CHAPTER XXXVI
GOLD
There was quite a company of men came up the stair with Murray, crowding,all of them, into the room, with eyes full of astonishment at what theysaw: Mr. Lindsey and Mr. Gavin Smeaton, and a policeman or two, and--whatwas of more interest to me--a couple of strangers. But looking at thesemore closely, I saw that I had seen one of them before--an elderly man,whom I recognized as having been present in court when Carter was broughtup before the magistrates; a quiet, noticing sort of man whom Iremembered as appearing to take great and intelligent interest in theproceedings. And he and the other man now with him seemed to take just askeen an interest in what Chisholm and I had to tell; but while Murray wasfull of questions to both of us, they asked none. Only--during thatquestioning--the man whom I had never seen before quietly lifted thehanging which I had spread over Hollins's dead body, and took a searchinglook at his face.
Mr. Lindsey drew me aside and pointed at the elderly man whom Iremembered seeing in the police court.
"You see yon gentleman?" he whispered. "That's a Mr. Elphinstone,that was formerly steward to old Sir Alexander Carstairs. He'sretired--a good many years, now, and lives the other side of Alnwick,in a place of his own. But this affair's fetched him into the lightagain--to some purpose!"
"I saw him in the court when Carter was before the bench, Mr. Lindsey,"I remarked.
"Aye!--and I wish he'd told me that day what he could have told!"exclaimed Mr. Lindsey under his breath. "But he's a cautious, a verycautious man, and he preferred to work quietly, and it wasn't until verylate tonight that he came to Murray and sent for me--an hour, it was,after you'd gone home. The other man with him is a London detective. Man!there's nice revelations come out!--and pretty much on the lines I wassuspecting. We'd have been up here an hour ago if it hadn't been for yonstorm. And--but now that the storm's over, Hugh, we must get MaisieDunlop out of this; come up, now, and show me where she is--that first,and the rest after."
We left the others still grouped around the dead man and the boxes whichhad been brought up from the car, and I took Mr. Lindsey up the stairs tothe room in the turret which had served Maisie for a prison all thatweary time. And after a word or two with her about her sore adventures,Mr. Lindsey told her she must be away, and he would get Murray to sendone of the policemen with her to see her safe home--I myself being stillwanted down below. But at that Maisie began to show signs of distinctdislike and disapproval.
"I'll not go a yard, Mr. Lindsey," she declared, "unless you'll give meyour word that you'll not let Hugh out of your sight again till all thisis settled and done with! Twice within this last few days the lad's beenwithin an inch of his life, and they say the third time pays for all--andhow do I know there mightn't be a third time in his case? And I'd ratherstay by him, and we'll take our chances together--"
"Now, now!" broke in Mr. Lindsey, patting her arm. "There's a goodhalf-dozen of us with him now, and we'll take good care no harm comes tohim or any of us; so be a good lass and get you home to Andrew--and tellhim all about it, for the worthy man's got a bee in his bonnet that we'vebeen in some way responsible for your absence, my girl. You're sure younever set eyes on Sir Gilbert again after he and Hollins stopped you?" heasked suddenly, as we went down the stair. "Nor heard his voice downhere--or anywhere?"
"I never saw him again, nor heard him," answered Maisie. "And till Hughcame just now, I'd never seen Hollins himself since morning and--Oh!"
She had caught sight of the still figure stretched out in the lower room,and she shrank to me as we hurried her past it and down to the gatewaybelow. Thither Murray followed us, and after a bit more questioning heput her in a car in which he and some of the others had come up, and sentone of his men off with her; but before this Maisie pulled me away intothe darkness and gripped me tight by the arm.
"You'll promise me, Hugh, before ever I go, that you'll not run yourselfinto any more dangers?" she asked earnestly. "We've been through enoughof that, and I'm just more than satisfied with it, and it's like as ifthere was something lurking about--"
She began to shiver as she looked into the black night about us--and itwas indeed, although in summer time, as black a night as ever I saw--andher hand got a tighter grip on mine.
"How do you know yon bad man isn't still about?" she whispered. "It washe killed Hollins, of course!--and if he wanted to kill you yon time inthe yacht, he'll want again!"
"It's small chance he'll get, then, now!" I said. "There's no fear ofthat, Maisie--amongst all yon lot of men above. Away you go, now, and getto your bed, and as sure as sure I'll be home to eat my breakfast withyou. It's my opinion all this is at an end."
"Not while yon man's alive!" she answered. "And I'd have far ratherstayed with you--till it's daylight, anyway."
However, she let me put her into the car; and when I had charged thepoliceman who went with her not to take his eyes off her until she wassafe in Andrew Dunlop's house, they went off, and Mr. Lindsey and Iturned up the stair again. Murray had preceded us, and under hissuperintendence Chisholm was beginning to open the screwed-up boxes. Therest of us stood round while this job was going on, waiting in silence.It was no easy or quick job, for the screws had been fastened in after athoroughly workmanlike fashion, and when he got the first lid off we sawthat the boxes themselves had been evidently specially made for thispurpose. They were of some very strong, well-seasoned wood, and they werelined, first with zinc, and then with thick felt. And--as we were soonaware--they were filled to the brim with gold. There it lay--roll uponroll, all carefully packed--gold! It shone red and fiery in the light ofour lamps, and it seemed to me that in every gleam of it I saw devils'eyes, full of malice, and mockery, and murder.
But there was one box, lighter than the rest, in which, instead of gold,we found the valuable things of which Hollins had told Mr. Lindsey andMr. Portlethorpe and myself when he came to us on his lying mission, onlythe previous midnight. There they all were--the presents that had beengiven to various of the Carstairs baronets by royal donors--carefullypacked and bestowed. And at sight of them, Mr. Lindsey lookedsignificantly at me, and then at Murray.
"He was a wily and a clever man, this fellow that's lying behind us," hemuttered. "He pulled our hair over our eyes to some purpose with his taleof Lady Carstairs and her bicycle--but I'm forgetting," he broke off, anddrew me aside. "There's another thing come out since you left me andSmeaton tonight," he whispered. "The police have found out something forthemselves--I'll give them that credit. That was all lies--lies, nothingbut lies!--that Hollins told us,--all done to throw us off the scent. Youremember the tale of the registered letter from Edinburgh?--the policefound out last evening from the post folks that there never was anyregistered letter. You remember Hollins said Lady Carstairs went off onher bicycle? The police have found out she never went off on anybicycle--she wasn't there to go off. She was away early that morning; shetook a train south from Beal station before breakfast--at least, a veiledwoman answering her description did,--and she's safe hidden in London, orelsewhere, by now, my lad!"
"But him--the man--Sir Gilbert, or whoever he is?" I whispered. "What ofhim, Mr. Lindsey?"
"Aye, just so!" he said. "I'm gradually piecing it together, as we go on.It would seem to me that he made his way to Edinburgh after getting ridof you, as he thought and hoped--probably got there the very nextmorning, through the help of yon fisherman at Largo, Robertson, who, ofcourse, told us and the police a pack of lies!--and when he'd got thelast of these securities from Paley, he worked back here, secretly, andwith the help of Hollins, and has no doubt kept quiet in this old toweruntil they could get away with that gold! Of course, Hollins has been inat all this--but now--who's killed Hollins? And where's the chiefparty--the other man?"
"What?" I exclaimed. "You don't think he killed Hollins, then?"
"I should be a fool if I did, my lad," he answered. "Bethinkyourself!--when all was cut and dried for their getting off, do youthink he'd stick a knife in his confederate's throat? No!--I can se
etheir plan, and it was a good one. Hollins would have run those casesdown to Newcastle in a couple of hours; there'd have been no suspicionabout them, and no questions which he couldn't answer--he'd have goneacross to Hamburg with them himself. As for the man we know as SirGilbert, you'll be hearing something presently from Mr. Elphinstoneyonder; but my impression is, as Maisie never saw or heard of him duringthe night and day, that he got away after his wife last night--and withthose securities on him!"
"Then--who killed Hollins?" I said in sheer amazement. "Are there othersin at all this?"
"You may well ask that, lad," he responded, shaking his head. "Indeed,though we're nearing it, I think we're not quite at the end of the lane,and there'll be a queer turning or two in it, yet, before we get out. Buthere's Murray come to an end of the present business."
Murray had finished his inspection of the cases and was helping Chisholmto replace the lids. He, Chisholm, and the detective were exchangingwhispered remarks over this job; Mr. Elphinstone and Mr. Gavin Smeatonwere talking together in low voices near the door. Presently Murrayturned to us.
"We can do no more here, now, Mr. Lindsey," he said, "and I'm going tolock this place up until daylight and leave a man in the gateway below,on guard. But as to the next step--you haven't the least idea in yourhead, Moneylaws, about Hollins's assailant?" he went on, turning to me."You heard and saw--nothing?"
"I've told you what I heard, Mr. Murray," I answered. "As to seeinganything, how could I? The thing happened on the stair there, and I wasin this corner unlocking the inner door."
"It's as big a mystery as all the rest of it!" he muttered. "And it'sjust convincing me there's more behind all this than we think for. Andone thing's certain--we can't search these grounds or the neighbourhooduntil the light comes. But we can go round to the house."
He marched us all out at that, and himself locked up the room, leavingthe dead man with the chests of gold; and having stationed a constable inthe gateway of the old tower, he led us off in a body to the habited partof the house. There were lights there in plenty, and a couple ofpolicemen at the door, and behind them a whole troop of servants in thehall, half dressed, and open-mouthed with fright and curiosity.