AN UNEXPECTED CONTRETEMPS
A hubbub of voices sounded for a few minutes as the crowd wended its way
out of the house and toward the village, there to relate the amazing
occurrences of the morning, and in the ballroom there fell a momentary
hush. Still almost dazed by the trend of events, the little knot of
people present looked at Cleek who stood gazing fixedly at the floor.
Then he gave a little shake of his shoulders.
"And now, my friends, having cleared up one part of the mystery, there
is still a question of the jewels' hiding place.... What's that, Sir
Edgar? How did I find out where Lady Margaret was hidden and by whom?
Well, Blake gave himself away finally last week by his efforts to throw
suspicion on the owner of that gold lace scarf. It seemed clear to me
that had he Lady Margaret in his power, the evidence of her scarf would
be a dangerous weapon against her, and one that would enable him to
retain a hold over her. Then, again, I had recognized from the
beginning that he was not an Asiatic; his eyes, dark though they were,
had no yellow tinge, nor were they set Eastern fashion. His accent, in
moments of excitement, left much to be desired. As to his brother and
the Pentacle Club: they had evidently meant to make this house their
headquarters, and they took advantage of its construction in order to
make what would have been a safe deposit bank for their loot.
"Poking about here, I discovered that the cellars, below this, were in
reality kitchens and there is no doubt that originally this room was a
huge dining room, to which food was brought up from below. What's that,
Lady Brenton; impossible without a lift? Wait just one moment. Look down
on this parquet floor. Do you see over here, for instance, a little
piece of the wood, darker than the rest?"
Every eye turned in Cleek's direction searching the big floor carefully.
"Yes, and here's another," cried Jennifer Wynne, suddenly.
"And another!" put in Dr. Verrall with some excitement. A minute or so
later and three more were discovered joining what at first sight seemed
to be a disconnected circle.
But Cleek took out a piece of chalk from his pocket.
"I need hardly tell you that a pentacle is a six-sided star very
frequently used in masonry and the East," he said as they looked at him
in some mystification.
"I knew that the murdered man was a member of the notorious Pentacle
Club, since a pentacle was tattooed on his arm--Dr. Verrall will bear me
out in that--and the pentacle was therefore in my mind's eye when I did
this."
Kneeling, he swiftly joined up the points, and beneath the eyes of the
interested watchers the white chalk marks, standing out clearly on the
dark floor, grew into the ancient sign of a huge pentacle which spread
across the centre of the room.
"Now," said Cleek, after they had surveyed his handiwork in amazement,
"let us find the centre. And now look at this----"
Standing in the centre of the pentacle he stooped down and pressed hard
on one of the little pieces of dark parquet.
As he did so a cry of astonishment broke from all those present, for a
section of the floor, about the size of the space covered by a large
tray, very gently sank in front of them, and they saw Cleek carried
noiselessly and gently down into the darkness beneath.
Another minute and he was up again, a little smile on his face.
"When I discovered this," he went on, "it gave me plenty of food for
thought and my further explorations still further solved the mystery.
Mr. Narkom, if you will add your torch's gleam to mine it will give us
light enough to complete my task. Come, you need not fear the lift will
give way, it has carried down bigger and stranger burdens, I promise
you."
A little hesitating murmur came from the ladies, but their curiosity
overcame their fears, and two by two they descended down to the bottom
of what looked like a well, lit as it was by the circle of light given
out by Mr. Narkom's torch. Once down, however, they discovered that they
were in an underground vault, which had certainly been used as a
kitchen, for the old-fashioned stoves still stood against one side.
"You see," said Cleek, in quiet, reassuring tones, "having once
discovered this arrangement it is no wonder that Blake conceived this
method of getting hold of the Cheyne jewels. With only poor eccentric
Miss Cheyne to dispose of, the task was an easy one. It only remained to
get them into his possession through the agency of Lady Margaret, and if
she had not discovered the trick that was being played on her, all would
have gone off smoothly. As it was, however, Blake probably did not know
whether she had contrived to warn someone or not!"
Lady Margaret herself intervened here in a quick, agitated voice.
"That's just it," she said. "I told him Sir Edgar knew and Lieutenant
Deland and Miss Lorne as well and I said that you would all come after
me and get the jewels back, too, which seemed to make him furious."
"That accounts for his plan to hide them securely, then," said Cleek,
squaring his shoulders. "I see. But surely he conceived the strangest
method of concealment that ever entered man's mind."
As if in illustration of his words, there suddenly burst forth the
horrible sound, like the wailing of a dog in his death agonies, which
had swept over the ballroom upon that first day of the inquest.
Jennifer and Lady Brenton both shrieked aloud and Cleek had as much as
he could manage to silence them.
"It is all right, don't be afraid," he said, serenely. "For that is the
jewel-case of the Pentacle Club."
"_Jewel-case!_" cried Dr. Verrall, excitedly, at this strange remark.
"What are you talking about? That was a living animal's cry, I'll take
my oath."
"Quite right, Doctor; look for yourself."
With a swift step toward a door back of him, Cleek threw it open and
disclosed another room into which he beckoned them.
Here the morning light streamed in through windows and gratings let into
the walls, and it was evident that they gave upon the old moat outside.
But this they hardly noticed, for an amazing sight met their eyes. Round
the walls were ranged cages big and small, every one with a living
occupant. Cage after cage contained small kangaroos, oppossums,
civet-cats, in fact, every variety of marsupial animal.
"Good Heavens," gasped Sir Edgar, "what is it? Are we mad or dreaming?
It's like a circus."
"Which is what it would have been," said Cleek, complacently, "but if
Mr. Narkom's men have done their work properly, Professor James out in
the meadow will wait in vain for his opportunity to transfer these
creatures to his friendly caravans."
"Professor James?" said Bobby Wynne, speaking for the first time since
the disappearance of Gunga Dall. "What has he to do with it, Mr.
Headland?"
"Everything, as you will see for yourself," said Cleek, "but for the
moment, I want to rescue some of the Cheyne jewels which, if I am not
mistaken, would have vanished forever after to-night."
"But where are they?" said Jennifer.
"Here in front of you, for the most part," responded Cleek, serenely,
"surely in the strangest jewel-case that was ever conceived." Speaking,
he darted over to the cage of one of the small kangaroos, and with the
aid of his coat succeeded in catching fast the struggling animal.
Plunging his hand into the pouch he withdrew it, holding up a shining
pendant in his fingers. A little gasp came from all present.
"Good Heavens!" said Sir Edgar. "Do you mean to tell me the jewels are
hidden like that?"
"I do," said Cleek. "It is no wonder that Sammy Blake felt assured of
his booty, for unless his accomplices betrayed him he was safe beyond
all discovery. He knew that between the police searching for them, and
his own pals thirsting for revenge, he would stand a very poor chance of
getting them away hidden in any ordinary manner. Hence the circus. It
was ingenious, to say the least of it!"
"But how did he get them in?" asked Lady Brenton.
"Very simply, as I will show you. But first I will try and relieve some
of these animals of their burden. Sir Edgar, Doctor, and Mr. Wynne, if
you will lend me a hand----"
Suiting the action to the word, they made the round of the cages. In
nearly every case Cleek abstracted some valuable jewel from its
occupant's pouch. He had left the cage containing one kangaroo to the
last. The animal was a large one, and it took the united efforts of the
men to overpower it. But at last they succeeded, and Cleek gave a little
cry of triumph as he held up to their astonished gaze a huge
amethyst-coloured stone, flashing and quivering in the dim light of the
torches.
"The Purple Emperor," cried Lady Margaret, breathlessly, and Cleek, with
a little bow, passed it to her.
"Yes, Lady Margaret, and the quicker you get that into custody of the
bank the safer your life will be, and----"
He stopped short, alert and intent, for a sound had come to his trained
ears. Someone else had entered the vault. Quickly he stepped back into
the shadow of the cages where he was hidden from view. There came a
sound at the back of the room, a snarl, half human, half animal. But it
was a man's figure that leaped across and snatched the great jewel away
from the soft hands of Lady Margaret. Both the girl and her companions
were too dazed by the sudden appearance of this uncouth being, his
clothes covered with green mould, his hair dishevelled, his eyes
glaring, to do anything but stare at him in utter astonishment.
"It's mine at last!" he shrieked, and turned to go back the way he had
come.
But Cleek was in front of him and the entry closed. Noiselessly and
swiftly he had worked his way round, and now stood looking at the man
who but a few short hours back had had him trussed and bound in the
wine-cellar on the other side of the house.
"Not so fast, my friend!" he said. "Your circus must wait awhile. Up
with your hands."
He drew a revolver, and held it in front of the man's face. His shaking
arms went slowly upward, his furious crimson countenance turned a sort
of pale drab, he swayed a moment, tried to regain his balance,
staggered, and then dropped to his knees. Mr. Narkom promptly snapped
the bracelets upon his wrists.
Cleek hauled him promptly into the circle of light.
"Curse you!" snarled the man. "Why didn't I kill you the other day?"
"Yes, why?" said Cleek, lightly, "a mistake on your part." Stooping down
he took possession once more of the Purple Emperor. "No stone is worth
imperilling your life for, my good John."
A little cry broke from the blanched lips of Lady Margaret as she peered
at the dishevelled figure.
"Why, it is the butler, the man who watched over me alternately with
Aggie in that awful cellar!" she cried.
"It's the man who saw Bobby, and said----" Jennifer broke off abruptly,
biting her lips in vexation at having thus betrayed herself, and Cleek,
looking at her significantly, took up the thread.
"Yes, the man you tried to bribe, Miss Jennifer, who ran away so quickly
and disappeared in an empty field. I will show you how he did it.
Dollops, bring him along, and follow me, people. There is still more to
this astounding riddle."
He switched on his heel, and passed through the door which he had opened
behind them and across the vaulted kitchen, followed by his companions.
Then, climbing up a few steps, they went through still another door
which led them out into the open.
"The moat," said Lady Margaret, softly, as she looked up at the blue
sky, high above their heads.
Cleek said nothing, but bending over twitched aside a little clump of
green shrubs.
It disclosed a dark opening like a cutting let right into the earth.
"This slopes up," said he. "I have already tried it, and if you noticed
those cages, you would have seen that every one was fitted with wheels.
This enabled them to be wheeled down this passageway, and to-night
probably they would have been transferred to the circus and thence to
London. I do not think that either the police or the other members of
the gang would have thought of searching in so queer a hiding place, do
you?... What's that, Sir Edgar? How did I come to think of it? Well,
when I discovered the animals last week, I was struck with their excited
condition, and the strong smell of musk told me that something had been
done recently to them to rouse them up to such a pitch. A little link of
broken chain in a cage and a hastily made experiment told me the rest of
the tale."
While Cleek was speaking they were moving along the strange passage and
soon noticed that they were walking up an incline. Just as their heads
began to reach the level of the earth, an iron gate barred their way.
Cleek pushed it back, and they discovered that it was the entrance to
the vaults of Cheyne Court cleverly hidden by the gorse bushes of the
meadow belonging to the house.
In this meadow Professor James had pitched his circus, secure in the
permission of "Miss Cheyne," and here he had waited for an opportunity
to get hold of his precious freight.
Cleek and his followers were in the centre of affairs before the
spectators even had time to wonder from whence they had sprung.
"Beg your pardin', Mr. Narkom, sir," began Petrie, a look of chagrin on
his face. "We've got the caravans and all the rest of the stuff, but the
man himself had got clear away."
Cleek smiled.
"All right, Petrie," said he, serenely. "Not so clear as he thought, for
Dollops has got him safe and he is here, right enough. Get him down to
the village and charge him with the robbery of the Cheyne jewels."
A light of satisfaction gleamed in Petrie's eyes as they lit on the
figures of Dollops and his captive, and a look of relief crossed his
face. It would have been the first time a suspected person had ever
slipped through his grasp, and the fact that he had failed Cleek at a
critical moment had filled him with dismay.
"Did you get the woman, Aggie?" asked Mr. Narkom, briskly.
"Yessir," said Hammond, smartly, "fought like a wild cat, she did, too,
but we got her all right, and Constable Roberts has taken her down to
the station."
"Good," said Cleek, "I think, then, that is all we need do here."
"But there are still points to be cleared, Mr. Cleek. Come up now to the
Towers, where we can be at peace," said Lady Brenton. "I want to get
this child," she smiled at Lady Margaret, "into safety, but we will have
lunch first, for I am sure you are all absolutely worn out."