Half A Chance

by Frederic Stewart Isham

  CHAPTER VI

  A CONFERENCE

  The book-worms' row, hardly a street, more a short-cut passage betweentwo important thoroughfares, had through the course of many yearsexercised a subtle fascination for pedant, pedagogue or itinerantlitterateur. At one end of the way was rush and bustle; at the other,more rush and bustle; here might be found the comparative hush of thetiny stream that for a short interval has left the parent current. Dustyand musty shops looked out on either side, and within on shelves, orwithout on stands, unexpected bargains lay carelessly about, rareHoraces or Ovids, Greek tragedies, ponderous volumes of the golden ageof the English poets and philosophers. Truth nestled in dark corners;knowledge lay hidden in frayed covers and beauty enshrined herselfbehind cobwebs.

  Not that the thoroughfare, in its entirety, was devoted to books; northat it housed no other people than bibliomaniacs or antiquarians!Higher, above the little shops, small rooms, reached by ricketystairways, offered quiet corners for divers and sundry gentlemen whoseoccupations called for discreet and retired nooks.

  In one of these places, described on the door as "a private,confidential, inquiry office," sat, on the morning following JohnSteele's ride in the park, a little man with ferret-like eyes at a dustydesk near a dusty window. He did not seem to be very busy, was engagedat the moment in drawing meaningless cabalistic signs on a piece ofpaper, when a step in the hallway and a low tapping at the door causedhim to throw down his pen and straighten expectantly. A client,perhaps!--a woman?--no, a man! With momentary surprise, he gazed on thedelicately chiseled features of his caller; a gentleman faultlesslydressed and wearing a spring flower in his coat.

  "Mr. Gillett?" The visitor's glance veiled an expression ofrestlessness; his face, although mask-like, was tinted with a faintflush.

  The police agent at once rose. "The same, sir, at your service; I--but Ibeg your pardon; unless I am mistaken--haven't we--"

  "Yes; a number of years ago on the _Lord Nelson_," said the caller in ahard matter-of-fact tone. "We were fellow passengers on her, until--"

  "We became fellow occupants of one of her small boats! An agingexperience! But won't you," with that deference for rank and positionthose of his type are pleased to assume, "honor me by being seated, LordRonsdale?"

  As he spoke, he dusted vigorously with his handkerchief a chair whichhis caller, after a moment's hesitation, sank into; Mr. Gillett regardedthe one he himself had been occupying; then, in an apologetic mannerventured to take it. "Your lordship is well? Your lordship looks it.Your lordship was, last I heard, in Australia, I believe. A genuinepleasure to see your lordship once more."

  The visitor offered no acknowledgment to this flattering effusion; hislong fingers rubbed one another softly. He looked at the table, thewindow, anywhere save at the proprietor of the establishment, then said:"I saw by an advertisement in the morning papers that you had severedyour connection with the force and had opened this--a privateconsultation bureau."

  "Quite so!" The other looked momentarily embarrassed. "A littlefriction--account of some case--unreliable witness that got tangledup--They undertook to criticize me, after all my faithful service--" Hebroke off. "Besides, the time comes when a man realizes he can do betterfor himself by himself. I am now devoting myself to a small, butstrictly high-class," with an accent, "clientele."

  Lord Ronsdale considered; when he spoke, his voice was low, but it didnot caress the ear. "You know John Steele, of course?"

  The ferret eyes snapped. "That I do, your Lordship. What of him?"quickly.

  The caller made no reply but tapped the floor lightly with his cane,and--"What of him?" repeated Mr. Gillett.

  Lord Ronsdale's glance turned; it had a strange brightness. His nextquestion was irrelevant. "Ever think much about the _Lord Nelson,_Gillett?"

  "She isn't a boat one's apt to forget, after what happened, yourLordship," was the answer. "And if I do say it, her passengers were ofthe kind to leave pleasant recollections," the police agentdiplomatically added.

  "Her passengers?" The caller's thin lips compressed; a spark seemed toleap from his gaze, but not before he had dropped it. "Among them, ifmemory serves me, were a number of convicts?"

  "A job lot of precious jailbirds that I was acting as escort of, yourLordship!"

  "But who never reached Australia!" quickly.

  "Drowned!--every mother's son of them!" observed Mr. Gillett, with apossible trace of complacency. "Not that I fancy the country they weregoing to mourned much about that. I understand a strong sentiment'sgrowing out there against that sort of immigration."

  The visitor's white hand held closer the head of his cane; the stickbent to his weight. "_Were_ they all drowned, by the way?" he observedas if seeking casual information on some subject that had partly passedfrom his mind.

  "No doubt of it. They were not released until the second boat got off,and then there was no time to get overboard the life rafts!"

  "True." Lord Ronsdale gazed absently out of the window, through a film,as it were, at a venerable figure below; one of the species _helluolibrorum_ standing before a book-stall opposite. "Recall the day on thatmemorable voyage you were telling us about them--who they were, and soon?"

  "Very well," replied Mr. Gillett, good-humoredly. If his caller cared todiscuss generalities rather than come at once to the business at hand,whatever had brought him there, that was none of his concern. Thesetitled gentry had a leisurely method, peculiar to themselves, ofbroaching a subject; but if they paid him well for his time he couldafford to appear an amiable and interested listener. In this case, thethought also insinuated itself, that his visitor had something of themanner of a man who had been up late the night before; the glint of hiseye was that of your fashionable gamester; Mr. Gillett smiledsympathetically.

  "One, if I recall rightly," went on Lord Ronsdale, "was known as--let mesee"--the elastic stick described a sharper curve--"the 'Frisco Pet?Remember?" He bent slightly nearer.

  "That I do. Not likely to forget him. Unmanageable; one of the worst!Was transported for life, with death as a penalty for returning." Aslight sound came from the nobleman's throat. "A needless precaution,"laughed the speaker, "for he's gone to his reward. And so your lordshipremembers--"

  "I remember when he used to step into the ring," said Lord Ronsdale, hisvoice rising somewhat. "Truth is, sight of you brought back oldrecollections. Things I haven't thought of for a long time, don't yousee!"

  "Quite so! Delighted, I am sure. I didn't know so much about him then;that came after; except that the gentlemen found him a figure worthlooking at when he got up at the post--"

  "Yes; he was worth looking at." Lord Bonsdale's eyes half closed. "Aheavy-fisted, shapely brute; with muscles like steel. But ignorant--" Helingered on the word; then his glance suddenly lifted--"Had something onhis arm; recall noticing it while the bout was on!"

  Mr. Gillett with a knowing expression rose, took a volume from abookcase and opened it.

  "The 'something' you speak of, my Lord," he observed proudly, "should behere; I will show it that you may appreciate my system; the method Ihave of gathering and tabulating data. You will find an encyclopedia ofinformation in that bookcase. All that Scotland Yard has, and perhaps alittle besides."

  "Really?" The nobleman's eyes fastened themselves on the book.

  "To illustrate: Here's his case." Gillett's fingers moved lightly overthe page. "'Testimony of Dandy Joe, down-stairs at the time withlandlady who kept the house where the crime was committed. Heard 'FriscoPet, who had been drinking, come in; go up-stairs, as they supposed, tohis own room; shortly after, loud voices; pistol shot. Landlady and Joefound woman, Amy Gerard, dead in shabby little sitting-room. Pet, theworse for liquor, in a dazed condition at a table, head in his hands.Testimony of Joe corroborated by landlady; she swore no one had been inhouse except parties here mentioned, all lodgers.

  "'Private mem.--House in bad neighborhood, near the Adelphi catacombs.Son of landlady, red-headed giant, also one-time prize-fighter, used tolive
here; the Pet's last fight in the ring was with him. Later Tom tookto the road; was wanted by the police at the time of the crime for somebrutal highway work--' But," breaking off, "I am wearying your lordship.Here is what I was especially looking for, the markings on the arm ofthe 'Frisco Pet. Perhaps, however, your lordship doesn't care to listenfurther--"

  "Go on!" The words broke sharply from the visitor's lips; then he gave ametallic laugh. "I am interested in this wonderful system of yours."

  Mr. Gillett read slowly: "'On the right arm of the 'Frisco Pet, justbelow the elbow, appears the figure of a man, in sparring attitude, donein sailor's tattooing; about the waist a flag, the stars and stripes intheir accustomed colors; crudely drawn but not to be mistaken by notingfollowing defects and details--' which," closing the book, "I won'tread."

  His lordship's head had turned; at first he did not speak. "A goodsystem," he remarked after an interval. "And a very good description,and yet--" His voice died away; for a moment he sat motionless. "But mypurpose--the purpose of my visit--I--we have wandered quite from that.Let us, I beg of you, talk business."

  Mr. Gillett started as if to venture a mild expostulation, but thoughtbetter of the impulse. "What _is_ your lordship's business with me?" heobserved in his most professional tone.

  "I believe"--the visitor moistened his lips--"I believe Imentioned--John Steele when I came in?"

  "Your lordship did."

  "It--concerns him."

  "I am all attention, your Lordship." Mr. Gillett's manner was keen,energetic; if he felt surprise he suppressed it. "Good! your lordship'sbusiness concerns John Steele."

  "For reasons that need not be mentioned, I want to find out all I canabout him. That, I believe, is the sort of work you undertake. The termsfor your services can be arranged later. It is unnecessary to say youwill be well paid. I assume you can command competent and trustworthyhelp, that you have agents, perhaps, in other countries?"

  Mr. Gillett nodded. "If your lordship would give me some idea of thescope of the inquiry--"

  The long fingers opened, then closed tightly.

  "In the first place, you are to ascertain where John Steele was beforehe came to England; how he got there; what he did. Naturally, if he haslived in a far-away port you would seek to know the ship that broughthim there; the names of the captain and the crew."

  "Your lordship thinks, then, our investigation may lead us to distantlands?"

  "Who can tell?" The nobleman's voice was sharp, querulous. "That is whatyou are to find out."

  "It shall be done, your Lordship," replied the other quickly. "I shallembark in the matter with great zest, and, I may add, interest."

  "Interest?" The nobleman looked at him. "Oh, yes!"

  "If I might be so bold, may I ask, does your lordship expect to findanything that would--ahem!--cast any reflection on the high standingJohn Steele is building up for himself in the community, or---"

  A shadow seemed to darken the mask-like features of the visitor; hisgaze at once glittering, vaguely questioning, was fastened on the wall;then slowly, without answering, he got up. "Surmises are not to enterinto this matter," he said shortly. "It is facts, I want--facts!"

  "And your lordship shall have them. The case appears simple; not hard toget at the bottom of!" An odd expression shone from the visitor's eyes."Which reminds me he has left town," added Gillett.

  "Left town!" Lord Ronsdale wheeled abruptly. "You mean--"

  "For a little trip to the continent I should imagine; heard of itbecause he got some unimportant court matter put over."

  "Gone away!" The nobleman, his back to the other, lifted a hand to hisbrow. "When?"

  "Last night."

  "It was only yesterday morning I was riding with him!"

  "And he didn't mention the matter?"

  The visitor did not answer. "Why should he have gone away?" he murmured,half aloud. "Was it because--" He walked to the door; at the thresholdstopped and looked back. "You might begin your inquiry by learning allyou can about this little trip," he suggested. "And by the by, whateveryou may find out, if anything, you will regard as belonging to meexclusively; to be mentioned, under no circumstances, without mypermission, to any one whosoever--"

  "Your lordship!" Mr. Gillett's hurt voice implied the little need forsuch admonition. "In my profession absolute integrity toward one'sclient demands that secrecy should be the first con--"

  "It is understood then. Let me hear from you from time to time," and thenobleman went out.

  Mr. Gillett looked after him, then, reflectively, at the closed door.Outside the sound of shuffling feet alone broke the stillness; beforethe book-stand the bibliomaniac buried his face deeper in the mustypages of an old tragedy.

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