CHAPTER VIII
MY VISITOR
For long enough after Gatton's departure I sat thinking over ourconversation. Despite the lateness of the hour at which he haddeparted, he had had no thought of rest and was setting out in questof further evidence to point to the author of Sir Marcus's death. Theroom was laden with tobacco smoke, for our conference had lasted morethan two hours, but dusk was very fully established and when presentlyas I sat there in the dark contemplating the horrible labyrinth intowhich my steps had drifted, Coates entered.
"Ah, Coates," I said, "light up."
He switched on the electric light and I saw layers of smoke--cloudsdrifting from the open window towards the newly opened door.
"Shall you be going out again to-night, sir?" asked Coates, standingrigidly to attention as was his custom when addressing me.
"I think not, Coates," I replied. "I have done enough for one day, butI should be glad if you would ring up the New Avenue Theater andinquire if Miss Merlin will speak to me. It will be about time now forthe performance to have finished."
"Very good, sir," said Coates, and proceeded to make the call, whilstI sat listlessly smoking and listening to his voice. Presently:
"Miss Merlin did not appear to-night, sir," he announced: "she isindisposed."
"I thought as much," I muttered. "I could hardly have expected aftersuch a day of horror and excitement that she would have been capableof appearing to-night. Ring up her flat, Coates," I added. "I shouldlike to speak to her, for I know she is in great trouble."
"Indeed, sir," Coates permitted himself to remark. "Is it something todo with the discovery at the docks this morning, sir?"
"It is, Coates," I replied. "It is an utterly damnable business."
"Indeed, sir," said Coates again, and went to the telephone.
Three minutes later I was talking to Isobel.
"I find it utterly impossible to tell you what has happened," shedeclared, "since I saw you last. I feel incapable of thinking, and ofcourse it was quite out of the question for me to go to the theaterto-night. But it is not so bad as it might have been." She hesitated,then: "I was only able to give them very short notice unfortunately,but from a selfish point of view, as you know--I was leaving thestage--very shortly--"
"Yes," I answered dully, "I know; but have you seen the police?"
"I have seen Inspector Gatton," she replied; "but as he told me thathe was coming along to you, no doubt you know what took place."
"No," I replied; "he did not mention the visit, but you quiterecognize the fact, Isobel, that he does not regard you as being inany way concerned in this ghastly affair."
"He was awfully kind," she admitted; "in fact I quite changed myopinion regarding the methods of the police authorities after myinterview with Inspector Gatton; but although he was so extremelytactful with me, I really cannot forgive him his suspicions, which hewas at scarcely any pains to disguise, regarding Eric."
"Regarding Eric!" I exclaimed.
"Oh," continued Isobel, "he may have concealed his views from you, ashe knows that you are--a friend of Eric's; but he was less carefulabout concealing them from me. To all intents and purposes Eric isunder police surveillance!"
"But this is utterly incredible!" said I. "You don't mean to tell me,Isobel, that Coverly has persisted in his silence respecting hismovements last night? If he has done so, in the circumstances he hasonly himself to thank. Social position and everything else counts fornothing when an inquiry concerning a murder is concerned. He knowsthat perfectly well."
I think I spoke hotly, and certainly I spoke with a certainindignation, for I very strongly resented Coverly's attitude in thecase, which could only add to the difficulties and sorrows of Isobel'sposition.
Yet a moment afterwards I regretted that I had done so, for:
"Are _you_ going to quarrel with me, too?" she asked pathetically.
"What do you mean? Who has been quarreling with you?"
"Eric quarreled with me fiercely at the solicitors' to-day, and when Ibegged of him to be frank respecting his movements last night, hisattitude became"--she hesitated--"almost unbearable. He did not seemto realize that I was only thinking of him, nor did he seem to realizethe construction which I might have placed upon his silence. I mean,Jack, what can he possibly have to conceal?"
Temporarily I felt myself to have become tongue-tied. What _could_ itbe that Coverly was concealing? The idea of complicity in the crime Iscouted; nothing could have induced me to believe it. Only oneexplanation presented itself to my mind, as evidently it had presenteditself to Isobel's--another woman. However:
"You may depend," I said, endeavoring to speak soothingly, "that hehas some good and sufficient reason for this silence, and one which isnot in any way discreditable. Nevertheless he will have to reconsiderhis attitude in the near future. Of course there are times when almostevery one of us would be hard put to it to establish an alibi if wewere called upon to do so--as regards witnesses of our movements, Imean; but at least we can state roughly where we were during any hourof the day, even if we have to trust to luck to find witnesses toprove the truth of words. His attitude of silence, Isobel, isridiculous."
"Have you seen the evening papers?" she asked pathetically.
"Some of them," I replied.
"They have got my name in already," she continued, "and my photographappears in one. It is outrageous how they leap at an opportunity forscandal."
"It will all be cleared up," I said, speaking with as much confidenceas I had at my command. "You know and I know that Coverly is innocentand I don't believe that Gatton thinks him guilty."
A while longer we talked and then I returned rather wearily to mychair in the room where the air was still laden with tobacco fumes.
Without believing it to contain any very special significance as I hadsupposed, but merely attracted by the strangeness of the passage, Iremembered how Gatton had harped upon Maspero's description of theattributes of Bast. "Sometimes she plays with her victim as with amouse," etc. The big book with its fine plates, several of themrepresenting cats similar to that which Gatton had left behind for mymore particular examination, still lay open upon the table, and Ireread those passages appertaining to the character of thecat-goddess, which I had marked for Gatton's information. Scarcenoting what I read--for all the time I was turning over in my mind themanifold problems of the case--I sat there for an hour perhaps, infact until I was interrupted by the entrance of Coates.
"Shall you require me again to-night, sir?" he inquired.
"No," I replied; "you had better turn in now, as in all probability weshall be early afoot to-morrow, Coates. Inspector Gatton will probablybe calling for me."
"Very good. Good-night, sir," said Coates; and performing a smartabout-turn, he walked out of the room.
I went on reading, not in quest of any particular information, but inthat idle mood when one reads anything, interesting or otherwise. Fora time I heard my conscientious batman fastening doors and windows aswas his nightly custom; then the door of his own room closed and Iheard him no more.
When I first became aware of the howling of distant dogs I know not;but it was with a great start that I was aroused from my semi-reverieby the ringing of the door-bell. I realized that I had sat much longerthan I had supposed. It was a quarter to one.
Gatton was my first thought; there must be an unexpected developmentin the case calling in some way for my services. Coates was a soundsleeper and evidently had not been awakened by the ringing of thebell; therefore, arrayed as I was in pajamas, slippers and bath-robe(for this, during the hot weather was my indoor costume) I walked outalong the little corridor, unbolted the front door and opened it.
A woman stood there.
For a moment I thought foolishly that it was Isobel, and my heart gavea great leap. But the delusion was instantly dispelled when my visitorspoke.
Her voice had a totally different tone from that of Isobel--it was alow, almost caressing voice, with a vaguely husk
y note in it,fascinating in a way, yet although I found myself unable to accountfor the fact, vaguely uncanny--queer.
"Please excuse me," she said. "You will naturally wonder what hasbrought a visitor to your door at this hour of the night, and indeedmy explanation is a strange one."
She glanced apprehensively over her shoulder as she spoke, out intothe darkness of the roadway. I observed that she was apparently inevening dress and wore a very handsome cloak, having a thick silkscarf so draped about her head and shoulders that her face was quiteconcealed. Very clearly, now, I could hear the howling of dogs.
Instinct is a curious thing, and that which it prompted me to do atthe moment when I found myself confronting this strange woman waspromptly to awaken Coates! Honestly I was afraid of her and wished fornothing better than to have the closed door between us. This was allthe more unaccountable as she had the appearance and manners of acultured woman, presenting indeed a figure of great elegance as shestood there with her tall slender form outlined by the moonlight whichslanted down through the trees to form a scimitar of light upon thepath behind her.
Of course I could never have acted upon this singular instinct, butthe decision was taken out of my hands; for suddenly my visitoruttered a low cry of fear, swayed dizzily and seemed about to fall.
Perforce I stepped forward to support her and before I knew what hadhappened, she had tottered into the passage, resting heavily upon myshoulder.
"Close the door!" she said in that low husky voice. "Quick! Quick! Ihave seen them again!"
An unpleasant chill communicated itself to me.
"The eyes!" she whispered. "Two great eyes have followed me! That waswhy I knocked at your door. I was afraid."
It was enough, the mention of two great eyes. Leaving my visitortemporarily to take care of herself, I sprang to the door and closedit hurriedly. As I turned, in the light from the partly open studydoor I saw the woman walking slowly ahead of me. I overtook her,holding the door fully open for her to pass in.
"Please sit down a while," I said. "You have evidently been seriouslyalarmed."
Still there was no sign from Coates, whose voice would have beenwelcome music to my ears, for I could not reconcile myself to thiswoman's presence, strive how I might, nor could I understand how shehad come to be wandering alone in such a place at that hour. One bondof sympathy there was between us. I could forgive any one fearingthose awful eyes, for I had feared them myself; and I could no longerdoubt that some strange apparition was haunting the vicinity.
"Believe me, I quite understand," I said, turning to my visitor. "Itis most extraordinary, but I believe there is some unusually large catfrequenting the neighborhood at present."
I stood by the side table and was on the point of pouring out a glassof water when the woman raised her white-gloved hand in a gesture ofrefusal.
"Thank you," she said, "thank you, but I am quite recovered, andindeed if the cause of my alarm is no more than a cat, as you say, Iwill proceed."
She laughed, and her laughter was low-pitched, but very musical. Inthe light of the shaded table-lamp I could see the gleam of whiteteeth through her veil, but I could not imagine why she swathedherself in that manner. Yet in spite of this enwrapping she could notdisguise the fact that she possessed remarkably large and beautifuleyes. She seemed now to have recovered her composure, but I noted thatshe made no attempt to remove her veil.
"Are you quite sure that you will not be nervous on your way?" Iasked.
"Oh, no. I am staying with some friends quite near," she explained,detecting my curiosity; "and I was indiscreet enough to wander out atthis hour to post a letter."
Possibly this explanation might have satisfied me; it is even possiblethat I should have thought little more about the incident at that timewhen I lived in a constant turmoil of episodes even stranger, but byone of those accidents which sometimes seem to be directed by the handof an impish fate, I was to learn who or what my visitor was. When Isay I was to learn what she was, perhaps I err; more correctly I wasto learn what she was not, namely, an ordinary human being.
It was as she rose to depart that the hand of fate intervened. I hadonly one lamp burning in the room, a table-lamp; and at this moment,preceded by a sudden accession of light due to some flaw of thegenerating plant, the filament expired, plunging the room intodarkness! I stood up with a startled cry. I do not deny that I feltill at ease in the gloom with my strange visitor; but worse was tocome. Looking across the darkened room to the chair upon which she wasseated, I saw a pair of blazing eyes regarding me fixedly!
Something in their horrid, luminous watchfulness told me that myslightest movement was perceptible to my uncanny visitor of whom Icould see nothing but those two fiery eyes.
What I did or what occurred within the next few seconds I am notprepared to state in detail. I know I uttered a hoarse cry and threwmyself back from those dreadful eyes which seemed to be advancing uponme. The cry awakened Coates. I heard the pad of his bare feet upon thefloor as he leaped out of bed, and an instant later his door wasopened and he came blundering out into the darkened passage.
"Hello, sir!" he cried, in a half-dazed voice. "Here, Coates!" Ireplied, and my tones were far from normal.
Falling over a chair on his way, Coates came running into the study.An impression I had of a flying shape, and the dimly seen square ofthe open window (for that side of the cottage lay in shadow) seemedmomentarily to become blackened.
"Bring a light, Coates!" I cried. "The lamp has gone out."
"Matches on the table, sir," said Coates.
Instantly I remembered that this was the case, that they lay in factnear to my hand. I struck one, and in its flickering light lookedabout the room. My visitor had gone--palpably through the window, forcertainly the front door had not been opened.
"She has gone, Coates!" I exclaimed.
And on this occasion it was Coates who repeated in an amazed voice:
"_She_?"
But even as he spoke, my attention had become diverted.
I was staring at that portion of the table upon which Maspero's booklay. Beside it had stood the little Bubastis statuette ... but thestatuette was there no longer!