Speaker 1: The Stranger's latch Key by R. Austin Freeman. The contrarity
Speaker 1: of human nature is a subject that has given a
Speaker 1: surprising amount of occupation to makers of proverbs and to
Speaker 1: those moral philosophers who make it their province to discover
Speaker 1: and expound the glaringly obvious. And especially have they been
Speaker 1: concerned to enlarge upon that form of perverseness which engenders
Speaker 1: dislike of things offered under compulsion, and arouses desire of
Speaker 1: them as soon as their attainment becomes difficult or impossible.
Speaker 1: They assure us that a man who has had a
Speaker 1: given thing within his reach and put it by will,
Speaker 1: as soon as it is beyond his reach, find it
Speaker 1: the one thing necessary and desirable, Even as the domestic cat,
Speaker 1: which has turned disdainfully from the preferred saucer, may presently
Speaker 1: be seen with her head jammed hard in the milk jug,
Speaker 1: or secretly and with horrible relish, slaking her thirst at
Speaker 1: the scullery sink. To this peculiarity of the human mind
Speaker 1: was due, no doubt the fact that no sooner had
Speaker 1: I abandoned the clinical side of my profession in favor
Speaker 1: of the legal, and taken up my abode in the
Speaker 1: chambers of my friend Thorndike, the famous medico legal expert,
Speaker 1: to act as his assistant or junior than my former
Speaker 1: mode of life, that of the locum tenens, or minder
Speaker 1: of other men's practices, which had, when I was following
Speaker 1: it seemed intolerably irksome, now appeared to possess many desirable features,
Speaker 1: and I found myself occasionally hankering to sit once more
Speaker 1: by the bedside, to puzzle out the perplexing train of symptoms,
Speaker 1: and to wield that power, the greatest after all possessed
Speaker 1: by man, the power to banish suffering and ward off
Speaker 1: the approach of death itself. Hence it was that, on
Speaker 1: a certain morning of the long vacation, I found myself
Speaker 1: installed at the larches Burling, in full charge of the
Speaker 1: practice of my old friend, doctor Hanshaw, who was taking
Speaker 1: a fishing holiday in Norway. I was not left desolate, however,
Speaker 1: for Missus Hanshaw remained at her post, and the roomy,
Speaker 1: old fashioned house accommodated three visitors. In addition. One of
Speaker 1: these was doctor Hanshaw's sister, a Missus Haldean, the widow
Speaker 1: of a wealthy Manchester cotton factor, the second was her
Speaker 1: niece by marriage, Miss Lucy Haldean, a very handsome and
Speaker 1: charming girl of twenty three, while the third was no
Speaker 1: less a person than Master Fred, the only child of
Speaker 1: missus Haldean and a strapping boy of six. It is
Speaker 1: quite like old times, and very pleasant old times too,
Speaker 1: to see you sitting at our breakfast table, doctor Jervis,
Speaker 1: with these gracious words and a friendly smile. Missus Hanshaw
Speaker 1: handed me my tea cup. I bowed. The highest pleasure
Speaker 1: of the altruist, I replied, is in contemplating the good
Speaker 1: fortune of others. Missus Haldean laughed, thank you, She said,
Speaker 1: you are quite unchanged. I perceive still as suave as
Speaker 1: shall I say oleaginous? No? Please don't, I exclaimed, in
Speaker 1: a tone of alarm. Then I won't. But what does
Speaker 1: doctor Thorndike say to this backsliding on your part? How
Speaker 1: does he regard this relapse from medical jurisprudence to common
Speaker 1: general practice? Thorndike said, I is unmoved by any catastrophe,
Speaker 1: and he not only regards the decline and fall off
Speaker 1: of the medical jurist with philosophic charm, but he even
Speaker 1: favors the relapse, as you call it. He thinks it
Speaker 1: may be useful to me to study the application of
Speaker 1: medico legal methods to general practice. That sounds rather unpleasant
Speaker 1: for the patience, I mean, remarked Miss Haldein very agreed
Speaker 1: her aunt most cold blooded. What sort of man is
Speaker 1: doctor Thorndike? I feel quite curious about him? Is he
Speaker 1: all human? For instance? He is entirely human, I replied,
Speaker 1: the accepted tests of humanity being as I understand the
Speaker 1: habitual adoption of the erect posture in locomotion and the
Speaker 1: relative position of the end of the thumb. I don't
Speaker 1: mean that, interrupted missus Haldean. I mean human in things
Speaker 1: that matter. I think those things matter. I rejoined. Consider
Speaker 1: Missus Haldean, what would happen if my learned colleague were
Speaker 1: to be seen in wig and gown walking towards the
Speaker 1: law courts in any posture other than the erect. It
Speaker 1: would be a public scandal. Don't talk to him, Mabel,
Speaker 1: said missus Henshaw. He is incorrigible. What are you doing
Speaker 1: with yourself this morning? Lucy, miss Haldean, who had hastily
Speaker 1: set down her cup to laugh at my imaginary picture
Speaker 1: of doctor Thorndyke, in the character of a quadruped considered
Speaker 1: a moment. I think I shall sketch that group of
Speaker 1: birches at the edge of Bradham Wood, she said. Then
Speaker 1: in that case, said I, I can carry your traps
Speaker 1: for you, for I have to see a patient in Bradham.
Speaker 1: He is making the most of his time, remarked missus
Speaker 1: Haldean maliciously to my hostess. He knows that when mister
Speaker 1: Winter arrives, he will retire into the extreme background. Douglas Winter,
Speaker 1: whose arrival was expected in the course of the week,
Speaker 1: was miss Haldean's fiancee. Their engagement had been somewhat protracted,
Speaker 1: and was likely to be more so unless one of
Speaker 1: them received some unexpected accession of means. For Douglas was
Speaker 1: a subaltern in the Royal Engineers, living with great difficulty
Speaker 1: on his pay, while Lucy Haldein subsisted on an almost
Speaker 1: invisible allowance left her by an uncle. I was about
Speaker 1: to reply to missus Haldean when a patient was announced,
Speaker 1: and as I had finished my breakfast, I made my
Speaker 1: excuses and left the table. Half an hour later, when
Speaker 1: I started along the road to the village of Bradham.
Speaker 1: I had two companions. Master Freddy had joined the party,
Speaker 1: and he disputed with me the privilege of carrying the traps,
Speaker 1: with the result that a compromise was effected by which
Speaker 1: he carried the camp stool, leaving me in possession of
Speaker 1: the easel, the bag, and a large bound sketching block.
Speaker 1: Where are you going to work this morning? I asked,
Speaker 1: when we had trudged on some distance, just off the
Speaker 1: road to the left, there at the edge of the wood,
Speaker 1: not very far from the house of the mysterious stranger.
Speaker 1: She glanced at me mischievously as she made this reply,
Speaker 1: and chuckled with delight. When I rose at the bait,
Speaker 1: What house do you mean, I inquired, Ha, she exclaimed,
Speaker 1: The investigator of mysteries is aroused. He saith ha ha
Speaker 1: amidst the trumpets, he smelleth the battle afar off. Explain instantly,
Speaker 1: I commanded, or I drop your sketch block into the
Speaker 1: very next puddle. You terrify me, she said, But I
Speaker 1: will explain only there isn't any mystery except to the
Speaker 1: bucolic mind. The house is called Lavender Cottage, and it
Speaker 1: stands alone in the fields behind the wood. A fortnight
Speaker 1: ago it was let furnish to a stranger named Whitelocke,
Speaker 1: who has taken it for the purpose of studying the
Speaker 1: botany of the district. And the only really mysterious thing
Speaker 1: about him is that no one has seen him. All
Speaker 1: arrangements with the house agent were made by letter, and
Speaker 1: as far as I can make out, none of the
Speaker 1: local trades people supply him, so he must get his
Speaker 1: things from a distance, even it is bread, which really
Speaker 1: is rather odd. Now, say I am an inquisitive, gossiping
Speaker 1: country bumpkin I was going to, I answered, but it
Speaker 1: is no use now. She relieved me of her sketching appliance,
Speaker 1: as with pretended indignation, and crossed into the meadow, leaving
Speaker 1: me to pursue my way alone. And when I presently
Speaker 1: looked back, she was setting up her easel and stool,
Speaker 1: gravely assisted by Freddy. My round, though not a long one,
Speaker 1: took up more time than I had anticipated, and it
Speaker 1: was already past the luncheon hour when I passed the
Speaker 1: place where I had left Miss Haldean. She was gone,
Speaker 1: as I had expected, and I hurried homewards, anxious to
Speaker 1: be as nearly punctual as possible. When I entered the
Speaker 1: dining room, I found missus Haldean and our hostess seated
Speaker 1: at the table, and both looked up at me expectantly.
Speaker 1: Have you seen Lucy, the form inquired, No, I answered,
Speaker 1: hasn't she come back? I expected to find her here?
Speaker 1: She had left the wood when I passed just now.
Speaker 1: Missus Haldean knitted her brows anxiously. It is very strange,
Speaker 1: she said, and very thoughtless of her. Freddy will be famished.
Speaker 1: I hurried over my lunch, for two fresh messages had
Speaker 1: come in from outlying hamlets, effectually dispelling my visions of
Speaker 1: a quiet afternoon. And as the minutes passed without bringing
Speaker 1: any signs of the absentees, Missus Haldean became more and
Speaker 1: more restless and anxious. At length, her suspense became unbearable.
Speaker 1: She rose suddenly, announcing her intention of cycling up the
Speaker 1: road to look for the defaulters. But as she was
Speaker 1: moving towards the door, it burst open, and Lucy Haldean
Speaker 1: staggered into the room. Her appearance filled us with alarm.
Speaker 1: She was deadly, pale, breathless, and wild eyed. Her dress
Speaker 1: was and torn, and she trembled from head to foot.
Speaker 1: Good God, Lucy gasped missus Haldean. What has happened? And
Speaker 1: where is Freddy? She added in a sterner tone. He
Speaker 1: is lost, replied Miss Haldeen in a faint voice, and
Speaker 1: with a catch in her breath. He strayed away while
Speaker 1: I was painting. I have searched the wood through and
Speaker 1: called to him, and looked in all the meadows. Oh
Speaker 1: where could he have gone? Her sketching kit with which
Speaker 1: she was loaded slipped from her grasp and rattled on
Speaker 1: to the floor. And she buried her face in her
Speaker 1: hands and sobbed hysterically. And you have dared to come
Speaker 1: back without him, exclaimed missus Haldean. I was getting exhausted.
Speaker 1: I came back for help, was the faint reply. Of
Speaker 1: course she was exhausted, said missus Henshaw. Come, Lucy, Come, Mabel,
Speaker 1: don't make mountains out of mole hills. The little man
Speaker 1: is safe enough. We shall find him presently, or he
Speaker 1: will come home by himself. Come and have some food, Lucy.
Speaker 1: Miss Haldean shook her head. I can't, missus Fanshaw, really
Speaker 1: I can't, she said, and, seeing that she was in
Speaker 1: a state of utter exhaustion. I poured out a glass
Speaker 1: of wine and made her drink it. Missus Haldean darted
Speaker 1: from the room and returned immediately, putting on her hat.
Speaker 1: You have got to come with me and show me
Speaker 1: where you lost him, she said. She can't do that,
Speaker 1: you know, I said, rather brusquely. She will have to
Speaker 1: lie down for the present. But I know the place
Speaker 1: and will cycle up with you very well, replied missus Haldeen.
Speaker 1: That will do. What time was it, she asked, turning
Speaker 1: to her niece, when you lost the child? And which way?
Speaker 1: She paused abruptly, and I looked at her in surprise.
Speaker 1: She had suddenly turned ashen and ghastly. Her face had
Speaker 1: set like a mask of stone, with parted lips and
Speaker 1: staring eyes that were fixed in horror on her knees.
Speaker 1: There was a deathly silence for a few seconds, then
Speaker 1: in a terrible voice, she demanded, what is that on
Speaker 1: your dress? Lucy? And after a pause, her voice rose
Speaker 1: into a shriek. What have you done to my boy?
Speaker 1: I glanced in astonishment at the dazed and terrified girl,
Speaker 1: and then I saw what her aunt had seen, A
Speaker 1: good sized blood stain half way down the front of
Speaker 1: her skirt, and another smaller one on her right sleeve.
Speaker 1: The girl herself looked down at the sinister patch of red,
Speaker 1: and then up at her aunt. It looks like like blood,
Speaker 1: she stammered, Yes, it is, I I think, of course
Speaker 1: it is. He struck his nose and it bled. Come interrupted.
Speaker 1: Missus Haldean let us go, and she rushed from the room,
Speaker 1: leaving me to follow. I lifted miss Haldean, who was
Speaker 1: half fainting with fatigue and agitation, on to the sofa,
Speaker 1: and whispering a few words of encouragement in her ear,
Speaker 1: turned to missus Hanshaw. I can't stay with missus Haldean,
Speaker 1: I said, there are two visits to me made at Rebworth.
Speaker 1: Will you send the dog cart up the road with
Speaker 1: somebody to take my place? Yes, she answered, I will
Speaker 1: send Giles or come myself if Lucy is fit to
Speaker 1: be left. I ran to the stables for my bicycle,
Speaker 1: and as I pedaled out into the road, I could
Speaker 1: see missus Haldean already far ahead, driving her machine at
Speaker 1: frantic speed. I followed at a rapid pace, but it
Speaker 1: was not until we approached the commencement of the wood
Speaker 1: when she slowed down somewhat that I overtook her. This
Speaker 1: is the place, I said. As we reached the spot
Speaker 1: where I had parted from Miss Haldean, we dismounted and
Speaker 1: wheeled our bicycles through the gate, and laying them down
Speaker 1: beside the hedge, crossed the meadow, and entered the wood.
Speaker 1: It was a terrible experience, and one that I shall
Speaker 1: never forget. The white faced, distracted woman tramping in her
Speaker 1: flimsy house shoes over the rough ground, bursting through the bushes,
Speaker 1: regardless of the thorny branches that dragged its skin and
Speaker 1: hair and dainty clothing, and sending forth from time to
Speaker 1: time a tremulous cry, so dreadfully pathetic in its mingling
Speaker 1: of terror and coaxing softness, that a lump rose in
Speaker 1: my throat, and I could barely keep my self control.
Speaker 1: Freddy FREDI, boy, Mommy's here, darling. The wailing cry sounded
Speaker 1: through the leafy solitude, but no answer came, save the
Speaker 1: whir of wings or the chatter of startled birds. But
Speaker 1: even more shocking than that terrible cry, more disturbing and
Speaker 1: eloquent with dreadful suggestion, was the way in which she
Speaker 1: peered furtively, but with fearful expectation, among the roots of
Speaker 1: the bushes, or halted to gaze upon every mole, hill
Speaker 1: and hummock, every depression or disturbance of the ground. So
Speaker 1: we stumbled on for a while, with never a word spoken,
Speaker 1: until we came to a beaten track or footpath leading
Speaker 1: across the wood. Here I paused to examine the footprints,
Speaker 1: of which several were visible in the soft earth, though
Speaker 1: none seemed very recent. But proceeding a little way down
Speaker 1: the track, I perceived crossing it a set of fresh imprints,
Speaker 1: which I recognized at once as miss Haldean's. She was wearing,
Speaker 1: as I knew, a pair of brown golf boots with
Speaker 1: rubber pads in the leather soles, and the prince made
Speaker 1: by them were unmistakable. Miss Holdean crossed the path here,
Speaker 1: I said, pointing to the footprints. Don't speak of her
Speaker 1: before me, exclaimed Missus Haldean. But she gazed eagerly at
Speaker 1: the footprints nevertheless, and immediately plunged into the wood to
Speaker 1: follow the tracks. You are very unjust to your niece,
Speaker 1: Missus Haldean, I ventured to protest. She halted and faced
Speaker 1: me with an angry frown. You don't understand, she exclaimed.
Speaker 1: You don't know, perhaps that if my poor child is
Speaker 1: really dead, Lucy Haldean will be a rich woman and
Speaker 1: may marry tomorrow if she chooses. I did not know that,
Speaker 1: i answered, But if I had, I should have said
Speaker 1: the same. Of course you would, she retorted bitterly. A
Speaker 1: pretty face can muddle any man's judgment. She turned away
Speaker 1: abruptly to resume her pursuit, and I followed in silence.
Speaker 1: The trail which we were following zigzag through the thickest
Speaker 1: part of the wood, but its devious windings eventually brought
Speaker 1: us out on to an open space on the farther side.
Speaker 1: Here we at once perceived traces of another kind. A
Speaker 1: litter of dirty rags, pieces of paper, scraps of stale bread,
Speaker 1: bones and feathers with hoof marks, wheel ruts, and the
Speaker 1: ashes of a large wood fire pointed clearly to a
Speaker 1: gipsy encampment recently broken up. I laid my hand on
Speaker 1: the heap of ashes and found it still warm, and
Speaker 1: on scattering it with my foot, a layer of glowing
Speaker 1: cinders appeared at the bottom. These people have only been
Speaker 1: gone an hour or two, I said it would be
Speaker 1: well to have them followed without delay. A gleam of
Speaker 1: hope shone on the drawn white face as the bereaved
Speaker 1: mother caught eagerly at my suggestion. Yes, she exclaimed breathlessly,
Speaker 1: she may have bribed them to take him away. Let
Speaker 1: us see which way they went. We followed the wheel
Speaker 1: tracks down to the road and found that they turned
Speaker 1: towards London. At the same time I perceived the dog
Speaker 1: cart and the distance, with Missus Hanshaw standing beside it.
Speaker 1: And as the coachman observed me, he whipped up his
Speaker 1: horse and approached. I shall have to go, I said,
Speaker 1: but Missus Hanshaw will help you to continue the search,
Speaker 1: and you will make inquiries about the gypsies, won't you,
Speaker 1: she said? I promised to do so, and as the
Speaker 1: dog cart came up, I climbed to the seat and
Speaker 1: drove off briskly up the London road. The extent of
Speaker 1: a country doctor's round is always an unknown quantity. On
Speaker 1: the present occasion I picked up three additional patients, and
Speaker 1: as one of them was a case of incipient pleuracy
Speaker 1: which required to have the chest strapped, and another was
Speaker 1: the neglected dislocation of the shoulder. A great deal of
Speaker 1: time was taken up. Moreover, the gypsies, whom I ran
Speaker 1: to earth on red Worth Common, delayed me considerably, though
Speaker 1: I had to leave the rural constable to carry out
Speaker 1: the actual search, and as a result, the clock of
Speaker 1: Burling Church was striking six as I drove through the
Speaker 1: village on my way home. I got down at the
Speaker 1: front gate, leaving the coachman to take the dog cart round,
Speaker 1: and walked up the drive, and my astonishment may be imagined,
Speaker 1: when on turning the corner I came suddenly upon the
Speaker 1: inspector of the local police in earnest conversation with no
Speaker 1: less a person than John Thorndyke. What on earth has
Speaker 1: brought you here? I exclaimed, my surprise, getting the better
Speaker 1: of my manners. The ultimate motive force, he replied, was
Speaker 1: an impulsive lady named missus Haldean. She telegraphed for me
Speaker 1: in your name. She oughtn't to have done that, I said,
Speaker 1: perhaps not, but the ethics of an agitated woman are
Speaker 1: not worth discussing, and she has done something much worse.
Speaker 1: She has applied to the local j P, a retired
Speaker 1: major general, and our gallant and unlearned friend has issued
Speaker 1: a warrant for the arrest of Lucy Holdeen on the
Speaker 1: charge of murder. But there has been no murder. I exclaimed, that,
Speaker 1: said Thorndyke, is a legal subtlety that he does not appreciate.
Speaker 1: He has learned his law in the orderly room, where
Speaker 1: the qualifications to practice are an irritable temper and a
Speaker 1: loud voice. However, the practical point is inspector that the
Speaker 1: warrant is irregular. You can't arrest people for hypothetical crimes.
Speaker 1: The officer drew a deep breath of relief. He knew
Speaker 1: all about the irregularity, and now joyfully took refuge behind
Speaker 1: Thorndyke's great reputation. When he had departed with a brief
Speaker 1: note from my colleague to the General, Thorndyke slipped his
Speaker 1: arm through mine and we strolled toward the house. This
Speaker 1: is a grim business, Jervis said. He that boy has
Speaker 1: got to be found for everybody's sake. Can you come
Speaker 1: with me when you have had some food? Of course
Speaker 1: I can. I have been saving myself all afternoon with
Speaker 1: a view to continuing the search. Good, said Thorke. Then
Speaker 1: come in and feed a nondescript meal. Half tea and
Speaker 1: half dinner was already prepared, and missus Hanshaw, grave but
Speaker 1: self possessed, presided at the table. Mabel is still out
Speaker 1: with Giles searching for the boy. She said, you have
Speaker 1: heard what she has done. I nodded. It was dreadful
Speaker 1: of her, continued Missus Henshaw, But she is half mad,
Speaker 1: poor thing. You might run up and say a few
Speaker 1: kind words to poor Lucy while I make the tea.
Speaker 1: I went up at once and knocked at miss Haldane's door, and,
Speaker 1: being bidden to enter, found her lying on the sofa,
Speaker 1: red eyed and pale, the very ghost of the merry,
Speaker 1: laughing girl who had gone out with me in the morning.
Speaker 1: I drew up a chair and sat down by her side,
Speaker 1: and as I took the hand she held out to me,
Speaker 1: she said, it is good of you to come and
Speaker 1: see a miserable wretch like me, and Jane has been
Speaker 1: so sweet to me, Doctor Jervis. But at Mabel thinks
Speaker 1: I have killed Freddy. You know she does, and it
Speaker 1: was really my fault that he was long. I shall
Speaker 1: never forgive myself. She burst into a passion of sobbing,
Speaker 1: and I proceeded to chide her gently. You are a
Speaker 1: silly little woman, I said. To take this nonsense to heart.
Speaker 1: As you are doing. Your aunt is not responsible just now,
Speaker 1: as you must know. But when we bring the boy home,
Speaker 1: she shall make you a handsome apology. I will see
Speaker 1: to that. She pressed my hand gratefully, and as the
Speaker 1: bell now rang for Tea, I bade her have courage
Speaker 1: and went downstairs. You need not trouble about the practice,
Speaker 1: said missus Hanshaw. As I concluded my lightning repast and
Speaker 1: Thorndyke went off to get our bicycles. Doctor Simons has
Speaker 1: heard of our trouble and has called to say that
Speaker 1: he will take anything that turns up, so we shall
Speaker 1: expect you when we see you. How do you like Thorndyke,
Speaker 1: I asked, He's quite charming, she replied, enthusiastically, so tactful
Speaker 1: and kind, and so handsome too. You didn't tell us that,
Speaker 1: but here he is. Good Bye and good luck. She
Speaker 1: pressed my hand, and I went out into the drive
Speaker 1: where Thorndyke and the coachman were standing with three bicycles.
Speaker 1: I see you have brought your outfit, I said, as
Speaker 1: we turned into the road for Thorndyke's machine bore a
Speaker 1: large canvas covered case strapped on to a strong bracket. Yes,
Speaker 1: there are many things that we may want on a
Speaker 1: quest of this kind. How did you find miss Haldean
Speaker 1: very miserable? Poor girl? By the way, have you heard
Speaker 1: anything about her pecuniary interest in the child's death? Yes,
Speaker 1: said Thorndyke. It appears that the late mister Haldean used
Speaker 1: up all his brains on his business and had none
Speaker 1: left for the making of his will. As often happens,
Speaker 1: he left almost the whole of his property, about eighty
Speaker 1: thousand pounds, to his son, the widow, to have a
Speaker 1: life interest in it. He also left to his late
Speaker 1: brother's daughter Lucy fifty pounds a year, and to his
Speaker 1: surviving brother, Percy, who seems to have been a good
Speaker 1: for nothing, a hundred a year for life. But and
Speaker 1: here is the utter folly of the thing. If the
Speaker 1: sun should die, the property was to be equally divided
Speaker 1: between the brother and the niece, with the exception of
Speaker 1: five hundred a year for life to the widow. It
Speaker 1: was an insane arrangement, quite I agreed, and a very
Speaker 1: dangerous one for Lucy Holdeen, as things are at present
Speaker 1: very especially if anything should have happened to the child.
Speaker 1: What are you going to do now? I inquired, seeing
Speaker 1: that Thorndyke rode on as if with a definite purpose.
Speaker 1: There is a footpath through the wood, he replied, I
Speaker 1: want to examine that, And there is a house behind
Speaker 1: the wood which I should like to see, the house
Speaker 1: of the mysterious stranger, I suggested, precisely, mysterious and solitary
Speaker 1: strangers invite inquiry. We drew up at the entrance of
Speaker 1: the footpath, leaving Willett, the coachman in charge of the
Speaker 1: three machines, and proceeded up the narrow track. As we went,
Speaker 1: Thorndyke looked back at the prints of our feet and
Speaker 1: nodded approvingly. This soft loam, he remarked, yields beautifully clear impressions,
Speaker 1: and yesterday's reign has made it perfect. We had not
Speaker 1: gone far when we perceived a set of footprints, which
Speaker 1: I recognized, as did Thorndyke also, for he remarked, Miss
Speaker 1: Haldean running and alone. Presently we met them again, crossing
Speaker 1: in the opposite direction, together with the prince of small
Speaker 1: shoes with very high heels. Missus Haldean on the track
Speaker 1: of her niece, was Thorndyke's comment, and a minute later
Speaker 1: we encountered them both again, accompanied by my own footprints.
Speaker 1: The boy does not seem to have crossed the path
Speaker 1: at all, I remarked, as we walked on, keeping off
Speaker 1: the track itself to avoid confusing the footprints. We shall
Speaker 1: know when we have examined the whole length, replied Thorndyke,
Speaker 1: plodding on with his eyes on the ground. Hah, here
Speaker 1: is something new, he added, stopping short and stooping down eagerly.
Speaker 1: A man with a thick stick, A smallish man, rather lame.
Speaker 1: Notice the difference between the two feet and the peculiar
Speaker 1: way in which he uses his stick. Yes, Jervis, there
Speaker 1: is a great deal to interest us in these footprints.
Speaker 1: Do you notice anything very suggestive about them? Nothing but
Speaker 1: what you have mentioned, I replied, What do you mean? Well, first,
Speaker 1: there is the very singular character of the prince themselves,
Speaker 1: which we will consider presently. You observe that this man
Speaker 1: came down the path and at this point turned off
Speaker 1: into the wood. Then he returned from the wood and
Speaker 1: went up the path again. The imposition of the prince
Speaker 1: makes that clear. But now look at the two sets
Speaker 1: of prints and compare them. Do you see any difference?
Speaker 1: The returning footprints seem more distinct, better impressions. Yes, they
Speaker 1: are noticeably deeper. But there is something else. He produced
Speaker 1: a spring tape from his pocket and took half a
Speaker 1: dozen measurements. You see, he said, the first set of
Speaker 1: footprints have a stride of twenty one inches from heel
Speaker 1: to heel, a short stride. But he is a smallish
Speaker 1: man and lame. The returning ones have a stride of
Speaker 1: only nineteen and a half inches. Hence, the returning footprints
Speaker 1: are deeper than the others, and the steps are shorter.
Speaker 1: What do you make of that? I would suggest that
Speaker 1: he was carrying a burden when he returned, I replied, yes,
Speaker 1: and a heavy one. To make that difference in the depth,
Speaker 1: I think I will get you to go fetch Wille
Speaker 1: and the bicycles. I strode off down the path to
Speaker 1: the entrance, and taking possession of Thorndyke's machine with its
Speaker 1: precious case of instruments, bade Wille follow with the other two.
Speaker 1: When I returned my colleague was standing with his hands
Speaker 1: behind him, gazing with intense preoccupation at the footprints. He
Speaker 1: looked up sharply as we approached and called out to
Speaker 1: us to keep off the path, if possible, stay here
Speaker 1: with the machines, will it? He said? You and I, Jervis,
Speaker 1: must go and see where our friend went to when
Speaker 1: he left the path, and what was the burden that
Speaker 1: he picked up. We struck off into the wood, where
Speaker 1: last year's dead leaves made the footprints almost indistinguishable, and
Speaker 1: followed the faint double track for a long distance between
Speaker 1: the dense clumps of bushes. Suddenly my eye caught beside
Speaker 1: the double trail a third row of tracks, smaller in
Speaker 1: size and closer together. Thorndyke had seen them too, and
Speaker 1: already his measuring tape was in his hand, eleven and
Speaker 1: a half inches to the stride, said he. That will
Speaker 1: be the boy Jervis. But the light is getting weak.
Speaker 1: We must press on quickly or we shall lose it.
Speaker 1: Some fifty yards farther on, the man's tracks ceased abruptly,
Speaker 1: but the small ones continued alone, and we followed them
Speaker 1: as rapidly as we could in the fading light. There
Speaker 1: can be no reasonable doubt that these are the child's tracks,
Speaker 1: said Thorndyke, But I should like to find a definite
Speaker 1: footprint to make the identification absolutely certain. A few seconds
Speaker 1: later he halted with an exclamation and stooped on one knee.
Speaker 1: A little heap of fresh earth from the surface barrew
Speaker 1: of a mole had been thrown up over the dead leaves,
Speaker 1: and fairly planted on it with the clean and sharp
Speaker 1: impression of a diminutive foot with a rubber heel showing
Speaker 1: a central star. Thorndyke drew from his pocket a tiny
Speaker 1: shoe and pressed it on the soft earth beside the footprint,
Speaker 1: and when he raised it, the second impression was identical
Speaker 1: to the first. The boy had two pairs of shoes
Speaker 1: exactly alike, he said, so I borrowed one of the
Speaker 1: duplicate pair. He turned and began to retrace his steps,
Speaker 1: rapidly following our own fresh tracks, and stopping only once
Speaker 1: to point out the place where the unknown man had
Speaker 1: picked the child up. When we regained the path, we
Speaker 1: proceeded without delay until we emerged from the wood within
Speaker 1: a hundred yards of the cottage. I see missus Haldean
Speaker 1: has been here with Giles, remarked Thorndyke, as he pushed
Speaker 1: open the garden gate. I wonder if they saw anybody.
Speaker 1: He advanced to the door and head first wrapped with
Speaker 1: his knuckles, and then kicked at it vigorously. Tried the
Speaker 1: handle locked, he observed, But I see the key is
Speaker 1: in the lock, so we can get in if we
Speaker 1: want to. Let us try the back. The back door
Speaker 1: was locked too, but the key had been removed. He
Speaker 1: came out this way, evidently, said Thorndyke, though he went
Speaker 1: in at the front, as I suppose you noticed. Let
Speaker 1: us see where he went. The back garden was a
Speaker 1: small fenced patch of ground with an earth path leading
Speaker 1: down to the back gate. A little way beyond the
Speaker 1: gate was a small barn or outhouse. We are in lock,
Speaker 1: Thorndyke remarked, with a glance at the path. Yesterday's rain
Speaker 1: has cleared away all old footprints and prepared the surface
Speaker 1: for new ones. You see there are three sets of
Speaker 1: excellent impressions, two leading away from the house and one
Speaker 1: towards it. Now you notice that both of the sets
Speaker 1: leading from the house our character by deep impressions and
Speaker 1: short steps, while the set leading to the house has
Speaker 1: lighter impressions and longer steps. The obvious inference is that
Speaker 1: he went down the path with a heavy burden, came
Speaker 1: back empty handed, and went down again and finally with
Speaker 1: another heavy burden. You observe too that he walked with
Speaker 1: his stick on each occasion. By this time we had
Speaker 1: reached the bottom of the garden, opening the gate. We
Speaker 1: followed the tracks toward the outhouse, which stood beside a
Speaker 1: cart track. But as we came round the corner, we
Speaker 1: both stopped short and looked at one another on the
Speaker 1: soft earth with the very distinct impressions of the tires
Speaker 1: of a motor car leading from the wide door of
Speaker 1: the outhouse. Finding that the door was unfastened, Thorndyke opened
Speaker 1: it and looked in to satisfy himself that the place
Speaker 1: was empty. Then he fell to studying the tracks. The
Speaker 1: course of events is pretty plain. He observed first the
Speaker 1: fellow brought down his luggage, started the engine and got
Speaker 1: the car out. You can see where it stood both
Speaker 1: by the little pool of oil and by the widening
Speaker 1: and blurring of the wheel tracks from the vibration of
Speaker 1: the free engine. Then he went back and fetched the
Speaker 1: boy carried him pickaback, I should say, judging by the
Speaker 1: depth of the toe marks in the last set of footprints,
Speaker 1: that was a tactical mistake. He should have taken the
Speaker 1: boy straight into the shed. He pointed as he spoke
Speaker 1: to one of the footprints beside the wheel tracks, from
Speaker 1: the toe of which projected a small segment of the
Speaker 1: print of a little rubber heel. We now made our
Speaker 1: way back to the house, where we found Willet pensively
Speaker 1: rapping at the front door with a cycle spanner. Thorndyke
Speaker 1: took a last glance with his hand in his pocket
Speaker 1: at an open window above, and then to the coachman's
Speaker 1: intense delight brought forth what looked uncommonly like a small
Speaker 1: bunch of skeleton keys. One of these he inserted into
Speaker 1: the keyhole, and as he gave it a turn, the
Speaker 1: lock clicked and the door stood open. The little sitting
Speaker 1: room which we now entered was furnished with the barest necessaries.
Speaker 1: Its center was occupied by an oil cloth covered table,
Speaker 1: on which I observed with surprise a dismembered b clock,
Speaker 1: the works of which had been taken apart with a
Speaker 1: tin opener that lay beside them at a boxwood bird call.
Speaker 1: At these objects, Thorndyke glanced and nodded, as though they
Speaker 1: fitted into some theory that he had formed, examined carefully
Speaker 1: the oil cloth around the litter of wheels and pinions,
Speaker 1: and then proceeded on a tour of inspection round the room,
Speaker 1: peering inquisitively into the kitchen and store cupboard. Nothing very
Speaker 1: distinctive or personal here, he remarked, Let us go upstairs.
Speaker 1: There were three bedrooms on the upper floor, of which
Speaker 1: two were evidently disused, though the windows were wide open.
Speaker 1: The third bedroom showed manifest traces of occupation, though it
Speaker 1: was as bare as the others, for the water still
Speaker 1: stood in the wash hand basin and the bed was unmade.
Speaker 1: To the latter, Thorndyke advanced, and, having turned back the bedclothes,
Speaker 1: examined the interior attentively, especially at the foot and the pillow.
Speaker 1: The latter was soiled, not to say grimy, though the
Speaker 1: rest of the bed linen was quite clean. Hair dye,
Speaker 1: remarked Thorndyke, noting my glance at it. Then he turned
Speaker 1: and looked out of the open window. Can you see
Speaker 1: the place where miss Haldeen was sitting to sketch. He asked, yes,
Speaker 1: I replied, there is the place well in view, and
Speaker 1: you can see right up the road. I had no
Speaker 1: idea this house stood so high. From the three upper
Speaker 1: windows you can see all over the country excepting through
Speaker 1: the wood. Yes, Thorndyke rejoined, and he has probably been
Speaker 1: in the habit of keeping watch up here with a
Speaker 1: telescope or a pair of field glasses. Well, there is
Speaker 1: not much of interest in this room. He kept his
Speaker 1: effects in a cabin trunk which stood there under the window.
Speaker 1: He shaved this morning. He has a white beard, to
Speaker 1: judge by the stubble on the shaving paper. And that
Speaker 1: is all. Wait, though there is a key hanging on
Speaker 1: that nail, he must have overlooked that, for it evidently
Speaker 1: does not belong to this house. It is an ordinary
Speaker 1: town latch key. He took the key down, and, having
Speaker 1: laid a sheet of notepaper from his pocket on the
Speaker 1: dressing table, produced a pin with which he began carefully
Speaker 1: to probe the interior of the key barrel. Presently, there
Speaker 1: came forth, with much coaxing, a large ball of gray fluff,
Speaker 1: which Thorndyke folded up in the paper with infinite care.
Speaker 1: I suppose we mustn't take away the key, he said,
Speaker 1: but I think we will take a wax mold of it.
Speaker 1: He hurried downstairs, and, unstrapping the case from his bicycle,
Speaker 1: brought it in and placed it on the table. As
Speaker 1: it was now getting dark, he detached the powerful acetylene
Speaker 1: lamp his machine, and, having lighted it, proceeded to open
Speaker 1: the mysterious case. First he took from it a small
Speaker 1: insufflator or powder blower, with which he blew a cloud
Speaker 1: of light yellow powder over the table around the remains
Speaker 1: of the clock. The powder settled on the table in
Speaker 1: an even coating, but when he blew at it smartly
Speaker 1: with his breath, it cleared off, leaving, however, a number
Speaker 1: of smeary impressions which stood out in strong yellow against
Speaker 1: the black oil cloth. To one of these impressions, he
Speaker 1: pointed significantly it was the print of a child's hand.
Speaker 1: He next produced a small portable microscope and some glass
Speaker 1: slides and cover slips, and, having opened the paper and
Speaker 1: tipped the ball of fluff from the key barrel on
Speaker 1: to a slide, set to work with a pair of
Speaker 1: mounted needles to tease it out into its component parts.
Speaker 1: Then he turned the light of the lamp onto the
Speaker 1: microscope and proceeded to examine the specimen. A curious and
Speaker 1: instructive assortment this jervis, he remarked, with his eye at
Speaker 1: the microscope, woolen fibers, no cotton or linen. He is
Speaker 1: careful of his health to have woolen pockets and two hares.
Speaker 1: Very curious ones too. Just look at them and observe
Speaker 1: the root bulbs. I applied my eye to the microscope
Speaker 1: and saw, among other things, two hares, originally white, but
Speaker 1: encrusted with a black, opaque glistening stain. The root bulbs
Speaker 1: I noticed were shriveled and atrophied. But how on Earth,
Speaker 1: I exclaimed, did the hares get into his pocket? I
Speaker 1: think the hairs themselves answer that question, he replied, when
Speaker 1: considered with the other curios. The stain is obviously lead sulfide.
Speaker 1: But what else do you see? I see some particles
Speaker 1: of metal, a white metal, apparently, and a number of
Speaker 1: fragments of woody fiber and starch granules. But I don't
Speaker 1: recognize the starch. It is not wheat starch, nor rice
Speaker 1: nor potato. Do you make out what it is? Thorndyke chuckled,
Speaker 1: experientia does it? Said he. You will have Jervis to
Speaker 1: study the minute properties of dust and dirt. Their evidential
Speaker 1: value is immense. Let us have another look at that starch.
Speaker 1: It is all alike. I suppose it was, and Thorndyke
Speaker 1: had just ascertained the fact when the door burst open
Speaker 1: and missus Haldean entered the room, followed by Missus Hanshaw
Speaker 1: and the police inspector. The former lady regarded my colleague
Speaker 1: with a glance of extreme disfavor. We heard that you
Speaker 1: had come here, sir, said she, And we suppose that
Speaker 1: you were engaged in searching for my poor child. But
Speaker 1: it seems we were mistaken, since we find you here
Speaker 1: amusing yourselves fiddling with these nonsensical instruments. Perhaps, Mabel, said
Speaker 1: Missus Henshaw stiffly, it would be wiser and infinitely more
Speaker 1: polite to ask if doctor Thorndyke has any news for us.
Speaker 1: That is undoubtedly so, Madam, agreed the inspector, who had
Speaker 1: apparently suffered also from Missus Haldean's impulsiveness. Then perhaps the
Speaker 1: latter lady suggested, you will inform us if you have
Speaker 1: discovered anything. I will tell you, replied Thorndyke, all that
Speaker 1: we know. The child was abducted by the man who
Speaker 1: occupied this house, and who appears to have watched him
Speaker 1: from an upper window, probably through a glass. This man
Speaker 1: lured the child into the wood by blowing this bird call.
Speaker 1: He met him in the wood and induced him, by
Speaker 1: some promises, no doubt, to come with him. He picked
Speaker 1: the child up and carried him on his back I think,
Speaker 1: up to the house and brought him in through the
Speaker 1: front door, which he locked after him. He gave the
Speaker 1: boy this clock and the bird call to amuse him
Speaker 1: while he went upstairs and packed his trunk. He took
Speaker 1: the trunk out through the back door and down the
Speaker 1: garden to the shed there in which he had a
Speaker 1: motor car. He got the car out and came back
Speaker 1: for the boy, whom he carried down to the car,
Speaker 1: locking the back door after him. Then he drove away.
Speaker 1: You know he has gone, cried missus. Holdean, and yet
Speaker 1: you stay here playing with these ridiculous toys. Why are
Speaker 1: you not following him? We have just finished ascertaining the
Speaker 1: facts Thorndyke replied calmly, and should by now be on
Speaker 1: the road if you had not come here, The inspector
Speaker 1: interposed anxiously. Of course, sir, you can't give any description
Speaker 1: of the man. You have no clue to his identity.
Speaker 1: I suppose we have only his footprints, Thorndyke answered, and
Speaker 1: this fluff, which I raked out of the barrel of
Speaker 1: his latch key, and have just been examining. From these data,
Speaker 1: I conclude that he is a rather short and thin man,
Speaker 1: and somewhat lame. He walks with the aid of a
Speaker 1: thick stick, which has a knob, not a crook, at
Speaker 1: the top, and which he carries in his left hand.
Speaker 1: I think that his left leg has been amputated above
Speaker 1: the knee, and that he wears an artificial limb. He
Speaker 1: is elderly. He shaves his beard, has white hair dyed
Speaker 1: a grayish black, is partly bald, and probably combs a
Speaker 1: wisp of hair over the bald place. He takes snuff
Speaker 1: and carries a leaden comb in his pocket. As Thorndyke's
Speaker 1: description proceeded, the Inspector's mouth gradually opened whiter and whiter,
Speaker 1: until he appeared the very type and symbol of astonishment,
Speaker 1: but its effect on Missus Haldeen was much more remarkable.
Speaker 1: Rising from her chair, she leaned on the table and
Speaker 1: stared at Thorndyke with an expression of awe even of terror.
Speaker 1: And as he finished, she sank back into her chair
Speaker 1: with her hands clasped, and turned to Missus Henshaw Jane.
Speaker 1: She gasped, it is Percy, my brother in law. He
Speaker 1: has described him exactly, even to his stick and his
Speaker 1: pocket comb. But I thought he was in Chicago. If
Speaker 1: that is so, said Thorndyke, hastily repacking his case. We
Speaker 1: had better start at once. We have the dog cart
Speaker 1: in the road, said Missus Henshaw. Thank you, replied Thorndyke.
Speaker 1: We will ride on our bicycles, and the Inspector can
Speaker 1: borrow willets. We go out at the back by the
Speaker 1: cart track which joins the road farther on. Then we
Speaker 1: will follow in the dog cart, said Missus holdein Come Jane.
Speaker 1: The two ladies departed down the path while we made
Speaker 1: ready our bicycles and lit our lamps. With your permission, Inspector,
Speaker 1: said Thorndyke. We will take the key with us. It's
Speaker 1: hardly legal, sir, objected the officer. We have no authority.
Speaker 1: It is quite illegal, answered Thorndyke. But it is necessary
Speaker 1: and necessity like your military j P. No no law.
Speaker 1: The inspector grinned and went out, regarding me with a
Speaker 1: quivering eyelid, as Thorndyke locked the door with his skeleton key.
Speaker 1: As we turned into the road, I saw the light
Speaker 1: of the dog cart behind us, and we pushed forward
Speaker 1: at a swift pace, picking up the trail easily on
Speaker 1: the soft moist road. What beats me, said the inspector confidentially,
Speaker 1: as we rode along. Is how he knew the man
Speaker 1: was bald? Was it the footprints or the latch key?
Speaker 1: And that comb too, that was a regular knockout. These
Speaker 1: points were by now pretty clear to me. I had
Speaker 1: seen the hares with their atrofied bulbs, such as one
Speaker 1: finds at the margin of a bald patch, and the
Speaker 1: comb was used, evidently for the double purpose of keeping
Speaker 1: the bald patch covered and blackening the sulfur charged hair.
Speaker 1: But the knobbed stick in the artificial limb puzzled me
Speaker 1: so completely that I presently overtook Thorndyke to demand an
Speaker 1: explanation the stick, said, he is per simple. The ferrule
Speaker 1: of a knobbed stick wears evenly all round. That of
Speaker 1: a crooked stick wears on one side, the side opposite
Speaker 1: the crook. The impressions showed that the ferrule of this
Speaker 1: one was evenly convex. Therefore it had no crook. The
Speaker 1: other matter is more complicated. To begin with, an artificial
Speaker 1: foot makes a very characteristic impression owing to its purely
Speaker 1: passive elasticity, as I will show you tomorrow. But an
Speaker 1: artificial leg fitted below the knee is quite secure, whereas
Speaker 1: one fitted above the knee, that is, with an artificial
Speaker 1: knee joint worked by a spring, is much less reliable. Now,
Speaker 1: this man had an artificial foot, and he evidently distrusted
Speaker 1: his knee joint, as is shown by his steadying it
Speaker 1: with his stick on the same side. If he had
Speaker 1: merely had a weak leg, he would have used the
Speaker 1: stick with his right hand with the natural swing of
Speaker 1: the arm. In fact, unless he had been very lame,
Speaker 1: which he evidently was not. Still, it was only a
Speaker 1: question of probability, though the probability was very great. Of course,
Speaker 1: you understand that those particles of woody fiber and starch
Speaker 1: granules were disintegrated snuff grains. This explanation, like the others,
Speaker 1: was quite simple when one had heard it, though it
Speaker 1: gave me material for much thought as we peddled on
Speaker 1: along the dark road, with Thorndyke's light flickering in front
Speaker 1: and the dog cart pattering in our wake. But there
Speaker 1: was ample time for reflection, for our pace rather precluded conversation,
Speaker 1: and we rode on mile after mile until my legs
Speaker 1: ached with fatigue. On and on we went through village
Speaker 1: after village, now losing the trail in some frequented street,
Speaker 1: but picking it up again unfailingly as we emerged onto
Speaker 1: the country road, until at last, in the paved high
Speaker 1: street of the little town of Horsefield, we lost it
Speaker 1: for good. We rode on through the town out onto
Speaker 1: the country road, but although there were several tracks of motors,
Speaker 1: Thorndyke shook his head at the mall. I have been
Speaker 1: studying those tires until I know them by heart, he said, no.
Speaker 1: Either he is in the town or he has left
Speaker 1: it by a side road. There was nothing for it
Speaker 1: but to put up the horse and the machines at
Speaker 1: the hotel while we walked round to reconnoiter. And this
Speaker 1: we did, tramping up one street and down the other,
Speaker 1: with eyes bent on the ground, fruitlessly searching for a
Speaker 1: trace of the missing car. Suddenly, at the door of
Speaker 1: the blacksmith's shop, Thorndyke halted. The shop had been kept
Speaker 1: open late for the shoeing of a carriage horse which
Speaker 1: was just being led away, and the smith came to
Speaker 1: the door for a breath of air. Thorndyke accosted him genially,
Speaker 1: good evening, you are just the man I wanted to see.
Speaker 1: I have mislaid the address of a friend of mine
Speaker 1: who I think called on you this afternoon, a lame
Speaker 1: gentleman who walks with a stick. I expect he wanted
Speaker 1: you to pick a lock or make him a key.
Speaker 1: Oh I remember him, said the man. Yes, he had
Speaker 1: lost his latch key and one had the lock picked
Speaker 1: before he could get into his house. Had to leave
Speaker 1: his motor car outside while he came here. But I
Speaker 1: took some keys round with me and fitted one to
Speaker 1: his latch. Then he directed us to a house at
Speaker 1: the end of a street close by, and having thanked him,
Speaker 1: we went off in high spirits. How did you know
Speaker 1: he had been there, I asked, I didn't, But there
Speaker 1: was a mark of a stick and part of a
Speaker 1: left foot on the soft earth inside the doorway, and
Speaker 1: the thing was inherently probable, so I risked a false shot.
Speaker 1: The house stood alone at the far end of a
Speaker 1: straggling street, and was enclosed by a high wall, in
Speaker 1: which on the side facing the street was a door
Speaker 1: and a wide carriage gate. Advancing to the former, Thorndyke
Speaker 1: took from his pocket the purloined key and tried it
Speaker 1: in the lock. It fitted perfectly, and when he had
Speaker 1: turned it and pushed open the door, we entered a
Speaker 1: small courtyard. Crossing this we came to the front door
Speaker 1: of the house, the latch of which fortunately fitted the
Speaker 1: same key, and this having been opened by Thorndyke, we
Speaker 1: trooped into the hall. Immediately we heard the sound of
Speaker 1: an opening door above, and a reedy nasal voice sang out,
Speaker 1: Hello there, who's that below? The voice was followed by
Speaker 1: the appearance of a head projecting over the baluster rail.
Speaker 1: You are, mister Percy, holdeen, I think, said the inspector.
Speaker 1: At the mention of this name. The head was withdrawn,
Speaker 1: and a quick tread was heard, accompanied by the tapping
Speaker 1: of a stick on the floor. We started to ascend
Speaker 1: the stairs, the inspector leading as the authorized official, but
Speaker 1: we had only gone up a few steps when a fierce,
Speaker 1: wiry little man danced out on to the landing with
Speaker 1: a thick stick in one hand and a very large
Speaker 1: revolver in the other. Move another step, either of you,
Speaker 1: he shouted, pointing the weapon at the inspector, and I
Speaker 1: let fly, and mind you when I shoot, I hit.
Speaker 1: He looked as if he meant it, and we accordingly
Speaker 1: halted with remarkable suddenness, while the inspector proceeded to parley.
Speaker 1: Now what's the good of this, mister Holdean, said he
Speaker 1: The game's up, and you know it. You clear out
Speaker 1: of my house and clear out sharp was the inhospitable rejoinder,
Speaker 1: or you'll give me the trouble of burying you in
Speaker 1: the garden. I looked round to consult with Thorndyke, when,
Speaker 1: to my amazement I found that he had vanished, apparently
Speaker 1: through the open hall door. I was admiring his discretion
Speaker 1: when the inspector endeavored to reopen negotiations, but was cut
Speaker 1: short abruptly. I am going to count fifty, said mister Holdean,
Speaker 1: and if you aren't gone, then I shall shoot. He
Speaker 1: began to count deliberately, and the Inspector looked round at
Speaker 1: me in complete bewilderment. The flight of stairs was a
Speaker 1: long one and well lighted by gas, so that to
Speaker 1: rush it was an impossibility. Suddenly my heart gave a bound,
Speaker 1: and I held my breath for out of an open
Speaker 1: door behind our querry, a figure emerged slowly and noiselessly
Speaker 1: on to the landing. It was Thorndyke, shoeless and in
Speaker 1: his shirt sleeves. Slowly and with cat like stealthiness, he
Speaker 1: crept across the landing until he was within a yard
Speaker 1: of the unconscious fugitive. And still the nasal voice droned
Speaker 1: on monotonously, counting out the allotted seconds fort a one,
Speaker 1: forty two, forty three. There was a lightning like movement,
Speaker 1: a shout, a flash, a bang, a shower of falling plaster,
Speaker 1: and then the revolver came clattering down the stairs. The
Speaker 1: Inspector and I rushed up, and in a moment, the
Speaker 1: sharp click of the handcuffs told mister Percy Holdeen that
Speaker 1: the game was really up. Five minutes later, Freddie Boy,
Speaker 1: half asleep but wholly cheerful, was born on Thorndyke's shoulders
Speaker 1: into the private sitting room of the Black Horse Hotel.
Speaker 1: A shriek of joy saluted his entrance, and a shower
Speaker 1: of maternal kisses brought him to the verge of suffocation. Finally,
Speaker 1: the impulse of missus Holdean, turning suddenly to Thorndyke, seized
Speaker 1: both his hands, and for a moment I hoped that
Speaker 1: she was going to kiss him too, but he was spared,
Speaker 1: and I have not yet recovered from the disappointment. And
Speaker 1: of the Stranger's latch Key by R. Austin Freeman