CHAPTER XXIV
AN UNEXPECTED CONTRETEMPS
A hubbub of voices sounded for a few minutes as the crowd wended its wayout of the house and toward the village, there to relate the amazingoccurrences of the morning, and in the ballroom there fell a momentaryhush. Still almost dazed by the trend of events, the little knot ofpeople present looked at Cleek who stood gazing fixedly at the floor.
Then he gave a little shake of his shoulders.
"And now, my friends, having cleared up one part of the mystery, thereis still a question of the jewels' hiding place.... What's that, SirEdgar? How did I find out where Lady Margaret was hidden and by whom?Well, Blake gave himself away finally last week by his efforts to throwsuspicion on the owner of that gold lace scarf. It seemed clear to methat had he Lady Margaret in his power, the evidence of her scarf wouldbe a dangerous weapon against her, and one that would enable him toretain a hold over her. Then, again, I had recognized from thebeginning that he was not an Asiatic; his eyes, dark though they were,had no yellow tinge, nor were they set Eastern fashion. His accent, inmoments of excitement, left much to be desired. As to his brother andthe Pentacle Club: they had evidently meant to make this house theirheadquarters, and they took advantage of its construction in order tomake what would have been a safe deposit bank for their loot.
"Poking about here, I discovered that the cellars, below this, were inreality kitchens and there is no doubt that originally this room was ahuge dining room, to which food was brought up from below. What's that,Lady Brenton; impossible without a lift? Wait just one moment. Look downon this parquet floor. Do you see over here, for instance, a littlepiece of the wood, darker than the rest?"
Every eye turned in Cleek's direction searching the big floor carefully.
"Yes, and here's another," cried Jennifer Wynne, suddenly.
"And another!" put in Dr. Verrall with some excitement. A minute or solater and three more were discovered joining what at first sight seemedto be a disconnected circle.
But Cleek took out a piece of chalk from his pocket.
"I need hardly tell you that a pentacle is a six-sided star veryfrequently used in masonry and the East," he said as they looked at himin some mystification.
"I knew that the murdered man was a member of the notorious PentacleClub, since a pentacle was tattooed on his arm--Dr. Verrall will bear meout in that--and the pentacle was therefore in my mind's eye when I didthis."
Kneeling, he swiftly joined up the points, and beneath the eyes of theinterested watchers the white chalk marks, standing out clearly on thedark floor, grew into the ancient sign of a huge pentacle which spreadacross the centre of the room.
"Now," said Cleek, after they had surveyed his handiwork in amazement,"let us find the centre. And now look at this----"
Standing in the centre of the pentacle he stooped down and pressed hardon one of the little pieces of dark parquet.
As he did so a cry of astonishment broke from all those present, for asection of the floor, about the size of the space covered by a largetray, very gently sank in front of them, and they saw Cleek carriednoiselessly and gently down into the darkness beneath.
Another minute and he was up again, a little smile on his face.
"When I discovered this," he went on, "it gave me plenty of food forthought and my further explorations still further solved the mystery.Mr. Narkom, if you will add your torch's gleam to mine it will give uslight enough to complete my task. Come, you need not fear the lift willgive way, it has carried down bigger and stranger burdens, I promiseyou."
A little hesitating murmur came from the ladies, but their curiosityovercame their fears, and two by two they descended down to the bottomof what looked like a well, lit as it was by the circle of light givenout by Mr. Narkom's torch. Once down, however, they discovered that theywere in an underground vault, which had certainly been used as akitchen, for the old-fashioned stoves still stood against one side.
"You see," said Cleek, in quiet, reassuring tones, "having oncediscovered this arrangement it is no wonder that Blake conceived thismethod of getting hold of the Cheyne jewels. With only poor eccentricMiss Cheyne to dispose of, the task was an easy one. It only remained toget them into his possession through the agency of Lady Margaret, and ifshe had not discovered the trick that was being played on her, all wouldhave gone off smoothly. As it was, however, Blake probably did not knowwhether she had contrived to warn someone or not!"
Lady Margaret herself intervened here in a quick, agitated voice.
"That's just it," she said. "I told him Sir Edgar knew and LieutenantDeland and Miss Lorne as well and I said that you would all come afterme and get the jewels back, too, which seemed to make him furious."
"That accounts for his plan to hide them securely, then," said Cleek,squaring his shoulders. "I see. But surely he conceived the strangestmethod of concealment that ever entered man's mind."
As if in illustration of his words, there suddenly burst forth thehorrible sound, like the wailing of a dog in his death agonies, whichhad swept over the ballroom upon that first day of the inquest.
Jennifer and Lady Brenton both shrieked aloud and Cleek had as much ashe could manage to silence them.
"It is all right, don't be afraid," he said, serenely. "For that is thejewel-case of the Pentacle Club."
"_Jewel-case!_" cried Dr. Verrall, excitedly, at this strange remark."What are you talking about? That was a living animal's cry, I'll takemy oath."
"Quite right, Doctor; look for yourself."
With a swift step toward a door back of him, Cleek threw it open anddisclosed another room into which he beckoned them.
Here the morning light streamed in through windows and gratings let intothe walls, and it was evident that they gave upon the old moat outside.But this they hardly noticed, for an amazing sight met their eyes. Roundthe walls were ranged cages big and small, every one with a livingoccupant. Cage after cage contained small kangaroos, oppossums,civet-cats, in fact, every variety of marsupial animal.
"Good Heavens," gasped Sir Edgar, "what is it? Are we mad or dreaming?It's like a circus."
"Which is what it would have been," said Cleek, complacently, "but ifMr. Narkom's men have done their work properly, Professor James out inthe meadow will wait in vain for his opportunity to transfer thesecreatures to his friendly caravans."
"Professor James?" said Bobby Wynne, speaking for the first time sincethe disappearance of Gunga Dall. "What has he to do with it, Mr.Headland?"
"Everything, as you will see for yourself," said Cleek, "but for themoment, I want to rescue some of the Cheyne jewels which, if I am notmistaken, would have vanished forever after to-night."
"But where are they?" said Jennifer.
"Here in front of you, for the most part," responded Cleek, serenely,"surely in the strangest jewel-case that was ever conceived." Speaking,he darted over to the cage of one of the small kangaroos, and with theaid of his coat succeeded in catching fast the struggling animal.Plunging his hand into the pouch he withdrew it, holding up a shiningpendant in his fingers. A little gasp came from all present.
"Good Heavens!" said Sir Edgar. "Do you mean to tell me the jewels arehidden like that?"
"I do," said Cleek. "It is no wonder that Sammy Blake felt assured ofhis booty, for unless his accomplices betrayed him he was safe beyondall discovery. He knew that between the police searching for them, andhis own pals thirsting for revenge, he would stand a very poor chance ofgetting them away hidden in any ordinary manner. Hence the circus. Itwas ingenious, to say the least of it!"
"But how did he get them in?" asked Lady Brenton.
"Very simply, as I will show you. But first I will try and relieve someof these animals of their burden. Sir Edgar, Doctor, and Mr. Wynne, ifyou will lend me a hand----"
Suiting the action to the word, they made the round of the cages. Innearly every case Cleek abstracted some valuable jewel from itsoccupant's pouch. He had left the cage containing one kangaroo to thelast. The ani
mal was a large one, and it took the united efforts of themen to overpower it. But at last they succeeded, and Cleek gave a littlecry of triumph as he held up to their astonished gaze a hugeamethyst-coloured stone, flashing and quivering in the dim light of thetorches.
"The Purple Emperor," cried Lady Margaret, breathlessly, and Cleek, witha little bow, passed it to her.
"Yes, Lady Margaret, and the quicker you get that into custody of thebank the safer your life will be, and----"
He stopped short, alert and intent, for a sound had come to his trainedears. Someone else had entered the vault. Quickly he stepped back intothe shadow of the cages where he was hidden from view. There came asound at the back of the room, a snarl, half human, half animal. But itwas a man's figure that leaped across and snatched the great jewel awayfrom the soft hands of Lady Margaret. Both the girl and her companionswere too dazed by the sudden appearance of this uncouth being, hisclothes covered with green mould, his hair dishevelled, his eyesglaring, to do anything but stare at him in utter astonishment.
"It's mine at last!" he shrieked, and turned to go back the way he hadcome.
But Cleek was in front of him and the entry closed. Noiselessly andswiftly he had worked his way round, and now stood looking at the manwho but a few short hours back had had him trussed and bound in thewine-cellar on the other side of the house.
"Not so fast, my friend!" he said. "Your circus must wait awhile. Upwith your hands."
He drew a revolver, and held it in front of the man's face. His shakingarms went slowly upward, his furious crimson countenance turned a sortof pale drab, he swayed a moment, tried to regain his balance,staggered, and then dropped to his knees. Mr. Narkom promptly snappedthe bracelets upon his wrists.
Cleek hauled him promptly into the circle of light.
"Curse you!" snarled the man. "Why didn't I kill you the other day?"
"Yes, why?" said Cleek, lightly, "a mistake on your part." Stooping downhe took possession once more of the Purple Emperor. "No stone is worthimperilling your life for, my good John."
A little cry broke from the blanched lips of Lady Margaret as she peeredat the dishevelled figure.
"Why, it is the butler, the man who watched over me alternately withAggie in that awful cellar!" she cried.
"It's the man who saw Bobby, and said----" Jennifer broke off abruptly,biting her lips in vexation at having thus betrayed herself, and Cleek,looking at her significantly, took up the thread.
"Yes, the man you tried to bribe, Miss Jennifer, who ran away so quicklyand disappeared in an empty field. I will show you how he did it.Dollops, bring him along, and follow me, people. There is still more tothis astounding riddle."
He switched on his heel, and passed through the door which he had openedbehind them and across the vaulted kitchen, followed by his companions.Then, climbing up a few steps, they went through still another doorwhich led them out into the open.
"The moat," said Lady Margaret, softly, as she looked up at the bluesky, high above their heads.
Cleek said nothing, but bending over twitched aside a little clump ofgreen shrubs.
It disclosed a dark opening like a cutting let right into the earth.
"This slopes up," said he. "I have already tried it, and if you noticedthose cages, you would have seen that every one was fitted with wheels.This enabled them to be wheeled down this passageway, and to-nightprobably they would have been transferred to the circus and thence toLondon. I do not think that either the police or the other members ofthe gang would have thought of searching in so queer a hiding place, doyou?... What's that, Sir Edgar? How did I come to think of it? Well,when I discovered the animals last week, I was struck with their excitedcondition, and the strong smell of musk told me that something had beendone recently to them to rouse them up to such a pitch. A little link ofbroken chain in a cage and a hastily made experiment told me the rest ofthe tale."
While Cleek was speaking they were moving along the strange passage andsoon noticed that they were walking up an incline. Just as their headsbegan to reach the level of the earth, an iron gate barred their way.
Cleek pushed it back, and they discovered that it was the entrance tothe vaults of Cheyne Court cleverly hidden by the gorse bushes of themeadow belonging to the house.
In this meadow Professor James had pitched his circus, secure in thepermission of "Miss Cheyne," and here he had waited for an opportunityto get hold of his precious freight.
Cleek and his followers were in the centre of affairs before thespectators even had time to wonder from whence they had sprung.
"Beg your pardin', Mr. Narkom, sir," began Petrie, a look of chagrin onhis face. "We've got the caravans and all the rest of the stuff, but theman himself had got clear away."
Cleek smiled.
"All right, Petrie," said he, serenely. "Not so clear as he thought, forDollops has got him safe and he is here, right enough. Get him down tothe village and charge him with the robbery of the Cheyne jewels."
A light of satisfaction gleamed in Petrie's eyes as they lit on thefigures of Dollops and his captive, and a look of relief crossed hisface. It would have been the first time a suspected person had everslipped through his grasp, and the fact that he had failed Cleek at acritical moment had filled him with dismay.
"Did you get the woman, Aggie?" asked Mr. Narkom, briskly.
"Yessir," said Hammond, smartly, "fought like a wild cat, she did, too,but we got her all right, and Constable Roberts has taken her down tothe station."
"Good," said Cleek, "I think, then, that is all we need do here."
"But there are still points to be cleared, Mr. Cleek. Come up now to theTowers, where we can be at peace," said Lady Brenton. "I want to getthis child," she smiled at Lady Margaret, "into safety, but we will havelunch first, for I am sure you are all absolutely worn out."