An Eye for an Eye

by William Le Queux

theinterior, and all three of us fell back with exclamations of surpriseand horror. Our discovery was truly astounding.

  The horrible sight was most weird and terrifying. Upon the threshold Istood speechless, utterly unable to move, for the ghastly spectacle mademy hair rise as my eyes became riveted upon the noisome interior of thatlong-closed chamber.

  Our nostrils were filled with a foetid, nauseating smell of decay whichburst upon us as the door was opened, and at the shock of witnessing therepulsive sight within, the candle I had held dropped from my tremblingfingers and was extinguished. Slowly, however, I recovered it, taking alight from the one held by my friend's assistant, and then entered theplace.

  It was not a large room, but the shutters of the window had, weafterwards discovered, been secured by screws and strongly barred. Inthe centre was a square table, covered with dust, and several commonwooden chairs stood around. In the empty rusted grate stood a kettleand a couple of cooking-pots, while upon a side table were a few platesand a couple of cups and saucers. Along one side stood an old campbedstead, and lying upon it, half-covered with a dirty blanket, was afigure that had once been human but which was now a sight so gruesomeand so horrible that even Boyd, used as he was to such things, drew awayand held his handkerchief to his nose.

  The features were beyond recognition, but by the shortness of the hairthe body was evidently that of a man. One arm hung helpless, shrivelledand discoloured, while on the floor close by were the broken portions ofa cup which had evidently fallen from the dead man's claw-like fingers.

  "This is another facer!" Boyd exclaimed in a tone of absolutebewilderment. "I wonder who he was? It seems by the pots and platesthat he was held a prisoner here--an invalid or imbecile, perhaps,unable to help himself. Evidently the servants knew nothing of him, forhe cooked his food himself. Phew!" he added. "Let's get outside in thepassage to breathe. This air is enough to poison one."

  Half-choked, we went outside, all three of us, and discussed thestartling situation while breathing the purer air. I offered both mycompanions cigarettes, which they lit eagerly with myself.

  Then, after a few minutes, we returned and resumed our investigations.About the room were several books in French and German treating ofpolitical economy and other subjects, a couple of old newspapers, two orthree novels, and a number of scientific books which showed their readerto be an educated man. The room had originally been a bathroom, weconcluded, for there was a water-tap and a large pipe for waste, andthis unfortunate man, whoever he was, had evidently not existed whollyin darkness, for on examining the shutters we found that one of thepanels was movable, and at that spot the pane of glass was broken, thusadmitting both light and air. Again, there was a small gas-stove ring,used so universally in London to boil kettles, and this was stillconnected by a flexible pipe to a gas bracket on the wall. Hence it wasquite apparent that the room had been specially fitted for theoccupation of the unknown man now dead.

  Upon the dusty table were several pieces of writing-paper covered withsome writing in German, a language which I unfortunately could not read,while beside them I picked up an object which held me amazed andastounded--a plain card similar to those we had found at PhillimorePlace and among Eva's secret possessions.

  Beyond those writings in German we found nothing else to give us a clueto whom the dead man might be, and even these writings were no proof asto his identity. We found no writing materials there, hence our doubtthat the writing had been traced by his hand.

  Into every hole and crevice we peered, disturbing the rats who hadscampered here and there on our unexpected intrusion, but discoveringnothing else of especial interest, we, after about half an hour, wentforth, glad to escape from the poisonous atmosphere. I closed andlocked the door, when Boyd, cutting out a piece of bell-wire from one ofthe bedrooms, re-secured the bolt, and after melting the pewter spoonbelow in the kitchen fire, replaced the seal in such a manner that nonecould tell it had ever been disturbed.

  Truly our midnight search had been a fruitful one. What might nexttranspire I dreaded to think. All was so mysterious, so utterlyastounding, that I had become entirely bewildered.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

  IN DEFIANCE OF THE LAW.

  The discovery of the horror concealed within that closed room opened outan entirely fresh development of the mystery. On discussing it withBoyd after we had stealthily left the house we were in completeagreement that the dead man must have either been in hiding there, orelse, being an imbecile, had been kept under restraint. The fact of thedoor being barred on the outside strengthened Boyd's belief in thelatter theory, while I made the suggestion that he might have beenimprisoned and died of starvation.

  "No," Boyd answered, "I don't agree with you there, for it is quiteplain that Lady Glaslyn must have been aware of his presence, andperhaps, indeed, arranged the room. There is every evidence that he wassupplied with food at intervals, and cooked it himself, which showsthat, even if an invalid, he was sufficiently active. My idea is thathe may have been some relation whose demented condition her ladyshipwished to keep from her friends and other members of the family, andthat having died suddenly she was compelled to lock and seal the door,dreading the publicity of a coroner's inquiry, when the truth must havebeen made public."

  "True," I said. "That's, of course, a very feasible theory. But if shewere in the secret, Eva, too, must have known."

  "Of course," he said. "She can tell us everything if she chooses. It'sa pity that the dead man's face is unrecognisable."

  "Again, is it not strange that we should have found in there one ofthose same cards?"

  "Yes, rather," responded my friend. "But at present it is useless toadvance all kinds of wild theories. We must stick closely to facts ifwe would succeed. We have to-night made certain discoveries, startlingenough in all conscience, and among them have elucidated the secretwhich Lady Glaslyn has hidden from every one. Now we must seek todiscover the motive which caused her to apply that seal to the door, aswell as ascertaining the reason her daughter has that mysterious drugamong her possessions, together with the photographs of the two unknownvictims."

  "I wonder how long it is since the man died in that room," I said."What a horrible existence he must have led shut up there, gaining allhis light and air through a broken pane of glass. He was studious, atany rate, judging from the character of the books with which he had beensupplied."

  "And a linguist too," Boyd remarked, remembering that the books were inother languages besides English.

  "Strange that the curiosity of the servants was not aroused," I said."They would be certain to wonder what was in a room sealed up as thatis."

  "To satisfy them would be easy enough," the detective answered. "Herladyship undoubtedly told them that certain family heirlooms, oldfurniture, or something, was stowed away there, and that the seal hadbeen placed upon them by the trustees, or somebody. Trust a woman foran excuse," and he smiled grimly.

  We walked on together for some time in complete silence. The young daygrew wider and brighter and redder in the sky. We had passed throughTwickenham, and now, in the dawn, were making our way towards Richmond,whence we could catch the early workmen's train to Waterloo.

  "You must keep your friend Cleugh in entire ignorance of all this. Tellhim you've been out to visit some friends, say at Ealing or Uxbridge, orsomewhere, and that they compelled you to stay the night. If he were toknow, the whole result of our investigations might be renderedabortive."

  "Of course I'll do as you wish," I answered. "But I can't for the lifeof me see why you entertain any suspicion of Dick. He's been all alongeager and ready to assist me to clear up the mystery. To publish thedetails of the curious affair seems his one object." Boyd smiled againwith veiled sarcasm.

  "And a very interesting story he'll have for publication, it appears tome," he said, laughing. Then he added after a second's pause, "One ofthe oddest facts in the whole affair is that the pair we found dead inPhillimore Place have
never been missed by their friends."

  "Or the dead man at The Hollies, for the matter of that," I added.

  "Yes," he said in dubious tone. "There are yet some facts which we mustlearn ere we can piece the queer puzzle together and read the whole.Only then can we discover who was the man whom Lady Glaslyn has socarefully hidden. It's a devilish funny business, to say the least."

  "Has it occurred to you that she may have left not intending to return?"I asked.

  "Well, no," he responded. "I scarcely think she has flown, or herdaughter would have secured the contents of her escritoire. Sheevidently believes her secret quite safe, and is therefore entirelyfearless." The Richmond Road with its many trees was pleasant