CHAPTER XVIII
THE CONFIDING LANDLORD
The clerk presently ushered in a short, thick-set, round-faced man,apparently of thirty to thirty-five years of age, whose chief personalcharacteristics lay in a pair of the smallest eyes ever set in a humancountenance and a mere apology for a nose. But both nose and eyescombined somehow to communicate an idea of profound inquiry as the roundface in which they were placed turned from the solicitor to the man fromLondon, and a podgy forefinger was lifted to a red forehead.
"Servant, gentlemen," said the visitor. "Fine morning for the time ofyear!"
"Take a chair, Mr. Pickard," replied Eldrick. "Let me see--from the_Green Man_, at Whitcliffe, I believe?"
"Landlord, sir--had that house a many years," answered Pickard, as hetook a seat near the wall. "Seven year come next Michaelmas, any road."
"Just so--and you want to see me about the advertisement in thismorning's paper?" continued Eldrick. "What about it--now?"
The landlord looked at Eldrick and then at Eldrick's companion. Thesolicitor understood that look: it meant that what his caller had to saywas of a private nature.
"It's all right, Mr. Pickard," he remarked reassuringly. "This gentlemanis here on just the same business--whatever you say will be treated asconfidential--it'll go no further. You've something to tell about mylate clerk, James Parrawhite."
Pickard, who had been nervously fingering a white billycock hat, now putit down on the floor and thrust his hands into the pockets of histrousers as if to keep them safe while he talked.
"It's like this here," he answered. "When I saw that there advertisementin the paper this mornin', says I to my missus, 'I'll away,' I says,'an' see Lawyer Eldrick about that there, this very day!' 'Cause yousee, Mr. Eldrick, there is summat as I can tell about yon man 'at youmention--James Parrawhite. I've said nowt about it to nobody, up to now,'cause it were private business atween him and me, as it were, but Ilost money over it, and of course, ten pound is ten pound, gentlemen."
"Quite so," agreed Eldrick, "And you shall have your ten pounds if youcan tell anything useful."
"I don't know owt about it's being useful, sir, nor what use is to bemade on it," said Pickard, "but I can tell you a bit o' truth, and youcan do what you like wi' what I tell. But," he went on, lowering hisvoice and glancing at the door by which he had just entered, "there'sanother name 'at 'll have to be browt in--private, like. Name, as it sohappens, o' one o' your clerks--t' head clerk, I'm given tounderstand--Mr. Pratt."
Eldrick showed no sign of surprise. But he continued to looksignificantly at Byner as he turned to the landlord.
"Mr. Pratt has left me," he said. "Left me three weeks ago. So youneedn't be afraid, Mr. Pickard--say anything you like."
"Oh, I didn't know," remarked Pickard. "It's not oft that I come down int' town, and we don't hear much Barford news up our way. Well, it's thishere, Mr. Eldrick--you know where my place is, of course?"
Eldrick nodded, and turned to Byner.
"I'd better explain to you," he said. "Whitcliffe is an outlying part ofthe town, well up the hills--a sort of wayside hamlet with a lot of ourfamous stone quarries in its vicinity. The _Green Man_, of which ourfriend here is the landlord, is an old-fashioned tavern by theroadside--where people are rather fond of dropping in on a Sunday, Ifancy, eh, Mr. Pickard?"
"You're right, sir," replied the landlord. "It makes a nice walk out ona Sunday. And it were on a Sunday, too, 'at I got to know this hereJames Parrawhite as you want to know summat about. He began coming to myplace of a Sunday evenin', d'ye see, gentlemen?--he'd walk across t'valley up there to Whitcliffe and stop an hour or two, enjoyin' hisself.Well, now, as you're no doubt well aweer, Mr. Eldrick, he were a reighthand at talkin', were yon Parrawhite--he'd t' gift o' t' gab reightenough, and talked well an' all. And of course him an' me, we hed bitso' conversation at times, 'cause he come to t' house reg'lar andsometimes o' week-nights an' all. An' he tell'd me 'at he'd had a dealo' experience i' racin' matters--whether it were true or not, I couldn'tsay, but----"
"True enough!" said Eldrick. "He had."
"Well, so he said," continued Pickard, "and he was allus tellin' me 'athe could make a pile o' brass on t' turf if he only had capital. An' i't' end, he persuaded me to start what he called investin' money with himi' that way--i' plain language, it meant givin' him brass to put onhorses 'at he said was goin' to win, d'ye understand?"
"Perfectly," replied Eldrick. "You gave him various amounts which he wasto stake for you."
"Just so, sir! And at first," said Pickard, with a shake of the head,"at first I'd no great reason to grumble. He cert'ny wor a good hand atspottin' a winner. But as time went on, I' t' greatest difficulty ingettin' a settlement wi' him, d'ye see? He wor just as good a hand atmakin' excuses as he wor at pickin' out winners--better, I think! Inivver knew wheer I was wi' him--he'd pay up, and then he'd persuade meto go in for another do wi' t' brass I'd won, and happen we should losethat time, and then of course we had to hev another investment to getback what we'd dropped, and so it went on. But t' end wor thishere--last November theer wor about fifty to sixty pound o' mine i' hishands, and I wanted it. I'd a spirit merchant's bill to settle, and Iwanted t' brass badly for that. I knew Parrawhite had been paid, d'yesee, by t' turf agent, 'at he betted wi', and I plagued him to hand t'brass over to me. He made one excuse and then another--howsumivver, itcome to that very day you're talkin' about i' your advertisement, Mr.Eldrick--the twenty-third o' November----"
"Stop a minute, Mr. Pickard," interrupted Eldrick. "Now, how do youknow--for a certainty--that this day you're going to talk about was thetwenty-third of November?"
The landlord, who had removed his hands from his pockets, and was nowtwiddling a pair of fat thumbs as he talked, chuckled slyly.
"For a very good reason," he answered. "I had to pay that spirit bill Itell'd about just now on t' twenty-fourth, and that I'm going to tellyou happened t' night afore t' twenty-fourth, so of course it were t'twenty-third. D'ye see?"
"I see," asserted Eldrick. "That'll do! And now--what did happen?"
"This here," replied Pickard. "On that night--t' twenty-thirdNovember--Parrawhite came into t' _Green Man_ at about, happen,half-past eight. He come into t' little private parlour to me, bold asbrass--as indeed, he allers wor. 'Ye're a nice un!' I says. 'I'vewritten yer three letters durin' t' last week, and ye've nivver answeredone o' 'em!' 'I've come to answer i' person,' he says. 'There's nobbutone answer I want,' says I. 'Wheer's my money?' 'Now then, be quiet abit,' he says. 'You shall have your money before the evening's over,' hesays. 'Or, if not, as soon as t' banks is open tomorrow mornin',' hesays. 'Wheer's it coomin' from?' says I. 'Now, never you mind,' he says.'It's safe!' 'I don't believe a word you're sayin',' says I. 'Ye'rehavin' me for t' mug!--that's about it.' An' I went on so at him, 'at i't' end he tell'd me 'at he wor presently goin' to meet Pratt, and 'at hecould get t' brass out o' Pratt an' as much more as iwer he liked to axfor. Well, I don't believe that theer, and I said so. 'What brass hasPratt?' says I. 'Pratt's nowt but a clerk, wi' happen three or fourpound a week!' 'That's all you know,' he says. 'Pratt's become a goldmine, and I'm going to dig in it a bit. What's it matter to you,' hesays, 'so long as you get your brass?' Well, of course, that wor trueenough--all 'at I wanted just then were to handle my brass. And I tell'dhim so. 'I'll brek thy neck, Parrawhite,' I says, 'if thou doesn't bringme that theer money eyther to-night or t' first thing tomorrow--so now!''Don't talk rot!' he says. 'I've told you!' And he had money wi' himthen--'nough to pay for drinks and cigars, any road, and we had a drinkor two, and a smoke or two, and then he went out, sayin' he wor goin' tomeet Pratt, and he'd be back at my place before closin' time wi' eithert' cash or what 'ud be as good. An' I waited--and waited after closin'time, an' all. But I've nivver seen Parrawhite from that day tothis---nor heerd tell on him neither!"
Eldrick and Byner looked at each other for a moment. Then the solicitorspoke--quietly and with a significance which the agent understood.
r /> "Do you want to ask Mr. Pickard any questions?" he said.
Byner nodded and turned to the landlord.
"Did Parrawhite tell you where he was going to meet Pratt?" he asked.
"He did," replied Pickard. "Near Pratt's lodgin' place."
"Did--or does--Pratt live near you, then?"
"Closish by--happen ten minutes' walk. There's few o' houses--a sort o'terrace, like, on t' edge o' what they call Whitcliffe Moor. Prattlodged--lodges now for all I know to t' contrary--i' one o' them."
"Did Parrawhite give you any idea that he was going to the house inwhich Pratt lodged?"
"No! He were not goin' to t' house. I know he worn't. He tell'd me 'athe'd a good idea what time Pratt 'ud be home, 'cause he knew where hewas that evening and he were goin' to meet him just afore Pratt got tohis place. I know where he'd meet him."
"Where?" asked Byner. "Tell me exactly. It's important."
"Pratt 'ud come up fro' t' town i' t' tram," answered Pickard. "He'dapproach this here terrace I tell'd you about by a narrow lane that runsoff t' high road. He'd meet him there, would Parrawhite."
"Did you ever ask any question of Pratt about Parrawhite?"
"No--never! I'd no wish that Pratt should know owt about my dealin'swith Parrawhite. When Parrawhite never come back--why, I kep' it all tomyself, till now."
"What do you think happened to Parrawhite, Mr. Pickard?" asked Byner.
"Gow, I know what I think!" replied Pickard disgustedly. "I think 'at ifhe did get any brass out o' Pratt--which is what I know nowt about, andhewn't much belief in--he went straight away fro' t' town--vanished! Ido know this--he nivver went back to his lodgin's that neet, 'cause Iwent theer mysen next day to inquire."
Eldrick pricked up his ears at that. He remembered that he had sentPratt to make inquiry at Parrawhite's lodgings on the morning whereonthe money was missing.
"What time of the day--on the twenty-fourth--was that, Mr. Pickard?" heasked.
"Evenin', sir," replied the landlord. "They'd nivver seen naught of himsince he went out the day before. Oh, he did me, did Parrawhite! Ofcourse, I lost mi brass--fifty odd pounds!"
Byner gave Eldrick a glance.
"I think Mr. Pickard has earned the ten pounds you offered," he said.
Eldrick took the hint and pulled out his cheque-book.
"Of course, you're to keep all this private--strictly private, Mr.Pickard," he said as he wrote. "Not a word to a soul!"
"Just as you order, sir," agreed Pickard. "I'll say nowt--to nobody."
"And--perhaps tomorrow--perhaps this afternoon--you'll see me at the_Green Man_," remarked Byner. "I shall just drop in, you know. Youneedn't know me--if there's anybody about."
"All right, sir--I understand," said Pickard.
"Quiet's the word--what? Very good--much obliged to you, gentlemen."
When the landlord had gone Eldrick motioned Byner to pick up his hat."Come across the street with me," he said. "I want us to have aconsultation with a friend of mine, a barrister, Mr. Collingwood. Forthis matter is assuming a very queer aspect, and we can't move toowarily, nor consider all the features too thoroughly."
Collingwood listened with deep interest to Eldrick's account of themorning's events. And once again he was struck by the fact that allthese various happenings in connection with Pratt, and now withParrawhite, took place at the time of Antony Bartle's death, and he saidso.
"True enough!" agreed Eldrick.
"And once more," pointed out Collingwood. "We're hearing of a hold!Pratt claims to have a hold on Mrs. Mallathorpe--now it turns out thatParrawhite boasted of a hold on Pratt. Suppose all these things have acommon origin? Suppose the hold which Parrawhite had--or has--on Prattis part and parcel of the hold which Pratt has on Mrs. Mallathorpe? Inthat case--or cases--what is the best thing to do?"
"Will you gentlemen allow me to suggest something?" said Byner. "Verywell--find Parrawhite! Of all the people concerned in this, Parrawhite,from your account of him, anyway, Mr. Eldrick, is the likeliest personto extract the truth from."
"There's a great deal in that suggestion," said Eldrick. "Do you knowwhat I think?" he went on, turning to Collingwood, "Mr. Byner tells mehe means to stay here until he has come across some satisfactory news ofParrawhite or solved the mystery of his disappearance. Well, now thatwe've found that there is some ground for believing that Parrawhite wasin some fashion mixed up with Pratt about that time, why not place thewhole thing in Mr. Byner's hands--let him in any case see what he can doabout the Parrawhite-Pratt business of November twenty-third, eh?"
"I take it," answered Collingwood, looking at the inquiry agent, "thatMr. Byner having heard what he has, would do that quite apart from us?"
"Yes," said Byner. "Now that I've heard what Pickard had to say, Icertainly shall follow that up."
"I am following out something of my own," said Collingwood, turning toEldrick. "I shall know more by this time tomorrow. Let us have aconference here--at noon."
They separated on that understanding, and Byner went his own ways. Hisfirst proceeding was to visit, one after another, the Barford newspaperoffices, and to order the insertion in large type, and immediately, ofthe Halstead-Byner advertisement for news of Parrawhite. His second wasto seek the General Post Office, where he wrote out and dispatched amessage to his partner in London. That message was in cypher--translatedinto English, it read as follows:--
"If person named Pratt sends any communication to us _re_ Parrawhite, on no account let him know I am in Barford, but forward whatever he sends to me at once, addressed to H.D. Black, Central Station Hotel."