CHAPTER V
ARRESTED
Being left to myself after thoroughly thrashing out the whole case withDr. Mainwaring and the chief constable, who both agreed with me thatthe circumstances were the most extraordinary they had ever heard of, Isat down to consider matters by myself.
Here was I, a country gentleman of moderate estate, trying to eke out asmallish income by literature, plumped down into the centre of as finea tangle of mystery as ever came out of the _Arabian NightsEntertainments_.
I got up and looked at myself in the glass, and saw there aclean-shaven tall man of thirty whose black hair was already turningwhite at the temples; about my grey eyes, alas, there were alreadycrows' feet, the price I had paid, I suppose, for taking honours atOxford.
I sat down again and thought deeply.
"Bill Anstruther," I said to myself, "you're in for it. You'veconsented to receive the confidences of that old lady, who, poor soul,was in the direst need of help and friendship without doubt when shecalled you in the night before last. You're bound in honour to gothrough with it, and try to help her, or at any rate carry out herwishes, be she dead or alive."
Thus I reasoned, and in this, it seemed to me, my duty lay. Obviouslythe first thing to do was to obtain possession of the packets again andascertain their contents. I knew, of course, that they were directedto me and possibly contained some request of the old lady. I marvelledvery much what the connection between her and the man with the glasseye could possibly be, but could form no guess even in the matter. Itwas very evident that he was a bloodthirsty scoundrel, and I had littledoubt in my own mind that it was he who had wounded her, perhaps untodeath.
While I thought of it, I decided to go down to the office and makeinquiries concerning Saumarez.
I found he had left during the morning.
"Mr. Saumarez went up to town, sir," explained the clerk, "by thetwelve-twenty."
"Thank you," I said, and walked away to the smoking-room to have a goodthink again. Eating for the present was out of the question.
After three cigarettes I arrived at the following conclusions. I wouldgo up to town in the morning, secure the packets, and read them in mylawyers' office.
I would not trust myself to carry them about with me while that manSaumarez was at large. It was very evident that the safe and itscontents possessed a great attraction for him; probably with very goodreason.
I caught the morning train to London, and arrived in Lincoln's Innabout two o'clock, after lunching early at my club. There Messrs.Blackett & Snowdon's managing clerk handed me the registered packetwhich I had sent off the evening before from the post office inMonmouth Street, Bath.
With this in my hand I retired to the private office of Mr. Snowdon,who was away from town, his room being placed at my disposal by themanaging clerk when I told him I had some important papers to examine.
I sat down at the desk, cleared it of the few papers lying there, thenprepared to open my precious parcel.
First I tore off the registered envelope.
Yes, there were the two packets which I had thought so much of in thehours I lay awake during the night. There was the key; there was thehandkerchief.
I took this latter up and examined it carefully by the light. It wasof the finest cambric, and bore in the corner the letter C.
Then there remained the two packets to examine.
They were both addressed to me in a small, old-fashioned handwritingwhich I took to be that of the old lady, poor soul! One was heavy,felt hard, and contained evidently a box of some sort, the other wassoft and I took it to be composed of papers. I broke the seals--aC--and opened it. My surmise was correct, it contained several sheetsof thick correspondence paper, covered with writing. It was dated theday I first met her. When I spread it out this is what I found it tocontain--
"DEAR MR. ANSTRUTHER,--I have little doubt but you consider me merely acrazy old woman.
"Perhaps I am, Heaven knows I have had enough trouble in my life tomake me so, and the trouble and anxiety I am enduring now is by nomeans the lightest I have had to bear. That is why I had the resolveto trust you, taking a sudden fancy, as I have done before withoutregretting it, to a resolute open face.
"I believe that you will carry out what I ask of you to the letter; Ibelieve you will do it honestly and truly, for the reason that you loveto be honest and true.
"So much for my trust in you. Now for the object of my appealing toyou.
"I am threatened with a great peril, a peril which may cost me my life,I expect it, I do not fear it. I have held my life in my hands foryears past.
"But there is something in my case which I value more than my life;this I would preserve at all costs. It is contained in the small boxin the second packet which I have prepared for you.
"I think I have thought of every contingency and may reasonably countupon being left in peace until I see you at five to-morrow. I do notdoubt for one moment but that you will keep your appointment. ShouldI, however, have to send you to the safe, instead of handing you thesepackets, I have prepared even for that.
"The request I am about to make you is, I know, an unreasonable one,yet I believe you will carry it out.
"Upon opening the other packet, which I shall leave you with this, youwill find a small carved casket which is locked; with it you will findsufficient money for your journey--of which presently.
"Mr. Anstruther, I want you to take the casket to Aquazilia and todeliver it to the person to whom it is addressed."
"Aquazilia!" I exclaimed, putting down the letter, "why, that is thebig Republic the other side of Brazil which once upon a time used to bea Monarchy! That's rather a tall order!" I took the letter up againand went on:--
"I know the journey is a long one, but it will repay you. When youtold me you were a writer, I knew at once that such a journey would beone from which you would draw profit both in experience and otherwise.In doing it you will earn my undying gratitude. Go, I beseech you! Toyou I confide that which is dearer to me than my life. Go, I imploreof you. I ask it in the name of Truth and Honour. Go, and earn theeternal thanks of
"CARLOTTA D'ALTENBERG."
"D'Altenberg, d'Altenberg," I muttered as I finished. "It seems afamiliar name!"
I now turned my attention to the second packet, and opened that. Itcontained a small wooden box with the lid tied down with string. Upontaking this off, I found within a very beautifully carved oblongcasket, made of ebony, inlaid with gold. It was a most finished pieceof workmanship, and measured, I should think, about six inches byperhaps two and a half. In raised letters on the lid was carved theletter C as on the seals. On a small parchment label firmly secured toit by silk was:--
"To His Excellency the Senor JUAN D'ALTA, Valoro, Aquazilia."
It was fastened by no less than three locks, all of different sizes,and by its excessive weight, even for ebony, I should say was linedwith some metal.
When I had lifted this casket out of the box I found beneath it twoordinary long envelopes both addressed to me and open. On the first Itook up was:--
"To William Anstruther, Esq. For the expenses of the journey to Valoro."
I opened it and found it to contain four fifty pound notes. On theother was my name, and beneath it:--
"A slight honorarium by way of compensation for time lost on thejourney."
It contained a Bank of England note for one thousand pounds. I satwith the note in my hand for some time; it was the first for thatamount which I had ever come across.
However, not without some considerable satisfaction, I admit, I put upthe note into its envelope again and packed it with the other into thebox. I very carefully replaced the ebony casket after a glance ofadmiration at its beautifully inlaid workmanship.
I closed the box up as before, and, making free with Mr. Snowdon'sstationery, put it in a fresh linen lined envelope and sealed it upagain. This time with my own seal. I treated the letter in the sameway, packing it up w
ith the hankerchief and the key, then directed thetwo to myself, care of my lawyers. I intended to leave both in theircare as before. I had ample confidence in their strong room. I hadbarely completed this task and thrown the old wrappers into the fire,when there came a knock at the door; the managing clerk entered withrather a scared look on his face.
"There are two men waiting to see you downstairs, Mr. Anstruther," heannounced, "and I rather think they are police officers."
Instinctively as he spoke I thrust the two packets before me intopigeon holes of the writing table I was sitting at, and he saw me do it.
Before I could make any reply, the door was pushed open behind him, andtwo men entered; the foremost of them walked up to the table.
"Are you Mr. William Anstruther?" he asked.
He was a tall, dark, fresh-coloured man with sharp grey eyes, hiscompanion had the appearance of an ordinary constable in plain clothes.
"Yes," I answered, rising, "I am William Anstruther."
"Then I arrest you, William Anstruther," he said, "on suspicion ofcausing the death of an old lady, name unknown, whose body wasdiscovered at daybreak this morning on Lansdown, near Bath, with herthroat cut. You'll have to come with us down to Bath to be charged."
Here was a terrible development!
My first thoughts were of pity for the poor old lady. How I wished Ihad been able to save her life.
"Very well," I answered as coolly as I could. "I suppose there is nohelp for it, and I had better go with you. Perhaps, Mr. Watson," Isaid, turning to the managing clerk, who was standing by as white as asheet, "perhaps you will see that this man has proper authority fortaking me."
"Certainly, Mr. Anstruther," he answered, then turning to the detectivehe asked for his papers.
"Show me your warrant, please," he said. "I shall not allow Mr.Anstruther, our client, to leave with you unless you do."
The fresh-coloured officer smiled, and produced from his pocket a bluepaper, together with some other documents. These seemed to satisfyWatson.
"There seems no help for it, Mr. Anstruther," he said, with them in hishands. "I am afraid you will have to go with him. This is a properwarrant signed by a magistrate on sworn information."
"Who are the informants?" I asked.
He referred to the warrant and read out the names.
"Inspector James Bull, Frederick Redfern, surgeon, and AnthonySaumarez, gentleman."
"Saumarez!" I exclaimed, "the scoundrel and would-be murderer!"
"You had better be careful what you say," remarked the police officer,"as I may have to take it down, and it will be used against you."
"Yes," confirmed Watson, "you'd better say as little as possible. Nodoubt the whole matter is a mistake."
I took up my overcoat and the managing clerk helped me on with it;meanwhile, the police officer walked to the desk I had been sitting atand laid his hands on some papers. I looked upon the packets as lost.
Watson, however, stopped him at once.
"You mustn't touch those papers," he said hastily. "They are theproperty of Mr. Snowdon, a member of our firm."
"Then what is _he_ doing here?" asked the man, with a jerk of his headtowards me.
"Mr. Anstruther," replied Watson, "was attending to some businesscorrespondence at Mr. Snowdon's desk, that gentleman being away."
"Where's the correspondence?" asked the detective, with a quick glanceat my two packets sticking out of the pigeon holes. I looked the manstraight in the face.
"My correspondence is finished," I answered, "and in the hands of thisfirm."
A little smile about Watson's mouth and a hasty glance at the packets,convinced me that he understood my remark.
"Very well, then," said the police officer, "we'd better come along.Provided you come quietly," he observed to me as I followed him out,"it won't be necessary for me to handcuff you."
That was a comfort I thought, as I went downstairs and through theoffice, full of astounded clerks, who had all known me well for years.
We got into a cab and were driven to Paddington Station, reaching itabout dusk, much to my satisfaction, as I should not at all haveappreciated making my appearance in such a place with the two policeofficers.
We got into a third class compartment all to ourselves right at the endof the train, near the engine, and there I sat between the two men, whohardly exchanged a word the whole way, but who sat trying to readnewspapers by the bad light. They would hold no conversation with me.
When we got to Bath they hurried me quickly down the stairs into a fly,and then we drove straight through the town.
As we passed the police station and my hotel--towards which I castlonging glances, for it was not far off dinner time--I asked a questionof the tall, fresh-coloured man.
"I understood that you were going to take me to the police station?" Isaid.
The man shook his head.
"We are taking you to the prison," he said, "for the night. You willbe brought before the magistrates in the morning."
I sank back in the corner of the fly thoroughly dejected, and thevehicle drove out by what I knew to be the Warminster Road. We nowleft the lights of the town behind, and then the journey was entirelybetween two hedgerows, which bordered the road, with an occasionalfield gate by way of variety--all else beyond was blank night, forthere was no moon.
My two guardians began to show signs of fatigue, not unmixed with acertain disgust, at the length of the journey.
They began yawning and stretching their arms, with very little regardfor my comfort.
When at last the fly pulled up with a jerk, after a good deal ofbumping over a rough road, the two men were very unceremonious inordering me to quit the vehicle.
"Now then, Ugly," remarked the fresh-coloured man with a push of hisfoot, which was remarkably like a kick, "out you get!"
He stepped out himself and I followed, knowing full well it was uselessto resist, but I made a mental resolve that I would report him.
Once outside the fly, I found myself apparently at the foot of a tower,a door stood open in front of me, and on the doorstep a man holding alantern.
I was, however, given very little time to contemplate this scene; thebig man seized my right arm, and his companion my left; between them,they rushed me up a flight of steps immediately inside the tower.
These steps constituted a spiral staircase which wound round theinterior of the tower; ever and anon as we passed a small window I sawthe lights of Bath twinkling in the distance.
Beyond a few walks during the ten days I had spent there--my firstvisit--I knew very little of Bath or its neighbourhood, therefore I hadno opportunity of taking my bearings.
I was urged up this staircase in a manner which I should have thoughtunusual had I not remembered the men's complaints of the longjourney--which they had made twice--in the fly.
Finally we reached a door, and they simply pushed me through it into alarge room. It was evidently the top storey of the tower and hadwindows looking all ways. It was perfectly circular in shape, wasfairly clean, and had a fire burning in a grate with a wire screenbefore it; in one corner was a bed.
The two men released their hold as I looked around, and the dark onewent to a corner and picked up a chain.
"Come here!" he shouted to me roughly.
His colleague assisted me by giving me a shove in his direction. Then,in a twinkling, he fixed a steel ring to my left ankle, snapped itthere and locked a small padlock on it.
I was chained up like a dog!
Having thoroughly searched me, they prepared to leave; the taller manaddressed me.
"I suppose you know," he remarked, as the two moved towards the door,"that if you make any attempt to escape, you'll be shot?"
With this parting caution he closed the door, and I heard a key turn inthe lock.
I took one turn round the room, the chain being long enough, with manya yearning look at the distant lights of Bath; then, horrified at theclanking of my fetters, whi
ch were fixed to a staple in the wall, Ithrew myself as I was on the bed in the corner, and there, being tiredout, almost immediately fell asleep.
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