freshfrom a packet.
"There's some mystery about these," he said reflectively, as thoughspeaking to himself. "If we could but solve it we should likewise solvethe problem of the crime, depend upon it."
"No doubt," I assented. "Each of them have some meaning, occult butextraordinary. They were turned face downwards so that the accidentalremoval of the plate would not reveal the device upon them."
"The devices are simple enough, but undoubtedly they have some hiddenmeaning," my friend said.
"They were evidently concealed there, and the three persons,unsuspecting, were to discover them when the first plates were removed,"I suggested.
He placed them together on the table, saying--
"Better let Boyd see them when he comes down. The affair grows morequeer and complicated as we proceed."
"Don't you recollect," I said suddenly, "in the dead man's pocket was acard exactly similar, but quite blank. You threw it into thefireplace."
"Ah! of course," he answered quickly. "That fact shows that he hadsomething to do with these mysterious symbols. I wonder what is theirreal meaning."
"I wonder," I said. "As you say, the mystery grows each moment more andmore inexplicable. Curious, too, that the snake in the garden pathshould have directed your attention to it."
"No," he said quickly, his face in an instant pale and serious, "don'tmention that, there's a good fellow. I'm trying not to think of it; forwhen I recollect all that it means to me I'm unnerved."
"Bah!" I laughed. "Surely there's nothing to fear. It only shows thathowever careful the assassin is to cover his crime it must be unearthedsooner or later. The finger of Fate always points to the crime ofmurder, however well it may be concealed."
"True," he sighed, his brows knit in serious thought. "But the fingerof Fate has in this case shown me an omen of evil."
"You're a fool, Patterson," I said bluntly. "You have here every chanceto distinguish yourself as a shrewd officer, yet you calmly stand bytalking of omens and all that rot."
"Yes," he answered. "I know I'm an idiot, Mr. Urwin, but I can't helpit. That's the worst of it."
"Well," I suggested, "while Boyd is upstairs, why not make inquiries ofthe next-door neighbours regarding those who occupied this place?"
He at once acted on my suggestion, and together we went out and rang thebell of the house adjoining on the right. My friend's curious apathy inthis matter surprised me, for usually he was a quick, active fellow, whoprosecuted his inquiries methodically, and worked up evidence in amanner that had more than once called forth the commendation of thejudge at the Old Bailey. That night, however, he was plainly upset--nervous, trembling and agitated, in a manner quite unusual to him.
Boyd, the keen-eyed, quick-witted detective inspector, had noticed thiswhen at the police-station, but Patterson had only replied--
"I'm a bit unwell, that's all."
Our summons at the house next door was answered by the occupier's wife,a rather stout, white-haired, gaily-capped old lady named Luff.
The appearance of Patterson in uniform surprised her, but when she hadasked us in, and we were seated, he said--
"There is no occasion to be alarmed, madam. I have merely called tomake an inquiry of you. It is in your power to render us assistance ina rather confidential matter regarding the occupiers of the house nextdoor--your neighbours on the left. What do you know of them?"
"Nothing," she answered. "They came about six months ago, a young ladyand a very old gentleman, with a single maid-servant. They speak to noone, and, as far as I have observed, have very few friends. I haveoften remarked to my son, who is a civil engineer, and now away makingthe railway in China, that they are a mysterious couple. What is wrongwith them?"
"Oh, it's simply a private matter," my companion answered carelessly,not wishing to alarm the neighbourhood by news of our discovery.
"What is the old gentleman like? Can you describe him?" I inquired.No doubt she took me for a detective, but at that moment this thoughtdid not occur to me.
"He is sixty, I should think, old and decrepit, with white hair, andalways walks with a stick."
"And the lady was his daughter?" suggested the inspector.
"I suppose her to be his daughter," she answered. "The old man's nameis Dawson, I believe--at least one day a messenger-boy brought a notehere by mistake, addressed to Professor Dawson. The daughter is a verygood pianist, and plays every morning regularly."
"They are well off, as far as you can judge?" Patterson inquired withhis assumed careless air.
"No, I don't think they are, because my maid heard at Boucher's--thegrocer's across the way--that they owed a large bill which they couldn'tsettle. Again, people who have a house of that sort do not have coal bythe hundredweight taken down into the kitchen as they do."
Patterson nodded. No more sure sign of a light purse is there than thepurchase of coal by the half-sack. Yet the interior of that house, withits well-laid dinner-table, certainly did not betray any sign ofpoverty. Indeed, I had noticed in the cellar a dusty stock of choicewines, hocks, ports, and champagnes of expensive brands.
"You don't know the young lady's name, then?" asked my friend, after aslight pause.
"If she's really his daughter it would, I suppose, be Dawson," shereplied with a smile. "But I'm not certain, remember, as to either oftheir names."
"Perhaps your servants may know something about them. Servantsgenerally gossip and pick up information about one's neighbours, youknow."
"You are right," answered the affable old lady, "they gossip far toomuch. Unfortunately, however, both my servants are out at this moment."
We chatted on, but it was evident from her conversation that herservants knew little beyond what she did. One statement she made wassomewhat curious. She alleged that a few nights before she was awakenedabout two o'clock in the morning by hearing the loud shrill screams of awoman who seemed to be in the room next hers in the adjoining house.She could hear a man's voice talking low and gruffly, and three or fourtimes were the screams repeated, as if the woman were in excruciatingpain.
"What visitors came to the house?" Patterson asked at length.
"Very few. A youngish gentleman came sometimes. He called the othermorning just as I was going out."
"Who admitted him?"
"The young lady herself."
Many more questions Patterson put to the old lady, but elicited nonoteworthy fact, except that two large, heavy trunks had been sent awayby Parcels Delivery a couple of days before. Therefore, thanking Mrs.Luff, who, of course, was extremely curious to know why the police weretaking such an active interest in her neighbour, we left and madeinquiries of the people in the adjoining house on the opposite hand.
It was a lodging-house and the owner, a rather surly old widow, was notat all communicative. What she told us amounted practically to what wehad already learnt. She, too, had long ago set the old man and hisdaughter down as mysterious persons, and her two servants had never beenable to find out anything regarding them.
So after nearly half an hour's absence we returned to the house ofmystery, watched, of course, by the persons in the houses on eitherside. None suspected a tragedy, but all remained at their windowsexpecting to see somebody arrested.
In the dining-room we found Doctor Knowles, the police divisionalsurgeon, who had been sent for by the police. He had already examinedthe bodies and was on the point of returning home.
"Well, doctor, what's your opinion?" asked Patterson.
"I can form none until after the post-mortem," answered the prim,youngish, dark-moustached man in silk hat and frock coat, a typicalKensington practitioner, who was known to be a great favourite with hislady patients.
"Are there no marks of violence?"
"None," he responded. "Although there seems no doubt that there hasbeen foul play, yet the means used to encompass their death remains anentire mystery. That laboratory, too, is a very remarkable feature."
"Why?
" I asked.
"Because the occupant of that place has made a discovery for whichscientists have for years striven in vain," the doctor replied.
"What is it?"
"You noticed those strange globes with the coil of tubing," he said."Well, from what I've found, it seems that the experimenter has inventeda means for the liquefaction of hydrogen in large quantities."
"Is that anything very remarkable?" I asked, in my ignorance of recentscience.
"Remarkable!" he echoed. "I