The Dark House at Highgate

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10679, 27 July 1912, Page 2

The Dark House at Highgate

'OUR {SERIAL.)

CHAPTER Vl. Continued. ".Mr Esdailo won't be called as a witnivo at t'lie inquest, will hop" I asked. "Of course we know Tony 3iad .nothing to do with this—this tinged}*. But it would b? better if iMr K®daile's observation® were kept out of the evidence." "Xo, Mir FedaMe won't by called at tho -inquest," replied Anno. "Then, what is lhc> trouble? You don't su;>pect Tony r" "Oh, 110. Tony is kindness itself. He wouldn't hurt a Hv. But Mr Esdaile " "Mr . Efeclailc —yes? Go on," I said. "He says nothing but lus consideration for me would keep liini from doing his duty and telling his suspicions to the police," continued Anne, looking rather Av'hite. "He is the son of one of our magistrates, 'and he spoke much of bis duty a:.' »;i upholder of the law. He will bo hilout, ahough, on my account." "Do you mean," I said, rising to my feet in my indignation and wrath, "do u.u mean t'l\at this Sir Esdaile wants to marry yen?" Has he asked you to marry him?" ','Ycs. Mere than once." faltered Anne. "And he p'naccs you under an obligation 'L'o hini, so thl.it Oh, it can't be! Ajuic, I thouglit such things were only do,no on the stage, liei*o ..have I been living in dear, innocent, prosaic London, while things nice this have been going on only a hundred miles away—real, full-blood-ed melodrama-- in real life. Anne, you mean it?" "It's time, Peter. Of course, I don't mean that he openly threatens me, •brat he is 'violating his conscience,' lie says, by keeping f/.leut, and j bis conscience is tender, and be has } a bad temper. Oh, reter, if it were I to become known that it was Tony's j pistol that was found beside tho i body!" "Mr Esda.il e could hardly keep back that fact' now and bring it forward biter on," I observed. ■' "He could do anything!" isaid Anno. "Except marry you?" I blurted out. "I would sooner kill myself!" Anne answered, wiftli a fiery bluish; w-hicJi was odd, because Anne was not at

ail given to flushing. 1 N I felt that I should be very glad to pick a quarrel with Esdjile, out, all, that might only endanger Tony— imperil his I'ife, perhaps. Could it be .possible that taich a hid-' coi:s peril threatened this secure and pleasant home— that Tony, .the vivacious:. pilgrim of the primrose pith, too terrible to contemplate ? I tried to realise it as I etcod Staring at the ;bees at work in a flower bed cutfeide tho arbor. And I was trying to think whether there could 'be any c.omiecitfon between the murder that had taken. place last night— if murder it was—:nd something oleo that had happened at the Jolly' Farmer Inn. "Anne," I said, "there may be no-thi-.ig in it, 'b«t I tihink I should like to teil t!he police .something that may h'.ve -.some bearing on this business, And J mustn't lose time. "Whoreis the police sxatuon.?" "Tho nearest is at Bolton Crocs, close to tho inn, very near Mr Iktf> W;ortli'« bouse," rep jic ;] Anne, up from her chair in corns agitation. "\V is it, PeterP" "I'll tell you later,"' I called bas-k to her, as' I hurried tbwdrfl ;t)he gate.

CHAPTER V. A G!llAA'E _ iuSPICION. Tie police istatioa. proved to he a small white cottage, with a flower garden l an (front !of it and a kite fieri garden-ibe'side 'it. There was nothing to differentiate it from neighbouring cottager iexcapt the lin;scri,pt;ion over the door—"County Police." This migiuet ibody was represented, for the time being, only by the ruddyy faced officer whosa dreams 1 hnd broken. in' iii,pon that morming. jHe came to the dioor, sJKppc-red and in bis shirt sleeves ; asd from .the" interior of the -cottage came Ul9 outcry (of children boing prepared .unwillingly for bed. Tt was' t'h.i.'o outcry tlwit imade .me suggest a 'stroll dn ttsie garden- AVkile I unburdened my .mind. The policeman led Ithe wiy between tows of sticked peas and iphalanxes !of cauliflowers, and cume to a halt by some beehives at the end of the garden. "Yes,, sir," he said inquiringly. "I want 'tb tell you something," I exclaimed, "that may or .may not bare some connection with what happened la«t night I refer of course, to '.uSr :Botsworth's death. .When you rhavo lieard' me you can pass on my lin'fo.r.matibn to the (proper authorities, or refer ithem to me or me to

BY DERWENT MIALL. Author of "Lady Rosalie's 1.0:.acy," "Bellamy's Warning," "Tho Strange Case '»r Yincent Hume," "In the Wab. " Etc Etc.

j theni. I VJo:r;t iknow funr.you manage I tlicv.' u /fa irs ? lt \ cry wood, vSiir?" said the policeman. "La.vt ]i ight,l began, "I slept, as you -know, at the Jolly Farmer. •After cLunor J: ordered a half bottle of port. 1. drank a little «.*' it, .Mr IMott had a .large glass of it. and you had more. 1 slept • with; unnatural heaviness, go did Mr Mott, and so"— here J smiled a confidential simile—"so did yon. Will you confess 'that you were asleep in the 'hedge all night?" "That J will not, sir," replied tho policeana.il., with 110 trace «f mirth on his face. "cVrv well," 1 isaid, "But, at all events', you sle.pt on your heat; and that is not a thing you often do." "Xever happened before in my life" was the indignant reply. "Then it so ins dear to jne," I resumed, "that that wine, to have had ouch a, remarkable effect upon me and Mr Mott and yourself, must have been drugged witii a istrong narcotic. It would take more th.in a t'ltmhleful of port to put a big man like you asleep." "I toll you, sir, 1 only had forty winks," .said the policeman stolidly. "N'one the less for that, the wine was drugged. 1 feel sure of.it; and I will tcM you how, and by w.hom. There were two strangers staying i.it tlie inn. "besides myself —an American doctor an'd a queer, mervous fellow whom he represented as ia patient of his. After Mr Mott had brought me the wine T .left i't on the table and won't to j the kitchen. The two men h,.id plenty of time to tamper with the wine before it was brought ,i,nto the kitchen." The police-niaj) nodded, to show that he '.followed tlio >s : tory, hut lii<s manner was not encouraging. "Now supposing," said .1, "tlioy chanced to he, not doctor and patient, ; but burglars, 'intending to break into Mr Betsw orfch's • house, ft would obviously be to their advantage that I should get a good might's rest. My arrival took them by surprise, and my bedroom w'as next to theirs, iso they may have feared that if I was wakeful" 1 should hear them leaving the house." "fy it likely they would g\> about with drugs to put people asleep ?" said the policeman sceptically. "Net o-nly likely, hut a fact known to me," I declared. I dare say, rath-' er tartly, "for the one wlmm 1 supposed to ibo a doctor gave the other a dose of bromide a.fter dinner, from a pocket- medicine ease. Nothing eouM have been easier far hi.na t-ha.n to slip §ome drug or oilier —-morphine, ■ mi- , phonal,. what' you pleusp— into my bottle of \Mine when 1 was. not in tl#? j room." 1 "Yes," replied tho policeman -• wily; s "but if ho intended to '"'li «.u j quietly, wouldt.'t ha w-mt to pit Mr I Motb a!••'•?<p ? Ha didn't try | ;;nnies directly on Mr Mott, did he?"

"Mr Mutt's 'bedroom id nowhere near th? room' in \vVn»h i slept. He didn't try any .gamas directly mi M.r Mott, did ho?" Mr Mott's bedroom is. nowhere near the room in which I slftpfc. He would not Jie likely to War any 'on« tvufas--iening tlie door of the house," 1 said, beginning t ; o feel realfy aggrieved at the way in l which my story was Received. The policeniiwi. stroked kra chin and gaxed absently at n treetoj). "What do yo uthink of it?" I asked kirn. "Thiink of lit?" was the reply. "I think you were .a 'hit sleepy after a good .diiMier, • r, awd .|i#rhaps a day in the open nil - . It was heavy and thundery t/;io; and, M<*«. Matt- being out-, I thin'k M.r Motet may have taken th.o opportunity of enjoying , himself, himself when you were asleep." ''Ajrid'lhow «,beut yourself?" I asked With po.sitiivo annoyance, f«r I did not Like to have my theory firr.it doubted ;uid then, demiolislfed in this iKininiary .faskiaa. "I was 'iip «U liigjlrt,,' Inadn't slept well 't'li© day before, and J took foiity winks," was the reply. It wa ( s my turn to he .inrmTulons, hut the polieciman. stuck t.o his assertion doggedly. I asked him if it war? Ko,fc ihis duty ,ti?> report the suh&iancc of our conversation tfo some one higher in authority, Ibut this 'he declined to do. » "I# you'll 'excuse me, sir," lw? » s id, "I ;Miink there's nothing in it. And I'm not goin'g to report tli.it I had a drink when c.ll duty and i-lopt ion my .beat. I have a wife aii/d four children." (To he Continued.)