The Mynns' Mystery

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.

  NEW MORTAR.

  They hurried to the door as soon as they had recovered from the firstshock.

  "Look here, sir," said George, "what shall we do about the dog?"

  "Ah, I forgot him. It would be too horrible to let him get into theroom where the poor fellow is. Yes, poor fellow! _De mortuis, etcetera_. Come along, Mr Blank, and we'll lock the dog in here for afew hours."

  "Good idea," was the reply; and the outer door of the cellar was lockedupon Bruno, who made no attempt to follow; but when they reached thestudy door, all was perfectly still, and upon George's turning thehandle softly, the doctor quickly raised his head and gave them a nod.

  "Got it?" he said. "I'll have mine here."

  "How is Mr Saul?" said the old lawyer in a trembling voice.

  "Unchanged. He will have another paroxysm, though, when the effects ofthe medicine pass off."

  "Doctor Lawrence," said George quickly, as he gazed searchingly in theold man's eyes, "are not these symptoms very similar to those whichwould occur if a man had been bitten by a savage or mad dog?"

  "Almost identical, sir," said the old doctor. "But Mr Saul assured methat the wound was not a bite, but an abrasure that had gone bad,consequent upon ignorant treatment by a foreign doctor, and waspoisoning the blood."

  "Thank you, sir," said the young man gravely; and as soon as the lawyerhad replaced the keys, they quietly left the room, and were on their wayto prepare the hot spirit and water, when they stopped short, and MrHampton grasped his companion's arm, as from the cellar, soundingsmothered and strange, there came the low howl of the dog.

  "We must stop that," said the lawyer excitedly. "I don't think I'm atall superstitious, but when you know a patient is in a dangerous state,it is too horrible to have a dog uttering those blood-curdling howls."

  "It does not sound pleasant," said George thoughtfully.

  "Stop a moment; I know," whispered Mr Hampton; and he went down thepassage, and unhooked a baize door fastened back against the wall, theeffect being that the sound was deadened, though not destroyed.

  "That must do for the present," he said. "I dread our having anotherscene with that brute."

  "Is he always as savage and fierce as I saw him?" asked George.

  "Oh, dear, no. As a rule the quietest and most docile of animals, buthe never seems to have liked Saul Harrington."

  "Is anything the matter?" said a voice in a low whisper, and they foundthat Gertrude had come softly down the stairs, and that Mrs Hampton waslooking over the balustrade.

  "No, nothing is wrong," said George hastily.

  "But I heard Bruno howling. Yes: there it is again."

  George explained the reason, and after a few moments' conversation theywere about to return upstairs when, in spite of the closed doors, thedog's howl came in a deep, low, thrilling tone, and directly after hebegan to bark in a deep utterance that seemed to vibrate through thehouse.

  "He'll set that young fellow off again," said George Harrington sharply."I'll try and get him back to the stable."

  "I'll come and help you," said Gertrude quietly.

  "No; the animal developed such strange ferocity that I don't think it issafe."

  "Safe? Bruno would not hurt me," said Gertrude, with a smile.

  "Not intentionally, perhaps; but leave him to me."

  There was so much decision in the request--a request which almostsounded like an order, that Gertrude, hardly knowing why, gave way atonce, and returned with Mrs Hampton to their room, while in companywith the lawyer, George Harrington went back to the cellar door, justwithin which they could hear the dog snuffing, and every now and thenuttering his uneasy whine, followed by a howl.

  "What is it, my lad?" said George, with his mouth to the key-hole.

  The effect was magical, for the dog seemed to raise himself up againstthe door, barking wildly, and then they could hear him scratching awaythe sawdust.

  "Lie down, old chap! Lie down, Bruno!" cried George.

  There was at this another sharp burst of barking, as if the dog wasexcitedly striving to get out.

  "Shut that baize door, sir," said George; "and then we must get him out,and back to the stable. He'll worry the doctor's patient to death."

  The key was brought forth, and George proceeded to open the door.

  "Do you think there's any danger?" whispered the old lawyer.

  "Not a bit."

  "But he seems so savage."

  "Not with me," said George, as he threw open the door. "Here, Bruno!"he cried.

  The dog bounced out, and for the moment it seemed to Mr Hampton that hewas about to attack the young man, for he rose on his hind legs, andplaced his paws breast-high, barking furiously.

  "Come, come; what's the matter?" said George, seizing him with bothhands by the collar. "Don't you like to be shut up there. Some folkswould; eh, sir?"

  "I don't think the brute is safe," said Mr Hampton. "Pray get himout."

  "Yes, I'll take him to the stable. Now, Bruno, old chap. Will you lockthat door, sir?"

  George Harrington had to speak loudly, for the dog was keeping up hisexcited bark, and mingling it with whines; but the moment the old lawyermoved towards the door the animal dropped down on all fours, shookhimself free, and dashed back into the wine-cellar.

  "Come out, sir!" cried the lawyer. "I thought he didn't like theplace?"

  "Here--Bruno, Bruno!"

  The dog responded with a sharp, angry bark, evidently from somedistance.

  "Oh, I see what it is; he can smell rats."

  "But we can't have him making that noise in the middle of the night."

  "Come out, sir!" cried George, entering the cellar and calling the dog,who came bounding towards him; but as an effort was made to seize hiscollar, he sprang round and dashed back.

  "Give me the candle, Mr Hampton."

  "No," said the old man; "you'll want both hands to him. I'll light you,or you'll think I'm a terrible coward. I'm not used to dogs."

  He looked smilingly in his companion's face, and went to the front.

  "I know the cellar better than you do, sir. Good heavens, dog?"

  The lawyer and the light were both nearly upset, for as he moved forwardBruno literally rushed at him, but only to turn again and run back rightinto the depths of the cellar.

  "Here, Bruno! Come here, sir!" cried George sternly. "We don't want togo ratting now."

  But the dog paid no heed to the call, and went on barking furiously,while the next minute they reached the spot where he stood with his headoutstretched, making the place echo.

  "Come here, you old stupid!" said George good-humouredly; and, takinghold of the dog's collar with one hand, he patted his head with theother. "Now, then, we don't want to find rats. Come along."

  The dog looked up in his face, whined, and then swung round and going tothe blank patch of whitewashed wall, threw up his head and howled.

  "Yes, it must be rats," said the old lawyer, "behind that bricked-uppart. Try and drive him out."

  George Harrington turned sharply on the lawyer.

  "Bricked-up part?" he said.

  "Yes, there's another cellar there through that arch, where old MrHarrington laid down a quantity of wine for his grandson. Well, what isit? Yes; that's the place."

  George had snatched the candle, and gone to the wall to hold the lightclose to the whitewashed bricks.

  As he did so the dog grew more uneasy and excited, looking from one tothe other, and barking at the wall.

  "Well?" said the old lawyer, as his companion turned sharply and lookedhim full in the eyes.

  "You said you did not understand dogs, Mr Hampton?"

  "No, not a bit; but I think we ought to get this noisy brute out of thehouse."

  "I do understand them a little," said George excitedly. "Mr Hampton,there's something wrong here."

  "What do you mean?"

  "You say that is a bricked-up part of the cellar?"
>
  "Yes; the old man did it for his heir."

  "And it has never been opened since?"

  "Of course not."

  George looked at the brickwork again, scanning it very narrowly with thecandle close to the wall.

  "Yes, it has," he said, taking out his knife, and trying the mortarbetween the bricks, and then the other parts. "This mortar iscomparatively soft."

  "Dampness of the place."

  "Newness of the mortar, sir. That dog, by his wonderful instinct, knowsthat something is wrong behind here."

  "Then he's a precious clever dog if he does, that's all I can say,because if you are right that inner cellar has been robbed and carefullybuilt up again."

  "This cellar has certainly been opened, sir, and built up again," saidGeorge, drawing his breath with a peculiar hiss as a curious suspicionseemed to flash through the dark parts of his brain.

  Meanwhile the dog had watched every movement in silence, but only togrow excited again and stand barking.

  "I'm of opinion," said the old lawyer dogmatically, "that Bruno smells arat, and that you have discovered a mare's nest. Why, hang it, man,don't look at me in that ghastly manner. What's the matter?"

  "I don't know, sir, but I have a horrible suspicion."

  "Good heavens! My dear young friend, what do you mean?"

  "I may be wrong, sir, but look at that dog."

  "Yes, I believe he is going mad."

  "I do not, sir. He has made a discovery."

  "Yes, of rats," said the lawyer pettishly.

  "I tell you once more, sir, I may be wrong; but Bruno seems to havefound the clue I sought in vain."

  "Clue?--what clue?"

  "We have been searching for the man who called himself GeorgeHarrington."

  "You have, sir. I have not."

  "Well, I have. It may sound romantic and strange, but at the presentmoment I have a horrible dread that we have found him at last."

  "What do you mean--where?"

  For answer George Harrington pointed to the wall.

  "What?" ejaculated the old man, in a hoarse whisper, and he caught atand held tightly by his companion's arm.

  "I have had suspicions flashing about in a vague way in my brain, sir,but I could not arrange them. Now they begin to assume shape."

  "Great heavens!"

  "Look here, sir. This dog has been lying half dead ever since thedisappearance of that man."

  "Yes."

  "What does he do as soon as he encounters Saul Harrington?"

  "Fly at him."

  "Yes. Why should he? Surely he has not been in the habit of trying toget at the throat of a relative and visitor of the house."

  "That's quite true; certainly."

  "You see the dog is as gentle with us as can be. Go to him yourself,and pat him."

  "I hardly--Yes, I will," said the old man, mastering his dislike anddread; and, taking a couple of steps forward, he patted the dog's head."Why, Bruno, old dog, what's the matter?" he said in an awe-strickenwhisper.

  The dog swung round, looked at him, barked loudly, then rose up at him,placing his paws on his shoulders, and howled mournfully.

  "There, you see," said George, laying his hand on the dog's head. "Mad?No more than we are."

  "But--but what has that to do with your theory of the man'sdisappearance?"

  "Mr Hampton, I am not going to place it before you in words. Mysuspicion is that there has been foul play, and unless I am wrong, thatman lies murdered behind yonder wall."

  The old lawyer caught him by the arm, and looked in his face with hisown turning quite white.

  "You horrify me," he whispered in awe-stricken tones. "Surely it isimpossible. Then you think that Mr Saul--"

  "Never mind what I think," cried George Harrington sharply. "I only saythat I have a horrible suspicion that there has been foul play."

  "Then--then," cried the lawyer with trembling voice, "you--Oh, it isimpossible!"

  "No, sir; we have heard of such things before."

  "Yes. Then, of course, we must have a search--the police."

  "No, sir; we may be wrong."

  "Yes, yes--of course," cried the old man eagerly--"Yes; you must bewrong."

  "Look at that dog," whispered George.

  The old man turned to see that the dog was snuffing about the wall, andended by beginning to tear away the sawdust at the bottom.

  "This is too horrible," whispered the old man, wiping his damp brow."What would you advise?"

  "Finding out the truth, sir; and at once."

  "But how. Whom would you trust?"

  "Ourselves," said George sternly. "Let me see: the gardener is in thehouse. He must be got rid of, and we must not let the ladies or anyoneknow what we are going to do."

  "But what we are going to do?"

  "You are going to hold the light, sir, while I tear down that wall."

  The lawyer gazed at him in speechless horror, but seemed to yield atonce to the stronger mind.

  "Bruno!" cried George sharply.

  The dog bounded to him.

  "Lie down! Watch! Watch!"

  The dog uttered a low growl, and followed him as he pointed to the wall,crouched directly, and remained silent and motionless as they left thecellar, and closed and locked the door.