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XX
THE SPORTING VISITOR
In summer and autumn, visitors were not uncommon in this remotecountryside; mostly shooting or fishing people who rented the countryhouses, raised the local prices, and were described by the tradesmen asbenefiting the county greatly. But in late autumn and winter thisfertilising stream ceased to flow, and when the trains from the southcrawled in, the porters and the boots from the hotels resignedthemselves to welcoming a merely commercial form of traveller.
It was therefore with considerable pleasure and surprise that theyobserved one afternoon an unmistakeably sporting gentleman descend froma first class compartment and survey them with a condescending yetaffable eye.
"Which is the best of these hotels?" he demanded with an amiable smile,as he surveyed through a single eyeglass the names on the caps of thevarious boots.
His engaging air disarmed the enquiry of embarrassment, and even when hefinally selected the Kings Arms Hotel, the other boots merely feltregret that they had not secured so promising a client. His luggageconfirmed the first favourable impression. It included a gun case, abag of golf clubs, and one or two handsome leather articles. Evidentlyhe meant to make more than a passing visit, and as he strolled down theplatform, his leisurely nonchalant air and something even in the way inwhich he smoked his cigarette in its amber holder, suggested a gentlemanwho, having arrived here, was in no hurry to move on. On a luggage labelthe approving boots noted the name of "F. T. Carrington."
When he arrived at the Kings Arms, Mr. Carrington continued to producefavourable impressions. He was a young man, apparently a little overthirty, above middle height, with a round, ingenuous, very agreeableface, smooth fair hair, a little, neatly trimmed moustache, and amonocle that lent just the necessary touch of distinction to what mightotherwise have been a too good-humoured physiognomy. His tweed suit wasfashionably cut and of a distinctly sportive pattern, and he wore a pairof light spats. In short, there could be no mistaking him for anythingbut a gentleman of position and leisure with strong sportingproclivities, and his manner amply confirmed this. It was in fact almostindolent in its leisurely ease.
Miss Peterkin, the capable manageress of the Kings Arms, was atfirst disposed to think Mr. Carrington a trifle too superior, and,as she termed it, "la-de-da," but a very few minutes' conversationwith the gentleman completely reassured her. He was so polite and sogood-humoured and so ready to be pleased with everything he saw andanything she suggested, that they became firm friends within ten minutesof his arrival, and after Mr. Carrington had disposed of his luggage inthe bedroom and private sitting room which he engaged, and partaken of alittle dinner, she found herself welcoming him into her own sitting roomwhere a few choice spirits nightly congregated.
It is true that these spirits, though choice, were hardly of what shecalled Mr. Carrington's "class," but then in all her experience she hadnever met a gentleman of such fashion and such a superior air, whoadapted himself so charmingly to any society. In fact, "charming" wasthe very adjective for him, she decided.
About his own business he was perfectly frank. He had heard of thesporting possibilities of the county and had come to look out for a bitof fishing or shooting; preferably fishing, for it seemed he was anenthusiastic angler. Of course, it was too late in the season for anyfishing this year, but he was looking ahead as he preferred to seethings for himself instead of trusting to an agent's description. He hadbrought his gun just on the chance of getting a day somewhere, and hisclub in case there happened to be a golf links. In short, he seemedevidently to be a young man of means who lived for sport; and what otherquestion could one ask about such a satisfactory type of visitor?Absolutely none, in Miss Peterkin's opinion.
As a matter of fact, she found very early in the evening, and continuedto find thereafter, that the most engaging feature of Mr. Carrington'scharacter was the interest he took in other people's business, so thatthe conversation very quickly strayed away from his own concerns--andremained away. It was not that he showed any undue curiosity; far fromit. He was simply so sympathetic and such a good listener and putquestions that showed he was following everything you said to him in away that really very few people did. And, moreover, in spite of hisengaging frankness, there was an indefinable air of discretion about himthat made one feel safe to tell him practically everything. She herselftold him the sad story of her brother in Australia (a tale which, as arule, she told only to her special intimates) before he had been in herroom half an hour.
But with the arrival of three or four choice spirits, the conversationbecame more general, and it was naturally not long before it turned onthe greatest local sensation and mystery within the memory of man--theCromarty murder. Mr. Carrington's surprise was extreme when he realisedthat he was actually in the county where the tragedy had occurred,within a very few miles of the actual spot, in fact. Of course, he hadread about it in the papers, but only cursorily, it seemed, and he hadno idea he was coming into the identical district that had acquired sucha sinister notoriety.
"By Jove!" he exclaimed more than once when he had made this discovery,"I say, how interesting!"
"Oh," said Miss Peterkin with becoming pride, "we are getting quitefamous, I can assure you, Mr. Carrington."
"Rather so!" cried he, "I've read quite a lot about this Carnegiecase----"
"Cromarty," corrected one of the spirits.
"Cromarty, of course, I mean! I'm rather an ass at names, I'm afraid."The young man smiled brightly and all the spirits sympathised. "Oh yes,I've seen it reported in the papers. And now to think here I am in themiddle of it, by George! How awfully interesting! I say, Miss Peterkin,what about these gentlemen having another wee droppie with me, allround, just to celebrate the occasion?"
With such an appreciative and hospitable audience, Miss Peterkin and thechoice spirits spent a long and delightful evening in retailing everyknown circumstance of the drama, and several that were certainly unknownto the authorities. He was vastly interested, though naturally veryshocked, to hear who was commonly suspected of the crime.
"Do you mean to say his own heir--and a young girl like that----? ByJove, I say, how dreadful!" he exclaimed, and, in fact, he would hardlybelieve such a thing conceivable until all the choice spirits in turnhad assured him that there was practically no doubt about it.
The energetic part played by Mr. Simon Rattar in unravelling the darkskein, or at least in trying to, was naturally described at some length,and Mr. Carrington showed his usual sympathetic, and, one might almostsay, entranced appreciation of the many facts told him concerning thatlocal celebrity.
Finally Miss Peterkin insisted on getting out the back numbers of thelocal paper giving the full details of the case, and with many thanks hetook these off to read before he went to bed.
"But mind you don't give yourself the creeps and keep yourself fromgoing to sleep, Mr. Carrington!" she warned him with the last words.
"By Jove, that's an awful thought!" he exclaimed, and then his eyestwinkled. "Send me up another whisky and soda to cure the creeps!" saidhe.
Miss Peterkin thought he was quite one of the pleasantest, and promisedto be one of the most profitable gentlemen she had met for a very longtime.
Next morning he assured her he had kept the creeps at bay sufficientlyto enjoy an excellent night's sleep in a bed that did the managementcredit. In fact, he had thoroughly enjoyed reading the mystery and hadeven begun to feel some curiosity to see the scene of the tragedy. Heproposed to have a few walks and drives through the neighbouringcountry, he said, looking at its streams and lochs with an eye tosporting possibilities, and it would be interesting to be able torecognise Keldale House if he chanced to pass near it.
Miss Peterkin told him which road led to Keldale and how the house mightbe recognised, and suggested that he should walk out that way this verymorning. He seemed a little doubtful; spoke of his movements as thingsthat depended very much on the whim of the moment, just as such aneasy-going young man would be apt to do, and rather indicate
d that ashorter walk would suit him better that morning.
And then a few minutes later she saw him saunter past her window,wearing a light gray felt hat at a graceful angle and apparently takinga sympathetic interest in a small boy trying to mount a bicycle.