her ready and charming smile. "What strangers weare," she cried gaily. "And how nice to meet my only two friends inBlankfield."
Pomfret did a little finessing on his own. "I have been away for a fewdays, too," he explained glibly. "Had to go up to London to look aftersome business of my poor old aunt's; only got back by the mid-daytrain."
"Did you enjoy your visit?" inquired Hugh of Norah, with that stiffnesswhich he could never quite dissociate from his manner when addressingeither brother or sister.
"Yes and No," was the answer. "On the whole, I had quite a good time,but I am not sorry to get back to Rosemount, and my little householdgods. Knowing you both has made such a difference to my life here."
She was laying it on a little bit thick, Hugh thought, and he fanciedshe looked more at Pomfret than himself, as she said it. But he made asuitable and courteous reply.
She was just about to turn away, when a sudden thought seemed to strikeher.
"As Mr Pomfret and I have been such wanderers, would it not be nice tocelebrate our return? Will you both come to dinner to-night, and we canrelate our experiences?"
Pomfret jumped at the invitation, and Hugh had to follow suit. As amatter of fact, he was rather eager to go. They were both playing theirparts very well, but he was quite convinced they _were_ playing a part.He was more certain about Jack than about her. Jack had been a bit tooglib, had over-acted, as it were. They had met in London, if only for afew hours; he would have bet a thousand pounds on that.
Jack declared that he would walk back to Rosemount with Miss Burton. Hedid not now care a farthing what members of Blankfield Society he met.Very shortly, the army would know him no more, and he would take up anew life with this fearless girl whom he had married on the sly.
Hugh strolled on, and looked in at the various shops. The High Streethappened to be rather empty on this particular afternoon, the _elite_ ofBlankfield Society had not yet turned out for its usual promenade.
Turning away from a jeweller's shop window, where he was inspecting somesleeve-links, he was confronted by a tall, sturdily built man of aboutfifty years of age, who raised his hat.
"I believe I have the pleasure of addressing Captain Murchison?" heinquired politely.
Hugh directed a swift glance at him. He was not exactly a commonperson, on the other hand he was certainly not a gentleman. There wassomething military in his bearing; he might have been a retiredSergeant-Major.
"That is my name," answered Hugh a little curtly. "And who are you,please?"
The tall man took a card from his waistcoat pocket and presented it."Those are my credentials, sir."
Hugh ran his eye over it swiftly. He saw the name, Davidson, a commonone enough, and, in the corner, Scotland Yard. Why the deuce shouldthis agent of the police want to accost him? And how did he know hisname was Murchison?
"I think you are acquainted with a family of the name of Burton, brotherand sister they call themselves, who live at a house a little way outcalled Rosemount?"
"Of course I know them, that is to say, in a casual sort of way."Needless to say that Murchison had never been more surprised in hislife. "Why are you asking these questions?" Mr Davidson darted a keenglance up and down the comparatively empty High Street. "This is ratheran exposed place in which to talk, but I have something to tell youwhich I am sure you will be interested to listen to. I am staying atthe `Anchor,' in a side street from this. If you will do me the honourto follow me, I can take you into a private room there, where we shallnot be observed nor overheard."
Like a man in a dream, Hugh found himself following Mr Davidson to the"Anchor," one of the second-class hotels in the town. He was quite surethat this tall, military looking person was going to clear up themystery of the couple whom Blankfield, in its wisdom, had refused tovisit, and whose acquaintance he owed to a random meeting at a tea-shop.
There were only one or two idlers in the entrance-hall of the hotel,which was of what is known as the "Commercial" kind. Murchison was gladto find that he did not seem to attract their observation, as he rapidlycrossed over to where his new acquaintance was standing in a rather darkcorner.
Davidson piloted him into a little sitting-room which opened out of along narrow passage. He rang the bell, and ordered refreshments withthe manner of a man who was acquainted with the usages of politesociety.
It would be quite safe to say that Hugh, the heir to a great fortune,brought up in the lap of luxury, an aristocrat by adoption, if notexactly by birth, had never found himself up till now in such anenvironment. He could not truthfully declare that it was an experiencehe wished to repeat.
Still, he could blame nobody but himself, his foolish action in takingup with a couple of persons whom Blankfield, in its superior worldlywisdom, had decided to ignore. As he was in for it, and nothing couldundo the past, it was better to go through with it. Let him accommodatehimself to the situation, drink his whisky-and-soda in this dingy littleparlour of a second-rate hotel, and treat the detective with genialcourtesy.
After the first mouthful of his drink, Davidson began to explain.
"Of course, sir, I quite understand this is not the sort of thing or thesort of place to which you are accustomed," he said, waving adeprecatory hand round the shabby little parlour. "But in thisparticular case, I and my friend--that friend I may say at the moment iselsewhere taking his observations--wanted to lie low. It didn't enterinto our scheme to put up at a swagger hotel, and run the risk ofgossip. It might have reached the ears of those we are after, andscared them off." Hugh listened attentively. There was something veryserious in the wind now, and the dwellers at Rosemount were as yetunaware of what was impending.
His surprise expressed itself in the direct question which he shot atthe detective: "I take it you are here to arrest them, then?"
"One of them, the man," corrected Mr Davidson, quietly; "we know a gooddeal about the girl, but we have no evidence that implicates her beyondthe fact of her association with him, and from our point of view thatmeans nothing in a Court of Law."
"What is his offence?" asked the startled Hugh.
"Forgery," was the laconic answer. "He belongs to a pretty well-knowngang, and we have had our suspicions of him for a long time now, but hewas devilish clever and cunning. Several of his pals were caught, butit was always difficult to rope him in. We shouldn't have got him nowbut for the fact of one of his pals peaching. And even now, althoughthe evidence is strong enough for us, I doubt if it is strong enough toget him more than a comparatively light sentence. If he can lay hold ofa clever counsel, and there will be some money at the back of him, ifnot a great deal, he won't come off so badly."
So Mr Burton was a criminal, and had been living in Blankfield on theproceeds of his nefarious calling. The rich uncle in Australia who hadleft him a comfortable fortune was a myth.
"I suppose he has been on the `crook' all his life?" queried Hugh.
"Ever since he has come under our observation," was the reply of thedetective. "Before he joined the present gang, a few of whom we havecollared from time to time, card-sharping was his lay. Once he rentedan expensive flat in Paris, and I believe made a tidy bit out of it.That is where the young lady first appeared upon the scene."
"But how long ago is that? She doesn't look more than twenty."
"I know," said Mr Davidson. "She looks wonderfully young, that is oneof her assets. As a matter of fact I should say she was twenty-four atthe least. The Parisian episode occurred about five years ago, makingher nineteen at the time. He was there about twelve months, at the endof which time he got an introduction to the forging gang, and chuckedthe cards in favour of a more remunerative game."
"She acted, I suppose, as a decoy and confederate?"
"So I am given to understand. She very seldom played herself, but usedto signal the opponents' cards to him."
"What a precious pair," groaned Hugh. He had long been doubtful ofthem, but he had never anticipated this.
"Now, Capta
in Murchison, there is a little question I want to ask you,"said the detective briskly, after a brief pause. "My pal and I onlyarrived here yesterday, but we have not been idle, we have picked up agood deal. We have discovered that nobody in Blankfield visits them,except yourself and another officer, a Mr Pomfret. That is true, is itnot?"
"Quite true," assented Murchison.
"You frequently go to their house together. But perhaps I may betelling you something you don't know when I say that Mr Pomfret morefrequently has gone alone."
"I have had my suspicions some time," was Hugh's answer.
"Now tell me, please; I suppose in the evenings you played cards, orroulette, or some game of chance. I thought