A FAINTLY FAMILIAR FACE
Different men view things from a different standpoint. It was clearly
evident that Mr. Overton was moved by this announcement of the unhappy
termination of Captain Sandringham's life, but he did not show such
great elation as Carstairs displayed. His countenance, as he took the
paper which the vicar extended, was grave rather than gay, and there was
a troubled expression in his kindly eyes.
"Mind reading it aloud, sir?" suggested Cleek. "The reverend gentleman
spoke as though it was something as had to do with the duke."
"So it has. Captain Sandringham was his heir. But pardon. Mr. Saintly,
this is Mr. George Headland, a detective His Grace had sent down from
Scotland Yard to look into the matter of the bells and the murder of
young Tom Davis last night."
"Pleased to meet you, sir," said Cleek. "This will be my mate, Jim
Markham. Yessir, a queer business and an ugly one, as you say, sir.
Ought to get at the bottom of it in a week or so, however. Still, you
never know."
The vicar gave Mr. Overton a puzzled glance. It was evident that he was
no more favourably impressed by these two "specimens of the police" than
the land-steward had been. Then, too, one of them had not bothered to
take even the slightest notice of the introduction to him.
"Mr. Markham is rather deaf," volunteered Overton, in explanation of the
omission; and it may be that it was because of the blank wonder in the
vicar's eyes at this announcement that Carstairs so far forgot himself
as to titter. Still, as it was a very mild titter, it apparently did not
reach Cleek's ears, so there was no harm done; and Mr. Overton proceeded
to read the article in the paper aloud.
That it was a thoroughly authentic one there could be no doubt, for,
after giving the fullest details of the affair and stating that he
himself had seen the body of the victim, whom he had long known by sight
as well as by reputation--a fact which utterly precluded the possibility
of its being that of anybody merely resembling the captain and not
actually the captain himself--the writer proceeded to sign the article
with a name which was known to be that of one of the most reliable,
careful, and conscientious of special newspaper correspondents. Beyond
all question the report was true. Cleek was as convinced of Captain Paul
Sandringham's death as if he had stood by and seen him killed.
"It will be a great relief to the duke, there can be no denying that,
Vicar," declared Overton as he finished reading the report; "but, all
the same, I can't help thinking that it's a sad business, sir, for a
human creature to go out of the world like that and with never a chance
to repent. I saw him once--quite by accident--when I went over to Ostend
a year ago, on business for the estate, and a fine, upstanding,
splendid-looking fellow he was, too. He might have made much of his life
had he only tried. But to be shot down like a dog! It's too awful, sir,
too awful."
"Your sentiments do you credit, Mr. Overton; but they are no more than I
should have expected of you," declared the vicar. "Carstairs here is
less thoughtful, I fear."
"What would be the sense of wasting tears over such a man, sir?" replied
Carstairs, emphatically. "It is enough for me to remember that a load
has been lifted from the shoulders of the best master I ever had.
Besides, sir, there are bad men enough in the world without grieving
over a thinning out of the ranks. There'll be one the less to reckon
with, that's all!"
Cleek began to smoke furiously. Mr. Narkom, twitching round an inquiring
eye, saw that his attention had fallen suddenly upon something across
the road, and was not at all surprised when he abruptly walked over and,
leaving the vicar to lecture Carstairs, began to examine a particularly
thrifty wild rose whose branches were smothered with delicate bloom.
But of a sudden he gave his shoulders a shrug and came back.
"False alarm!" he said, quietly. "I thought I'd stumbled on a find, Mr.
Overton, but it's only a common brier, after all. But hadn't we better
be moving? I won't be half sorry to sit down a bit. Much farther to the
house where your young lady's folks live, Mr. Carstairs?"
"No; not very. Another ten minutes' walk will do it easily."
"Good business. Don't mind telling you that I am tired and shan't be
none too sorry to get some food. My mate here, he's about done for, I
reckon; and Mr. Overton, he must be a bit done up, too. I say, wot price
letting him stand here and talk with the vicar for a time while you show
us the rest of the way? You look as fresh as paint. Anyway, I reckon the
young lady will be gladder to see us fetching _you_ with us than if we
was piloted by Mr. Overton here."
"Good idea that, Carstairs--act on it," put in the land-steward with a
laugh. "You've got plenty of time before you need think of dinner; and I
dare say that Emmy Costivan won't be sorry to have a few extra words
with you on her own account."
Apparently Carstairs himself wouldn't be sorry for the opportunity
either, for he fell in with the suggestion with alacrity, and with a
farewell salute to the vicar and a "So long, sir, see you again," to
the land-steward, Cleek and Mr. Narkom surrendered themselves to the
leadership of this new guide and fared forth in his company to the abode
of the Costivans.
"Can't stand that Overton," volunteered Carstairs, as soon as they were
at a safe distance from the vicarage gate. "Always poking his blessed
'humanity' ideas down a man's throat and snivelling over people's
souls."
"Just so. Quite agree with you, Mr. Carstairs."
"Fancy his wasting pity on a bounder like Captain Paul Sandringham! I
don't hold with any such nonsense."
"And, as you very properly said, it makes one the less to reckon with.
My sentiments exactly, Mr. Carstairs. It will be a welcome bit of news
to the duke, I take it; and he's got enough worry on his mind over this
business."
"More than enough. Ghastly sort of business, isn't it? Formed any sort
of an idea, Mr. Headland?"
"None worth speaking of. Hasn't been time. I should have said it was
boys up to a lark, if it hadn't been for the killing of that chap Davis
last night. Wish I'd been somewhere about then, or could meet with
somebody who heard the sounds of the struggle. Don't happen to know of
anybody that did, do you?"
"That I don't. As a matter of fact, I don't think anybody did hear a
blessed thing of it. Nobody had the least idea that anything had really
happened to him until the vicar found the body at the foot of that
accursed bell-tower this morning. Of course, if anybody was likely to
have heard anything, he would be the one--the vicarage is so near, you
know. But he never heard a sound."
"Heavy sleeper, I suppose."
"On the contrary, according to Mrs. Marden, his housekeeper, he's an
exceedingly light one. Even lighter than herself, she says, and it's her
boast that an owl flying past would wake _her_."
"She hear anything last night, then?"
"Not a sound--beyond the clanging of the bells. But she's getting used
to them. Besides, they don't last long, you know. Just off and on now
and again, and never later than eleven or twelve o'clock. Last night,
however, they started earlier than they ever did before--about ten, I
believe, and they never sounded a solitary peal after half-past."
"H'm! maybe the murder was committed whilst they _were_ pealing, then.
That would account for her not hearing the struggle, of course."
"She says not, though. Constable suggested that first thing. Says she's
become so used to the bells they don't affect her hearing of other
things at all--that she could hear any other sound that there might be
right through the pealing of them. She called vicar to prove that one
night last week she cried out to him while the things were ringing to
say that she believed he must have left the door of the stable open, as
she could hear a scratching noise in there. Vicar dressed and ran out,
and sure enough he had left the door open and there was an old dog fox
in the place trying to scratch his way through to the fowl-house. If she
could have heard that through the sound of the bells it's pretty certain
she could have heard Davis putting up a fight if he had been attacked by
anything human. But he wasn't! You take my word for it, Mr. Headland,
devils are at the bottom of this business, and the thing will never be
stopped until that dead Johnnie's body is dug up out of the churchyard
and carried out to sea and chucked overboard."
Cleek had no opportunity to reply, for at that moment the quiet of the
country was suddenly broken by the sharp _Honk! honk!_ of a motor-horn,
and round the bend of the road swung a high-powered car, driven by a
liveried chauffeur, and containing an overdressed gentleman of a dark,
Hebraic cast of countenance.
"That will be Sir Julius Solinski, the great company promoter,"
explained Carstairs, offhandedly. "Got a fine place over Framleigh way.
Motors through here every day about this time. Same old course, without
a break or a change--down here, round the curve, past the cottage where
those Hurdon people live, and then down behind the grounds of the
Castle and off Willowby Old Church way. Should think he'd be about fed
up with it by this time."
"Ever stop anywhere on the road?"
"Not that I know of. Never seen him do so, at all events. Still, of
course, he might, you know, without---- Here we are at last. This is
where you and your friend are to put up, Mr. Headland. Come in."
Cleek had merely time to remark that the cottage was a thatched one with
a goodly allowance of garden surrounding it on all sides, and that the
tops of tall trees were visible in the rear, showing that it was close
to the adjacent woodland, when following Carstairs' lead, he walked
inside. He was at once presented to a young, dark-haired, exceedingly
pretty girl whose bright eyes impressed him with an odd sense of
familiarity. Somewhere, somehow, he said to himself, he had certainly
seen someone who bore a very marked resemblance to Miss Emmy Costivan.