Till the Clock Stops

by J. J. Bell

  CHAPTER VI

  Next moment, his wits in action again, Bullard made for the table, closedthe deep drawer, and threw himself on an easy chair, hissing at thegaping Lancaster, "Sit down, you fool!"

  Lancaster collapsed on the couch as Caw, bearing a salver with decanters,a syphon, and glasses, entered the room.

  "Your doors open quietly enough," remarked Bullard.

  "Yes, sir. Mr. Craig disliked unnecessary noise." He presented thesalver to Lancaster, who mixed himself a brandy and soda withconsiderable splutter.

  While he was doing so, Bullard produced from his breast pocket apale-green folded paper--a hotel bill, as a matter of fact--and gailywaved it, crying--"You see, we have found it, Caw, without much trouble!"

  "In your pocket, sir?"

  "On this chair, which I was sitting on yesterday."

  "Indeed, sir! Then you are quite satisfied, sir?"

  "Perfectly. By the way, Caw--no, I'll take whiskey--are you awarethat the stones in that pendulum over there are worth a couple ofthousand pounds?"

  "If you say so, sir."

  "Are you interested in diamonds, Caw?"

  "Very much, sir--from an artistic point of view, sir."

  "Their value does not interest you?"

  "It does not excite me, sir."

  "A capital answer! You have seen Mr. Craig's collection?"

  "Frequently, sir."

  Bullard took a bundle of notes from his pocket. "I offer you ten poundsto guess correctly the value of the collection."

  "Six hundred thousand pounds, sir.... Thank you, sir." With supremestolidity Caw presented the salver as a waiter might do for his tip.

  Though taken aback, the loser laughed. He took a long drink, andlaughed again.

  "Excuse me, sir," said Caw, "but my master is still in the house."

  Lancaster started, and took a hasty gulp, spilling a little.

  "I beg your pardon--and his," said Bullard gravely. "But I am not often'had.' Now, look here, Caw; I have still nine hundred and ninety poundshere. They are yours, if you can tell me where the collection is at thepresent moment."

  The topmost thought in Caw's mind then was that the brutes might have hadthe decency to have waited until his master was laid in the grave. Hefelt helpless, powerless. He could not doubt that Bullard was playingwith him. And in view of the promise to his master he could do nothing toprevent the crime, the desecration as he felt it to be. He could donothing but look on in silence while they searched, until they found--Butstay! he might as well despoil the spoilers when he had the chance.

  "I will take your money, sir," he said, in an odd voice. "Look in thebottom right-hand drawer in the writing table."

  Bullard's eyebrows rose. Then he got up and, with his eyes on theservant, opened the empty drawer.

  Caw was within an ace of dropping the salver. After a moment he carriedit to a side table and set it down with a small crash. Turning, he lookedsearchingly round the room. His gaze stopped at the curtain; he thoughthe understood. They had had an accomplice outside! ... He seemed to glideacross to Bullard, and Bullard found himself looking into the barrel of astout revolver.

  "Out o' the house, the pair o' ye," he ordered hoarsely, "or, by God,I'll forget the holy dead!"

  "But look here--"

  "Not a word! Take your hats and go! You've got what you came for--"

  "Listen, you madman!" Bullard held up a hand, the one with thenotes in it.

  "Thanks!" With a flash-like movement Caw nipped away the notes. "You'vegot to pay something!"

  Springing round behind Bullard, he shoved the cold steel into the nape ofhis neck. "March! and you, too, Mr. Lancaster. Take your friend's hat!"

  Ignoring his colleague's gaze, which had moved suggestively from himselfto the fire-irons, Lancaster obeyed and made for the door.

  "You'll be devilish sorry," began Bullard, beside himself--

  "Another word, and you'll lose one ear--to begin with. March!"

  Sullenly Bullard moved forward. Not until he was in the garden didhe attempt speech, and then his voice was thick, though fairlyunder control.

  "Well, my man," he said, "you've got yourself into a nasty hole. Robbery,with a revolver in your hand, is rather seriously regarded by the law.But as you have acted on impulse and misapprehension, I am disposed togive you a chance. Restore those notes--"

  "Looks like being a wet night," said Caw, and shut the outer door.

  When he had made it fast he switched off the lights in the hall and wentupstairs. In his master's room he wavered, and his eyes rested longinglyon the decanters, for he was feeling the reaction. But he was a goodservant still, and it would be "hardly the thing" to take a dram thereand then. Yet he forgot the conventions of service when, a moment later,he sank upon a chair and bowed his head on his master's table, sick atheart, sore in pride. He had been so easily tricked! And yet whatdifference would it have made if they had walked out of the room with theGreen Box in their possession? But he was very sure they would not havedared so greatly, unless, perhaps, with force of arms--in which case,despite all promises, he knew he would have resisted. It never occurredto Caw to doubt his master's sanity, but now he began to wonder what hadpossessed Mr. Craig in regard to the Green Box. Six hundred thousandpounds! He seemed to see his master seated at the table, calmly namingthe stupendous sum--and in the same instant he realised that he himselfwas sitting in his master's place. He sprang up, and almost fell over theopen drawer. He stooped to close it, straightened up with an exclamation,only to drop to his knees, staring, staring at--the Green Box! Suddenlyhe gave a short chuckle, rose, and made for the door in the back wall.

  Ere he reached it, it opened. A girl came in.

  He was taken aback, and she was first to speak.

  "Would you mind shaking hands?" said she.

  "Miss Handyside, was it you?" he cried, taking her hand with diffidence.

  She nodded. "At least, I suppose so, for it all happened so quickly thatI'm still in a state of wonder."

  "It was splendid, miss! I shall never be able to thank you."

  "I couldn't help doing it, though I'm not used to adventures. It was alldone on an impulse."

  "Woman's wit, miss, if you'll excuse my saying so."

  "Well, I was in the dark in more senses than one, but the proceedings ofthose two gentlemen were so peculiar, to say the least of it, that I feltjustified in playing the spy."

  "When did you arrive on the scene, miss?" Caw enquired, removing hisadmiring glance. For several years he had adored the doctor'sdaughter--from a strictly artistic point of view, as he would haveexplained it--and undoubtedly Marjorie had her attractions, though itwould be difficult to analyse and tabulate them. A Scot with moreperception than descriptive powers would have called her bonny. To gointo brief detail, she had nut-brown hair, eyes of unqualified grey, acomplexion suggesting sea-air, splendid teeth in a humorously inclinedmouth, and a nicely rounded chin. Very few people have beautiful noses;on the other hand, not the most beautiful nose will redeem an otherwiseunattractive countenance, whereas an ordinary nondescript nose in acharming face simply becomes part of it. Marjorie's was nondescript, butdid not turn up or droop excessively. Without being guilty of stoutness,she lacked the poorly nourished look of so many young women of the day.

  "I must explain why I arrived at all," she said, in answer to Caw'squestion. "I came with a message from the doctor--he twisted his ankle inthe dark--not seriously, but quite badly enough to prevent his comingalong himself. Well, when I reached the door I noticed from a thread oflight that it was not absolutely shut--"

  "My fault, miss. I was just about to come along for the night when thering came."

  "Then I heard voices--faintly--but clearly enough for me to judge theywere those of strangers, and I was going to go back when I heard a voicesay 'Lancaster, we've got it first time!' I'm ashamed to say my curiositywas too much for me--"

  "Thank God for female curiosity, miss, if you'll excuse my saying so."

  S
he checked a laugh. "You know how quietly the door works, I switchedoff the light behind me and opened it slightly--all trembles, I assureyou--and looked in. The younger man was lifting a greenish box from adrawer to the writing-table, and the other man seemed half-paralysedwith nervousness." She proceeded to relate what the reader already knowsup to the episode of the window. "Then, with my heart in my mouth, Iopened the door wide and stole in. The faint light from the water guidedme to the table, but I almost lost my way going back with the box. Ithink they did hear something, but I was in safety by the time theycould have turned their light into the room. But now I had closed thedoor tight, and could hear no more except indistinct voices, among whichI fancied I heard yours. You were talking angrily, I think. And after awhile there was a silence, and I waited and waited until I could wait nolonger. Is it true," she asked abruptly, "that there are sixty thousandpounds' worth--"

  "Six hundred thousand pounds, miss."

  "Oh! ... But why was it not in a safe place? And who were those men?And what--"

  "It will be necessary," said Caw, as one coming to a decision, "totell you all about it, Miss Handyside. My master said I might trustyou. It's too much," he added, "for me to carry alone. And if youthink the doctor--"

  "Goodness!" she exclaimed; "he'll be wondering what has come over me--andI've forgotten to give you his message! It was just to tell that hethought it was time you were leaving here for your new quarters."

  "Very good, miss. I'll come now."

  "But are you going to leave the box there?"

  "Got to--master's orders."

  "Extraordinary! It's locked, I suppose?"

  "Yes, miss; and last night, or, rather, this morning, at 12:15 by theclock, I threw the key into the loch--master's orders."

  "You are sure the diamonds are in it now?"

  "I was the last to see them and shut them in--master's orders."

  "Oh, I can't take in any more! Let us consult the doctor at once."

  Presently they passed out by the way the girl had entered, closing thedoor behind them. They were at the top of a narrow and rather steepstaircase of many steps covered with rubber. Descending they were in atunnel seven feet high and four in width, so long that in the distancethe sides seemed to come together. Roof and walls were white; light wassupplied from bulbs overhead. The atmosphere was fresh, though the meansof ventilation were not visible. Here again they trod on rubber.Christopher Craig had caused the tunnel to be constructed as soon as herealised the truth about his malady; but it was primarily the outcome ofa joking remark by Handyside after a midnight summons in mid-winter. Itshould be said here that at first Handyside had demurred becoming hisneighbour's physician, but growing friendship with the lonely man hadgradually eliminated his scruples. The tunnel had been a costlyundertaking, the more so owing to the hurrying of its construction, butChristopher would have told you that its existence had saved his life onmore than one occasion. The secret of the doors, by the way, was knownonly to himself and Caw, Dr. Handyside and Marjorie.