CHAPTER XXXI
MR BALTIC ON THE TRAIL
What took place at the interview between Gabriel and his father, DrGraham never knew; and indeed never sought to know. He was a discreetman even for a doctor, and meddled with no one's business, unless--as inthe present instance--forced to do so. But even then his discretionshowed itself; for after advising the bishop to tolerate the presence ofCargrim until Baltic had solved the riddle he was set to guess, andafter sending Gabriel to the palace, he abstained from further inquiriesand discussions in connection with murder and secret. He had every faithin Baltic, and quite believed that in time the missionary would lay hishand on the actual murderer. When this was accomplished, and Cargrim'sattempt to gain illegal power over Pendle was thwarted; then--all chanceof a public scandal being at an end--would be the moment to consider howthe bishop should act in reference to his false marriage. Certainlythere was the possible danger that the criminal might learn the secretfrom the certificate and papers, and might reveal it when captured; butGraham thought it best to ignore this difficulty until it shouldactually arise. For, after all, such a contingency might not occur.
'The certificate of marriage between Krant and his wife will revealnothing to a man unacquainted with Mrs Pendle's previous name; andwithout such knowledge he cannot know that she married the bishop whileher first husband was alive. Certainly she might have mentioned Pendle'sname in the letters, but she would not write of him as a lover or as apossible husband; therefore, unless the assassin knows something of thestory, which is improbable, and unless he can connect the name of MrsKrant with Mrs Pendle--which on the face of it is impossible--I do notsee how he is to learn the truth. He may guess, or he may know forcertain, that Jentham received the two hundred pounds from the bishop,but he cannot guess that the price was paid for certificate and letters,especially as he found them on the body, and knows that they were nothanded over for the money. No; on the whole, I think Pendle is mistaken;in my opinion there is no danger to be feared from the assassin,whomsoever he may be.'
In this way Graham argued with himself, and shortly came to thecomfortable conclusion that Dr Pendle's secret would never become apublic scandal. Now that Jentham, _alias_ Krant, was dead, the secretwas known to three people only--namely, to the bishop, to himself, andto Gabriel. If none of the three betrayed it--and they had the strongestreason for silence--no one else would, or could. The question of themurder was the immediate matter for consideration; and once Dr Pendle'sinnocence was proved by the capture of the real assassin, Cargrim couldbe dismissed in well-merited disgrace. With all the will in the world hecould not then harm the bishop, seeing that he was ignorant of the deadman's relation to Mrs Pendle. Other danger there was none; of that thelittle doctor was absolutely assured.
Perhaps the bishop argued in this way also; or it may be he found acertain amount of relief in sharing his troubles with Gabriel andGraham; but he certainly appeared more cheerful and less worried thanformerly, and even tolerated the society of Cargrim with equanimity,although he detested playing a part so foreign to his frank andhonourable nature. However, he saw the necessity of masking his dislikeuntil the sting of this domestic viper could be rendered innocuous, andwas sufficiently gracious on such occasions as he came into contact withhim. Gabriel was less called upon to be courteous to the schemer, as,having come to a complete understanding with his father, he rarelyvisited the palace; but when he did so his demeanour towards Mr Cargrimwas much the same as of yore. For the good of their domestic peace, bothfather and son concealed their real feelings, and succeeded ascreditably as was possible with men of their honourable natures. Butthey were not cunning enough--or perhaps sufficiently guarded--todeceive the artful chaplain. Evil himself, he was always on the alert tosee evil in others.
'I wonder what all this means,' he ruminated one day after vainlyattempting to learn why Gabriel had returned so unexpectedly toBeorminster. 'The bishop seems unnecessarily polite, and young Pendleappears to be careful how he speaks. They surely can't suspect me ofknowing about the murder. Perhaps Baltic has been talking; I'll justgive him a word of warning.'
This he did, and was promptly told by the ex-sailor not to advise onpoints of which he was ignorant. 'I know my business, sir, none better,'observed Baltic, in his solemn way, 'and there are few men who are moreaware of the value of a silent tongue.'
'You may be an admirable detective, as you say,' retorted Cargrim,nettled by the rebuke, 'but I have only your word for it; and you willpermit me to observe that I have not yet seen a proof of yourcapabilities.'
'All in good time, Mr Cargrim. More haste less speed, sir. I fancy I amon the right track at last.'
'Can you guess who killed the man?' asked the chaplain, eagerly waitingfor the bishop's name to be pronounced.
'I never guess, sir. I theorise from external evidence, and then try,with such brains as God has given me, to prove my theories.'
'You have gained some evidence, then?'
'If I have, Mr Cargrim, you'll hear it when I place the murderer in thedock. It is foolish to show half-finished work.'
'But if the mur--'
'Hold hard, sir!' interrupted Baltic, raising his head. 'I'll so fardepart from my rule as to tell you one thing--whosoever killed Jentham,it was not Bishop Pendle.'
Cargrim grew red and angry. 'I tell you it was!' he almost shouted,although this conversation took place in a quiet corner near thecathedral, and thereby required prudent speech and demeanour. 'Didn't DrPendle meet Jentham on the common?'
'We presume so, sir, but as yet we have no proof of the meeting.'
'At least you know that he paid Jentham two hundred pounds.'
'Perhaps he did; maybe he didn't,' returned Baltic, quietly. 'Hecertainly drew out that amount from the Ophir Bank, but, not havingtraced the notes, I can't say if he paid it to the man.'
'But I am sure he did,' insisted Cargrim, still angry.
'In that case, sir, why ask me for my opinion?' replied theimperturbable Baltic.
If Mr Cargrim had not been a clergyman, he would have sworn at thecomplacent demeanour of the agent, and even as it was he felt inclinedto risk a relieving oath or two. But knowing Baltic's religioustemperament, he was wise enough not to lay himself open to furtherrebuke; so he turned the matter off with a laugh, and observed that nodoubt Mr Baltic knew his own business best.
'I think I can safely say so, sir,' rejoined Baltic, gravely. 'By theway, did you not tell me that Captain George Pendle was on the commonwhen the murder took place?'
'Yes, George was there, and so was Gabriel. Mrs Pansey's page saw themboth.'
'And where is Captain Pendle now, sir?'
'At Wincaster with his regiment; but the bishop has sent for him to cometo Beorminster, so I expect he will be here within the week.'
'I am glad of that, Mr Cargrim, as I wish to ask Captain Pendle a fewquestions.'
'Do you suspect him?'
'I can't rightly say, sir,' answered Baltic, wiping his face with thered bandanna. 'Later on I may form an opinion. Mr Gabriel Pendle comesto The Derby Winner sometimes, I see.'
'Yes; he is in love with the barmaid there.'
Baltic looked up sharply. 'Mosk's daughter, sir?'
'The same. He wants to marry Bell Mosk.'
'Does--he--indeed?' drawled the agent, flicking his thumb nail againsthis teeth. 'Well, Mr Cargrim, he might do worse. There is a lot of goodin that young woman, sir. Mr Gabriel Pendle has lately returned fromabroad, I hear.'
'Yes, from Nauheim.' 'That is in Germany, I take it, sir. Did he travelon a Cook's ticket, do you know?'
'I believe he did.'
'Oh! humph! I'll say good-bye, then, Mr Cargrim, for the present. Ishall see you when I return from London.'
'Are you going to ask about Gabriel's ticket at Cook's?'
'There's no telling, sir. I may look in.'
'Do you think that Gab--'
'I think nothing as yet, Mr Cargrim; when I do, I'll tell you mythoughts. Good-day, sir! God bles
s you!' And Baltic, with a satisfiedexpression on his face, rolled away in a nautical manner.
'God bless me indeed!' muttered Cargrim, in much displeasure, forneither the speech nor the manner of the man pleased him. 'Ugh! I wishBaltic would stick to either religion or business. At present he is akind of moral hermaphrodite, good for neither one thing nor another. Iwonder if he suspects the bishop or his two sons? I don't believe DrPendle is innocent; but if he is, either George or Gabriel is guilty.Well, if that is so, I'll still be able to make the bishop give meHeathcroft. He will rather do that than see one of his sons hanged andthe name disgraced. Still, I hope Baltic will bring home the crime tohis lordship.'
With this amiable wish, Mr Cargrim quickened his pace to catch up withMiss Whichello, whom he saw tripping across the square towards the JennyWren house. The little old lady looked rosy and complacent, at peacewith herself and the whole of Beorminster. Nevertheless, her expressionchanged when she saw Mr Cargrim sliding gracefully towards her, and shereceived him with marked coldness. As yet she had not forgiven him forhis unauthorised interference on behalf of Mrs Pansey. Cargrim was quickto observe her buckram civility, but diplomatically took no notice ofits frigidity. On the contrary, he was more gushing and more expansivethan ever.
'A happy meeting, my dear lady,' he said, with a beaming glance. 'Had Inot met you, I should have called to see you as the bearer of goodnews.'
'Really!' replied Miss Whichello, drily. 'That will be a relief fromhearing bad news, Mr Cargrim. I have had sufficient trouble of late.'
'Ah!' sighed the chaplain, falling into his professional drawl, 'howtrue is the saying of Job, "Man is born--"'
'I don't want to hear about Job,' interrupted Miss Whichello, crossly.'He is the greatest bore of all the patriarchs.'
'Job, dear lady, was not a patriarch.'
'Nevertheless, he is a bore, Mr Cargrim. What is your good news?'
'Captain Pendle is coming to Beorminster this week, Miss Whichello.'
'Oh,' said the little old lady, with a satirical smile, 'you are a dayafter the fair, Mr Cargrim. I heard that news this morning.'
'Indeed! But the bishop only sent for Captain Pendle yesterday.'
'Quite so; and Miss Arden received a telegram from Captain Pendle thismorning.'
'Ah! Miss Whichello, young love! young love!'
The little lady could have shaken Cargrim for the smirk with which hemade this remark. However, she restrained her very natural impulse, andmerely remarked--rather irrelevantly, it must be confessed--that if twoyoung and handsome people in love with one another were not happy intheir first blush of passion they never would be.
'No doubt, dear lady. I only trust that such happiness may last. Butthere is no sky without a cloud.'
'And there is no bee without a sting, and no rose without a thorn. Iknow all those consoling proverbs, Mr Cargrim, but they don't apply tomy turtle-doves.'
Cargrim rubbed his hands softly together. 'Long may you continue tothink so, my dear lady,' said he, with a sad look.
'What do you mean, sir?' asked Miss Whichello, sharply.
'I mean that it is as well to be prepared for the worst,' said Cargrim,in his blandest manner. 'The course of true love--but you are weary ofsuch trite sayings. Good-day, Miss Whichello!' He raised his hat andturned away. 'One last proverb--Joy in the morning means grief atnight.'
When Mr Cargrim walked away briskly after delivering this Parthianshaft, Miss Whichello stood looking after him with an expression ofnervous worry on her rosy face. She had her own reasons to apprehendtrouble in connection with the engagement, and although these wereunknown to the chaplain, his chance arrow had hit the mark. The thoughtsof the little old lady at once reverted to the conversation with thebishop at the garden-party.
'Mrs Pansey again,' thought Miss Whichello, resuming her walk at aslower pace. 'I shall have to call on her, and appeal either to herfears or her charity, otherwise she may cause trouble.'
In the meantime, Mr Baltic, proceeding in his grave way towardsEastgate, had fallen in with Gabriel coming from The Derby Winner. Asyet the two had never met, and save the name, young Pendle knew nothingabout the ex-sailor. Nevertheless, when face to face with him, herecognised the man at once as a private inquiry agent whom he had oncespoken to in Whitechapel. The knowledge of his father's secret, ofJentham's murder and of this stranger's profession mingled confusedly inGabriel's head, and his heart knocked at his ribs for very fear.
'I met you in London some years ago,' he said nervously.
'Yes, Mr Pendle; but then I did not know your name, nor did you knowmine.'
'How did you recognise me?' asked Gabriel.
'I have a good memory for faces, sir,' returned Baltic, 'but, as amatter of fact, Sir Harry Brace pointed you out to me.'
'Sir Har--oh, then you are Baltic!'
'At your service, Mr Pendle. I am down here on business.'
'I know all about it,' replied Gabriel, recovering his nerve with theknowledge of the man's name and inclination to side with the bishop.
'Indeed, sir! And who told you about it?'
'Sir Harry told Dr Graham, who informed my father, who spoke to me.'
'Oh!' Baltic looked seriously at the curate's pale face. 'Then thebishop knows that I am an inquiry agent.'
'He does, Mr Baltic. And, to tell you the truth, he is not at allpleased that you presented yourself in our city as a missionary.'
'I am a missionary,' answered the ex-sailor, quietly. 'I explained asmuch to Sir Harry, but it would seem that he has told the worst and keptback the best.'
'I don't understand,' said the curate, much bewildered.
'Sir, it would take too long for me to explain why I call myself amissionary, but you can rest assured that I am not sailing under falsecolours. As it is, you know me as an agent; and you know also my purposein coming here.'
'Yes! I know that you are investigating the mur--'
'We are in the street, sir,' interrupted Baltic, with a glance atpassers-by; 'it is as well to be discreet. One moment.' He led Gabrielinto a quiet alley, comparatively free from listeners. 'This is a ratherrough sort of neighbourhood, sir.'
'Rough certainly, but not dangerous,' replied Gabriel, puzzled by theremark.
'Don't you carry a pistol, Mr Pendle?'
'No! Why should I?'
'Why indeed? If the Gospel is not a protection enough, no earthly armswill prevail. Your name is Gabriel, I think, sir.'
'Yes! Gabriel Pendle; but I don't see--'
'I'm coming to an explanation, sir. G. P.' mused Baltic--'same initialsas those of your father and brother, eh, Mr Pendle?'
'Certainly. Both the bishop and my brother are named George.'
'G. P. all three,' said Baltic, with a nod, 'Do you travel abroad with aCook's ticket, sir?'
'Usually! Why do you--'
'A through ticket to--say Nauheim--is about three pounds, I believe?'
'I paid that for mine, Mr Baltic. May I ask why you question me in thismanner?' demanded Gabriel, irritably.
Baltic tapped Gabriel's chest three times with his forefinger. 'For yourown safety, Mr Pendle. Good-day, sir!'