THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
Max helped the detective raise the man from the ground. He was quite
dead, and from the position in which they had found him, both men
concluded that he had been in the act of climbing up to the high window,
when the rope by which he was holding broke under his weight. It was
evident that he had fallen upon an old millstone which was among the
lumber on the floor beneath, and that the shock of the fall had broken
his neck.
They had found out all this before Max could form any opinion as to the
identity of the dead man. He was short of stature, and apparently
between fifty and sixty years of age, slightly built, but muscular. The
body was dressed in the clothes of a respectable mechanic.
There was very little light in the barn by this time, and Max directed
the groom, who had been standing outside, and who had entered, attracted
by Max's shout of discovery, to bring a lantern.
"I suppose we'd better send for a doctor," said Max, "though the man's
as dead as a doornail. In the meantime, just give a look around and see
whether the woman is anywhere about."
The detective appeared to follow the suggestion, for he at once
proceeded to a further inspection of the building by the aid of one of
the two lanterns which the groom had by this time brought. And presently
he came back to Max with a bundle in his hand.
Max, by the light of the lantern which the groom was holding for him,
was looking at the face of the dead man, whom he guessed to be one of
Mrs. Higgs's accomplices, perhaps the mysterious person whose influence
over the old woman, according to Carrie, was so bad.
While he was staring intently at the dead face, he heard a stifled cry,
and looking up, saw that Carrie had stolen into the barn behind the
groom, and had her eyes fixed upon the body.
Max sprang up.
"Do you know him? Is it the man who used to get into the place by
night?" asked he, eagerly.
Carrie, without answering, looked from the dead man to the detective,
and from him to the bundle he was carrying.
"Ah!" exclaimed she.
Max looked in his turn. The detective was displaying, one by one, a
woman's skirt, bodice, bonnet, shawl and a cap with a "front" of woman's
hair sewn inside it.
"I think you can guess, sir, what's become of the woman now?" said the
officer, grimly.
Max started violently, shocked by a surprise which, both for the
detective and for Carrie, had been discounted some time ago.
"Mrs. Higgs" was a man.
Even with this knowledge to help him, Max, as he stared again at the
dead face, found it difficult to recognize in the still features those
which in life had inspired him with feelings of repulsion.
Just a quiet, inoffensive, respectable-looking man not coarse or low in
type; this would have been his comment upon the dead man, if he had
known nothing about him. Max shuddered as he withdrew his gaze; and, as
he did so, he met the eyes of Carrie.
He beckoned to her to come away with him, and she followed him as far as
the door, toward which some members of the household, to whom the news
had penetrated, were now hastening.
"Carrie!" cried he, as he looked searchingly in her face, "you knew
this? How long have you known it?"
She could scarcely answer. She was shaking from head to foot, and was
evidently suffering from a great shock.
"Yes, I knew it, but only since I came here. It was part of what Mr.
Dudley Horne let out in his raving."
"Only part of it?" cried Max.
But Carrie would confess nothing more. And, as Mr. Wedmore came across
the yard at this moment, followed by Dr. Haselden, Carrie ran back into
the house as Max met his father.
"What's all this about a dead man found in the barn?" asked Mr. Wedmore,
with all the arrogance of the country gentleman, who thinks that no one
has a right to die on his premises without his permission.
Max held his father back for a moment until the doctor had passed on. In
the excitement of this occurrence, Mr. Wedmore was glad to have an
opportunity of appearing to forget that there was any quarrel between
them. On second thoughts, he inclined to think that he had perhaps, on
this occasion, been a little too hard on his son, and he was anxious for
some loop-hole by which he could creep out of the consequences of his
own sternness. This, however, could hardly have been guessed by his
manner, which was at least as arrogant as ever.
"It's somebody who was mixed up in the death of Edward Jacobs, sir, I
think," said Max, in a low voice. "A man who has been living down at the
East End of London disguised as a woman, and who was, I believe, at the
bottom of all the mischief."
"Man disguised as a woman?" cried Mr. Wedmore, incredulously. "What an
improbable story! And what should he do down here in my barn?"
"I think he must have come down to see Dudley, sir. We believe that it
was he who tried to drown Dudley, after he had succeeded in drowning
Edward Jacobs."
Mr. Wedmore frowned in perplexity.
"Trying to drown Dudley! What on earth should he do that for? What had
Dudley to do with him?"
"Well, sir, we don't quite know. But Dudley was acquainted with this
man, undoubtedly, though we don't know whether he knew him to be a man,
or only as Mrs. Higgs, which was the name the man went by."
"Let me see the man," said Mr. Wedmore.
And, pushing past his son, he entered the barn.
The doctor made way for him.
"He is quite dead. He must have been killed instantly," said Doctor
Haselden, as his friend came up.
Mr. Wedmore took the lantern from the man who held it, and looked at the
dead face. As he did so, his first expression of curiosity gave place to
one of perplexity, followed by a stare of intense amazement and horror.
"What is it? Do you know him?" asked Doctor Haselden, while Max, who had
followed his father in, watched with intense interest and surprise.
Mr. Wedmore did not seem to hear. He continued to look at the dead face
for some moments with an appearance of utter absorption, and then,
suddenly staggering back, he made for the open air without a word of
explanation.
Max stared at the doctor, and then followed his father out. But Mr.
Wedmore was already half way to the house, where he shut himself into
the study, and locking the door, refused to be disturbed.
Max was more bewildered than ever by this new turn of affairs. With a
dogged determination not to be kept any longer out of a secret of which
everybody but himself seemed to know something, he went straight up to
the sick-room in search of Carrie. His knock, however, was answered by
the professional nurse, who opened the door and asked him what he
wanted.
"Oh, it doesn't matter," said Max. "At least--I wanted to know how Mr.
Horne is now."
"He won't be so well to-night, I expect," answered the nurse, tartly.
"There's been a great noise and disturbance outside, and he's heard
something of it, and it's made him restless and curious. He is asking
questions about it all the time, and he won't be satisfied. He keeps
asking for the other nurse, who is out taking her walk, as I tell him."
At this point Dudley's voice was heard from the bed. "Who's that at the
door? Who is it?"
Max, after a moment's hesitation, during which the nurse assumed an air
of washing her hands of the whole matter, answered:
"Me, old chap--Max. How are you?"
Dudley sprang up in bed. The nurse folded her arms and frowned.
"Come in, oh, come in, just one moment! I'll be quiet, nurse, quite
quiet. But I must see him--I must see somebody."
Max threw an imploring glance at the nurse, who refused to look at him.
Then he went in.
"Only a minute--I won't stay a minute."
The nurse shrugged her shoulders.
"It's against the doctor's orders. I wash my hands of the consequences,"
said she.
And, with her head held very high, she left the room.
Max stood irresolute. By the look of excitement on Dudley's face, he
judged that anything must be better for him than the eager suspense from
which he was evidently suffering. This news of the death of the odious
inhabitant of the house by the wharf must surely bring relief to him. As
soon as they were alone together, Dudley burst out eagerly:
"That noise! It's no use deceiving me; I know what it was. They were
after him. Tell me--has he got away? Has my father got away?"