CHAPTER XXIII
WE MEET M. PIGOT
I was just getting ready to leave the office the next afternoon whenGodfrey called me up.
"How are you feeling to-day, Lester?" he asked.
"Not as fit as I might," I said.
"Have you arranged to start on that vacation Thursday?"
"I don't think that's a good joke, Godfrey."
"It isn't a joke at all. I want you to arrange it. But meanwhile, howwould you like a whiff of salt air this evening?"
"First rate. How will I get it?"
"The _Savoie_ will get to quarantine about six o'clock. I'm goingdown on our boat to meet her. I want to have a talk with InspectorPigot--the French detective. Will you come along?"
"Will I!" I said. "Where shall I meet you?"
"At the foot of Liberty Street, at five o'clock."
"I'll be there," I promised. And I was.
The boat was cast loose as soon as we got aboard, backed out into thebusy river, her whistle shrieking shrilly, then swung about andheaded down stream. It was a fast boat--the _Record_, which prideditself on outdistancing its contemporaries in other directions, wouldof course try to do so in this--and when she got fairly into herstride, with her engines throbbing rhythmically, the shore on eitherhand slipped past us rapidly.
The New York sky-line, as seen from the river, is one of the wondersof the world, and I stood looking at it until we swung out into thebay. There were two other men on board--the regular ship reporters, Isuppose--and Godfrey had gone into the cabin with them to talk oversome detail of the evening's work; so I went forward to the bow,where I would get the full benefit of the salt breeze, with the tasteof it on my lips. The Statue of Liberty was just ahead, and alreadythe great search-light in her torch was winking across the water.Craft innumerable crossed and re-crossed, their lights reflected inthe waves, and far ahead, a little to the left, I could see the whiteglow against the sky which marked the position of Coney Island.
Godfrey joined me presently, and we stood for some time looking atthis scene in silence.
"It's a great sight, isn't it?" he said, at last. "Hello! look atthat boat!" he added, as a yacht, coming down the bay, drew abreastof us and then slowly forged ahead. "She can go some, can't she? Thisboat of ours is no slouch, you know; but just look how that one walksaway from us. I wonder who she is? What boat is that, captain?" hecalled to the man on the bridge.
"Don't know, sir," answered the captain, after a look through hisglasses. "Private yacht--can't make out her name--there's a flag orsomething hanging over the stern. She's flying the French flag. Therecome the other press boats behind us, sir," he added. "And there'sthe _Savoie_ just slowing down at quarantine."
Far ahead we could see the great hull of the liner, dark against thehorizon, and crowned with row upon row of glowing lights.
"One doesn't appreciate how big those boats are until one sees themfrom the water," I remarked. "Isn't she immense?"
"And yet she's not an especially big boat, either," said Godfrey. "Toswing in under the really big ones--like the _Olympic_--is anexperience to remember."
The _Savoie_ had by this time slowed down until she was just holdingher own against the tide, and one of her lower ports swung open. Amoment later, a boat puffed up beside her, made fast, and three orfour men clambered aboard and disappeared through the port.
"There go the doctors," said Godfrey. "And there is that French boatgoing alongside."
The tug from quarantine dropped astern and the French yacht took herplace. After a short colloquy, one man from her was helped aboard the_Savoie_. Then it was our turn, and after what seemed to me atremendous swishing and swirling at imminent risk of collision, weswung up to the open port, a line was flung out and made fast, and amoment later Godfrey and I and the other two men were aboard theliner.
My companions exchanged greetings with the officer in charge of theopen port, and then we hurried forward along a narrow corridor,smelling of rubber and heated metal, then up stair after stair, untilat last we came to the main companionway. Here the two men left us,to seek certain distinguished passengers, I suppose, whose views uponthe questions of the day were (presumably) anxiously awaited by anexpectant public. Godfrey stopped in front of the purser's office,and passed his card through the little window to the man inside thecage.
"I should like to see M. Pigot, of the Paris _Service du Surete_" hesaid. "Perhaps you will be so kind as to have a steward take my cardto him?"
"That is unnecessary, sir," replied the purser, courteously. "That isM. Pigot yonder--the gentleman with the white hair, with his back tous. You will have to wait for a moment, however; the gentlemanspeaking with him is from the French consulate, and has but thismoment come aboard."
I could not see Inspector Pigot's face, but I could see that he heldhimself very erect, in a manner bespeaking military training. Themessenger from the legation was a youngish man, with waxed moustacheand wearing an eyeglass. He was greeting M. Pigot at the moment, and,after a word or two, produced from an inside pocket anofficial-looking envelope, tied with red tape and secured with animmense red seal.
M. Pigot looked at it an instant, while his companion added asentence in his ear; then, with a nod of assent, the detective turneddown one of the passage-ways, the other man at his heels.
"Official business, no doubt," commented the purser, who had alsobeen watching this little scene. "M. Pigot is one of the best of ourofficers, and you will find it a pleasure to talk with him. He willno doubt soon be disengaged."
"Yes, but meanwhile my esteemed contemporaries will arrive," saidGodfrey, with a grimace. "They are on my heels--here they are now!"
In fact, for the next twenty minutes, reporters from the other paperskept arriving, till there was quite a crowd before the purser'soffice. And from nearly every paper a special man had been detailedto interview M. Pigot. Evidently all the papers were alive to theimportance of the subject. There was some good-natured chaffing, andthen one of the stewards was bribed to carry the cards of theassembled multitude to M. Pigot's stateroom, with the request for anaudience.
The steward went away laughing, and came back presently to say thatM. Pigot would be pleased to see us in a few minutes. But when fiveminutes more passed and he did not appear, impatience broke out anew.The lords of the press were not accustomed to being kept waiting.
"I move we storm his castle," suggested the _World_ man.
And just then, M. Pigot himself stepped out into the companionway. Inan instant he was surrounded.
"My good friends of the press," he said, speaking slowly, but withonly the faintest accent, and he smiled around at the faces bent uponhim. "You will pardon me for keeping you in waiting, but I had somematters of the first importance to attend to; and also my bag topack. Steward," he added, "you will find my bag outside my door.Please bring it here, so that I may be ready to go ashore at once."The steward hurried away, and M. Pigot turned back to us. "Now,gentlemen," he went on, "what is it that I can do for you?"
It was to Godfrey that the position of spokesman naturally fell.
"We wish first to welcome you to America, M. Pigot," he said, "and tohope that you will have a pleasant and interesting stay in ourcountry."
"You are most kind," responded the Frenchman, with a charming smile."I am sure that I shall find it most interesting--especially yourwonderful city, of which I have heard many marvellous things."
"And in the next place," continued Godfrey, "we hope that, with yourassistance, our police may be able to solve the mystery surroundingthe death of the three men recently killed here, and to arrest themurderer. Of themselves, they seem to be able to do nothing."
M. Pigot spread out his hands with a little deprecating gesture.
"I also hope we may be successful," he said; "but if your police havenot been, my poor help will be of little account. I have a profoundadmiration for your police; the results which they accomplish arewonderful, when one considers the difficulties under which theylabour."<
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He spoke with an accent so sincere that I was almost convinced hemeant every word of it; but Godfrey only smiled.
"It is a proverb," he said, "that the French police are the best inthe world. You, no doubt, have a theory in regard to the death ofthese men?"
"I fear it is impossible, sir," said M. Pigot, regretfully, "toanswer that question at present, or to discuss this case with you. Ihave my report first to make to the chief of your detective bureau.To-morrow I shall be most happy to tell you all that I can. But forto-night my lips are closed, sad as it makes me to seemdiscourteous."
I could hear behind me the little indrawn breath of disappointment atthe failure of the direct attack. M. Pigot's position was, of course,absolutely correct; but nevertheless Godfrey prepared to attack it onthe flank.
"You are going ashore to-night?" he inquired.
"I was expecting a representative of your bureau to meet me here," M.Pigot explained. "I was hoping to return with him to the city. I haveno time to lose. In addition, the more quickly we get to work, themore likely we shall be to succeed. Ah! perhaps that is he," headded, as a voice was heard inquiring loudly for Moosseer Piggott.
I recognised that voice, and so did Godfrey, and I saw the cloud ofdisappointment which fell upon his face.
An instant later, Grady, with Simmonds in his wake, elbowed his waythrough the group.
"Moosseer Piggott!" he cried, and enveloped the Frenchman's slenderhand in his great paw, and gave it a squeeze which was no doubtpainful.
"Glad to see you, sir. Welcome to our city, as we say over here inAmerica. I certainly hope you can speak English, for I don't know aword of your lingo. I'm Commissioner Grady, in charge of thedetective bureau; and this is Simmonds, one of my men."
M. Pigot's perfect suavity was not even ruffled.
"I am most pleased to meet you, sir; and you Monsieur Simmon," hesaid. "Yes--I speak English--though, as you see, with somedifficulty."
"These reporters bothering your life out, I see," and Grady glancedabout the group, scowling as his eyes met Godfrey's. "Now you boysmight as well fade away. You won't get anything out of either of usto-night--eh, Moosseer Piggott?"
"I have but just told them that my first report must be made to you,sir," assented Pigot.
"Then let's go somewhere and have a drink," suggested Grady.
"I was hoping," said M. Pigot, gently, "that we might go ashore atonce. I have my papers ready for you...."
"All right," agreed Grady. "And after I've looked over your papers,I'll show you Broadway, and I'll bet you agree with me that it beatsanything in gay Paree. Our boat's waiting, and we can start rightaway. This your bag? Yes? Bring it along, Simmonds," and Gradystarted for the stair.
But the attentive steward got ahead of Simmonds.
M. Pigot turned to us with a little smile.
"Till to-morrow, gentlemen," he said. "I shall be at the Hotel Astor,and shall be glad to see you--shall we say at eleven o'clock? I amtruly sorry that I can tell you nothing to-night."
He shook hands with the purser, waved his hand to us, and joinedGrady, who was watching these amenities with evident impatience.Together they disappeared down the stair.
"A contrast in manners, was it not, gentlemen?" asked Godfrey,looking about him. "Didn't you blush for America?"
The men laughed, for they knew he was after Grady, and yet it wasevident enough that they agreed with him.
"Come on, Lester," he added; "we might as well be getting back. I cansend the boat down again after the other boys," and he turned downthe stair.