by J. J. Bell
CHAPTER XIII
By ten o'clock next morning Caw, who had risen at five, had Grey House ina fair state of comfort for the reception of its new master, if not itsnew owner. The producers of warmth and electricity were at work again;the elderly housekeeper, who in Christopher's time had never beenupstairs, was recalled from a near village just when she was beginning towonder whether, after all, perfect happiness was included in retirementwith an ample annuity, in the garden a man was already reducing the moreapparent ravages of the gale. Caw himself quietly repaired the moderatedamage done by the thief of the Green Box. Following the instructionswritten by his late master, he had sent a telegram to the Glasgow lawyer.He was in the study dusting the thick glass protecting the clock when,about ten thirty, Alan arrived via the passage.
"An odd place for a clock," the young man remarked. "I had a look at itlast night. But why 'dangerous,' and what's that green stuff?"
"Mr. Craig intended that the clock should not be interfered with beforeit stopped--nearly a year hence, sir. I understand the liquid issomething stronger than water, but whether explosive or poisonous, Icould not say, sir."
"Curious notion!" Alan pointed to the pendulum flashing gloriously in thesunlight now breaking through the racing clouds. "Are they diamonds?"
"Yes, sir. Worth, I have heard, about two thousand pounds."
"Then, of course, they would account for the precautions."
"Very likely, sir. Only I have a feeling that this clock has a meaningwhich we shall not learn until it stops. The maker constructed it in alocked room in this house, of which my master had the key, and I think mymaster knew even more about it than Monsoor Guidet did. Is thetemperature here agreeable to you, sir?"
"A trifle warm, don't you think?"
"It shall be regulated to suit you, sir. Mr. Craig was sensitive to adegree, one way or the other."
Alan turned abruptly from the clock which, somehow, he was findingfascinating. "Well, now, Caw," he said, dropping into an easy chair bythe fire, "hadn't you better begin to explain things?"
"At once, if you wish it, sir. But I'm hoping that Mr. Craig's lawyerfrom Glasgow, Mr. Harvie, will be here at noon, and as he may have fullerinformation than I can give, I was wondering if you would not care tohear him first. Indeed, Mr. Alan, I think it would be worth your while towait, I could tell you a good deal, but my master did not tell meeverything, though I have sometimes thought he meant to tell me more--"
"Very well, Caw. I'll ask only one question for the present. Did my unclesee anything of Mr. Bullard within the last few months of his life?"
Caw let fall the duster and recovered it before he answered: "Yes, sir.On the afternoon of the day of his death Mr. Bullard and Mr. Lancastersat in this room with him."
"Mr. Lancaster, too!"
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks; that will do for the present. Now I have a letter to write. Bythe bye, do you remember my friend, Mr. France, being here once? I amgoing to send for him."
"I remember Mr. France very well indeed, sir, and I will do my best tomake him comfortable. I think you will find everything here," Caw movedthe chair at the desk.
Alan got up, then hesitated. "Do you know, Caw, I can hardly bring myselfto take possession in this cool fashion right away."
"My master would have wished for nothing better. You will remember, sir,that all has been yours for the last eighteen months." Caw made the stifflittle bow that betokened retiral.
"A moment. Caw," said the young man. "I take it that you would have doneanything for my uncle."
"That is so," was the quiet reply, "and, if I may say so, Mr. Alan, I amhere to do anything for you."
He was gone, leaving Alan perplexed and not a little touched, for hecould not doubt the man's sincerity. Presently he sat down and wrote toTeddy France, disguising his writing as much as possible.
"My dear Teddy:
"Before you go further, get a grip on yourself, then turn the page veryslowly and look at the signature. Have you done so? You see, I wantfirstly to avoid giving you a sudden scare, and I hope it has been atleast modified, old man; secondly, though I'm very much alive, I'm notadvertising the fact at present and trust you to help me in keeping itdark. My story is too long to put on paper, but you shall have it all assoon as you can come to listen. Is it possible for you to get leave atonce and come here for a couple of days? I badly want to see you againand ask your help and advice. Wire me on receipt of this. Relying on yoursecrecy,
"Yours as ever,
"ALAN CRAIG.
"P.S.: I'd like Doris to know, but only if you can find a way to tell hersecretly. Ask her to trust me for a little while."
The visit of Mr. Harvie, the lawyer, who arrived at noon, meant littlebut disappointment for Alan. After a few polite words of congratulation,the lawyer dived into business, explaining Alan's position as the resultof his uncle's deed of gift, and reciting a short list of securitiesmixed up with money figures.
"All very simple and satisfactory so far as it goes, Mr. Craig," he said,"and, of course, I am always at your service should you think I can be ofthe slightest help. Your uncle's will provided only for a legacy and anannuity to the male and female servants, also a thousand pounds to Dr.Handyside, the residue, about four thousand pounds, falling to yourself.My duty for the present ends with the delivery of this"--he handed anenvelope to Alan--"though my responsibilities do not cease until theclock stops."
"I wish you would explain the clock, Mr. Harvie."
Mr. Harvie wagged his head. "My knowledge concerning the clock isconfined to written instructions of my late client, whereby I shall bepresent when it stops, but my duties then will depend on circumstances.The significance of the clock itself I do not yet comprehend. All I knowis that the clock will run a year from the date of my client's death, andthat, at least twenty-four hours prior to the stoppage, I shall be warnedand informed of the hour at which I must be present." He paused to pursehis lips and continued: "I do not think you will resent my remarking, Mr.Craig, that for as sane a business man as ever I met, your uncle had someof the oddest ideas--which, nevertheless, you and I are bound to respect.Possibly a chat with Mr. Caw may dispel some of the fog you have steppedinto on your otherwise fortunate and happy return home. I feel that Mr.Caw knows a great deal more than I, but in this case, at any rate"--Mr.Harvie permitted himself to smile--"what I do not know is none of mybusiness."
"You can assure me that absolutely everything in this house belongs tome?" said Alan after a short silence. "You know of nothing which my uncleintended to make over to friends?"
"Nothing whatever. Mr. Craig was absolutely clear on that point when Idrew up the Deed of Gift. Still, as I have said, in any new difficulty Iam at your service. I liked your uncle, Mr. Craig. I once mentioned a sadcase of unmerited poverty to him, and his generosity astonished, nay,shamed me. You have a good man's place to fill."
Mr. Harvie stayed to lunch--Caw performed wonders in thecircumstances--and caught the two o'clock steamer. As soon as he wasgone, Alan opened the envelope. If he had looked for revelations within,he was bound to be once more disappointed. The enclosure consisted simplyof a letter, and not a lengthy one at that.
"GREY HOUSE,
"26th October, 1913.
"My dear Alan:
"It is written that we shall not meet again. My malady grows daily worse,and the end may come at any moment. But I am of good cheer because of myfaith in your ultimate return. Whence comes that faith I cannot tell--butwhence comes any great and steadfast faith? When you come into this houseand the little fortune that has been yours since you left for the Arctic,you may meet with some puzzling things; you may even be tempted to say,or think, that the old man must have been a little 'cracked.' But onemust amuse oneself, especially when thought gnaws and time hangs heavy;and if there happens to be a way of attaining one's chief desires whichis not altogether a tiresome and conventional way, why not choose it, asI have done? Should my whims cost you trouble or annoyance, forgive me.Let things t
ake their course, if at all possible, till the Clock stops.Trust Caw, who knows as much as I care for any one to know; LawyerHarvie, who knows next to nothing; Handyside and his daughter who may, ormay not, know anything. In my latter days my trust in human nature hasbeen shaken, though not destroyed; yet I say to you: Rather a host ofdeclared enemies than one doubtful friend. Farewell, Alan, and may Godsend you happiness. A man can make pleasure for himself.
"Your affectionate uncle,
"CHRISTOPHER CRAIG."
* * * * *
After a little while Alan rang for Caw.
The servant's eyes held a glimmer of anticipation induced by the lawyer'svisit. Surely Mr. Harvie had been able to divulge something that wouldrender his coming task a little easier, for Caw had still to tell of theGreen Box and at the same time conceal the fact that Christopher Craighad died at bitter enmity with his two old friends--or at all events, thegrounds of that enmity. As though Christopher had wished to layparticular stress on his desire for such concealment, Caw had found amonghis written instructions the following words: "At all costs, my nephew isto be spared the tragedy of his parents' ruin."
At Alan's first remark the glimmer went out.
"No, Caw, I'm no wiser than I was this morning. Mr. Harvie knows nothingexcept that he is to be present when the clock stops, and a letterwritten to me by my uncle, which he gave me, leaves me as much in thedark as ever. My uncle's letter says, however, that I am to trust you,and that you know more than any one."
Caw made a slight inclination. "May I ask if the letter makes mention ofDr. Handyside and Miss Handyside, sir?"
"I am to trust them also," Alan replied, with a smile, "as well asMr. Harvie."
"Thank you, sir. As you have seen, sir, I have ventured to trust Dr.Handyside and Miss Handyside a bit of my own; in fact I was forced intoso doing; and, though I had my master's word for it, if necessary, I amglad to hear it again from you, sir. As for Mr. Harvie, I take leave tohope we shall not require to trust him."
"Why on earth--?"
"Well, sir, he's a lawyer--"
"Good lord, Caw! What are you driving at? My uncle trusted him, andhis letter--"
"If you'll excuse me, sir, you have just been telling me that Mr. Harvieknows next to nothing. Mr. Harvie, I beg to say, is a very nicegentleman, and as honest as any lawyer need hope for to be; but a lawyeris the last sort of human being we want to have in this business, sir."
"I'm afraid I don't quite grasp--" began Alan, amused by the other'searnestness.
"Well, sir, did you ever go to a lawyer to ask a question?"
"I can't say I have, that I remember."
"Then, sir, I have. I once asked a lawyer one question, and before hecould, or would, answer it, sir, he asked me fifty, and then his answerwas rot--beg pardon, sir--unsatisfactory. But what I mean is just this,sir. With all due deference to Mr. Harvie, we don't want outsiders askingquestions. My master himself would have been against it, and I'm hopingyou will understand why before very long, sir."
Alan sat up. "Before we go any further," he said, "will you tell me whatyou were looking for last night when you opened a drawer in thatwriting-table and--well, go ahead."
Caw took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. "A green box, sir, thathad been there a few hours earlier."
"The contents?"
"Diamonds, sir."
"What?"
"Diamonds, sir."
"I didn't know there were diamonds--except in that pendulum."
The other gave a faint sigh.
"Were those in the box of any great value?"
Caw moistened his lips. "Six hundred thousand pounds--"
"Oh, nonsense!"
"My master's words, sir."
"Then--why should they have been left lying there?"
"My master's orders, sir."
Alan opened his mouth, but found no speech. Said Caw: "You find itdifficult to believe, sir, but there are other things just as difficult.For instance, I was forbidden to use any violence to prevent the boxbeing taken away--that is, taken away by certain parties. A horridposition for me, sir."
"Yes," assented Alan, absently. Presently he went on: "Don't imaginethat I doubt anything you have said, Caw--except that the diamonds,whose value there must surely be some extraordinary mistake about, werein the box."
"But, Mr. Alan, I can swear they were! It was I who closed and put thebox in the drawer for the last time, at my master's request. He had beenadmiring them, as he often did--"
"Who were the parties who were to be allowed to take the box?"
After a moment's hesitation,--"Mr. Bullard, sir, and Mr. Lancaster. Theywere the only persons besides myself who knew about the diamonds. Ishould tell you that my master showed them the diamonds that afternoon."
"Good God!" said Alan under his breath. Aloud: "Are you telling me thatyou suspect those two gentlemen of st--taking the box?"
"They came here late on the night after my master's death, with thatobject, sir."
"But the box was taken last night."
"I can't swear that it was they who were here last night, but I can swearthey would have had the box on the night I have named, sir, but for MissHandyside."
"Miss Handyside! ... Sit down, man, and tell your story. I'll try not tointerrupt."
"Thank you, sir." Caw drew a chair from the wall; for once he was glad tobe seated. He told his story in a crisp, straightforward fashion,avoiding side issues, and his listener heard him out in silence.
There was a pause before the latter spoke.
"You've given me something to think about, Caw," he said gravely."Meantime I'll ask only three questions. Have you any doubt that the boxand its contents belonged entirely to my uncle?"
"None at all, sir. I remember his getting the box made--twelve years ago,I should say. Also, I knew he had made a great deal of money and wasputting it into diamonds."
"He hadn't a duplicate box?"
"If he had, sir, I should have seen it. For the last two years of hislife, I had to look after everything for him, even open his safe."
"I see. Now tell me: Did my uncle and Messrs. Bullard and Lancaster parton good terms that afternoon?"
Caw could have smiled with relief at the form in which the enquiry wasput. "Why, sir," he said, with ill-suppressed eagerness, "they shookhands, and my master bade them a kind farewell. Mr. Lancaster was visiblyaffected."
"And they were back the next night!"
"Six hundred thousand pounds is a lot of money, sir."
Alan got up, strode to the window, and looked out for a minute's space.
"What would you say, Caw," he asked, turning abruptly, "if I told youthat for the last eighteen months I have regarded Mr. Bullard and Mr.Lancaster as my best friends?"
The servant, who had risen also, replied respectfully: "I would say I wasvery sorry, sir."
"Indeed!--And if I told you that they had helped me with a large sum ofmoney--what then?"
"I should take the liberty, sir, of wondering what you gave them for it."
"Good Heavens!" the young man exclaimed, "the thing is impossible!"Controlling himself--"Thanks, Caw, I'll not trouble you more forthe present."
"Very good, sir. When will you take tea?"
"I'm taking tea with Dr. Handyside."
"Very good, sir. I had better show you how the door works fromthis side."
* * * * *
It was a much worried young man whom Caw presently left alone. Until lastnight, when he had looked at Marjorie Handyside's note, it had neveroccurred to him to connect the crime in the Arctic wastes with the willhe had signed in the Aasvogel Syndicate office, on that fine springmorning, eighteen months ago. His only suspicion, which in nine thoughtsout of ten he had almost rejected for its absurdity, was against the manGarnet whose place he had filled in the Expedition. Garnet, who was anauthor and a vile-tempered fellow even in good health, had gone halfcrazy because the Expedition was not postponed for a
year on his account.He had cursed Alan as a scheming interloper, and so forth, and hadactually expressed the wish that he might leave his bones "up there." Andlast night, the girl's note had given his mind nothing more than a nastyjar. Bullard?--why, that idea, he had thought, was still more absurd thanthe other!
But now what was he to believe? Caw's revelation seemed to leave him nochoice. And yet the thing appeared preposterous. Bullard and Lancasterwere rich men, and while his acquaintance with the former had beencomparatively slight, memories of the latter's frequent kindnesses andhospitality had warmed his heart many a time during his exile in theArctic. Lancaster a trafficker in murder?--Lancaster the delicate, gentlefather of the girl who had promised to wait for him? No, by Heaven, hewould not believe it! As for Bullard--
The sinking sun shot a ray against the clock, and the glitter of diamondsroused him from his brooding. It was the Handysides' tea hour. He musttry to get a quiet word with his hostess. He had met her at breakfast,but the doctor had been present. There were several things he wanted tosay--must say--to her. She was brave--much braver than he had given hercredit for a few hours ago--as well as bonny. As he descended to thepassage he thought of how she had outwitted Bullard. Fortune was withhim; he found her alone in the drawing-room.
"I always give father ten minutes grace when he's cleaning his car, andit's pretty messy after last night, while he has got to be careful withhis foot," she explained. "By the way, Mr. Craig, I have to apologise formy curiosity of last night, but I'm not used to stories like yours."
"My apology is about a more serious matter," he replied. "I've just beenhearing from Caw of how you rescued the Green Box at the first attempt toremove it. It was the pluckiest thing I ever heard of, and I'm under atremendous obligation to you."
"Oh, please don't!" she said, with a laugh and a blush. "You mustunderstand that I hadn't a pistol that night. The pistol was an awfulfailure, wasn't it? You weren't a bit afraid--for yourself, anyway--and Iwas terrified. I'd have been far more effective if I'd just opened thedoor an inch and called 'boo!'"
"I fancy that would have finished me, Miss Handyside! But do you want tolearn to shoot? If so, and you'd allow me, I'd give you a lesson or two,with pleasure."
"Would you?--But you mustn't tell father. Luckily he didn't notice thehorrid thing last night. Now, I think I'd better give him a hail tocome to tea."
"One moment, please," said Allan. "Would you mind telling me why youwrote down that name last night?"
She became grave at once. "Was it the wrong one, Mr. Craig?"
"I can only hope so. But what made you think it a possible one? Had youever seen the man before that night?"
"No." She paused, then said slowly: "Mr. Craig, if he wanted your uncle'sdiamonds that night, it is likely that he wanted them long before then,and it must have occurred to him that your life stood in his way of evergetting them as a gift or legacy." She halted, and then asked: "Well?"
"This is for your ears alone, Miss Handyside," he said on an impulse."When I wanted very much to go to the Arctic and could not find thenecessary money, Mr. Bullard and--and another man advanced it, and I madea will in their favour."
"Oh, how horrible!"
"And yet all that proves nothing with regard to the man Flitch."
"No more does this," she quickly rejoined. "But when I saw that Bullardman's face as he laid the Green Box on the table, I felt that there wasa being who would stick at nothing. I'll never forget his expression. Itwas as if the humanness had fallen from a face. It was--devilish....That was what made me write down his name last night." She held up herhand. "Hush!"
Dr. Handyside hobbled in, looking far from happy. "Has Caw told you howhe came to be absent from his charge last night, Mr. Craig?" he asked.
"In the same circumstances I'd have been absent myself," said Alan.
Marjorie gave him a grateful glance. "Poor father feels as if he owed youover half a million," she said.
The guest laughed. "Well, he can easily feel that he has paid thedebt--by taking the Green Box as seriously as I do!"
"In other words as a joke?" said Handyside sadly. "That's very generousof you, Alan, if I may say so,--to quote Caw--but the Green Box is toohard and cold a fact to jest about."
"Then let us ignore it, if you please. My uncle's letter, which hislawyer handed me to-day, requests me to let things take their course, ifat all possible, until the Clock stops; and that's what I'm going to doso far, at least, as that blessed Green Box is concerned. As a matter offact, the Clock interests me far more than the box."
"Why?" said Marjorie.
"I don't know, but there it is!"
"Have you any hope," asked Handyside, "that there is any chance ofrecovering the box or, rather, its contents? Forgive my harping onthe subject?"
"No," answered Alan, thinking of Doris Lancaster. "And pray believe me,doctor, when I say that I care as little as I hope."
For which saying Marjorie could have kissed him.