It does not seem to me, Captain Elliot, that we've carried the matter very much further.” “You think not? If several of the servants did not know about the master key, there was one man who did — Arthur Manderson —and lie was present in the room when the maid, Dawkins, put the document into that drawer. Who was to benefit by the disappearance of that document? Why, Manderson. He had the entire run of the house; he knew that Miss Marjoribanks had thought of destroying the will, because I told him so myself. He intended to leave and go back to London, but as soon as- Itold him that, he changed his plans and decided to stay.”

He seemed to be addressing his remarks more to the Police Inspector than to the lawyer.

“We have no proof of this, Captain Elliot,” said Endacott. “We might, of course, have a search made of every paper in the house, but the fact remains that Miss Marjoribanks intended to destroy that will with the view of bringing an earlier will into force, and I see no course open but to take the usual steps for proving the will made in favour of Mr Manderson.” “According to Dr. Vaughan's evidence,” said the Inspector, “the deceased lady was not so ill on the day following her first attack that she c-ould not have destroyed the will as she intended —do stayed it, I mean, with her own hands, when no one was looking. If tiie .document was still in existence it would be where the maid put it. In the meantime, gentlemen, there seems to be nothing that I can do. Bv your leave I will proceed to search this room and then take the statements of the witnesses downstairs. ’ ’

The lawyer and Elliot left him to his task and went down to the busi-ness-room. “You see,” said Elliot, “we must not hurry things too much. For all we know, the Inspector may come across the will when he is searching and, if we burn our boats by reading the other one and starting to prove it, we should look rather foolish, shouldn’t we? I want to protect the interests of my poor boy. ’ But the man of law was becoming restive. “Miss Marjoribanks expressly directed me to preserve the previous will in case she might wish to revoke the will which is now missing. She intended to destroy it and to bring that earlier will into force. Her wishes were quite clear. Therefore, if that

BY SIR BASIL THOMSON. .(Author of “Carfax Abbey,” “Mr Pepper, Investigator,” “The Skene Papers,” etc).

“Do I understand that you intend to prove this will at once?” “Yes, Captain Elliot. As executor, I have really no choice in the matter. ’ ’

“ So I suppose that my job lias come to an end —that this is a notice to quit ” He addressed his question to the lawyer. “That is entirely a matter for Mr Manderson, after the will is proved.” “I do not propose to make any sudden changes,” said Manderson, “not for some weeks, at any rate. And, of course, 1 shall be glad to give Captain Elliot as long as lie likes for making his arrangements. Do you suppose, Mr Endacott, that any of the servants will want to leave?”

“Well, Judd and Dawkins have rather substantial legacies. They may not wish to continue in service. I remember that Miss Marjoribanks wished to fix their legacies rather high for that reason, and in the later will, which she desired me to destroy, she insisted on my inserting the same amounts. I could, of course, find out about the others. ’ ’

But Manderson, as usual, preferred the line of least resistance. “I will let sleeping dogs lie, I think, Mr Endacott. ' I have so many engagements in London—” he waved bis hand to indicate that they were past counting in number and importance, and he saw an unpleasant curl about Elliot’s lip. “I may not be here very much, you know, and the servants will grow tired of being always on board wages. Then things will settle themselves.” He rose to intimate that, as far as he was concerned, the conference was at an end. 1

Only one place was laid for luncheon. Judd conveyed Captain Elliot’s compliments, and said that the gentleman was so full of work in the business room that he was having a tray brought to his writing-table. Manderson Eat down to the business of his mid-day meal with a sense of intense relief. From the luncheon-taJjle he went to his room to expend unusual care upon his toilet. Captain Elliot saw him pas§ and went to the window to watch his retreating figure, wondering why he was so newly-groomed and spruce. He did not guess that the gentleman was feeling the call of youth and was on his way to the Cottage, intent upon making an impression.

There was quite a gathering in the little drawing-room at the Cottage. •Mrs Evans and her sister were listening to Dorothy Wilson’s account of her visit to Exeter Prison that morning, and Peter Graham, who had already heard the story, was watching the faces of the two ladies to note the impression that it made upon them. Doiothv had the superlative quality of courage. She spoke almost cheerfully about her misfortunes, appearing never to doubt that ultimately all would be well.

“Did vou see him? ’ asked Mis Evans.- A shade crossed the girls face.

“Xo, though the Governor went himself to ask Michael to, see me, but he was so sympathetic and nice that I came away quite cheered up.” “What did he say?”

“He had already made up his mind about Michael. I can remember every word he said. “The boy is innocent, of course—that we all know, and he doesn’t seem to be at all depressed by the indignity of finding himself in a place like this. I know very little of the case, but I suppose that there is some secret behind it all, and the reason that he will not consent to see his friends, or his lawyer, is that he is determined not to give the secret away. ’ ”

“The Governor is quite right,’ said Mrs Evans. “I felt sure all along that Michael was determined to be a scapegoat. But whom can he be shielding?” “Whom he he love best in the world, after Dorothy?” asked Sheila. ‘ i His aunt. I am quite sure that,” said Mrs Evans. “Surely you don’t think, that it v.is a case of suicide, and that he knew it?”

' “My dear child! What curious ideas vou have!”

Peter spoke for the first time. “I cion’t know. I remember once seeing a film —a very boring, American film it was, where one man hated another so acutely than he committed suicide under circumstances that left no doubt in the mind of a jury that lie had been murdered by the gentleman he disliked. Poor Miss Marjoribanks had her likes and dislikes. ” _ “What nonsense!” said Sheila. “If there was one being in the world that she did care for, it was Michael.” “Well, if he is shielding his aunt and she’s dead, then I suppose nothing

other will is-not found to-day, we must presume that she destroyed it, and I have no choice but to communicate the contents of the existing will to-morrow. I shall be glad if you and Mr -Manderson will arrange to- be present at eleven o'clock in the morning.”

There was not any lavish effusion of brotherly love when the will was read in the library to Captain Elliot and Arthur Manderson. The document was quite short. After specifying legacies to her butler, William Judd, and her maid, Deborah Dawkins, the testatrix bequeathed the rest of her property to her cousin, Arthur -Manderson. There was no mention of her sister. The executor was Endacott himself. “This will revoked a .former will made in favour of her sister,” said the lawyer. For some moments Elliot could not trust himself to speak, then he said:

will dear him. He will never give way,” said Dorothy. For the first time there was a break in her voice. - (To be Continued).