Till the Clock Stops

by J. J. Bell

  CHAPTER X

  The same night Teddy France started on his quest, wishing with all hisheart that it were cleaner work. Still a beginning had to be made. He hadnot the flimsiest clue to direct him, but the thought occurred to himthat it might be worth while to attempt to learn in what manner Bullardspent some of his evenings. Bullard, he was aware, had of late beenliving at Bright's Hotel, a select and expensive establishment situatedwithin hail of Bond Street.

  About eight o'clock Teddy sauntered across the lounge of Bright's, asthough looking for a friend, and glanced through the glass doors of thedining-room. To his satisfaction, he saw the man he wanted, seated at atable, alone, and not in his customary evening dress. Teddy retired, leftthe hotel, and at the opposite pavement engaged a taxicab. He got inside,after instructing the man to be on the alert. He lit a cigarette, tellinghimself that, by a thousand to one, he had embarked on a futile, idioticerrand. However, within half-an-hour, Bullard appeared in the hoteldoorway, and spoke to a braided personage who promptly whistled for acab. By the time he was on board, the motor of Teddy's cab was running,the chauffeur in his seat. Presently the two cabs rolled away from theirrespective pavements.

  Five minutes later Teddy let out a grunt of disgust. Bullard wasevidently making for the City, presumably for his office. "Drop it!" saidcommon sense; "go on!" said instinct ... and Teddy went on.

  It was nearing nine o'clock when Bullard's cab drew up at the magnificententrance to Manchester House in New Broad Street, at that hour awell-nigh deserted thoroughfare. As Teddy was driven past he saw Bullardrun up the steps. Twenty yards further on he got out, settled with hisman, and strolled back. Entering the huge headquarters of several hundredmining and finance companies, and noting that the lift was closed for thenight, he proceeded to search the oaken boards which formed a sort ofdirectory of the tenants inscribed in gilt lettering. He learned thatBullard's office was on the fourth of the nine floors; at the same timehe memorised the name of a firm on the fifth floor. Then he ascendedleisurely. Care-takers and cleaners were about, but apparently they hadfinished their tasks above the fourth floor. He spoke to one of them, anelderly man.

  "Can you tell me if Mr. Stern of Stern & Lynoch has returned?"

  "No, sir. I've just left their office on the fifth floor. Nobody there."

  Teddy consulted his watch. "I'm a little before my time; guess I'd bettergo up and wait."

  The man nodded as one who didn't care whether the enquirer died or lived,and went about his business.

  There was an indifferent light left on the fifth landing and the stairleading to it. Teddy found a point of vantage whence through the wirewalls of the shaft he could obtain a view, not of Bullard's officeitself, but of the corridor leading thereto. On the way up he had notedthat the Aasvogel Syndicate's door was just round the corner and that itwas the only one showing a light.

  Calling himself a fool for his pains, he settled down to the wretchedgame of spying. He had not long to wait--much to his combinedastonishment and gratification. "This must be my lucky night," hereflected. A man appeared on the landing--a foreign-looking person with aheavy dark moustache under an oddly shaped nose, wearing eyeglasses, andcarrying a suit case--and made for the corridor. Ere he turned the cornerhe cast an anxious glance over his shoulder, which glance was morecheering to Teddy than a pint of champagne would have been just then. Andnext moment the gentle opening and closing of a door further delightedand excited him. Without a doubt the man had gone into Bullard's office!

  Within the minute Teddy was again calling himself names. Ass! Wasthere anything even mildly extraordinary in the visitor or the visit?After a while he decided that he could not lose much if he transferredhis espionage to the outside of Manchester House. Fortunately it was afine night, for, as it came to pass, he had nearly two hours to kickhis heels.

  Then the Aasvogel's visitor came forth alone, and in haste, and turned inthe direction of Liverpool Street. Shortly afterwards he boarded a King'sCross bus, mounting to the top. Teddy took a seat inside, still callinghimself names, yet unable to abandon the absurd chase.

  At King's Cross the man, along with a dozen passengers, got out and madefor the main-line station. Teddy followed at a discreet distance tillwithin the booking hall, when he put on speed and contrived to be closeto his quarry as the latter stopped at a ticket window--first class--toTeddy's amaze. He heard him book "return Glasgow."

  Now the Glasgow portion of this particular night train, usually anexceedingly long one, is next to the engine. Perhaps that is why theGreat Northern Company has kindly placed a little refreshment saloontowards the extremity of the platform. The traveller, after a glance atthe train, entered the saloon. The weary sleuth resisted the desire for adrink and proceeded to stroll up and down the Glasgow portion. Fiveminutes before the train was due to start the traveller reappeared wipinghis mouth, and got into a vacant compartment. He placed his suit case ona seat and went out into the corridor.

  "Well," Teddy said to himself, "that jolly well ends it. The oldstory--suspect a Johnny because he doesn't look a handsome gentleman!Serves me right!" All the same, he lingered, a few paces from thecarriage. Four minutes passed and the traveller was still absent. Thirtyseconds left ... fifteen ... five ... the starting signal ... the first,almost imperceptible movement of the prodigious train.

  Just then the traveller reappeared in the compartment, picked up the suitcase, sat down and opened at. But--Teddy sprang forward open-mouthed--itwasn't the same man! The train was gathering speed. Teddy ran alongsideand stared in. The traveller glanced over his shoulder, just as that manhad done on the office landing, then turned away. But again Teddy hadcaught a glimpse of a profile including an oddly shaped nose. Why, goodLord! it _was_ the same man--only the beggar had lost his eyeglasses andmoustache! ... Our sleuth had made a discovery, indeed, but how on earthwas it going to profit him? Disregarding expense--no new failing on hispart, to be sure--he took a cab back to Manchester House.

  The Aasvogel office was in darkness. The surmise might easily be wrong,Teddy admitted to himself, yet it did look confoundedly as thoughBullard had returned to the City that night with the particular objectof meeting the quick-change gentleman now on his way to Glasgow. At allevents the affair was interesting enough to spoil another night's restfor Teddy France.

  Two mornings later Bullard received the following brief note, which wasundated and unsigned, in an envelope postmarked Glasgow:

  "No one on premises at night. Probably tomorrow night."

  Bullard informed the chief clerk and telephoned to Lancaster that he wasleaving for Paris by the night train. Apparently he reached there safely,for next morning the office received a telegram relating to some companybusiness, not, perhaps, of the first importance, handed in at the Gare duNord office and signed Bullard. And Teddy, calling at the Lancasters'house in the evening, just to obtain a glimpse of his beloved, who alas!was with a dinner and theatre party, learned from Mr. Lancaster, who wasalways glad to see the young man, that Mr. Bullard had run over to Paris.Which was naturally rather astounding news to Teddy, whose own eyes hadseen Mr. Bullard enter the Glasgow sleeping car at Euston, abouttwenty-four hours earlier.