ARRESTED
Being left to myself after thoroughly thrashing out the whole case with
Dr. Mainwaring and the chief constable, who both agreed with me that
the circumstances were the most extraordinary they had ever heard of, I
sat down to consider matters by myself.
Here was I, a country gentleman of moderate estate, trying to eke out a
smallish income by literature, plumped down into the centre of as fine
a tangle of mystery as ever came out of the _Arabian Nights
Entertainments_.
I got up and looked at myself in the glass, and saw there a
clean-shaven tall man of thirty whose black hair was already turning
white at the temples; about my grey eyes, alas, there were already
crows' feet, the price I had paid, I suppose, for taking honours at
Oxford.
I sat down again and thought deeply.
"Bill Anstruther," I said to myself, "you're in for it. You've
consented to receive the confidences of that old lady, who, poor soul,
was in the direst need of help and friendship without doubt when she
called you in the night before last. You're bound in honour to go
through with it, and try to help her, or at any rate carry out her
wishes, be she dead or alive."
Thus I reasoned, and in this, it seemed to me, my duty lay. Obviously
the first thing to do was to obtain possession of the packets again and
ascertain their contents. I knew, of course, that they were directed
to me and possibly contained some request of the old lady. I marvelled
very much what the connection between her and the man with the glass
eye could possibly be, but could form no guess even in the matter. It
was very evident that he was a bloodthirsty scoundrel, and I had little
doubt in my own mind that it was he who had wounded her, perhaps unto
death.
While I thought of it, I decided to go down to the office and make
inquiries concerning Saumarez.
I found he had left during the morning.
"Mr. Saumarez went up to town, sir," explained the clerk, "by the
twelve-twenty."
"Thank you," I said, and walked away to the smoking-room to have a good
think again. Eating for the present was out of the question.
After three cigarettes I arrived at the following conclusions. I would
go up to town in the morning, secure the packets, and read them in my
lawyers' office.
I would not trust myself to carry them about with me while that man
Saumarez was at large. It was very evident that the safe and its
contents possessed a great attraction for him; probably with very good
reason.
I caught the morning train to London, and arrived in Lincoln's Inn
about two o'clock, after lunching early at my club. There Messrs.
Blackett & Snowdon's managing clerk handed me the registered packet
which I had sent off the evening before from the post office in
Monmouth Street, Bath.
With this in my hand I retired to the private office of Mr. Snowdon,
who was away from town, his room being placed at my disposal by the
managing clerk when I told him I had some important papers to examine.
I sat down at the desk, cleared it of the few papers lying there, then
prepared to open my precious parcel.
First I tore off the registered envelope.
Yes, there were the two packets which I had thought so much of in the
hours I lay awake during the night. There was the key; there was the
handkerchief.
I took this latter up and examined it carefully by the light. It was
of the finest cambric, and bore in the corner the letter C.
Then there remained the two packets to examine.
They were both addressed to me in a small, old-fashioned handwriting
which I took to be that of the old lady, poor soul! One was heavy,
felt hard, and contained evidently a box of some sort, the other was
soft and I took it to be composed of papers. I broke the seals--a
C--and opened it. My surmise was correct, it contained several sheets
of thick correspondence paper, covered with writing. It was dated the
day I first met her. When I spread it out this is what I found it to
contain--
"DEAR MR. ANSTRUTHER,--I have little doubt but you consider me merely a
crazy old woman.
"Perhaps I am, Heaven knows I have had enough trouble in my life to
make me so, and the trouble and anxiety I am enduring now is by no
means the lightest I have had to bear. That is why I had the resolve
to trust you, taking a sudden fancy, as I have done before without
regretting it, to a resolute open face.
"I believe that you will carry out what I ask of you to the letter; I
believe you will do it honestly and truly, for the reason that you love
to be honest and true.
"So much for my trust in you. Now for the object of my appealing to
you.
"I am threatened with a great peril, a peril which may cost me my life,
I expect it, I do not fear it. I have held my life in my hands for
years past.
"But there is something in my case which I value more than my life;
this I would preserve at all costs. It is contained in the small box
in the second packet which I have prepared for you.
"I think I have thought of every contingency and may reasonably count
upon being left in peace until I see you at five to-morrow. I do not
doubt for one moment but that you will keep your appointment. Should
I, however, have to send you to the safe, instead of handing you these
packets, I have prepared even for that.
"The request I am about to make you is, I know, an unreasonable one,
yet I believe you will carry it out.
"Upon opening the other packet, which I shall leave you with this, you
will find a small carved casket which is locked; with it you will find
sufficient money for your journey--of which presently.
"Mr. Anstruther, I want you to take the casket to Aquazilia and to
deliver it to the person to whom it is addressed."
"Aquazilia!" I exclaimed, putting down the letter, "why, that is the
big Republic the other side of Brazil which once upon a time used to be
a Monarchy! That's rather a tall order!" I took the letter up again
and went on:--
"I know the journey is a long one, but it will repay you. When you
told me you were a writer, I knew at once that such a journey would be
one from which you would draw profit both in experience and otherwise.
In doing it you will earn my undying gratitude. Go, I beseech you! To
you I confide that which is dearer to me than my life. Go, I implore
of you. I ask it in the name of Truth and Honour. Go, and earn the
eternal thanks of
"CARLOTTA D'ALTENBERG."
"D'Altenberg, d'Altenberg," I muttered as I finished. "It seems a
familiar name!"
I now turned my attention to the second packet, and opened that. It
contained a small wooden box with the lid tied down with string. Upon
taking this off, I found within a very beautifully carved oblong
casket, made of ebony, inlaid with gold. It was a most finished piece
of workmanship, and measured, I should think, about six inches by
perhaps two and a half. In raised letters on the lid was carved the
letter C as on the seals. On a small parchment label firmly secured to
it by silk was:--
"To His Excellency the Senor JUAN D'ALTA,
Valoro,
Aquazilia."
It was fastened by no less than three locks, all of different sizes,
and by its excessive weight, even for ebony, I should say was lined
with some metal.
When I had lifted this casket out of the box I found beneath it two
ordinary long envelopes both addressed to me and open. On the first I
took up was:--
"To William Anstruther, Esq.
For the expenses of the journey to Valoro."
I opened it and found it to contain four fifty pound notes. On the
other was my name, and beneath it:--
"A slight honorarium by way of compensation for time lost on the
journey."
It contained a Bank of England note for one thousand pounds. I sat
with the note in my hand for some time; it was the first for that
amount which I had ever come across.
However, not without some considerable satisfaction, I admit, I put up
the note into its envelope again and packed it with the other into the
box. I very carefully replaced the ebony casket after a glance of
admiration at its beautifully inlaid workmanship.
I closed the box up as before, and, making free with Mr. Snowdon's
stationery, put it in a fresh linen lined envelope and sealed it up
again. This time with my own seal. I treated the letter in the same
way, packing it up with the hankerchief and the key, then directed the
two to myself, care of my lawyers. I intended to leave both in their
care as before. I had ample confidence in their strong room. I had
barely completed this task and thrown the old wrappers into the fire,
when there came a knock at the door; the managing clerk entered with
rather a scared look on his face.
"There are two men waiting to see you downstairs, Mr. Anstruther," he
announced, "and I rather think they are police officers."
Instinctively as he spoke I thrust the two packets before me into
pigeon holes of the writing table I was sitting at, and he saw me do it.
Before I could make any reply, the door was pushed open behind him, and
two men entered; the foremost of them walked up to the table.
"Are you Mr. William Anstruther?" he asked.
He was a tall, dark, fresh-coloured man with sharp grey eyes, his
companion had the appearance of an ordinary constable in plain clothes.
"Yes," I answered, rising, "I am William Anstruther."
"Then I arrest you, William Anstruther," he said, "on suspicion of
causing the death of an old lady, name unknown, whose body was
discovered at daybreak this morning on Lansdown, near Bath, with her
throat cut. You'll have to come with us down to Bath to be charged."
Here was a terrible development!
My first thoughts were of pity for the poor old lady. How I wished I
had been able to save her life.
"Very well," I answered as coolly as I could. "I suppose there is no
help for it, and I had better go with you. Perhaps, Mr. Watson," I
said, turning to the managing clerk, who was standing by as white as a
sheet, "perhaps you will see that this man has proper authority for
taking me."
"Certainly, Mr. Anstruther," he answered, then turning to the detective
he asked for his papers.
"Show me your warrant, please," he said. "I shall not allow Mr.
Anstruther, our client, to leave with you unless you do."
The fresh-coloured officer smiled, and produced from his pocket a blue
paper, together with some other documents. These seemed to satisfy
Watson.
"There seems no help for it, Mr. Anstruther," he said, with them in his
hands. "I am afraid you will have to go with him. This is a proper
warrant signed by a magistrate on sworn information."
"Who are the informants?" I asked.
He referred to the warrant and read out the names.
"Inspector James Bull, Frederick Redfern, surgeon, and Anthony
Saumarez, gentleman."
"Saumarez!" I exclaimed, "the scoundrel and would-be murderer!"
"You had better be careful what you say," remarked the police officer,
"as I may have to take it down, and it will be used against you."
"Yes," confirmed Watson, "you'd better say as little as possible. No
doubt the whole matter is a mistake."
I took up my overcoat and the managing clerk helped me on with it;
meanwhile, the police officer walked to the desk I had been sitting at
and laid his hands on some papers. I looked upon the packets as lost.
Watson, however, stopped him at once.
"You mustn't touch those papers," he said hastily. "They are the
property of Mr. Snowdon, a member of our firm."
"Then what is _he_ doing here?" asked the man, with a jerk of his head
towards me.
"Mr. Anstruther," replied Watson, "was attending to some business
correspondence at Mr. Snowdon's desk, that gentleman being away."
"Where's the correspondence?" asked the detective, with a quick glance
at my two packets sticking out of the pigeon holes. I looked the man
straight in the face.
"My correspondence is finished," I answered, "and in the hands of this
firm."
A little smile about Watson's mouth and a hasty glance at the packets,
convinced me that he understood my remark.
"Very well, then," said the police officer, "we'd better come along.
Provided you come quietly," he observed to me as I followed him out,
"it won't be necessary for me to handcuff you."
That was a comfort I thought, as I went downstairs and through the
office, full of astounded clerks, who had all known me well for years.
We got into a cab and were driven to Paddington Station, reaching it
about dusk, much to my satisfaction, as I should not at all have
appreciated making my appearance in such a place with the two police
officers.
We got into a third class compartment all to ourselves right at the end
of the train, near the engine, and there I sat between the two men, who
hardly exchanged a word the whole way, but who sat trying to read
newspapers by the bad light. They would hold no conversation with me.
When we got to Bath they hurried me quickly down the stairs into a fly,
and then we drove straight through the town.
As we passed the police station and my hotel--towards which I cast
longing glances, for it was not far off dinner time--I asked a question
of the tall, fresh-coloured man.
"I understood that you were going to take me to the police station?" I
said.
The man shook his head.
"We are taking you to the prison," he said, "for the night. You will
be brought before the magistrates in the morning."
I sank back in the corner of the fly thoroughly dejected, and the
vehicle drove out by what I knew to be the Warminster Road. We now
left the lights of the town behind, and then the journey was entirely
between two hedgerows, which bordered the road, with an occasional
field gate by way of variety--all else beyond was blank night, for
there was no moon.
My two guardians began to show signs of fatigue, not unmixed with a
certain disgust, at the length of the journey.
They began yawning and stretching their arms, with very little regard
for my comfort.
When at last the fly pulled up with a jerk, after a good deal of
bumping over a rough road, the two men were very unceremonious in
ordering me to quit the vehicle.
"Now then, Ugly," remarked the fresh-coloured man with a push of his
foot, which was remarkably like a kick, "out you get!"
He stepped out himself and I followed, knowing full well it was useless
to resist, but I made a mental resolve that I would report him.
Once outside the fly, I found myself apparently at the foot of a tower,
a door stood open in front of me, and on the doorstep a man holding a
lantern.
I was, however, given very little time to contemplate this scene; the
big man seized my right arm, and his companion my left; between them,
they rushed me up a flight of steps immediately inside the tower.
These steps constituted a spiral staircase which wound round the
interior of the tower; ever and anon as we passed a small window I saw
the lights of Bath twinkling in the distance.
Beyond a few walks during the ten days I had spent there--my first
visit--I knew very little of Bath or its neighbourhood, therefore I had
no opportunity of taking my bearings.
I was urged up this staircase in a manner which I should have thought
unusual had I not remembered the men's complaints of the long
journey--which they had made twice--in the fly.
Finally we reached a door, and they simply pushed me through it into a
large room. It was evidently the top storey of the tower and had
windows looking all ways. It was perfectly circular in shape, was
fairly clean, and had a fire burning in a grate with a wire screen
before it; in one corner was a bed.
The two men released their hold as I looked around, and the dark one
went to a corner and picked up a chain.
"Come here!" he shouted to me roughly.
His colleague assisted me by giving me a shove in his direction. Then,
in a twinkling, he fixed a steel ring to my left ankle, snapped it
there and locked a small padlock on it.
I was chained up like a dog!
Having thoroughly searched me, they prepared to leave; the taller man
addressed me.
"I suppose you know," he remarked, as the two moved towards the door,
"that if you make any attempt to escape, you'll be shot?"
With this parting caution he closed the door, and I heard a key turn in
the lock.
I took one turn round the room, the chain being long enough, with many
a yearning look at the distant lights of Bath; then, horrified at the
clanking of my fetters, which were fixed to a staple in the wall, I
threw myself as I was on the bed in the corner, and there, being tired
out, almost immediately fell asleep.