CHAPTER XVI
GENIUS OR MADNESS?
For a moment Wolfenden was speechless. Then, with a presence of mindwhich afterwards he marvelled at, he asked no more questions, butstepped up to the writing-table.
"Blatherwick," he said hurriedly, "we seem to have made a bad mistake.Will you try and rearrange these papers exactly as the admiral leftthem, and do not let him know that any one has entered the room or seenthem."
Mr. Blatherwick commenced his task with trembling fingers.
"I will do my best," he said nervously. "But I am not supposed to touchanything upon this table at all. If the admiral finds me here, he willbe very angry."
"I will take the blame," Wolfenden said. "Do your best."
He took the country doctor by the arm and hurried him into thesmoking-room.
"This is a most extraordinary affair, Dr. Whitlett," he said gravely. "Ipresume that this letter, then, is a forgery?"
The doctor took the note of introduction which Wilmot had brought, andadjusting his pince-nez, read it hastily through.
"A forgery from the beginning to end," he declared, turning it over andlooking at it helplessly. "I have never known any one of the name in mylife!"
"It is written on notepaper stamped with your address," Wolfendenremarked. "It is also, I suppose, a fair imitation of your handwriting,for Lady Deringham accepted it as such?"
The doctor nodded.
"I will tell you," he said, "all that I know of the affair. I startedout to pay some calls this evening about six o'clock. As I turned intothe main road I met a strange brougham and pair of horses being drivenvery slowly. There was a man who looked like a gentleman's servantsitting by the side of the coachman, and as I passed them the latterasked a question, and I am almost certain that I heard my namementioned. I was naturally a little curious, and I kept looking back allalong the road to see which way they turned after passing my house. As amatter of fact, although I pulled up and waited in the middle of theroad, I saw no more of the carriage. When at last I drove on, I knewthat one of two things must have happened. Either the carriage must havecome to a standstill and remained stationary in the road, or it musthave turned in at my gate. The hedge was down a little higher up theroad, and I could see distinctly that they had not commenced to climbthe hill. It seemed very odd to me, but I had an important call to make,so I drove on and got through as quickly as I could. On my way home Ipassed your north entrance, and, looking up the avenue, I saw the samebrougham on its way up to the house. I had half a mind to run in then--Iwish now that I had--but instead of doing so I drove quickly home. ThereI found that a gentleman had called a few minutes after I had left home,and finding me out had asked permission to leave a note. The girl hadshown him into the study, and he had remained there about ten minutes.Afterwards he had let himself out and driven away. When I looked for thenote for me there was none, but the writing materials had been used,and a sheet of notepaper was gone. I happened to remember that there wasonly one out. The whole thing seemed to me so singular that I orderedthe dogcart out again and drove straight over here."
"For which," Wolfenden remarked, "we ought to feel remarkably grateful.So far the thing is plain enough! But what on earth did that man,whoever he was, expect to find in my father's study that he should makean elaborate attempt like this to enter it? He was no common thief!"
Dr. Whitlett shook his head. He had no elucidation to offer. The thingwas absolutely mysterious.
"Your father himself," he said slowly, "sets a very high value upon theresult of his researches!"
"And on the other hand," Wolfenden retorted promptly, "you, and mymother, Mr. Blatherwick, and even the girl who has been copying for him,have each assured me that his work is rubbish! You four comprise all whohave seen any part of it, and I understand that you have come to theconclusion that, if not insane, he is at least suffering from some sortof mania. Now, how are we to reconcile this with the fact of anattempted robbery this evening, and the further fact that a heavy bribehas been secretly offered to Blatherwick to copy only a few pages of hislater manuscripts?"
Dr. Whitlett started.
"Indeed!" he exclaimed. "When did you hear of this?"
"Only this afternoon," Wolfenden answered. "Blatherwick brought me theletter himself. What I cannot understand is, how these documents couldever become a marketable commodity. Yet we may look upon it now as anabsolute fact, that there are persons--and no ordinary thieveseither!--conspiring to obtain possession of them."
"Wolfenden!"
The two men started round. The Countess was standing in the doorway. Shewas pale as death, and her eyes were full of fear.
"Who was that man?" she cried. "What has happened?"
"He was an impostor, I am afraid," Wolfenden answered. "The letter fromDr. Whitlett was forged. He has bolted."
She looked towards the doctor.
"Thank God that you are here!" she cried. "I am frightened! There aresome papers and models missing, and the admiral has found it out! I amafraid he is going to have a fit. Please come into the library. He mustnot be left alone!"
They both followed her down the passage and through the half-openeddoor. In the centre of the room Lord Deringham was standing, his palecheeks scarlet with passion, his fists convulsively clenched. He turnedsharply round to face them, and his eyes flashed with anger.
"Nothing shall make me believe that this room has not been entered, andmy papers tampered with!" he stormed out. "Where is that reptileBlatherwick? I left my morning's work and two models on the desk there,less than half an hour ago; both the models are gone and one of thesheets! Either Blatherwick has stolen them, or the room has been enteredduring my absence! Where is that hound?"
"He is in his room," Lady Deringham answered. "He ran past me on thestairs trembling all over, and he has locked himself in and piled up thefurniture against the door. You have frightened him to death!"
"It is scarcely possible----" Dr. Whitlett began.
"Don't lie, sir!" the admiral thundered out. "You are a pack of foolsand old women! You are as ignorant as rabbits! You know no more than thekitchenmaids what has been growing and growing within these walls. Itell you that my work of the last few years, placed in certain hands,would alter the whole face of Europe--aye, of Christendom! There are menin this country to-day whose object is to rob me, and you, my ownhousehold, seem to be crying them welcome, bidding them come and helpthemselves, as though the labour of my life was worth no more than somany sheets of waste paper. You have let a stranger into this roomto-day, and if he had not been disturbed, God knows what he might nothave carried away with him!"
"We have been very foolish," Lady Deringham said pleadingly. "We willset a watch now day and night. We will run no more risks! I swear it!You can believe me, Horace!"
"Aye, but tell me the truth now," he cried. "Some one has been in thisroom and escaped through the window. I learnt as much as that from thatblithering idiot, Blatherwick. I want to know who he was?"
She glanced towards the doctor. He nodded his head slightly. Then shewent up to her husband and laid her hand upon his shoulders.
"Horace, you are right," she said. "It is no use trying to keep it fromyou. A man did impose upon us with a forged letter. He could not havebeen here more than five minutes, though. We found him out almost atonce. It shall never happen again!"
The wisdom of telling him was at once apparent. His face positivelyshone with triumph! He became quite calm, and the fierce glare, whichhad alarmed them all so much, died out of his eyes. The confession was atriumph for him. He was gratified.
"I knew it," he declared, with positive good humour. "I have warned youof this all the time. Now perhaps you will believe me! Thank God that itwas not Duchesne himself. I should not be surprised, though, if it werenot one of his emissaries! If Duchesne comes," he muttered to himself,his face growing a shade paler, "God help us!"
"We will be more careful now," Lady Deringham said. "No one shall evertake us by surprise again. We will hav
e special watchmen, and bars onall the windows."
"From this moment," the admiral said slowly, "I shall never leave thisroom until my work is ended, and handed over to Lord S----'s care. If Iam robbed England is in danger! There must be no risks. I will have asofa-bedstead down, and please understand that all my meals must beserved here! Heggs and Morton must take it in turns to sleep in theroom, and there must be a watchman outside. Now will you please all goaway?" he added, with a little wave of his hand. "I have to reconstructwhat has been stolen from me through your indiscretion. Send me in somecoffee at eleven o'clock, and a box of cartridges you will find in mydressing-room."
They went away together. Wolfenden was grave and mystified. Nothingabout his father's demeanour or language had suggested insanity. What ifthey were all wrong--if the work to which the best years of his life hadgone was really of the immense importance he claimed for it? Otherpeople thought so! The slight childishness, which was obvious in a greatmany of his actions, was a very different thing from insanity.Blatherwick might be deceived--Blanche was just as likely to have lookedupon any technical work as rubbish. Whitlett was only a countrypractitioner--even his mother might have exaggerated his undoubtedeccentricities. At any rate, one thing was certain. There were peopleoutside who made a bold enough bid to secure the fruit of his father'slabours. It was his duty to see that the attempt, if repeated, was stillunsuccessful.