Was He the Man ?

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10206, 6 April 1911, Page 2

Was He the Man ?

OUR SERIAL.

BY F. L. DACRE,

. -o— ■ \ntlior of "A Phantom of the Past," "Tronholme's Trust," "The Doctor's Secret," "A Loveless Marriage," "Sir John's Heiress," etc.

CHAPTER IX.—Continued. "1 don't seo what liiut has to do v ith the identity oi tlic Major " ho responded v.-iih some licat. "It is not J whom wo aro discussing, but him. All th-j Miiiip, I'll toll you. J. went to Port Elizabeth throe years ago, at my brother John's request, to help him in his i-torc. Having told you this, and as -.on plainly disbelieve my statement I'Jiout the major, 1 will not trouble you again. Mr Morton directed mo to yon ■/■'. executoi of wit" one representing himself as Major .Denver. I thought I w-j dciii"' von a service in informing you that Tie Ls still alive, for you might find it a bad business dealing with property belonging to another person. But for my regard for Major Denver, as my superior officer, and a gentleman, I should not have troubled you. I can onlv say, before going, that should you have any doubt when ho returns as to his identity, it tan be settled by an examination of his leg. Good afternoon, Mr Grey."

"Olio moment," I said, as ho rose from his chair, "suppose I should want to refer to you for this purposfe —although I cannot conceive it,possible—where can I communicate with you?'' "Ihave.no iix ; d. address in Lr.don. for I. am not often here. I am on the road, an agent for tlio sale of tea, and am mostly in the country. But a letten- addressed to me, to the care of 'Smiles, news agent, 15 Deacon-street, fioho,' will find me on my first return , to London." "Thanks," I said, "I will make a note of it." - I nodded,' and he stumped away, with Johnson close on his heels. Lett alono in the chambers, I put away my check book, pass book, and paid cheeks, which had been lyinir looiely on the table, and .sat down, to' consider the problem of William Smith. His name was certainly against him, for it was so common as to make identification difficult. Were Ito make enquiries, I should probably find that the name was well-known in the Twentythird Rifles; indeed, William Smiths may have abounded in the Regiment. On the other hand, the man was not to bo rated as dishonest because lie had a name that made it difficult to trace bis antecedents. His words and manner had been quite, consistent with his honesty of intention. He had not shown any eagerness to convince, but had stated his facts dispasionately. I did not for a moment doubt that the body I.bad s,eon consigned to tho grave was truly and actually that of Denver. Nor did I doubt that Smith had really met the man ho asserted to be Denver. "But I was undecided as to his integrity —and, turn the matter over as I would I got no nearer to the conclusion of the point. In about two hours' time my servant returned. At my first glance I saw failure written on his face. "You didn't manage to track the J man ?" I queried. j "No. sir," said Johnson. "I'm sorry Ito say I missed him. I kept.him in J view all the way to Victoria Station, 1 walking on the other side of the street. I saw him look about him several times, as though he thought lie .might be followed, but cannot say if he noticed me. He walked to the ticket office, and I was so close that I heard him ask for a ticket to Balham; so I did the same. I never lost sight of him until he got into a carriage. I got into the very next one, and took a seat in the corner, on tho platform side.- At Balham I kept a sharp look-out, expecting to see the man alight and not until the train was on the point of starting did I get out. • He certainly was not among the persons on the platform. in fact, there were only five —two old men, and three young' women. As the train moved' out of the station, I looked into every compartment, and I am confident that he Avas not in it."

"He must have got out at ono of the intermediate stations/' I interposed. "That's the curious part of it, sir," rejoined Johnson. "Thinking that he might do that if he suspected anything, I kept,a good look out at every ion, and I am certain that no one like him left the train. His leg made him so easy to distinguish that I am sure that I could not have missed him. " what he can have done with himself heats me—unless he got down on the wrong side of the train. lam very sorry, sir, that I failed."

"Your failure is vexing," I said "but it can't he helped." Then I dismissed him. It was annoying, hut it had settled my doubts. I was convinced now that the man was in league with Fitzgerald; it was something, at least, to know that he was nn enemy. I must tell what I had learned to M. Morel, and see what ho thought of it.

I decided to do this the first thing after dinner, and made my way~to a well-known restaurant in Soho. Besides having a first-rate c&ef, it had the additional advantage ef being near M. Morel's temporary domicile—a thirdrate hotel in Greek Street.

CHAPTER X,

A CONVINCING DISGUISE,

It was about lialf-past eight wfien I reached the dingy little hotel after dinner. I had thought this a likely time to find M. Morel, and I was not disappointed; better still. Burton was with him. As his business was confidential, he had a m-ivato sitting room

in which -to interview his visitors. "Well, sir," he said, when we had exchanged greetings, "any fresh developments?" I told him of William Smith's visits to Mr Morton and myself, and what had passed. They heard me through without in terruption, Imt the -moment I had finished, Morel exclaimed. "If I'd baen in your chambers this afternoon, Mr Grey, James Robson's head would have been in peril." "What!" T cried. "You think my visitor was James Robson? Impossible, my dear sir. There is not the least resemblance between the two, if tho photograph you showed me is to lie relied upon. Will you let me hff/e another look at it?" Morel produced it, and I scrutinized it closely. "Now this," I said, " is a spare, long-necked man, but William Smith had noticeably broad shoulders, and a stiff neck." "Made up of an iron framewonc padded. Have you never known a thin man to play the part of Falstaff ? Go to Beerbohm Tree, and ask him how it is done." "Then his stiffened, crooked knee, one leg shorter than the other, and supported by an iron?" I proceeded. "How do you know that oueJeg is shorter than/the other?" asked More . "You assume it because of the support, just as he meant you to do." "If you could see crippled beggars 1 transforming themselves into sound people when the day's work is over, you would learn how easy it is to produce apparent malformation," interjected Burton. "It is possible that his leg was a disguise," I said." "But he had sore eyes. Are Robson's like that?" "The effect of an irritant applied temporarily," jerked out Morel. "No, there is nothing tho matter with Robson's eyes. By the way, what colour were your man's?" "I am afraid I didn't notice them j sufficiently to say; but certainly light I rather than dark." ' "They didn't match his black hair, !at any rate. In this particular, at I least, they" resemble Robson. His are jgreenish-grev."

I "Eyes are not much to go by," I replied. Then I bent my gaze upon the photograph again, andw ent on, "Oh, he couldn't have been Robson; tins man had an overhanging jaw,, a very short upper lip that fails to cover the teeth, and a receding chin. Now, my visitor had a protruding chin, and had. an underhung lip." "Artificial chin, covered by his goatee," promptly rejoined Morel. "You couldn't, see his mouth for the huge moustache you have described. That and his goatee, I haven't a doubt, were false. His liar was either a wig or dyed, and his skin was stained. ; Robson is a fair man, with tawny hair. "It may be as you say," said T, "but. you will admit that your' belief is entirely founded on hvnothesis." "When we haven't facts to go by, we have to construct hypotheses for our guidance. But in this case we have one fact—the eyes. We may find others. As to his height, for instance, what about that?" "Tallish ; T should think about five feet ten." Morel pondered for a moment, to turn th cEnglish measurements into his familiar French, and then he said : "That is exactly Tarries Robson's height; that makes two points of resemblance. Now, ignoring his height and breadth of shoulder, what of his build. Was he a thick-set man?" "By no means; there seemed to be no superfluous flesh about him. I should describe him as a spare, wiry man." "Just so," Morel agreed. "Eyes, height and build correspond with Robson's. The man may not have been Robson, but, for the moment, I shall assume that he was, for I want that slippery customer. He is quite an adept at making up. So far as you are concerned, Mr Grey, it doesn't signify much whether the man was Robson or not; for, in.either case, I am convinced that he was an emissary from Fitzgerald." "I think there is no doubt of it." said Burton. "His evading your servant proves that." "Yes, I wonder how the deuce he managed that," J said. "Probably got into an empty com-partment,-took off his iron leg and false shoulders, which were made to * double up, doffed his black wig, moustache and goatee, made the whole up into a bundle, and walked away at an intermediate station under your man's very eyes." "I suppose it must have been so," i I rejoined. "Well, he must be decidedly clever; he certainly has dodged us this time." v "But T'll have him yet," put in Morel, "and the other scoundrel, too! Since T saw you last I have applied for a warrant for Fitzgerald, who, i. have the strongest reason to believe is still in Eh gland. I saw him not so long- ago, to say nothing of your sight of him on the Embankment," but I was without a warrant." "That you may execute it, an 1 speedily," I said, "is my strongest wish. I shall know no peace until the scoundrel has received his deserts." "Good! But it's dry work talking " said Morel. "What shall I order for you, gentlemen? The usual whisky and soda?" (To be Continued).