XIX
THE EMPTY COMPARTMENT
It was on this same evening that Superintendent Sutherland was almostrewarded for his vigilance by having something distinctly suspicious toreport. As it happened, it proved a disappointing incident, but it gavethe superintendent something to think about.
He was going a few stations down the line to investigate a rumour of asuspicious person seen in that neighbourhood. It was a vague andimprobable rumour and the superintendent was setting out merely as amatter of form, and to demonstrate his vigilance and almost abnormalsense of duty. Darkness had already fallen for an hour or two when hestrode with dignified gait down the platform, exchanging a greeting withan acquaintance or two, till he came to the front carriage of the train.He threw open the door of the rear compartment, saw that it was empty,and was just going to enter when glancing over his shoulder he perceivedhis own cousin Mr. MacAlister upon the platform. Closing the door, hestepped down again and greeted him.
Mr. MacAlister hailed him with even more than usual friendliness, andafter a few polite preliminaries drew him insidiously towards the farside of the platform. An intelligent, inveterate and perseveringcuriosity was Mr. MacAlister's dominating characteristic, and as soon ashe had got his distinguished kinsman out of earshot of the herd, heinquired in a hushed voice:
"And what's doing aboot the murder noo, George?"
The superintendent pursed his lips and shook his head.
"Aye, man, yon's a proper puzzle," said he.
"But you'll have gotten a guid idea whae's din it by noo, George?" saidMr. MacAlister persuasively.
"Weel," admitted the superintendent, "we maybe have our notions, butthere's no evidence yet, Robbie; that's the fair truth. As the fiscalsays, there's no evidence."
"I'd like fine to hae a crack wi' you aboot it, George," sighed Mr.MacAlister. "I may tell you I've notions of ma own; no bad notionseither."
"Well," said the superintendent, moving off, "I'd have enjoyed a crackmyself if it wasna that I've got to be off by this train--"
"Man!" cried his kinsman, "I'm for off by her mysel'! Come on, we'll haeour crack yet."
The tickets had already been taken and the doors were closed as the tworecrossed the platform.
"This carriage is empty," said the superintendent, and threw open thedoor of the same compartment he had almost entered before.
But it was not empty now. In one of the further corners sat a manwrapped in a dark coloured ulster. A black felt hat was drawn down overhis eyes, and his muffled face was resting on his hand. So much thesuperintendent saw in the brief moment during which he stood at the opendoor, and it struck him at once that the man must be suffering fromtoothache. And then his cousin caught him by the arm and drew him back.
"Here, man, the carriage next door is empty!" cried he, and thesuperintendent closed the door and followed him.
It was scarcely more than a minute later when the whistle blew and theywere off, and Mr. MacAlister took out his pipe and prepared himself toreceive official confidences. But the miles went by, and though he pliedhis questions incessantly and skilfully, no confidences wereforthcoming. The superintendent, in fact, had something else to thinkabout. All at once he asked abruptly:
"Robbie, did ye see yon man next door sitting with his face in hishands?"
"Aye," said Mr. MacAlister, "I noticed the man."
"Did ye ken who he was?"
"No," said Mr. MacAlister, "I did not."
"Had ye seen him on the platform?"
"No," said Mr. MacAlister, "I had not."
"I didna see him myself," said the superintendent musingly. "It seemsfunny-like a man dressed like yon and with his face wrapped up too--anda man forbye that's a stranger to us both, coming along the platformand getting into that carriage, and me not noticing him. I'm not usednot to notice people, Robbie."
"It's your business, George," said Mr. MacAlister, and then as he gazedat his cousin's thoughtful face, his own grew suddenly animated.
"You're not thinking he's to dae wi' the murder, are you!" he cried.
"I'm not sure what to think till I've had another look into yoncarriage," said the superintendent cautiously.
"We're slowing doon the noo!" cried Mr. MacAlister, "God, George, I'llcome and hae a look wi' you!"
The train was hardly in the platform before the superintendent was out,with Mr. MacAlister after him, and the door of the next compartmentwas open almost as soon as the train was at rest. Never had thesuperintendent been more vigilant; and never had his honest facelooked blanker.
"God! It's empty!" he murmured.
"God save us!" murmured Mr. MacAlister, and then he was visited by aninspiration which struck his relative afterwards as one of theunhappiest he had ever suffered from. "This canna be the richtcarriage!" he cried. "Come on, Geordie, let's hae a look in the ithers!"
By the time they had looked into all the compartments of the carriage,the guard was waving his flag and the two men climbed hurriedly inagain. The brooding silence of the superintendent infected even Mr.MacAlister, and neither spoke for several minutes. Then thesuperintendent said bitterly:
"It was you hurrying me off to look in thae other carriages, Robbie!"
"What was?" inquired Mr. MacAlister a little nervously.
"I ought to have stopped and looked under the seats!"
Mr. MacAlister shook his head and declared firmly:
"There was naething under the seats. I could see that fine. And onyhowwe can hae a look at the next stop."
"As if he'll be waiting for us, now he kens we're looking for him!"
"But there was naething there!" persisted Mr. MacAlister.
"Then what's come over the man? Here were we sitting next the platform.He can't have got out afore we started, or we'd have seen him. Folksdon't disappear into the air! I'll try under the seats, though I doubtthe man will have been up and out while we were wasting our time in yonother carriages."
At the next station they searched that mysterious compartment earnestlyand thoroughly, but there was not a sign of the muffled stranger, underthe seats or anywhere else. Again the superintendent was silent for aspace, and then he said confidentially:
"I'm just wondering if it's worth while reporting the thing, Robbie. Thefiscal might have a kin' of unpleasant way of looking at it. Besides,there's really naething to report. Anyhow I'll think it over. And thatbeing the case, the less said the better. I can tell ye all that's knownabout the case, Robbie; knowing that you'll be discreet."
"Oh, you can trust me," said Mr. MacAlister earnestly,--"I'll no breathea word o' yon man. Weel, now, you were saying you'd tell me the haillstory."
By this judicious arrangement Mr. MacAlister got his money's worth ofsensational disclosures, and the superintendent was able to use hisdiscretion and think the incident over. He thought over it very hard andfinally decided that he was demonstrating his vigilance quitesufficiently without mentioning the trifling mystery of the emptycompartment.
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