CHAPTER VII
"Hullo, I say!" began Mr. Narkom, in amazement. "Why, what thedickens----" But he was suffered to get no farther.
"You mind your P's and Q's! I warn you that anything you say will beused against you!" interjected sharply and authoritatively thevoice of the constable. "Hawkins, you and Marlow keep close guardover these chaps while me and Mr. Simpkins looks round for theanimal. I said it would be the work of gypsies, didn't I now, Mr.Simpkins?" addressing the gamekeeper. "Come on and let's have alook for the beast. Keep eyes peeled and gun at full cock, Mr.Simpkins, and give un both barrels if un makes to spring at us.This be a sharp capture, Mr. Simpkins--what?"
"Aye, but un seems to take it uncommon cool, Mr. Nippers--one of'em's larfiin' fit to bust hisself!" replied the gamekeeper asCleek slapped both thighs, and throwing back his head, voiced anappreciative guffaw. "Un doan't look much loike gypsies eitherfrom t' little as Ah can see of 'em in this tomfool loight. Waita bit till Ah scoop up an armful o' leaves and throw 'em on theembers o' fire yon."
He did so forthwith; and the moment the dry leaves fell on theremnants of the fire which the caravanners had used to cook theirevening meal there was a gush of aromatic smoke, a sudden puff, andthen a broad ribbon of light rushed upward and dispelled every traceof darkness. And by the aid of that ribbon of light Mr. Nipperssaw something which made him almost collapse with astonishmentand chagrin.
The great of the world may, and often do, forget their meetingswith the small fry, but the small fry never cease to remember theirmeetings with the great, or to treasure a vivid remembrance of thatimmortal day when they were privileged to rub elbows with the elect.
Five years had passed since Mrs. Maverick Narkom, seeking a placewherein to spend the summer holidays with the little Narkoms andtheir nurses, had let her choice fall upon Winton-Old-Bridgesand had dwelt there for two whole months. Three times during hersojourn her liege lord had come down for a week-end with his wifeand children, and during one of these brief visits, meeting Mr.Ephraim Nippers, the village constable in the public highway, hehad deigned to stop and speak to the man and to present him with asixpenny cigar.
Times had changed since then; Mr. Nippers was now head constablefor the district, but he still kept that cigar under a glassshade on the drawing-room whatnot, and he still treasured a vividrecollection of the great man who had given it to him and whom henow saw sitting on the ground with his coat off and his waistcoatunbuttoned, his moustache uncurled, wisps of dried grass clingingto his tousled hair, and all the dignity of office conspicuous by itsabsence.
"Oh, lummy!" said Mr. Nippers with a gulp. "Put down the hammers ofthem guns, you two--put 'em down quick! It's Mr. Narkom--Mr. MaverickNarkom, superintendent at Scotland Yard!"
"Hullo!" exclaimed Mr. Narkom, shading his eyes from the firelightand leaning forward to get a clearer view of the speaker. "How thedickens do you know that, my man? And who the dickens are you,anyway? Can't say that I remember ever seeing your face before."
Mr. Nippers hastened to explain that little experience of five yearsago; but the circumstance which had impressed itself so deeply uponhis memory had passed entirely out of the superintendent's.
"Oh, that's it, is it?" said he. "Can't say that I recall theoccasion; but Mrs. Narkom certainly did stop at Winton-Old-Bridgessome four or five summers ago, so of course it's possible. By theway, my man, what caused you to make this sudden descent upon us? Andwhat are these chaps who are with you bearing arms for? Anything up?"
"Oh, lummy, sir, yes! A murder's just been committed--leastwise it'sonly just been discovered; but it can't have been long since it _was_committed, Mr. Narkom, for Miss Renfrew, who found him, sir, andgive the alarm, she says as the poor dear gentleman was alive at aquarter to eight, 'cause she looked into the room at that time toask him if there was anything he wanted, and he spoke up and toldher no, and went on with his figgerin' just the same as usual."
"As usual?" said Cleek. "Why do you say 'as usual,' my friend? Wasthe man an accountant of some sort?"
"Lummy! no, sir. A great inventor is what he is--or was, poorgentleman. Reckon you must 'a' heard of un some time or another--mosteverybody has. Nosworth is the name, sir--Mr. Septimus Nosworth ofthe Round House. You could see the tower of it over yon if youwas to step out into the road and get clear of these trees."
Cleek was on his feet like a flash.
"Not the great Septimus Nosworth?" he questioned eagerly. "Notthe man who invented Lithamite?--the greatest authority on highexplosives in England? Not that Septimus Nosworth, surely?"
"Aye--him's the one, poor gentleman. I thought it like as the namewould be familiar, sir. A goodish few have heard of un, one way andanother."
"Yes," acquiesced Cleek. "Lithamite carried his name from one endof the globe to the other; and his family affairs came into unusualprominence in consequence. Widower, wasn't he?--hard as nails andbitter as gall. Had an only son, hadn't he?--a wild young blade whowent the pace: took up with chorus girls, music hall ladies, andpersons of that stripe, and got kicked out from under the parentalroof in consequence."
"Lummy, now! think of you a-knowin' about all that!" said Mr.Nippers, in amazement. "But then, your bein' with Mr. Narkom andhim bein' what he is--why, of course! Scotland Yard it do knoweverything, I'm told, sir."
"Yes--it reads the papers occasionally, Mr. Nippers," said Cleek. "Imay take it from your reply, may I not, that I am correct regardingMr. Septimus Nosworth's son?"
"Indeed, yes, sir--right as rain. Leastwise, from what I've heard. Inever see the young gentleman, myself. Them things you mentionhappened before Mr. Nosworth come to live in these parts--a matterof some four years or more ago. Alwuss had his laboratory here,sir--built it on the land he leased from Sir Ralph Droger's fatherin the early sixties--and used to come over frequent and shuthisself in the Round House for days on end; but never come here tolive until after that flare-up with Master Harry. Come then andbuilt livin' quarters beside the Round House and, after a piece,fetched Miss Renfrew and old Patty Dax over to live with un."
"Miss Renfrew and old Patty Dax? Who are they?"
"Miss Renfrew is his niece, sir--darter of a dead sister. Old PattyDax, she war the cook. I dunno what her be now, though--her diedsix months ago and un hired Mistress Armroyd in her place. Frenchpiece, her am, though bein' widder of a Lancashire man, and though Idoan't much fancy foreigners nor their ways, this I will say: herkeeps the house like a pin and her cookin's amazin' tasty--indeed,yes."
"You are an occasional caller in the servants' hall, I see, Mr.Nippers," said Cleek, serenely, as he took up his coat and shookit, preparatory to putting it on. "I think, Mr. Narkom, that inthe interests of the public at large it will be well for some onea little more efficient than the local constabulary to look intothis case, so, if you don't mind making yourself a trifle morepresentable, it will be as well for us to get Mr. Nippers to showus the way to the scene of the tragedy. While you are doing it Iwill put a few 'Headland' questions to our friend here if you don'tmind assuring him that I am competent to advise."
"Right you are, old chap," said Narkom, taking his cue. "Nippers,this is Mr. George Headland, one of the best of my Yard detectives.He'll very likely give you a tip or two in the matter of detectingcrimes, if you pay attention to what he says."
Nippers "paid attention" forthwith. The idea of being in consultationwith any one connected with Scotland Yard tickled his very soul;and, in fancy, he already saw his name getting into the newspapersof London, and his fame spreading far beyond his native weald.
"I won't trouble you for the full details of the murder, Mr.Nippers," said Cleek. "Those, I fancy, this Miss Renfrew will beable to supply when I see her. For the present, tell me: how manyother occupants does the house hold beyond these two of whom youhave spoken--Miss Renfrew and the cook, Mrs. Armroyd?"
"None, sir, but the scullery maid, Emily, and the parlour maid,Clark. But both of them is out to-night, sir--havin' went to aconcert over at Beattie Corners. A friend of Mi
stress Armroyd's senther two tickets, and her not bein' able to go herself, her thoughtit a pity for 'em to be wasted, so her give 'em to the maids."
"I see, no male servants at all, then?"
"No, sir; not one. There's Jones--the handy man--as comes in mornin'sto do the rough work and the haulin' and carryin' and thingslike that; and there's the gardener and Mr. Kemper--him as is Mr.Nosworth's assistant in the laboratory, sir--but none of 'em isever in the house after five o'clock. Set against havin' men sleepin the house was Mr. Nosworth--swore as never another should afterhim and Master Harry had their fallin' out. Why, sir, he wasthat bitter he'd never even allow Mr. Charles to set foot in theplace, just because him and Master Harry used to be friends--whichmakes it precious hard on Miss Renfrew, I can tell you."
"As how? Is this 'Mr. Charles' connected with Miss Renfrew in anyway?"
"Lummy! yes, sir--he's her young man. Been sweet on each otherever since they was in pinafores; but never had no chance to marrybecause Mr. Charles--Mr. Charles Drummond is his full name, sir--hehasn't one shillin' to rub against another, and Miss Renfrew she's alittle worse off than him. Never gets nothin', I'm told, for keepin'house for her uncle--just her food and lodgin' and clothes--andher slavin' like a nigger for him the whole blessed time. Keepshis books and superintends the runnin' of the house, she do, butnever gets a brass farthin' for it, poor girl. I don't like tospeak ill of the dead, Mr. Headland, sir, but this I must say: A rareold skinflint was Mr. Septimus Nosworth--wouldn't part with agroat unless un was forced to. But praise be, her'll get her duesnow; fegs, yes! unless old skinflint went and changed his willwithout her knowin'."
"Oho!" said Cleek, with a strong rising inflection. "His will wasmade in Miss Renfrew's favour, was it?"
"Aye. That's why her come and put up with un and all hishardheartedness--denyin' her the pleasure o' ever seein' her youngman just because him and Master Harry had been friends andplaymates when t' pair of un was just boys in knickers and broadcollars. There be a stone heart for you."
"Rather. Now one more question: I think you said it was Miss Renfrewwho gave the alarm when the murder was discovered, Mr. Nippers. Howdid she give it and to whom?"
"Eh, now! to me and Mistress Armroyd, of course. Me and her warsittin' in the kitchen havin' a bite o' supper at the time. Gorham,he war there, too, in the beginnin'; but un didn't stop, ofcourse--'twouldn't 'a' done for the pair of us to be off dutytogether."
"Oh! is Gorham a constable, then?"
"Aye--under constable: second to me. Got un appointed six monthsago. Him had just gone a bit of a time when Miss Renfrew comerushin' in and shrieked out about the murder; but he heard therumpus and came poundin' back, of course. I dunno what I'd 'a' doneif un hadn't, for Miss Renfrew her went from one faintin' fit toanother--'twas just orful. Gorham helped Ah to carry her up tothe sittin'-room, wheer Mistress Armroyd burnt feathers under hernose, and when we'd got her round a bit we all three went outsideand round to the laboratory. That's when we first see the prints ofthe animal's feet. Mistress Armroyd spied 'em first--all over theflower bed just under the laboratory window."
"Oho! then that is what you meant when you alluded to an 'animal'when you pounced down upon us, was it? I see. One word more: whatkind of an animal was it? Or couldn't you tell from the marks?"
"No, sir, I couldn't--nobody could unless it might be Sir RalphDroger. He'll be like to, if anybody. Keeps all sorts of animals andbirds and things in great cages in Droger Park, does Sir Ralph. Onething I can swear to, though, sir: they warn't like the footprintsof any animal as I ever see. Theer be a picture o' St. Jarge and theDragon on the walls o' Town Hall at Birchampton, Mr. Headland, sir,and them footprints is more like the paws of that dragon thananything else I can call to mind. Scaly and clawed they is--likethe thing as made 'em was part bird and part beast--and they're agood twelve inches long, every one of 'em."
"Hum-m-m! That's extraordinary. Deeply imprinted, are they?"
"Lummy! yes, sir. The animal as made 'em must have weighed ten ortwelve stone at least. Soon as I see them, sir, I knowed I had mywork cut out, so I left Gorham in charge of the house, rattled upthese two men and Mr. Simpkins, here--which all three is employedat Droger Park, sir--and set out hot foot to look for gypsies."
"Why?"
"'Cause Mistress Armroyd she says as she see a gypsy lurkin' roundthe place just before dark, sir; and he had a queer thing like abear's muzzle in his hand."
"Ah, I see!" said Cleek; and gave one of his odd smiles as heturned round and looked at the superintendent. "All ready, Mr.Narkom? Good! Let us go over to the Round House and investigatethis interesting case. Dollops, stop where you are and look afterthe caravan. If we are away more than a couple of hours, tumbleinto bed and go to sleep. We may be a short time or we may be along one. In affairs like this one never knows."
* * * * *
"Any ideas, old chap?" queried Narkom in a whisper as they forgedalong together in the wake of Nippers and his three companions.
"Yes--a great many," answered Cleek. "I am particularly anxious, Mr.Narkom, to have a look at those footprints and an interview with MissRenfrew. I want to meet that young lady very much indeed."
Cleek of Scotland Yard: Detective Stories Page 8
