THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 40, 27 May 1910, Page 6

THE STORYTELLER.

THE GREAT AUK'S EGG AFFAIR THRILLING SEXTON BLAKE STORY. When he first met Mr. Owen Ormston. iSexton Blalke thought that lie had nerer seen a human being who so strongly resembled a bird. The hooked nose, fluffy side-whiskers, and large, short-sighted, round eyes peering from .behind 'heavyrimmed spectacles, gave the owr. :• „t Groom Court an amazing resemimuice to a large, amiable owl.

Mr. Ormston's name was 'familiar to Blake. He had read his monograph on British shore birds; but of . Ir.> reason why he himself had been so h.i t :ly nnnnioned to Cropru Court he was igno. ant.

"1 am glad to see you, Mr. Blake;' said Mr. Ormston, with nervous eagerness. ''Come in, please! Lycett''— speaking to the footman —'"take this gentleman's luggage to his room."

■Ho. led the detective into a large, comfortable apartment, which seemed halt study, half woifehop. There was a big desk littered with papers, tall bookshelves full of works on bird lore, and one wall was hidden uv beautifully-con-structed collector's cabinets, each drawer neatly labelled. Below was a long line of glass-topped cases, in the compartments of which lay clutches of eggs, neatly displayed upon cotton-wool.

"You take an interest in wild biros' eggs, Mr. Blake?" began Mr. Ormston. "A very amateurish one, I'm afraid/' replied Blake. "it is about one these eg'gs that i have requested your services," said the other eagerly. "I have had a dreadful loss, Mr. Blalke. The gem of my collection, my great auk's egg, has mysteriously vanished." "But," returned Blake, in .surprise, pointing to one of the compartments where lay, in solitary glory, a large mottled egg. some live Indies long by three wide", "surely this is the egg you speak of—the egg of the long extinct Alct Impennis!" iMr. Ormston shook his head sadly. "That," he said, "is only an imitation in plaster of Paris. The real egg was far too precious for casual exhibition. I kept it carefully locked in a special metal-lined drawer. Yesterday, when 1 opened the draw, it was gone!" His tones were pitiful. Bluke felt a sudden pity for the kindly old man. He knew there is no grief like that of the ardent collector robbed of his greatest treasure. And as lie was aware that .there are in existence 'Only sixty-eight specimens of this extinct bird, and that these are valued at three hundred wounds apiece, he could quite understand Mr. Ormston's emotion.

"When did you Last see the egg?" he asked.

"Six days ago," was the prompt replv. "Have you any suspicions as to the culprit? 'You must be quite open with me," he added, as he saw the other hesitate.

"Very well, I will tell you all I know," replied Mr. Ormston, with sudden decision. "It is a dreadful thing, but I fear it is my nephew, Trevor Ormston, who has taken the egg. On Friday last the very day after 1 last looked at t'he egg, I opened a letter addressed simply "Mr. Ormston," and read it through before 1 realised that it was meant, not for me, but for my nephew.

"This letter was from a bookmaker, and demanded in curt terms a cheque for £l3O.

"I had no idea that Trevor gambled, and [ was angry. When he came down to 'breakfast, and I handed him the letter, 1 spoke to him very sharply, and told him that I made him a good allowance, and had no intention of paying his gambling debts. He answered angrily that I had better wait until he asked me to do so, and left the table without finishing his breakfast." "But that is not evidence," said Blake, as Mr. Ormston paused 1 , "¥our nephew may have had the money to settle the debt."

"Wait!" exclaimed the other. "I happened to know that Trevor's account at his bank was overdrawn, he is an extravagant youngster, though, so far as 1 am aware, not vicious. On Monday it occurred to ,me that I had been hasty, and ! wrote to the bookmaker, enclosing a cheqnue for the amount. Yesterday— Wednesday—the cheque came back, with a civil letter, saying that the account had been settled.'' '

Blake pursed his lips. "Even that does not connect your nephew directly with the theft."

"Heaven knows that the last thing 11 desire is to connect him with it! But there is, unfortunately, further evidence against him. In the first place, he is the only person in the house besides myself who has free access to this room. I am so particular that I always lock the door when I am out of it, and when it is swept and dusted, mv old butler, Moreland, stands by, and supervises the maid who does the work. In the second place, Trevor went up to town tor the day on Tuesday. Worse than all, Mr. Blake, when I asked him where lie got the money to settle- with the bookmaker; lie got red ami confused, and refused to tell me."

Blake's face assumed a. serious expression.

"You arc right, Mr. Ormston. What you have just told me puts a very different complexion upon the ease. But there is one point which occurs to me. A great auk's egg is not like a piece of jewellery, which you can -dispose oi a* anv pawnbroker's. It is such a rarity, that the sale of a specimen creates a

small sensation in the ornithological world, anil is usually chronicled in the papers. liow could your nephew have disposed of the oggf" "Your question is a sound one," replied Mv. Ormston a-pprovinglv. "But when J tell you that Nelson Q. Gednev is in London, you will appreciate tlt& fact." "Gednev, the American collector?" exflninied Blake. 'The same. He is a millionaire, Mr. ftlake; and. what is more, is as unscrupulous as he is rich. He has not got a

good specimen of the great auk's egg, and I am certain that for one like mine he would pay full market price; and ask no questions." Blake nodded. "You arc probably right, Mr. Ormston." lie stopped, and considered a moment. "I think the best thing that I can do is to stay here at Croom for the present. There* are enquiries which I must make upon the spot, and I also wish to meet your nephew. One other question, Mr. Ormston. Have you rftld anyone of your loss?" "No one'besides yourself. Not even Moreland."

•'Your butler, you mean?" "Yes, He is almost more than that, Mr. Blalke. One of those old family servants who one may class as friends. He, too, is a collector but of freshwater shells, not birds' eggs. If you want to win his heart, you should -ask him to show you his collection.'' "And your nephew?" asked Blake. ■'You have not mentioned the disappearance of the egg l to him?" "I have not said a word to him."

"1 am glad of that. And does your household know anything of my identity?"

"Probably not. for this is an out-of-the-way part of the world. And even if they do, it is only the guilty one who could connect your presence here with your profession. I told Moreland taac you were a brother collector, interested in my work." "Very wise," said Blake, approvingly. At luncheon Blalke met Trevor Ormston, a well-set-;' ''.ng Englishman, with a tanned fa<. ..:i<j dressed in a rough suit of grev tweeds. There was nothing to distinguish h'ttt from a thousand other products of the public school and university. Certainly tnere was nothing about him to connect with a crime; but Blake knew too well to judge Dy first appearances. The luncheon was well cooked and well served. Moreland, the grey-haired butler, was assisted by Lycett, the footman who had taken up Blake's luggage. After the meal, Trevor offered to show him over the farm, Blake accepted the invitation, but after an hour's stroll excused himself on the plea of letters for the .post, ia,nd cafne back .alone. The door was locked. Moreland answered the Ijcll. Blake engaged the old man in conversation, and presently said: "Mr. Ormston' tells me that you, like him, are a collector." A gratified smile crossed the butler's face.

"In a very humble way, sir," he an* swered. "If you take any interest in such tilings, sir, I should be more than pleased to show you my little collection.. "I shall ibe delighted," said Blake, coi* dially; and followed Moreland to the bade regions. An hour later, Blake, who had apparently forgotten all about his letters, was sitting in a little summer-house in the garden. He was evidently deeply wrapped in .thought. He sat there for a long time, and then at last got up, and began strolling casually through the wellkept grounds and shrubberies which surrounded the house.

That evening and the next day Blake never left the house for long at a time, but for all the effort he appeared to be making to solve the mystery, he might, indeed, have been a guest. On the second evening, Lycett, the footman, asked leave to go to Southampton next day, in order to see his brother, a soldier whose regiment was leaving England for India. The following morning at breakfast Tre- ] voir Ormston announced 'his intention of running up to town for the day. •ttcft a bit of shopping to <io," lie explained, "and I have to see my tailor." lilake .made no remark, but after breaktot Mr. Ormston found a note on his writing-table, addressed in Blake's characteristic ■hand. "1 am going away for the day," it ran. "I hope to be lack for dinner. I have taken the liberty of ■borrowing' your artificial great auk's egg." When the dinner-gong sounded, Blakewas waiting in the drawing-room, perfectly turned .out as usual, in irreproachable evening-dress. Trevor, too, was there, looking rather pleased with himself. The two men were chatting easily when Mr. Ormston came in. The latter hoped that after dinner Blake would volunteer some explanation, hut he was disappointed. Mr. Ormston hsy awake that night, worrying over the whole business, with the result that next .morning he was late for breakfast. He found Blake down before him, eating kidneys and bacon with a zest which spoke well for his health and appetite. Of Trevor there was no sign. Mr. Ormston sat down heavily in his place, and languidly raised the cover of tlie silver breakfast-dish in front of liim. Then he leaped from his chair with a sliout.

In the dish lay the great auk's egg, safe and sound as when he had last seen it a week before in his cabinet. "Forgive me," said Blake, with a laugh. "I had no business to startle you" but I could not resist the opportunity for a small practical joue." '"Forgive you! I'd forgive you for more than that, nty dear fellow, for restoring my treasure. But how—how in the name of Wonder have you accomplished the miracle?" "It was really a. very simple matter," replied Blake modestly. "In the first place, let mo assure you that your nephew, who, by-the-'bye, has breakfasted early, and gone out, had nothing whatever to do with the theft." "Thank Heaven for that!" exclaimed Mr. Ormston earnestly. "But who, then, was the real t'hief?" "I'll come to that in a minute. You remember telling me that Moreland was a collector?" "I do." "I acted upon your suggestion, and asked ihim to let me see his shells. That gave me an opportunity for a talk, and I told him that you were anxious about your nephew, and feared he had run into debt beyond his means. I told him, in fact, about the bootmaker's letter. He was oddly confused, but begged me to believe that Mr. Trevor had come by the money in a perfectly legitimate manner. I drew my own conclusions, and went out into the garden, which I ex-

plored thoroughly." "The garden!" exclaimed Mr. Orraston, amazed.

"Yes. 1 was already nearly certain of the identiiv of the. thief, and 1 had made up my mind that the egg was in all .probabii::/ concealed —buried most] likely—in the grounds. 'Presently l| found that there was just one spot which was not commanded by any of the windows. It is that plantation of deodars on the north-west side of the house. Choosing the time when 1 knew that tea was being brought in. 1 made a thorough search, and sure enough found the egg bur L.i a-, the :'o,.tt>i .i tree. It was in a box, v. ;'!! v. rapped in wool. 1 covered it up again. A.:.i left it exactly as 1 had found n.'

Mr. Ormston stared in stupefaction,

"Left it! Hood heavens, why did you not bring it in at once?" "That would never have done, liemember, 1 had to clear your nephew, and for that reason, if for no other, it was necessary to have proof against tiie real culprit." "I see. And then?''

"Then I waite.'. 1 k::ew the thk' ( must take his .- >:. *. market. Tin- n Jit before, last 1 lea rut iron. Moreianu .»iat the footman. Lycett. luitl asked for leave to go away for a day." "Lycett! Then lie is the thief?"

"Yes, as I had suspected almost from the beginning. I had a clue the very day 1' was here. At luncheon I noticed • he remiins of a g'l'een moss-stain on the left knee of his livery trousers'. ■ It had been well brushed, but there was quite enougit left to give him away. "As -soon as 1 knew what Lycett was after, I borrowed the sham egg, and substituted it for the real one, and next morning followed the man. Just as L expected, it was the London train which he took, not the Soutiiampton. 1 followed him to Waterloo, and from there to the house which Mr. Gedney has taken in Hans Place. I watched him ring the bell, and enter, and then 1 came <i-.vay.' "Claine away! But why didn't you arrest the scoundrel at once, and hand him over to the police?" Blake laughed, and handed h' s ' ,a morning .paper. It contained an account of how a, man who called himself Green had been handed over to the police by Mr. Nelson Q. Gedney, for endeavoring to swindle .him by selling a sham great auk's egg. Mr. Ormston was so pleased and excited that some minutes elapsed before it occurred to him to ask Blake from what source Trevor had got the money to pay off the bookmaker. "Surely that is clear enough," siiiiled Blake. "Moreland lent it to him. The old man 'has a very snug nest-egg of his own, and is devoted to your nephew." "He shall not lose by it," said Mr. Ormston warmly. And Moreland found that he kept his word.