James Farloe hung up the telephone receiver, and, lighting a cigar, sat
down to think, while wailing for his visitor.
He was rather a good-looking young fellow, but, examined closely, his
face was not prepossessing. There was a certain furtive expression
about him, as of a man continually on the watch lest he should betray
himself, and the eyes were shifty. His sister was probably as insincere
as himself, but, on the whole, she made a better impression.
He was too perturbed to sit for long, for, truth to tell, his thoughts
were not pleasant company. Two or three times he got up and paced the
room, with a noiseless stealthy tread that was characteristic of him.
Then, tired of the monotony of waiting, he selected a book from the
limited store in a small revolving bookcase, and tried to read.
But the words danced before his unquiet eyes, and conveyed no meaning.
Again and again he had to resort to his noiseless pacings of the
thickly-carpeted room, to allay the tedium of waiting.
But the slow minutes passed at last. He drew out his watch, noted the
time, and drew a sigh of relief. It was one-thirty a.m.
"He can't be long now," he muttered. "At this hour of the night he can
put on any speed he likes. He's an obstinate devil, but he would be
pretty sure to start straight away, after my urgent summons."
Even as he spoke, the figure of a man in a motor-cap and heavy overcoat
was stealing quietly along Ryder Street. A moment more, and footsteps
were heard on the stairs.
Farloe hastened to open the hall-door of his cosy little suite, and
closed it noiselessly after the entrance of his visitor. They nodded to
each other. The man advanced, and stood under the electric light
suspended from the middle of the ceiling.
He was of medium height, well-dressed, and of gentlemanly appearance.
He had aquiline features, and piercing dark eyes.
He was the man who had been identified by Davies the driver as one of
the two who had put the dying man in his taxi at Dean's Yard, with
instructions to drive him to Chesterfield Street--the man known to the
police, through the information given by Mrs Saxton, by the name of
Stent.
They did not waste time in preliminary remarks or greetings; they were
probably too old acquaintances to indulge in such trivial formalities,
but proceeded to business at once.
"So she got clear away?" remarked the man known as Stent. "I always
said she was one of the smartest women in England. How did she outwit
the detective?"
Farloe smiled. "It was beautifully simple," he replied. "She 'phoned
me up in the morning to say she was starting in a few moments, and that
she was sure this fellow would hang on to her as long as he could. She
asked me if I could suggest any way of outwitting him. At the moment I
couldn't."
Stent darted a glance at his companion which was not exactly one of
appreciation. "Your sister is quicker at that sort of thing than you,"
he said briefly.
Farloe did not appear to notice the slight conveyed in the words and
tone, and went on in his smooth voice:
"I expect so. Anyway, she had it cut and dried. She was going to lead
him a nice little dance till it was time to get rid of him. She would
take him down to Piccadilly Circus, trot him about there for some little
time, and then get back to the Knightsbridge Tube Station."
"Yes--and then?"
"I was to send a boy with a note to the Tube station at a certain time.
I picked up a boy, giving him a full description of her, and packed him
off. All happened as she expected. The man was tempted away by the
boy, out of whom he could get nothing that would be of any use to him,
and for a few moments left her unwatched. Hers was a bold stroke.
While he was interviewing the urchin, she slipped into a descending
lift, and left Mr Detective glaring at her from outside."
Stent laughed appreciatively. "Well done!" he remarked. "But I have no
doubt she would have hit upon something else had that failed."
Farloe assented briefly. He was very fond of his sister, but it had
always been rather a sore point with him to know that she had impressed
everybody with the fact that she was much the cleverer and subtler of
the two.
There was a brief pause. Then Farloe pointed to the table, upon which
stood glasses, a decanter of whisky, and a syphon of soda-water.
"Help yourself, and sit down while we chat," he said pleasantly. "I'm
sorry to have brought you out so late."
Stent helped himself liberally to the spirit, took a long draught, and
sat down in one of the two big saddle-bag chairs. When he had entered
the room, Farloe had noticed certain signs of irritation. Perhaps the
soothing influence of the whisky helped to restore him to a more equable
frame of mind. Anyway, when he answered Farloe his voice was quite
smooth and amiable.
"Yes, I was deucedly put out at having to start off at a minute's
notice. If I hadn't said good-bye to nerves long ago, you would have
made me feel quite jumpy, with your talk about bringing a suit-case with
me, and having to cross the Channel. Now let me know the meaning of it
all. I've brought the suit-case in the car. Tell me," he urged, fixing
the younger man with his keen piercing gaze. Farloe shifted a little
uneasily under that intense glance. Somehow, he never felt quite at his
ease in Stent's presence.
"I haven't your nerves, or, rather the want of them, that I admit. And
perhaps I take fright a little too easily. Still, I think you ought to
be informed of this: that certain people are beginning to know--well--a
bit too much."
Stent's hard, resolute mouth curved in a smile that was half
incredulous, half contemptuous.
"Certain people always know too much--or too little. In this case, I
should say it was the latter."
But Farloe stuck to his guns. "I was tackled to-night at the House by
Sir Archibald Turtrell. You know of him, of course?"
The other nodded. There was vindictiveness in his tone, as he replied:
"A regular old cackler and bore."
"I don't dispute he is both, but that doesn't alter the fact that he
pushed me very hard with some searching questions. I parried them as
best I could, but from his last remarks I could see he didn't believe a
word I was saying."
Stent shifted uneasily in his chair; his ill-humour was evidently
returning.
"My dear Farloe, you must excuse me for saying that you don't always act
with the greatest discretion. Why the devil do you want to go to the
House at all for, laying yourself open to be cross-examined by anybody
and everybody you meet? Look how differently your sister has acted; she
has lain as low as possible, and finally shown them a clean pair of
heels. I don't advise you to do exactly the same, for obvious reasons,
but it would be advisable to keep very much out of the way till things
have blown over."
The younger man was evidently not thin-skinned, or he would have
indulged in some outburst at those very candid remarks. Stent went on,
in his hard, but not altogether unpleasant voice:
"It has often struck me that this sort of thing is not quite suitable to
a man of your temperament. But now you are in it, you must cultivate
the art of keeping your nerves in better order, as I have done. Don't
start at shadows. What you have told me doesn't disturb me in the
least; it is just what might be expected."
"You haven't forgotten that young beggar Varney is on the track?" put in
Farloe quietly. "I saw him go into Monkton's house as late as
yesterday. He is more to be feared than Smeaton, in my opinion."
"I don't care a snap of the finger for the young pup," cried the other,
in his most obstinate voice, and a tightening of the resolute jaw that
was so well-matched with the dark, piercing eyes.
Farloe waited till his companion's momentary irritation had subsided,
then he put a question.
"You are quite sure that the police have not traced you yet?"
"Absolutely," came Stent's reply. He added, in his grimmest manner;
"I've not given them a chance."
They talked on for a long time, the elder man combating sometimes half
humorously, sometimes with ill-concealed irritation, the pessimism of
the other. At length when he rose it was nearly three o'clock.
"You will let me put you up for the night," urged Farloe.
"To be in time for the Paris train in the morning?" laughed the other.
"No, thanks, my friend. I want to be somewhere else about that time."
He had drunk a good deal during the interview, and Farloe knew that he
was getting into one of those dare-devil moods, in which it was rather
dangerous to play with him, or to cross him.
"As you please," he said, a little sullenly. "I hope you are quite
right in your confidence that they have not got on our tracks yet."
"Make your mind easy, my dear chap. Your sister took care of that by
putting our friend Smeaton on a wrong scent. I have often laughed when
I thought of them hunting every nook and corner around St Albans for
the gentleman with whom she had only a casual acquaintance."
Farloe made no reply. Stent held out one hand, and with the other
clapped the young man on the shoulder with rough good humour.
"Good-night, old man. Go to bed and sleep soundly, for I'm going. And,
I say, don't bring me out again on a midnight ride like this unless
there is very strong reason. Now, just a last word--and I say it in all
seriousness--I am not a bit discouraged by what you have told me. Let
them smell about, but they'll find nothing."
He turned to the door, and fired a parting shot:
"Now, you follow my advice not to give way to idle fancies, and you'll
turn out as well as any of us. And we shall all be proud of you. Once
again, good-night."
As he spoke the last word, the telephone bell rang, and he paused, and
turned round.
Farloe looked at the clock on the mantelpiece.
"Past three, by Jove! There's only one person would ring me up at this
time of night. It's Maude. Perhaps it is important; you had better
stay a moment," he said.
Stent stayed. Farloe took off the receiver, and listened for a little
time to the voice at the other end. Although Stent could not
distinguish the words, now and then he caught an inflection that he
recognised. Farloe's conjecture was right. It was Mrs Saxton who had
rung him up.
Then Stent heard the young man's reply.
"Hold on a minute, he is here. He was just going when you rang."
He beckoned to Stent. "She wanted me to send you word that she wished
to meet you. You can arrange it with her yourself."
They talked for a few seconds. At one of her remarks Stent laughed
heartily. He turned to Farloe.
"She is suggesting that we don't make it the Knightsbridge Tube
Station." Then he turned again to the instrument.
"That was a capital move of yours; your brother has just been telling me
about it. Really, I think just now it might be as convenient a place as
any; they would never think you would have the cheek to go there again
so soon. Let us meet at the old spot. That's safe enough. To-morrow
then. All right. Good-bye."