am not a `mummy expert,' so I won't venture an opinion," he replied."I should say the best thing they can do is to bury it, or give it tosome museum. I'm sure Thorold won't want it."
"Don't you think," I said, speaking rather slowly, "Thorold may know howit came to be concealed there?"
"What a ridiculous idea, if you will pardon my saying so," Whicheloanswered quite sharply. "What on earth can he know about it?"
"After all," I said, in the same even tone, "it was found in his house.Now, I have a theory. Shall I tell you what it is?"
He could not well say "no," though I noticed he was not anxious tolisten to the expression of my views or theories on the subject.
"Well," I continued, looking at him steadily, "I have a theory regardingthat strange hole in the ceiling. Can you guess what it is?"
"I'm sure I can't," he said, rather uneasily. "What is it?"
"My belief is that the mummy has been for a long time hidden in thatceiling--between the ceiling and the floor above. They lifted theboards of the upper room to get the mummy out, when the ceiling, rottedby decay, fell down. That's my belief. You will, I think, find in theend that I'm right, though the idea does not seem, as yet, to haveoccurred to anybody else."
Whichelo laughed. It was obviously a forced laugh.
"By Jove! you have a vivid imagination, Ashton," he said, "only I fearyou won't find many, if any, to agree with your theory. Why should themummy have been hidden in the ceiling? Who would have hidden it?People usually have some reason for doing things," he ended, with atouch of malice.
"They have," I answered significantly. Then, unable to resist theimpulse, I added with affected carelessness: "I suppose, if a man hid abag of gold, he would have some reason for hiding it, especially if hehid it in a ceiling. What do you think?"
The man's countenance blanched to the lips. His mouth twitched. Heseemed unable to utter a word.
"What do you know?" he suddenly exclaimed hoarsely, clutching the arm ofhis chair with trembling fingers. Then he added, in a threatening tone:"Tell me!"
I remembered that I was alone with him in there, miles from everywhere.When standing, he towered high above me, a veritable giant, and I knewthat, if he chose to attack me, he must overcome me with the greatestease. At all costs I must pacify him.
"Perhaps now," I said calmly, "you think there is more in my theory thanat first appeared. Listen to me, Mr. Whichelo," I went on, forcing mycourage, "from what I have said, and hinted, you probably guess that Iknow--well--something. It remains for you to decide whether we are tobe friends--or not. Personally, I am willing to be friendly with you.Thorold and I are friends, and have been for years. In addition, I amto marry Vera, so, naturally, I should prefer to remain friendly withher friends. Why not take me into your confidence, and tell me all youknow? I'm not a man to talk, I assure you."
I knew I had done right to take him in that way, and to be quite frankwith him. Had I shown the white feather at all, even by implication, hewould have pounced down upon me. That I felt instinctively.
Our eyes met sharply. During those brief moments something passedbetween us that revealed our true characters to each other. I had neverreally mistrusted Whichelo, though on that night we had dined togetherat the _Stag's Head_ in Oakham, his manner and his mode of speech hadpuzzled me a good deal. Now I instinctively knew him to be a man uponwhom I could rely.
"Tell me all you know," he said, in a low tone, glancing about him tomake sure we were alone.
At once I came to the point.
"First, I know," I said slowly, "that the body was hidden in theceiling. Secondly, I believe the old professor's theory which you haveprobably read in the newspapers, that the mummy has not really been deadvery many years. Thirdly, I know that you and Thorold entered thathouse by way of the cellar of the house adjoining--and I don't mindtelling you that it was I who frightened you and Thorold out of yourlives by giving vent to that screech in the room above."
"You!" he gasped, surprised.
"Yes, but don't interrupt me," I said. "You and he brought the body tolight and intended to smuggle it out of the house in a packing-case."
I stopped. Then, with my eyes still set on his, I said--
"I saw those implements for coining, which afterwards disappeared. Morethan that--_I saw the bags of gold_!" Then I paused. "What has becomeof them?" I added meaningly.
Whichelo held his breath.
"By Heaven!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Then you know everything! How didyou find this out?"
I made a random shot.
"If you will boldly advertise," I said, "what else can you expect?`_Meet me two_.'"
My shot hit its mark. At once I saw that the advertisement really hadreference to the affair.
"Surely," I said, "there was no need to advertise? You could havecommunicated by post, telegram or telephone!"
"Ah! you are mistaken," he answered quickly. "We had reasons foradvertising--but I cannot explain them now. Tell me, knowing all thatyou know--how you discovered it I don't attempt to guess--but what areyou going to do?"
"Do?--Nothing. It's no concern of mine."
"But--but--"
"There is no `but,'" I interrupted, "except that, having told you what Iknow, Mr. Whichelo, I expect your full confidence in return."
"And you shall have it, Ashton," he exclaimed at once. "Oh, I canassure you, you shall have it."
"Then perhaps you'll tell me first," I said abruptly, "how that will ofyour brother's came to be found in the safe among the ruins of Chateaud'Uzerche after the fire. Had it not been found, you would, Iunderstand, have been sole heir to the fortune your brother left toFrank Faulkner."
"Yes, you are quite right," he answered, with a quiet laugh. "I shouldhave been. That will was stolen from my brother."
"So I guessed. But by whom?"
"By Paulton and the Baronne, his companion."
"Stolen by Paulton and the Baronne!" I echoed. "But in what way couldthey benefit by stealing it, as the money would have come to you had thewill not been found? Why did they not destroy it?"
"Well--to tell the truth, they have a hold over me," he went on quickly,"just as they have over Thorold. Probably they refrained fromdestroying it, intending to get Faulkner into their clutches."
"I don't follow you," I said. "Even if they have a hold over you, asyou say, they could not have benefited by you inheriting this money."
"Ah! You are mistaken," he answered. "They would have benefitedconsiderably. Had I inherited that fortune, it must all have gone tothem. I can't say more than that."
"Blackmail?" I asked.
He nodded.
"And do they blackmail Thorold in the same way?"
Again he nodded in the affirmative.
At last I seemed to be really on the verge of unravelling the mysterywhich had puzzled me so long--also on the way to discovering theclosely-guarded secret of the Thorolds.
After a brief pause, I put another question to him.
"Is all that French gold I have seen, genuine?" I asked. "I know someof it is, because I had some tested."
"How many?" he inquired, in a tone of surprise.
"Three. They were all good."
"Most of them are base coin," he said. "A small proportion only arecoin from the French mint."
"Then Thorold--and you, also, I take it--have had to do with utteringbase coin."
"You are wrong--in a sense. It may appear so to you. It would seem soto most people, most likely. In point of fact we are both innocent. Wehave been made a catspaw--how I cannot explain. You see, I am whollyfrank with you. That is because I trust you, Ashton--and I don't trustmany men, I can assure you."
This was getting interesting.
Whichelo, finding how much I knew, had unreservedly thrown off allpretence. I suppose he thought it his safest plan, as indeed it was. Ihad given him my word I would hold my peace if he dealt with me openly,and evidently he believed me.
From
the morning-room we had strolled towards the back premises, andthis conversation had taken place in the butler's pantry, quite a bigroom. The only door was immediately behind us. All the time we hadbeen conversing--and we must now have talked for over an hour--the doorhad stood half-open. Now, happening, for some reason, to turn round, Inoticed that it was shut.
"Hullo!" I exclaimed, starting up surprised. "Why, I thought that doorwas open!"
At once we dashed over to
The Mysterious Three Page 29
