CHAPTER L
RAWLINS IS CANDID
"So Reginald Henson bullies women," Rawlins said, after a long pause.There was a queer smile on his face; he appeared perfectly at his ease.He did not look in the least like a desperate criminal whom Chris couldhave driven out of the country by one word to the police. In hisperfectly-fitting grey suit he seemed more like a lord of ancient acresthan anything else. "It is not a nice thing to bully women."
"Reginald Henson finds it quite a congenial occupation," Chrissaid, bitterly.
Rawlins pulled thoughtfully at his cigarette.
"I am to a certain extent in your power," he said. "You have discoveredmy identity at a time when I could sacrifice thousands for it not to beknown that I am in England. How you have discovered me matters as littleas how a card-player gets the ace of trumps. And I understand that theprice of your silence is the betrayal of Henson?"
"That is about what it comes to," said Chris.
"In the parlance of the lower type of rascal, I am to 'round on my pal'?"
"If you like to put it in that way, Mr. Smith."
"I never did such a thing in my life before. And, at the same time, Idon't mind admitting that I was never so sorely tried. At the presentmoment I am on the verge of a large fortune, and I am making my grand_coup_ honestly. Would you deem it exaggeration on my part if I said thatI was exceedingly glad of the fact?"
"Mr. Smith," Chris said, earnestly, "I have seen how fond you are of yourdaughter."
"That is an exceedingly clever remark of yours, young lady," Rawlinssmiled. "You know that you have found the soft spot in my nature, and youare going to hammer on it till you reduce me to submission. I am not areligious man, but my one prayer is that Grace shall never find me out.When my _coup_ comes off I am going to settle in England and becomeintensely respectable."
"With Reginald Henson for your secretary, I suppose?"
"No, I am going to drop the past. But to return to our subject. Are youasking me to betray Henson to the police?"
"Nothing of the kind," Chris cried, hastily. "I--I would do anything toavoid a family scandal. All I want is a controlling power over the man."
"The man who bullies women?"
"The same. For seven years he has wrecked the lives of five of us--threewomen. He has parted husband and wife, he has driven the man I love intoexile. And the poor wife is gradually going hopelessly mad under hiscruelties. And he blackmails us, he extorts large sums of money from us.If you only knew what we have suffered at the hands of the rascal!"
Rawlins nodded in sympathy.
"I did not imagine that," he said. "Of course, I have known for yearsthat Henson was pretty bad. You may smile, but I have never had anysympathy with his methods and hypocritical ways, perhaps because I neverdid anything of the kind myself. Nobody can say that I ever robbedanybody who was poor or defenceless or foolish. By heavens, I am a morehonest man than hundreds of London and New York capitalists. It is thehard rogues amongst us who have always been my mark. But to injure andwound women and children!"
"Which means that you are going to help me?" Chris asked, quietly.
"As far as I can, certainly. Especially as you are going to let Hensondown easily. Now please ask me any questions that you like."
"This is very good of you," said Chris. "In the first place, did you everhear Mr. Henson speak of his relations or friends?"
"Nobody beyond Lord Littimer. You see, Henson and I were extremely usefulto one another once or twice, but he never trusted me, and I nevertrusted him. I never cared for his methods."
"Did you go to Brighton lately on purpose to help him?"
"Certainly not. I had business in Brighton for some considerable time,and my daughter was with me. When she went away to stay with friends fora short time I moved to the Metropole."
"Then why did you go to Walen's in Brighton and ask them to show you somegun-metal cigar-cases like the one in Lockhart's window?"
"Simply because Henson asked me to. He came to me just before I went tothe Metropole and told me he had a big thing on. He didn't give me theleast idea what it was, nor did I ask him. He suggested the idea of thecigar-case, and said that I need not go near Walen's again, and I didn't.I assure you I had no curiosity on the matter. In any case a little thinglike that couldn't hurt me. Some days later Henson came to me again, andasked me to go to Lockhart's and purchase the cigar-case I had previouslyseen. He wanted me to get the case so that I could not be traced. Again Iagreed. I was leaving the Metropole the next day, so the matter was easy.I called and purchased the cigar-case on approval, I forwardeddollar-notes in payment from the Metropole, and the next day I left."
"And you did all that without a single question?"
"I did. It was only a little consideration for an old confederate."
"And suppose that confederate had played you false?"
Two tiny points of flame danced in Rawlins's eyes.
"Henson would never have dared," he said. "My mind was quite easy onthat score."
"I understand," Chris murmured. "And you kept the cigar-case?"
"Yes, I rather liked it. And I could afford a luxury of that kindjust then."
"Then why did you dispose of it to Rutter's in Moreton Wells? And whyMoreton Wells?"
Rawlins laughed as he lighted a fresh cigarette.
"I came to Moreton Wells knowing that Henson was at Littimer Castle," heexplained. "I went there to borrow L200 from Henson. Unfortunately Ifound him in great need of money. Somebody who had promised him a largesum of money had disappointed him."
Chris smiled. She had heard all about Lady Littimer's adventure with thering, and her stubborn refusal to give Henson any further supplies.
"Presently I can tell you who disappointed Henson," she said. "But fancyyou being short of--"
"Of ready money; I frequently am. One of your great millionaires told melately that he was frequently hard up for a thousand pounds cash. I havefrequently been hard up for five pounds. Hence the fact that I sold thecigar-case at Moreton Wells."
"Well, the ground is clear so far," said Chris. "Do you know Van Sneck?"
"I know Van Sneck very well," Rawlins said, without hesitation. "Awonderfully clever man."
"And a great scoundrel, I presume?"
"Well, on the whole, I should say not. Weak, rather than wicked. VanSneck has been a tool and creature of Henson's for years. If he couldonly keep away from the drink he might make a fortune. But what has VanSneck got to do with it?"
"A great deal," Chris said, drily. "And now, please, follow carefullywhat I am going to say. A little time ago we poor, persecuted women putour heads together to get free from Reginald Henson. We agreed to ask Mr.David Steel, the well-known novelist, to show us a way of escape.Unhappily for us, Henson got to know of it."
Rawlins was really interested at last.
"Pardon me," he said, eagerly, "if I ask a question or two before youproceed. Is Mr. David Steel the gentleman who found a man half murderedin his house in Brighton?"
"The same. But don't you know who the injured man was?"
"You don't mean to say it was Van Sneck?" Rawlins cried.
Chris nodded gravely. Rawlins looked like a man who was groping about ina sudden dazzle of blinding light.
"I begin to understand," he muttered. "The scoundrel!"
"After that I will resume," Chris said. "You must understand that Mr.Steel was a stranger to us. We hit upon the idea of interviewing himanonymously, so to speak, and we were going to give him a gun-metalcigar-case mounted in diamonds. A friend of mine purchased thatcigar-case at Lockhart's. Mind you, Reginald Henson knew all about this.The same day Henson's tool, Van Sneck, purchased a similar case fromWalen's--a case really procured for your approval--and later on in theday the case passed from Van Sneck to Henson, who dexterously changedthe cases."
"Complex," Rawlins muttered. "But I begin to see what is coming."
"The cases were changed, and the one from Walen's in due course becameMr. Steel's.
Now note where Henson's diabolical cunning comes in. Thesame night Van Sneck is found half murdered in Mr. Steel's house, and inhis pocket is the receipt for the very cigar-case that Mr. Steel claimedas his own property."
"Very awkward for Steel," Rawlins said, thoughtfully.
"Of course it was. And why was it done? So that we should be forced tocome forward and exonerate Mr. Steel from blame. We should have had totell the whole story, and then Henson would have learnt what steps wewere taking to get rid of him."
Rawlins was quiet for some time. Admiration for the scheme was uppermostin his mind, but there was another thought that caused him to glancecuriously at Chris.
"And that is all you know?" he asked.
"Not quite," Chris replied. "I know that on the day of the attemptedmurder Van Sneck quarrelled with Reginald Henson, who he said had treatedhim badly. Van Sneck had in some way found out that Reginald Henson meantmischief to Mr. Steel. Also he couldn't get the money he wanted. Probablyhe had purchased that cigar-case at Walen's, and Henson could not repayhim for the purchase of it. Then he went off and wrote to Mr. Steel,asking the latter to see him, as he had threatened Henson he would do."
"Ah!" Rawlins exclaimed, suddenly. "Are you sure of this?"
"Certain. I heard it from a man who was with Van Sneck at the time, a mancalled Merritt."
"James Merritt. Really, you have been in choice company, Miss Lee. Yourknowledge of the criminal classes is getting extensive and peculiar."
"Merritt told me this. And an answer came back."
"An answer from Mr. Steel?"
"Purporting to be an answer from Mr. Steel. A very clever forgery, as amatter of fact. Of course that forgery was Henson's work, because we knowthat Henson coolly ordered notepaper in Mr. Steel's name. He forgot topay the bill, and that is how the thing came out. Besides, the little wadof papers on which the forgery was written is in Mr. Steel's hands. Now,what do you make of that?"
Rawlins turned the matter over thoughtfully in his mind.
"Did Henson know that Mr. Steel would be from home that night?" he asked.
"Of course. He probably also knew where our meeting with Mr. Steel was totake place."
"Then the matter is pretty obvious," said Rawlins. "Van Sneck, by somemeans or other, gets an inkling of what is going on. He wanted money fromHenson, which he couldn't get, Henson being very short lately, and thenthey quarrelled. Van Sneck was fool enough to threaten Henson with whathe was going to do. Van Sneck's note was dispatched by hand andintercepted by Henson with a reply. By the way, will you be good enoughto give me the gist of the reply?"
"It was a short letter from Mr. Steel and signed with his initials, andsaying in effect that he was at home every night and would see Van Sneckabout twelve or some time like that. He was merely to knock quietly, asthe household would be in bed, and Mr. Steel would let him in."
"And Mr. Steel never wrote that letter at all?"
"No; for the simple reason that he never had Van Sneck's note."
"Which Henson intercepted, of course. Now, the mere fact of the replycoming on Mr. Steel's paper is evidence that Henson had plotted someother or alternative scheme against Mr. Steel. How long before thecigar-case episode had you decided to consult the novelist?"
"We began to talk about it nine or ten days before."
"And Henson got to hear of it. Then a better idea occurred to Henson, andthe first idea which necessitated getting hold of Mr. Steel's notepaperwas abandoned. Subsequently, as you have just told me, the note-papercame in useful after all. Henson knew that Steel would be out that night.And, therefore, Van Sneck is deliberately lured to Steel's house to bemurdered there."
"I see," Chris said, faintly. "This had never occurred to me before.Murdered, by whom?"
"By whom? Why, by Reginald Henson, of course."
Just for a moment Chris felt as if all the world was slipping awayunder her feet.
"But how could he do it?" she asked.
"Quite easily. And throw all the blame on Mr. Steel. Look at the evidencehe had ready to his hand against the latter. The changed cigar-case wouldcome near to hang a man. And Van Sneck was in the way. Steel goes out tomeet you or some of your friends. All his household are in bed. As anovelist he comes and goes as he likes and nobody takes any heed. He goesand leaves his door on the latch. Any money it is the common latch theyput on thousands of doors. Henson lets himself into the house and coollywaits Van Sneck's coming. The rest you can imagine."
Chris had no reply for a moment or two. Rawlins's suggestion had burstupon her like a bomb. And it was all so dreadfully, horribly probable.Henson could have done this thing with absolute impunity. It wasimpossible to imagine for a moment that David Steel was the criminal. Whoelse could it be, then, but Reginald Henson?
"I'm afraid this has come as a shock to you," Rawlins said, quietly.
"It has, indeed," said Chris. "And your reasoning is so dreadfullylogical."
"Well, I may be wrong, after all," Rawlins suggested.
Chris shook her head doubtfully. She felt absolutely assured that Rawlinswas right. But, then, Henson would hardly have run so terrible a risk fora little thing like that. He could easily have silenced Van Sneck by aspecious promise or two. There must be another reason for--
It came to Chris in a moment. She saw the light quite plainly.
"Mr. Smith," she said, eagerly, "where did you first meet Henson andVan Sneck?"
"We first came together some eight years ago in Amsterdam."
"Would you mind telling me what your business was?"
"So far as I can recollect it was connected with some old silver--Williamand Mary and Queen Anne cups and _jardinieres_. We had made a bit of afind that we could authenticate, but we wanted a lot of the stuff,well--faked. You see, Van Sneck was an authority on that kind of thing,and we employed him to cut marks off small genuine things and attach themto spurious large ones. On the whole, we made a very successful businessof it for a long time."
"You found Van Sneck an excellent copyist. Did he ever copyanything for you?"
"No. But Henson employed him now and again. Van Sneck could construct athing from a mere description. There was a ring he did for Henson--"
"Was that called Prince Rupert's ring, by any chance?"
"That was the name of the ring. Why?"
"We will come to that presently. Did you ever see Prince Rupert's ring?"
"Well, I did. It was in Amsterdam again, about a year later than the timeI mentioned just now. Henson brought the real ring for Van Sneck to copy.Van Sneck went into raptures over it. He said he had never seen anythingof the kind so beautiful. He made a copy of the ring, which he handedback with the original to Henson."
Chris nodded. This pretty faithful copy of the ring was the one thatHenson had used as a magnet to draw Lady Littimer's money and the sameone that had found its way into Steel's possession. But Chris had anotheridea to follow up.
"You hinted to me just now that Henson was short of money," she said. "Doyou mean to say he is in dire need of some large sum?"
"That's it," Rawlins replied. "I rather fancy there has been some stirwith the police over some business up at Huddersfield some years ago."
"A so-called home both there and at Brighton?"
"That's it. It was the idea that Henson conveyed to me when I saw him atMoreton Wells. It appears that a certain Inspector Marley, of theBrighton Police, is the same man who used to have the warrants for theHuddersfield affair in his hands. Henson felt pretty sure that Marley hadrecognised him. He told me that if the worst came to the worst he hadsomething he could sell to Littimer for a large sum of money."
"I know," Chris exclaimed. "It is the Prince Rupert's ring."
"Well, I can't say anything about that. Is this ring a valuableproperty?"
"Not in itself. But the loss of it has caused a dreadful lot of miseryand suffering. Mr. Smith, Reginald Henson had no business with that ringat all. He stole it and made it appear as if somebody else had done so bymeans of
conveying the copy to the very last person who should havepossessed it. That sad business broke up a happy home and has made fivepeople miserable for many years. And whichever way you turn, whicheverway you look, you find the cloven foot of Henson everywhere. Now, whatyou have told me just now gives me a new idea. The secret that Henson wasgoing to sell to Lord Littimer for a large sum was the story of themissing ring and the restitution of the same."
"Kind of brazening it out, you mean?"
"Yes. Lord Littimer would give three times ten thousand pounds to havethat ring again. But at this point Henson has met with a serious check inhis plans. Driven into a corner, he has resolved to make a clean breastof it to Lord Littimer. He procures the ring from his strong box, andthen he makes a discovery."
"Which is more than I have. Pray proceed."
"He discovers that he has not got the real Prince Rupert's ring."
Rawlins looked up with a slightly puzzled air.
"Will you kindly tell me what you mean?" he said.
"It was a forgery. Van Sneck made a copy from a mere description. Thatcopy served its purpose with a vengeance, and is now at the bottom of theNorth Sea. I need not go into details, because it is a family secret, anddoes not concern our conversation at all. At that time the _real_ ringcame into Henson's possession, and he wanted a copy to hold over the headof an unfortunate lady whom he would have ruined before long. You told mejust now that Van Sneck had fallen in love with Prince Rupert's ring andcould hardly bear to part with it. He didn't."
"No? But how could he retain it?"
"Quite easily. The copy was quite faithful, but still _it was_ a copy.But secretly Van Sneck makes a copy that would deceive everybody but anexpert, and this he hands over to--"
"To Henson as the real ring," Rawlins cried, excitedly.
Chris smiled, a little pleased at her acumen.
"Precisely," she said. "I see that you are inclined to be of my opinion."
"Well, upon my word, I am," Rawlins confessed. "But I don't quitesee why--"
"Please let me finish," Chris went on, excitedly. "Reginald Henson isdriven back on his last trenches. He has to get the ring for LordLittimer. He takes out the ring after all these years, never dreamingthat Van Sneck would dare to play such a trick upon him, and finds outthe forgery. Did you ever see that man when he is really angry?"
"He is not pretty then," Rawlins said.
"Pretty! He is murder personified. Kindly try to imagine his feelingswhen he discovers he has been deceived. Mind you, this is only a theoryof mine, but I feel certain that it will prove correct. Henson's lasthope is snatched away from him. But he does not go straight to Van Sneckand accuse him of his duplicity. He knows that Van Sneck stole the ringfor sheer love of the gem, and that he would not dare to part with it. Heassumes that the ring is in Van Sneck's possession. And when Van Sneckthreatened to expose part of the business to Mr. Steel, Henson makes noattempt to soothe him. Why? Because he sees a cunning way of getting backthe ring. He himself lures Van Sneck to Mr. Steel's house, and there healmost murders him for the sake of the ring. Of course, he meant to killVan Sneck in such a way that the blame could not possibly fall upon him."
"Can you prove that he knew anything about it?"
"I can prove that he knew who Van Sneck was at a time when the hospitalpeople were doing their best to identify the man. And I know howfearfully uneasy he was when he got to know that some of us were awarewho Van Sneck was. It has been a pretty tangle for a long time, but theskein is all coming out smoothly at last. And if we could get the ringwhich Henson forced by violence from Van Sneck--"
"Excuse me. He did nothing of the kind."
Chris looked up eagerly.
"Oh," she cried, "have you more to tell me, then?"
"Nothing authentic," Rawlins said; "merely surmise. Van Sneck is going torecover. If he does it will be hard for Henson, who ought to get awaywith his plunder at once. Why doesn't he go and blackmail Lord Littimerand sell him the ring and clear out of the country? He doesn't do sobecause the ring is not yet in his possession."
"Then you imagine that Van Sneck--"
"Still has the ring probably in his possession at the present moment. Ifyou only knew where Van Sneck happened to be."
Chris rose to her feet with an excited cry.
"I do know," she exclaimed; "he is in the house where he was halfmurdered. And Mr. Steel shall know all this before he sleeps to-night."
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