The Crimson Blind

by Fred M. White

  CHAPTER LIV

  WHERE IS THE RING?

  Van Sneck looked up with some signs of confusion. He had notexpected a question of that kind. There was just the suggestion ofcunning on his face.

  "A ring!" he murmured, vaguely. "A ring! What ring?"

  "Now, look here," David said, sternly. "You are more or less in ourpower, you know, but we are not disposed to be hard on you so long as youare quite candid with us. Henson required something that he believed tobe in your possession; indeed, you have as good as said you had it withyou. Henson lured you into my house to get that more than anything else.That he would have killed you even after he got it, I firmly believe. Butthat is not the point. Now, was not Henson looking for Prince Rupert'sring that you got from him by means of a trick?"

  Van Sneck dropped his hands helplessly on the bed.

  "Gentlemen," he whined, "you are too much for me. The marvellousaccuracy of your knowledge is absolutely overwhelming. It was the ringHenson was after."

  "The one you stole from him years ago! But what did you know about it?"

  Van Sneck smiled.

  "There is no living man who knows more about those things than I do," hesaid. "It is a passion and a study with me. And some seven years ago, inHolland, Henson gave me the description of a ring he wanted me to copy.Henson never told me what the ring was called, but I knew it was thePrince Rupert ring. I made the copy, and Henson was pleased with it. Sometime later he came to me with the original, and asked for another copy. Imeant to be honest, but my love for those things got the better of me. Imade him two copies: the one good, and the other an exact facsimile ofthe Prince Rupert. These I handed over to Henson, and he went awayperfectly satisfied that he had a good copy and the original. I chuckledto myself, feeling pretty sure that he would never find out."

  "But he did find out?" David said.

  "Only lately. Probably he took it to an expert for valuation or perhapsfor sale. Lately his idea was to offer the ring to Lord Littimer for ahuge sum of money, but when he discovered he had been done he knew thatLord Littimer would not be so deceived. Also he had a pretty good ideathat I should keep the ring about me. You see, I dared not sell anhistoric gem like that. And, as usual, Henson was perfectly right."

  "Then you had the ring in your pocket the night you came here?" askedSteel, with a commendable effort at coolness. "Did Henson get it?"

  "No, he didn't," Van Sneck chuckled. "Come what might, I had made up mymind that he should never see that ring again. You see, I was frightenedand confused, and I was not properly sober, and I did something with thering, though to save my life I couldn't say what I did. Do you know, Dr.Bell, I have lost my sense of smell?"

  Steel wriggled impatiently about on his chair. The interruption wasexasperating. Bell, however, seemed to take a different view of thematter altogether.

  "Quite naturally," he said. "The blow on your head held all your sensessuspended for a time. After the operation I should not have beensurprised to have found you half blind and stone deaf into the bargain.But one thing is certain--your smell will come back to you. It may remainin abeyance for a few days, it may return in a few moments."

  "What on earth has this to do with our interview?" David asked.

  "I fancy a great deal," Bell said. "The sense of smell has a great dealto do with memory. Doesn't the scent of flowers bring back vividrecollections of things sometimes for years forgotten? Van Sneck wasgoing to say the air was heavy with the fragrance of some particularblossom when he was struck down by Henson in your conservatory."

  "Very clever man, Dr. Bell," Van Sneck said, admiringly. "He seems to seeright through your mind and out at the other side. To a great extent Irecollect all that happened that eventful night. And just at the verylast I seem to smell something powerful. That smell came to my nostrilsjust like a flash and then had gone again. Gentlemen, if I could have agood long scent at that flower I tell you what I did with that ring."

  "Sounds rather complex," David said.

  "Not a bit of it," Bell retorted. "Our friend is talking sound commonsense, and our friend is going to rest now late into the afternoon, whenwe'll put him into an armchair with some pillows and let him sit in theconservatory. Associating with familiar surroundings frequently workswonders. Van Sneck, you go to sleep."

  Van Sneck closed his eyes obediently. He was somewhat tired with theinterview. But, on the whole, Bell decided that he was doing very wellindeed. And there was very little more to be done for the present. Thetwo men smoked their cigars peacefully.

  "We have got to the end," Bell said.

  "I fancy so," David murmured, "But we can't save the scandal. I don't seehow Reginald Henson is going to get out of the mess without aprosecution."

  Any further speculation as to the future of that engaging rascal was cutshort by a pleasant surprise, no other than the unexpected arrival ofRuth Gates and Chris Henson. The latter was beaming with health andhappiness; she had discarded her disguise, and stood confessed before allthe world like the beautiful creature that she was.

  "What does it all mean?" David asked. "What will Longdean village say?"

  "What does Longdean village know?" Chris retorted. "They are vaguelyaware that somebody was taken away from the house a short time ago to beburied, but that is all their knowledge. And there is no more need fordisguise, Lord Littimer says. He knows pretty well everything. He hasbeen very restless and uneasy for the past day or two, and yesterday heleft saying that he had business in London. Early to-day I had acharacteristic telegram from him saying that he was at Longdean, and thatI was necessary to his comfort there. I was to come clothed in my rightmind, and I was to bring Mr. Steel and Dr. Bell along."

  "It can't be managed," said Bell. "We've got Van Sneck here."

  "And I had forgotten all about him," said Chris. "Was the operationsuccessful?"

  Bell told his budget of good news down to the story of the ring and themysterious manner in which it had disappeared again. David had followedRuth into the conservatory, where she stood with her dainty head buriedover a rose.

  She looked up with a warm, shy smile on her face.

  "I hope you are satisfied," she said, "you are safe now?"

  "I was never very much alarmed, dearest," Steel said. "If this thing hadnever happened I might never have met you. And as soon as this businessis definitely settled I shall come and see your uncle. I am a veryimpatient man, Ruth."

  "And you shall see my uncle when you please, dear," she said. "You willfind him quite as charming as you say your mother is. What will she say?"

  "Say? That you are the dearest and sweetest girl in the world, and that Iam a lucky fellow. But you are not going off already?"

  "Indeed, we must. We have a cab at the door. And I am going to brave thehorrors of Longdean Grange and spend the night there. Only, I fancy thatthe horrors have gone for ever. I shall be very disappointed if you don'tcome to-morrow."

  Behind a friendly palm David bent and kissed the shy lips, with a vowthat he would see Longdean Grange on the morrow. Then Chris caught upRuth with a whirl, and they were gone.

  It was after ten that Bell and Steel managed to convey Van Sneck to theconservatory. The place was filled with brightness and scent and colourand the afterglow of the sunshine. The artistic eye of the Dutchmanlighted up with genuine pleasure.

  "They say you islanders are crude and cold, and have no sense of thebeautiful," he said. "But there are no houses anywhere to compare withthose of the better-class Englishman. Look at those colours blending--"

  "Hang those colours," said Bell, vigorously. "Steel, there is nothinglike moisture to bring out the full fragrance of flowers. Turn on yourhose and give your plants a good watering."

  "It's the proper time," David laughed. "Turn on the tap for me."

  A cooling stream played on the flowers; plants dropped their heads filledwith the diamond moisture; the whole atmosphere was filled with the odourof moist earth. Then the air seemed laden with the mingled scent.

 
"I can smell the soil," Van Sneck cried. "How good it is to smellanything again! And I can just catch a suggestion of the perfume ofsomething familiar. What's that red bloom?"

  He pointed to a creeper growing up the wall. David broke off a spray.

  "That's a kind of Japanese passion flower," he said. "It has a lovelyfull-flavoured scent like a mixture of violets and almonds. Smell it."

  Van Sneck placed the wet dripping spray to his nose. Just for an instantit conveyed nothing to him. Then he half rose with a triumphant cry.

  "Steady there," said Bell. "You mustn't get up, you know. I see you areexcited. Has it come back to you again?"

  "That's the scent," Van Sneck cried. "The air was full of that as I fellbackwards. And Henson stood over me exactly by that cracked tile whereMr. Steel is now. Give me a moment and I shall be able to tell youeverything ... Oh, yes, the first time I slipped on purpose. I told you Istumbled. But that was a ruse. And as I fell I took the ring from mywaistcoat-pocket ... Let me have another sniff of that bloom. Yes, I'vegot it now quite clear."

  "You know where the ring is?" David asked, eagerly.

  "Well, not quite that. I took it from my pocket and pitched it away fromme ... I saw it fall on to a pot covered with moss, but I can't say whichpot or in which corner. I only know that I threw it over my shoulder, andthat it dropped into the thick moss that lies on the top of all the pots.I laughed to myself as it fell, and I rejoiced to see that Henson knewnothing of it."

  "And it is still here?" Bell demanded.

  Van Sneck nodded solemnly.

  "I swear it," he said. "Prince Rupert's ring is in this conservatory."