CHAPTER XV
FIVE HUNDRED A YEAR
It was very evident that Chisholm was in a state of gleeful assuranceabout his theory, and I don't think he was very well pleased when Mr.Lindsey, instead of enthusiastically acclaiming it as a promising one,began to ask him questions.
"You found a pretty considerable sum on Phillips as it was when yousearched his body, didn't you?" he asked.
"Aye--a good lot!" assented Chisholm. "But it was in a pocket-book in aninner pocket of his coat, and in his purse."
"If it was robbery, why didn't they take everything?" inquired Mr.Lindsey.
"Aye, I knew you'd ask that," replied Chisholm. "But the thing is thatthey were interrupted. The bag they could carry off--but it's probablethat they heard Mr. Moneylaws here coming down the lane before they couldsearch the man's pockets."
"Umph!" said Mr. Lindsey. "And how do you account for two men gettingaway from the neighbourhood without attracting attention?"
"Easy enough," declared Chisholm. "As I said just now, there's numbers ofstrangers comes about Tweedside at this time of the year, and who'dthink anything of seeing them? What was easier than for these two toseparate, to keep close during the rest of the night, and to get away bytrain from some wayside station or other next morning? They could manageit easily--and we're making inquiries at all the stations in the districton both sides the Tweed, with that idea."
"Well--you'll have a lot of people to follow up, then," remarked Mr.Lindsey drily. "If you're going to follow every tourist that got on atrain next morning between Berwick and Wooler, and Berwick and Kelso, andBerwick and Burnmouth, and Berwick and Blyth, you'll have your work set,I'm thinking!"
"All the same," said Chisholm doggedly, "that's how it's been. And thebank at Peebles has the numbers of the notes that Phillips carried off inhis little bag--and I'll trace those fellows yet, Mr. Lindsey."
"Good luck to you, sergeant!" answered Mr. Lindsey. He turned to me whenChisholm had gone. "That's the police all over, Hugh," he remarked. "Andyou might talk till you were black in the face to yon man, and he'd stickto his story."
"You don't believe it, then?" I asked him, somewhat surprised.
"He may be right," he replied. "I'm not saying. Let him attend to hisbusiness--and now we'll be seeing to ours."
It was a busy day with us in the office that, being the day before courtday, and we had no time to talk of anything but our own affairs. Butduring the afternoon, at a time when I had left the office for an houror two on business, Sir Gilbert Carstairs called, and he was closetedwith Mr. Lindsey when I returned. And after they had been together sometime Mr. Lindsey came out to me and beckoned me into a littlewaiting-room that we had and shut the door on us, and I saw at once fromthe expression on his face that he had no idea that Sir Gilbert and Ihad met the night before, or that I had any notion of what he was goingto say to me.
"Hugh, my lad!" said he, clapping me on the shoulder; "you're evidentlyone of those that are born lucky. What's the old saying--'Some achievegreatness, some have greatness thrust upon them!'--eh? Here'sgreatness--in a degree--thrusting itself on you!"
"What's this you're talking about, Mr. Lindsey?" I asked. "There's notmuch greatness about me, I'm thinking!"
"Well, it's not what you're thinking in this case," he answered; "it'swhat other folks are thinking of you. Here's Sir Gilbert Carstairs in myroom yonder. He's wanting a steward--somebody that can keep accounts, andletters, and look after the estate, and he's been looking round for alikely man, and he's heard that Lindsey's clerk, Hugh Moneylaws, is justthe sort he wants--and, in short, the job's yours, if you like to takeit. And, my lad, it's worth five hundred a year--and a permanency, too! Afine chance for a young fellow of your age!"
"Do you advise me to take it, Mr. Lindsey?" I asked, endeavouring tocombine surprise with a proper respect for the value of his counsel."It's a serious job that for, as you say, a young fellow."
"Not if he's got your headpiece on him," he replied, giving me anotherclap on the shoulder. "I do advise you to take it. I've given you thestrongest recommendations to him. Go into my office now and talk it overwith Sir Gilbert by yourself. But when it comes to settling details, callme in--I'll see you're done right to."
I thanked him warmly, and went into his room, where Sir Gilbert wassitting in an easy-chair. He motioned me to shut the door, and, once thatwas done, he gave a quick, inquiring look.
"You didn't let him know that you and I had talked last night?" heasked at once.
"No," said I.
"That's right--and I didn't either," he went on. "I don't want him toknow I spoke to you before speaking to him--it would look as if I weretrying to get his clerk away from him. Well, it's settled, then,Moneylaws? You'll take the post?"
"I shall be very glad to, Sir Gilbert," said I. "And I'll serve you tothe best of my ability, if you'll have a bit of patience with me at thebeginning. There'll be some difference between my present job and thisyou're giving me, but I'm a quick learner, and--"
"Oh, that's all right, man!" he interrupted carelessly. "You'll do allthat I want. I hate accounts, and letter-writing, and all that sortof thing--take all that off my hands, and you'll do. Of course,whenever you're in a fix about anything, come to me--but I can explainall there is to do in an hour's talk with you at the beginning. Allright!--ask Mr. Lindsey to step in to me, and we'll put the matter ona business footing."
Mr. Lindsey came in and took over the job of settling matters on mybehalf. And the affair was quickly arranged. I was to stay with Mr.Lindsey another month, so as to give him the opportunity of getting a newhead clerk, then I was to enter on my new duties at Hathercleugh. I wasto have five hundred pounds a year salary, with six months' notice oneither side; at the end of five years, if I was still in the situation,the terms were to be revised with a view to an increase--and all this wasto be duly set down in black and white. These propositions, of course,were Mr. Lindsey's, and Sir Gilbert assented to all of them readily andpromptly. He appeared to be the sort of man who is inclined to acceptanything put before him rather than have a lot of talk about it. Andpresently, remarking that that was all right, and he'd leave Mr. Lindseyto see to it, he rose to go, but at the door paused and came back.
"I'm thinking of dropping in at the police-station and telling Murray myideas about that Crone affair," he remarked. "It's my opinion, Mr.Lindsey, that there's salmon-poaching going on hereabouts, and if my landadjoined either Tweed or Till I'd have spoken about it before. There arequeer characters about along both rivers at nights--I know, because I goout a good deal, very late, walking, to try and cure myself of insomnia;and I know what I've seen. It's my impression that Crone was probablymixed up with some gang, and that his death arose out of an affraybetween them."
"That's probable," answered Mr. Lindsey. "There was trouble of that sortsome years ago, but I haven't heard of it lately. Certainly, it would bea good thing to start the idea in Murray's mind; he might follow it upand find something out."
"That other business--the Phillips murder--might have sprung out of thesame cause," suggested Sir Gilbert. "If those chaps caught a stranger ina lonely place--"
"The police have a theory already about Phillips," remarked Mr. Lindsey."They think he was followed from Peebles, and murdered for the sake ofmoney that he was carrying in a bag he had with him. And my experience,"he added with a laugh, "is that if the police once get a theory of theirown, it's no use suggesting any other to them--they'll ride theirs,either till it drops or they get home with it."
Sir Gilbert nodded his head, as if he agreed with that, and he suddenlygave Mr. Lindsey an inquiring look.
"What's your own opinion?" he asked.
But Mr. Lindsey was not to be drawn. He laughed and shrugged hisshoulders, as if to indicate that the affair was none of his.
"I wouldn't say that I have an opinion, Sir Gilbert," he answered."It's much too soon to form one, and I haven't the details, and I'm nota detective. But all these matters are very simple--when you g
et to thebottom of them. The police think this is going to be a very simpleaffair--mere vulgar murder for the sake of mere vulgar robbery. Weshall see!"
Then Sir Gilbert went away, and Mr. Lindsey looked at me, who stood alittle apart, and he saw that I was thinking.
"Well, my lad," he said; "a bit dazed by your new opening? It's a finechance for you, too! Now, I suppose, you'll be wanting to get married. Isit that you're thinking about?"
"Well, I was not, Mr. Lindsey," said I. "I was just wondering--if youmust know--how it was that, as he was here, you didn't tell SirGilbert about that signature of his brother's that you found onGilverthwaite's will."
He shared a sharp look between me and the door--but the door wassafely shut.
"No!" he said. "Neither to him nor to anybody, yet a while! And don'tyou mention that, my lad. Keep it dark till I give the word. I'llfind out about that in my own way. You understand--on that point,absolute silence."
I replied that, of course, I would not say a word; and presently Iwent into the office to resume my duties. But I had not been long atthat before the door opened, and Chisholm put his face within andlooked at me.
"I'm wanting you, Mr. Moneylaws," he said. "You said you were withCrone, buying something, that night before his body was found. You'd bepaying him money--and he might be giving you change. Did you happen tosee his purse, now?"
"Aye!" answered I. "What for do you ask that?"
"Because," said he, "we've taken a fellow at one of those riversidepublics that's been drinking heavily, and, of course, spending moneyfreely. And he has a queer-looking purse on him, and one or two menthat's seen it vows and declares it was Abel Crone's."