His Grace of Pinchbeck

Waikato Times, Volume 101, Issue 16983, 20 December 1926, Page 3

His Grace of Pinchbeck

Published by Special Arrangement

(By RALPH RODD.) Author of "Whispering Tongues," "Uttlc Lady Mystery," "The Prisoner At The Bar," Etc., Etc. (Copyright.)

CHAPTER XVI. The sound of men mounting Die steps. Valentine had left the key outside the house door purposely. He was congratulating himself that ho had returned from seeing Sabina safely into the cab just in time.

The men came into the house, a number of them. Someone paused to reverse the key. "Voices in tho hall. Valentine lounged in the uncomfortable easy chair. He had a cigarette between his lips. He was the very picture of patience under protest. Dr. Webb and another man. presumably a police official, came into the room. Behind them was a constable in uniform. .

"Tho Dook" dragged himself into a more upright position. "You have been the dickens of a time," he said. "All very well for you, bustling about, this place is like a vault." He shivered. It was only a makc-bclicvc shiver, he knew that the doctor's companion was eyeing him keenly, and for the life of him he oouid not help rather enjoying the position. What had happened was grim enough, he had no inclination to make light of it, only your true adventurer loves to find hjmelf in a corner. It is then that the need for resourcefulness arises. Valentine knew that he was going to be questioned. There were three names he did not mean to mention, no matter how closely cross-examined he might be; they were the names of his Sibyl of the cards, his employer and Norman Trcvis.

"Sorry," the doctor returned. "I was as quick as I could. This is Inspector Detective Marvct—Mr Valentine Duke."

The detective nodded pleasantly. A detective is not necessarily lynxeyed and suspicious, he is merely a man of the world who is very much awake.

"Good morning, Mr Duke," he said. "An unfortunate business this. Poor fellow upstairs a friend of yours?" "The Dook" leaned forward and flipped the ash from the end of his cigarette into the fireplace. He knew that the cross examination had begun, casual as the question might seem.

"Scarcely a friend," he said. "No, I couldn't call Dexter that. He was awfully good to one of his patients years ago up in Oldroyd. I didn't know him personally, but I knew of his kindness—sort of prejudiced me in his'favour, don't you know? That is why, when it came to my knowledge that the poor chap was on the rocks, I wanted to help him if I could. He had come down pretty low you know, drugs and that sort of thing. Didn't seem- to have any friends. I'd like to have done him a good turn, but I was too late." There were points in the explanation which might call for further investigation. It would not be fair to say that Marvct missed them, yet lie made no attempt to elucidate them there. The doctor had already told him of the quite unexceptional part Mr Duke had played. Mr Duke's manner was perfect, also there was the fact that Mr Duke had sat (hero with all the maze of London to serve as a hiding place had lie so desired. "The Dook" took his» cigarette from between his lips. "First visit, and last," he said. "I never realised Dcxtcr's need for help until to-night."

"And the other man who came, the man who ran away?" "That I suppose is your business," "The Doolc" returned pleasantly. "P'raps you'll be luckier than I. I missed him."

"Did you know that anyone was likely to come to torment the poor fellow? Were you here with any idea of protecting him from molestation?"

"The Dook's" frank look of surprise was disarming. , "Hadn't the ghost of a notion," he asseverated with perfect truth. "But you were—er—suspicious?" persisted the detective. "I mean you were the first to go in pursuit' of the missing man." Valentine smiled.

"I wouldn't like to say that. Dr. Webb's hearing is not so good as mine. He was otherwise engaged. I was standing there, a good deal upset by the discovery we had just made. Bit of a jar, you know, finding the poor chap like that. I didn't even know he hadn't been murdered. Well, I distinctly heard someone stealing cautiously downstairs. I suppose you're right, I was suspicious. Anyway, I tried to open the door, meaning Lo see who it was out there. The door was locked. I smelt a rat hard enough then, at any rate." The detective nodded understanding^'.

Valentino smiled. "Funny tiling was that Dr. Webb was suspicious of me, thought I was trying to do a bolt when 1 bashed the door down." "I was merely startled by your sudden move," frowned the man* of medicine. "Sure I don't blame you." returned "Tho Dook" genially. Then he addressed himself afresli to the detective. "If tho door had given way first shot I should have nabbed my man all right."—How thankful he was that the door had stood! "As it was. I was Just too late. I caught sight of the tail of a man, as you might say. disappearing through tho front door. The joker had the cheek to play the same game twice, turned the key on us. He had a nerve!" "And you, Mr Duke?"

This time Valentino tossed the end of his cigarette away. Ho appeared quite interested in. his own story.

"It flashed upon me all in an" instant that I shouldn't do any good by hammering at the front door, I bolted in here, I had an idea that if I could jump out of tho window I might cut the fellow off. If you just look out of the window you'll see why I didn't."

Inspector Detective Marvct instead of striding to the window shook his bead.

"I am very glad that you didn't make the attempt, sir. Had you done we should have had two tragedies on our bauds to investigate instead of one. Quite an impossible* leap from a narrow window sill into the street. If you'd cleared tho area the railings would have spiked you."

Valentine tried lo look duly impressed, though, as a mailer of fact, he told himself boyishly that he would have had a good shot at clearing the lot had he wanted 10. Anyway, he was not ging to tell them why he had not wished lo nab Ihn fugitive, they must, never guess how peculiarly anxious he hnri hopn not to bring about, a meeting between Ihe man who had run away and the sirl who had remained.

"You appear lo have done everything, possible, Mr Duke," tho other said. "Now I think wo had better go upstairs." Mrs Crawshaw was in the hall. She was anxious to find somebody to tell that "this was a nice thing to happen in a respectable woman's house," but no one took any notice of her until she began to follow them upstairs, and then the constable barred the way.

The Are in the shabby upper room was all but out now, only a few dull embers remained in the grate. The gas still burned garishly, and on the bed lay the long, inanimate object two men had covered from the women's sight. The detective scarcely glanced at it, whereas Dr. Webb lit a candle, the gas jet being at the other end of the room, set it on the table near the pillow and ihrcw back the covering unconcernedly. Valentine walked over to the fireplace, he rested his elbows on line mantelshelf. lie wondered whether lie might ask leave to go, this was all so horrid, and he was doing no good. The detective had gone over to the disordered writing table. He was making a methodical examination of the papers whicli lay scattered about, arranging them into neat little piles. He might have been a well-trained clerk, he, the man who was concerned in the grim tragedies of life! And at the bedroom door the constable stood, a stalwart, unemotional man, emblematic of the law. It was ridiculous, but somehow "The Dook" feared him the most. The doctor angered him with his ghoulish indifference to what to him was a mere cessation 6f life, tho detective he had an idea, would •fail- in his search, but the constable who had played next to no part in the proceedings typified the law which in the end always wins'.

Sir Jonas Doddy and Queen Elizabeth were seated hand in hand on the library couch. They made the quaintest couple. Some might have said that the contrast between them was unfortunate. By his wife's side Sir Jonas looked smaller and more shrivelled than ever, while so close to her lover and master Lady Docldy's ample proportions were even more pronounced than usual. "I beg your pardon," the secretary said, "I'd no • idea you had got back, sir. "VS'e were not expecting you tonight." "Bit of a surprise all rounds" her ladyship remarked, and her ladyship beamed. "I always did like surprises. Jonas used to say that if the kitchen chimney caught lire on a washing day 1 got a bit of fun in putting it out. It's the jogging 1 can't stand; 'unidrum, it's that gives me the 'ump!"

Sir Jonas tried to smile. It seemed to Valentine that the attempt was not altogether successful. Was he thinking of that mysterious threatening catastrophe at which he had hinted? Was he dreading that which should break in too roughly upon the even lenour of Queen Elizabeth's days?