The Mynns' Mystery

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

  FOLLOWING THE CLUE.

  Just as they reached the hall a door opened upstairs and Gertrude cameout, candle in hand.

  "Bruno is quiet now," said George, looking up to her. "I'll see how MrHarrington is, and tell you."

  He went quickly to the study, and looked in.

  "Quite unchanged," said the doctor, nodding his head.

  "Do you want to be relieved?"

  "Oh, no; but you might have remembered me with the spirits and water."

  "I beg your pardon," said George, and hastily supplying the lapse he hadmade, he went and reported progress to Gertrude, who smiled her thanks,and returned to where Mrs Hampton was nodding on a couch.

  "Had we not better wait?" said the lawyer, in a trembling voice.

  "Wait, sir? Impossible. Come with me."

  They went into the kitchen where they were saluted by a heavy snore, andfound the gardener fast asleep by the fireside.

  He was roused and sent home as not being again necessary; and as soon asthe door was closed upon him, George turned upon the lawyer.

  "Now, sir, where can I find tools: a hammer and chisel?"

  "Tools? Oh, yes. There are some, I believe, in the little room by thegarden door."

  He led the way to a little cupboard-like ante-room where gardenimplements, seeds, and odds and ends were stored; and here the necessaryimplements were soon found. Armed with these and a fresh candle theyreturned to the cellar, where the dog was evidently patiently watchingtheir return.

  "Stop a moment, my dear young friend," said the old lawyer, whose facewas damp with perspiration, and he laid his hand upon the young man'sarm.

  "What for, sir?"

  "Don't you think our proceedings will be a little rash. Suppose thegentleman whom I am bound to look to as the owner of this place returns,and finds how great a liberty we have taken with his place. What am Ito say?"

  "Mr Hampton, we are going to find him--here."

  "What!"

  "And unable to reproach you for what you have done."

  "But surely you do not really believe--"

  "I believe, sir, that I shall find means here of proving to you that Iam the man I profess to be--the man whom, in your legal fashion, yourefuse to acknowledge; but whom in your heart as a gentleman you know tobe your old friend's grandson."

  The lawyer looked wistfully in the young man's eyes, and then as heunlocked and took out the cellar door-key, after carefully closing thebaize door, he followed him into the mouldy, damp place; saw that helocked inner and outer door, and then as they went to the fartherportion found the dog as they had left him in the darkness, crouching bythe blank wall.

  Mr Hampton drew a long breath but he made no further protest, merelyholding the candle as George Harrington threw off coat and vest, rolledup his shirt sleeves, and then taking hammer and chisel proceeded toforce the latter between two of the bricks.

  There was no need to make any noise by striking with the hammer, forafter the first tap the iron chisel was used as a lever, and the firstbrick soon prized out to show that though the whitewash had dried themortar was soft enough to give way easily, and before long brick afterbrick was loosened, thrown into a heap, and a hole was made large enoughto admit the passage of a man.

  "Lie still!" cried George sharply to the dog, who exhibited a greatdesire to get through; and kneeling down the young man passed his candleinto the inner cellar, crept through, and to his surprise found that theold lawyer did not hesitate to follow him.

  "There, sir," he cried half angrily, as the candle was held up, and theyfound they were standing in a moderate-sized cellar with a row ofbricked-up bins on either side, all neatly whitewashed over and labelledwith the name of the wine within, the vintage, and quantity.

  George Harrington made no reply, but candle in hand walked over thecarefully smoothed sawdust from end to end, peering eagerly at thedifferent bins.

  "Well, sir, are you satisfied?" said the lawyer.

  "Satisfied, sir? No. Here, Bruno?"

  The dog leaped through the hole and uttered a low bark, as he began tosnuff about uneasily.

  "Good dog! Seek!"

  The dog ran excitedly here and there for a few moments, now with hisnose in the air, now snuffing at the sawdust, and then he stopped shortbefore the bricked-up bottom bin at the far left-hand corner of thecellar, and uttered an eager bark.

  George Harrington drew forth and opened his knife again, tried the bladeon the joints of two of the bins, to find that the mortar was hard.Then going to the one where the dog stood watching him, he plunged thepoint in easily between the bricks.

  "Look, sir," he said hoarsely; "and you can see the whitewash is hardlydry. The proofs of all I have said are in there."