CHAPTER XXI
THE YOUNG MAN WHO LED PUGS
Allerdyke, with a gesture peculiar to him, thrust his hands in thepockets of his trousers, strolled away from the desk on which theregister lay open, and going over to the hall door stood there a while,staring out on the tide of life that rolled by, and listening to thesubdued rattle of the traffic in its ceaseless traverse of the Strand.And as he stood in this apparently idle and purposeless loungingattitude, he thought--thought of a certain birthday of his, a good thirtyyears before, whereon a kind, elderly aunt had made him a present of abox of puzzles. There were all sorts of puzzles in that box--things thatyou had to put together, things that had to be arranged, things that hadto be adjusted. But there was one in particular which had taken hisyouthful fancy, and had at the same time tried his youthful temper--ashallow tray wherein were a vast quantity of all sorts and sizes of bitsof wood, gaily coloured. There were quite a hundred of those bits, andyou had to fit them one into the other. When, after much trying oftemper, much exercise of patience, you had accomplished the task, therewas a beautiful bit of mosaic work, a picture, a harmonious whole, lovelyto look upon, something worthy of the admiring approbation of uncles andaunts, grandmothers and grandfathers. But--the doing of it!
"Naught, however, to this confounded thing!" mused Allerdyke, gazing atand not seeing the folk on the broad sidewalk. "When all the bits ofthis puzzle have been fitted into place I daresay one'll be able to lookdown on it as a whole and say it looks simple enough when finished, but,egad, they're of so many sorts and shapes and queer angles that they'remore than a bit difficult to fit at present. Now who the deuce is thisVan Koon, and what was that Mrs. Marlow, alias Miss Slade, doing in hisrooms last night when he was out?"
He was exercising his brains over a possible solution of this problemwhen Fullaway suddenly appeared in the hall behind him, accompanied by aman whom Allerdyke at once took to be the very individual about whom hewas speculating. He was a man of apparently forty years of age, ofaverage height and build, of a full countenance, sallow in complexion,clean-shaven, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles over a pair of sapphire blueeyes--a shrewd, able-looking man, clad in the loose fitting, square-cutgarments just then affected by his fellow-countrymen, and having alow-crowned, soft straw hat pulled down over his forehead. His hands werethrust into the pockets of his jacket; a long, thin, black cigar stuckout of a corner of his humorous-looking lips; he cocked an intelligenteye at Allerdyke as he and Fullaway advanced to the door.
"Hullo, Allerdyke!" said Fullaway in his usual vivacious fashion."Viewing the prospect o'er, eh? Allow me to introduce Mr. Van Koon, whomI don't think you've met, though he's under the same roof. Van Koon, thisis the Mr. Allerdyke I've mentioned to you."
The two men shook hands and stared at each other. Whoever and whateverthis man may be, thought Allerdyke, he gives you a straight look and agood grip--two characteristics which in his opinion went far to establishany unknown individual's honesty.
"No," remarked Van Koon. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Mr.Allerdyke before. But I'm out a great deal--I don't spend much timeindoors this fine weather. You gentlemen know your London well--I don't,and I'm putting in all the time I can to cultivate her acquaintance."
"Been in town long?" asked Allerdyke, wanting to say something andimpelled to this apparently trite question by the New Yorker's ownobservations.
"Since the first week in April," answered Van Koon, "And as this is myfirst visit to England, I'm endeavouring to do everything well. Fullawaytells me, Mr. Allerdyke, that you come from Bradford, the bigmanufacturing city up north. Well, now, Bradford is one of the places onmy list--hullo!" he exclaimed, breaking off short. "I guess here's a manwho's wanting you, Fullaway, in a considerable bit of a hurry."
Fullaway and Allerdyke looked out on to the pavement and saw Blindway,who had just jumped out of a taxi-cab, and was advancing upon them. Hecame up and addressed them jointly--would they go back with him at onceto New Scotland Yard?--the chief wanted to see them for a few minutes.
"Come on, Allerdyke," said Fullaway. "We'd better go at once. Van Koon,"he continued, turning to his compatriot, "do me a favour--just look in atmy rooms upstairs, and tell Mrs. Marlow, if she's come--she hadn'tarrived when I was up there ten minutes ago--that I'm called out for anhour or so--ask her to attend to anything that turns up until I comeback--shan't be long."
Van Koon nodded and walked back into the hotel, while Allerdyke andFullaway joined the detective in the cab and set out westward.
"What is it?" asked Fullaway. "Something new?"
"Can't say, exactly," replied Blindway. "The chief's got some woman therewho thinks she can tell something about the French maid, so he sent mefor you, and he's sent another man for Miss Lennard. It may be somethinggood; it mayn't. Otherwise," he concluded with a shake of the head thatwas almost dismal, "otherwise, I don't know of anything new. Never knewof a case in my life, gentlemen, in which less turned up than's turningup in this affair! And fifty thousand pounds going a-begging!"
"I suppose this woman's after it," remarked Fullaway. "You didn't hear ofanything she had to tell?"
"Nothing," answered Blindway. "You'll hear it in a minute or two."
He took them straight up into the same room, and the same official whomthey had previously seen, and who now sat at his desk with Celia Lennardon one side of him, and a middle-aged woman, evidently of the poorerclasses, on the other. Allerdyke and Fullaway, after a brief interchangeof salutations with the official and the prima donna, looked at thestranger--a quiet, respectably-dressed woman who united a natural shynesswith an evident determination to go through with the business that hadbrought her there. She was just the sort of woman who can be seen by thehundred--laundress, seamstress, charwoman, caretaker, got up in herSunday best. Odd, indeed, it would be, thought Allerdyke, if this quiet,humble-looking creature should give information which would place fiftythousand pounds at her command!
"This is Mrs. Perrigo," said the chief pleasantly, as he motioned the twomen to chairs near Celia's and beckoned Blindway to his side. "Mrs.Perrigo, of--where is it, ma'am?"
"I live in Alpha Place, off Park Street, sir," announced Mrs. Perrigo,in a small, quiet voice. "Number 14, sir. I'm a clear-starcher bytrade, sir."
"Put that down, Blindway," said the chief, "and take a note of what Mrs.Perrigo tells us. Now, Mrs. Perrigo, you think you've seen the deadwoman, Lisette Beaurepaire, at some time or another, in company with ayoung man? Where and when was this?"
"Well, three times, sir. Three times that I'm certain of--there wasanother time that I wasn't certain about; at least, that I'm not certainabout now. If I could just tell you about it in my way, sir--"
"Certainly--certainly, Mrs. Perrigo! Exactly what I wish. Tell us allabout it in your own way. Take your own time."
"Well, sir, it 'ud be, as near as I can fix it, about the middle ofMarch--two months ago, sir," began Mrs. Perrigo. "You see, I had themisfortune to burn my right hand very badly, sir, and having to put mywork aside, and it being nice weather, and warm for the time of year, Iused to go and sit in Kensington Gardens a good deal, which, of course,was when I see this young lady whose picture's been in the paper oflate, and--"
"A moment, Mrs. Perrigo," interrupted the official. "Miss Lennard, itwill simplify matters considerably if I ask you a question. Were you andyour late maid in town about the time Mrs. Perrigo speaks of--the middleof March?"
"Yes," replied Celia promptly. "We were here from March 3rd, when we cameback from the Continent, to March 29th, when we left for Russia."
"Continue, Mrs. Perrigo, if you please," said the official. "Take yourtime--tell things your own way."
"Yes, sir," said Mrs. Perrigo dutifully. "If you please, sir. Well,when I see those pictures in the papers--several papers, sir--of theyoung lady with the foreign name I says to myself, and to my neighbour,Mrs. Watson, which is all I ever talk much to, 'That,' I says, 'is theyoung woman I see in Kensington Gardens a time or two and remarks of fo
rher elegant figure and smart air in general--I could have picked her outfrom a thousand,' I says. Which there was, and is a particular spot,sir, in Kensington Gardens where I used to sit, and you pays a penny fora chair, which I did, and there's other chairs about, near a fallentree, which is still there, for I went to make sure last night, andthere, on three afternoons while I was there, this young lady came atabout, say, four o'clock each time, and was met by this here young manwhat I don't remember as clear as I remember her, me not taking so muchnotice of him. And--"
"Another moment, Mrs. Perrigo." The chief turned again to Celia. "Didyour maid ever go out in the afternoons about that time?" he asked.
"Probably every afternoon," replied Celia. "I myself was away from Londonfrom the 11th to the 18th of March, staying with friends in the country.I didn't take her with me--so, of course, she'd nothing to do but followher own inclinations."
The chief turned to Mrs. Perrigo again.
"Yes?" he said. "You saw the young woman whose photograph you have seenin the papers meet a young man in Kensington Gardens on three separateoccasions. Yes?"
"Three separate occasions, close by--on penny chairs, sir, where they satand talked foreign, which I didn't understand--and on another occasion,when I see 'em walking by the Round Pond, me being at some distance, butrecognizing her by her elegant figure. I took particular notice of theyoung woman's face, sir, me being a noticing person, and I'll take mydying oath, if need be, that this here picture is hers!"
Mrs. Perrigo here produced a much worn and crumpled illustrated newspaperand laid her hand solemnly upon it. That done, she shook her head.
"But I ain't so certain about the young man as met her," she saidsorrowfully. "Him I did not notice with such attention, being, as I say,more attracted to her. All the same, he was a young man--and spoke thesame foreign language as what she did. Of them facts, sure I am, sir."
"They sat near you, Mrs. Perrigo?"
"As near, sir, as I am now to that lady. And paid their pennies for theirchairs in my presence; leastways, the young man paid. Always the sameplace it was, and always the same time--three days all within a week, andthen the day when I see 'em walking at a distance."
"Can't you remember anything about the young man, Mrs. Perrigo?" askedthe chief. "Come!--try to think. That is the really important thing.You must have some recollection of him, you know, some idea of what hewas like."
Mrs. Perrigo took a corner of her shawl between her fingers and proceededto fold and pleat it while she thoughtfully fixed her eyes on Blindway'sunmoved countenance, as if to find inspiration there. And after a timeshe nodded her head as though memory had stirred within her.
"Which every time I see him," she said, with an evident quickening ofinterest, "he had two of them dogs with him what has turned-up noses andtwisted tails."
"Pugs?" suggested the chief.
"No doubt that is their name, sir, but unbeknown to me as I never keptsuch an animal," answered Mrs. Perrigo. "My meaning being clear, nodoubt, and there being no mistaking of 'em--their tails and noses beingof that order. And had 'em always on a chain--gentlemen's dogs you couldsee they was, and carefully looked after with blue bows at the back oftheir necks, same as if they was Christians. And him, I should say,speaking from memory, a dark young man--such is my recollection."
"It comes to this," remarked the chief, looking at the three listenerswith a smile. "Mrs. Perrigo says that she is certain that upon threeoccasions about the middle of March last she witnessed meetings at aparticular spot in Kensington Gardens between a young woman answering thedescription and photographs of Lisette Beaurepaire and a young man ofwhom she cannot definitely remember anything except that she thinks hewas dark, spoke a foreign language, and was in charge of two pug dogswhich wore blue ribbons. That's it, isn't it, Mrs. Perrigo?"
"And willing to take my solemn oath of the same whenever convenient,sir," replied Mrs. Perrigo. "And if so be as what I've told you shouldlead to anything, gentlemen--and lady--I can assure you that me being apoor widow, and--"
Five minutes later, Mrs. Perrigo, with some present reward in her pocket,was walking quietly up Whitehall with a composed countenance, whileAllerdyke, already late for his Gresham Street appointment, sped towardsthe City as fast as a hastily chartered taxi-cab could carry him. Andall the way thither, being alone, he repeated certain words over andover again.
"A dark young man who led two pugs--a dark young man who led two pugs!With blue ribbons on their necks--with blue ribbons on their necks, sameas Christians!"
The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation Page 21
