A Mysterious Disappearance

  CHAPTER XII

  WHO CORBETT WAS

  "Inexorable Fate!" is a favorite phrase with the makers of books; butFate, being feminine according to the best authorities, is also somewhatfickle in disposition. Not only is she not invariably inexorable, but attimes she delights to play with her poor subjects, to dazzle them withsurprise, as it were, to stupefy them with the sense of their sheerinability to foresee or understand her vagaries.

  It was Bruce's turn to receive the sharpest lesson in this respect thathe ever remembered.

  At breakfast the next morning he selected from a packet of unimportantletters one which required immediate attention. The financiers to whomhe had written in conformity with his implied promise to Mr. Dodge hadreplied favorably with reference to the reconstruction of the SpringbokMine.

  They informed Bruce confidentially that a thoroughly reliable man inJohannesburg, to whom they had cabled, reported very strongly in favorof the property. They would await his written statement before finallycommitting themselves. Meanwhile, if Messrs. Dodge, Son & Co. (Limited)were anxious to get the business advanced a stage, there was no reasonwhy he (Bruce) should not assure them that, subject to the firstsatisfactory report being confirmed, his clients would underwrite theshares. The whole thing would thus go through in about three weeks. Asfor Bruce himself, they proposed to give him a commission of five percent in fully paid shares for the introduction.

  "Well, I never!" he laughed. "Now who would have thought such a thingpossible? Why, if that rascal Dodge is right and this company is reallya sound undertaking, my share of the deal will be L10,000. It seemswildly incredible, yet my friends know what they are writing about as arule."

  An hour later he was in the city.

  A smart brougham stood in front of the now thoroughly renovated officesof Dodge, Son & Co. (Limited), and out of it, at the moment thebarrister detached himself from the chaos of Leadenhall Street, steppedthe head of the firm.

  He was making up the steps when Claude cried:

  "Hello, Mr. Dodge, how is the junior partner?"

  Dodge stopped, focussed Bruce with his sharp eyes, and smiled:

  "Oh, it is you, is it? The young 'un is all right, thanks. Are youcoming in?"

  "That was my intention."

  "Come along then. I was hoping I would see you one of these days."

  "Has business improved recently?" inquired Bruce, as they entered theinner office.

  "Yes, somewhat; but money is very tight still. However, we generallylook for a spurt early in the New Year. Why do you ask?"

  "No valid reason. A mere hazard."

  "Was it because you saw me drive up in a carriage?"

  "Mr. Dodge, I never dreamt that self-consciousness was a failing of themembers of the Stock Exchange."

  "Then that _was_ the cause. I guessed it. I have been making inquiriesabout you, Mr. Bruce, and there is no use in trying to fool you, not abit."

  "Have you another Springbok proposition on hand?"

  "No; bar chaffing. You were the man who ferreted out the truth aboutthat West Australian combination when everybody else had failed. And,now I think of it, you made me talk a lot the last time you were here.However, I am ready. Fire away! I will tell you the truth, the wholetruth, and nothing but the truth, so help me--"

  "Sh-s-sh! Do not perjure yourself for the sake of alliteration. Besides,it is I who have come to talk this time."

  "About Springboks?"

  "Yes. The people I mentioned to you at my previous visit are prepared tounderwrite the shares, provided that their agent's report is asfavorable in its entirety as a telegraphic summary leads them tobelieve."

  "Eh? That's good news! When will they be in a position to complete?"

  "As soon as they hear from South Africa by post. Say three weeks."

  "So long! But suppose I get an offer from some other quarter in themeantime? I cannot keep the proposal open indefinitely."

  "I have not asked you to do so, Mr. Dodge. Let me see--three shillingsper share on, say, two hundred thousand shares is L30,000. It is a gooddeal of money. If any one likes to hand you a cheque for that amountwithout preliminary investigation, take it by all means."

  The notion tickled Dodge immensely.

  "All right, Mr. Bruce. When people of that sort turn up we don't sell'em Springboks in the City. But there is no harm in you telling me yourclients' names."

  "Not in the least. They are the Anglo-African Finance Corporation."

  Mr. Dodge whistled. "By Jove, they're the best backing I could have.This is a good turn, Mr. Bruce, and I shan't forget it. You see, we're ayoung firm, and association with well-known houses is good for us inevery sense. I'm jolly glad now that Springboks are all right. It wouldnever have done for me to introduce them to a risky piece of business. Iam really much obliged to you. And now, how do we stand?"

  "Kindly explain."

  "How much 'com' do you want?"

  "Nothing."

  Mr. Dodge moved his chair backward several feet in sheer amazement."Nothing, my dear sir! Nonsense! It is a big affair. Shall we say oneper cent in cash, or two in shares. I am not very well off just now,or--"

  "Pray don't trouble yourself. I have already secured my commission--fiveper cent in fully paid shares."

  "But the people who put up the money don't pay for the privilege as arule."

  "That I know quite well. This case is different. I am not, nor ever havebeen, a financial go-between."

  "Didn't you come to see me about the deal in the first instance?"

  It was Bruce's turn to hesitate.

  "Not exactly," he said. "I really wanted to know something about Mr.Corbett, and the Springbok business arose out of it."

  "Ah, that chap Corbett. I have been thinking about him. I wonder who hecan be? Anyhow, I owe him my best wishes, as the mention of his namehas had such excellent results."

  "Well, that is all," said Bruce rising.

  "Yes, thanks. I must now see about raising the money to pay my own call.I am interested in fifty thousand shares, you know."

  "Then you require some L7,500?"

  "Yes. But that will be easy when I can say that the Anglo-AfricanFinance people are with me. Besides, this morning--queer you should callimmediately afterwards--I have had some wholly unexpected news."

  "Indeed?" Mr. Dodge was in a talkative vein, and Bruce was in no hurry.

  "The very best!" went on Dodge gleefully. "You see, there is another manin this affair with me. I thought he was as stony-broke as I ammyself--speaking confidentially, you know--when he suddenly writes to mesaying that he had won a pot of money at Monte Carlo and could spare meL2,000. What's the matter? Beastly trying weather, isn't it? Try a nipof brandy."

  For once in his life the self-possessed barrister had blanched at asudden revelation. But this was too much. He felt as though a meteoritehad fallen on his head. Nevertheless, he grappled with the situation.

  "Ill! No!" he cried. "How stupid of me. I have forgotten my morningsmoke. May I light a cigar?"

  "With pleasure. You know these. Try one."

  "You were saying--"

  "That's all. This young fellow, Mensmore his name is, got mixed up withme over a Californian mine. I thought he had lots of coin, so whenSpringboks came along he and I went shares in underwriting them. Thepublic didn't feed, so we were loaded. I tried all I knew to get him topay up, but he absolutely couldn't. And now at the very moment affairslook promising he writes offering L2,000. More than that, he says, ifnecessary, he can get the remainder of his half, L1750, from somebody.Where is his letter?"

  Mr. Dodge looked on his table. "Oh, here it is. Addressed from 'Yacht_White Heather_,' if you please. Quite swell, eh? Sir William Browne!That's the covey. I think I will let Sir William have 'em. It's a good,solid sort of name to have on the share register."

  "I would if I were you," said Bruce, hardly conscious of hissurroundings.

  "If _you_ think so, I will. By Jove, this has been a good morning forme. Come and have lunch.
"

  "No, thanks. I have a lot to attend to. By the way, where did Mensmorelive?"

  "I don't know. His address was always at the Orleans Club."

  Somehow, Bruce reached the street and a hansom. As the vehicle rolledoff westward he crouched in a corner and tried to wrestle with theproblem that befogged his brain.

  Was Albert Mensmore Sydney H. Corbett? Was he Mrs. Hillmer's brother?The "Bertie" she had spoken of meant Albert as well as a hypotheticalHerbert. Mensmore was an old schoolfellow of Sir Charles Dyke's. In allprobability he knew Lady Dyke as well. He lived in Raleigh Mansionsunder an assumed name, and quitted his abode two days after the murder.

  Every circumstance pointed to the terrible assumption that at Mensmore'shands the unfortunate lady met her death. And Bruce had sworn to avengeher memory!

  He laughed with savage mirth as he reflected that he himself had helpedthis man to escape the punishment of Providence, self-inflicted. It was,indeed, pitifully amusing to think how the clever detective had used hispowers to befool himself. The very openness of the clue had helped toconceal it the more effectually. Were it not for Dodge and hisSpringboks he might have gone on indefinitely covering up the criminal'stracks by his own friendly actions. The situation was maddening,intolerable. Bruce wanted to seize the reins and flog the horse into amad gallop through the traffic as a relief to his feelings.

  Blissfully unconscious of the living volcano he carried within, thecabby on the perch did not indulge in any such illegal antics. Hequietly drove along the Embankment and delivered his seething fare athis Victoria-street chambers.

  Quite oblivious of commonplace affairs, the barrister threw a shillingto the driver and darted out.

  The man gazed at his Majesty's image with the air of one who had neverbefore seen such a coin. It might have been a Greek obolus, so utter washis blank astonishment.

  But Bruce was across the pavement, and cabby had to find words, else itwould be too late.

  "Here guv'nor," he yelled, "what the ballyhooley do you call this?"

  "What's the matter?" was the impatient query.

  "Matter!" The cabman looked towards the sky to see if the heavens werefalling. "Matter!" in a higher key, as a crowd began to gather. "I tykeshim from Leaden'all Street to Victoria. 'E gives me a bob, an' 'e arsksme wot's the matter. I'd been on the ranks four bloomin' hours--"

  "Oh, there you are!" and Bruce threw him half-a-crown before hedisappeared up the steps.

  Mr. White was watching for Bruce's arrival. He wondered why thebarrister was so perturbed, and resolved to strike while the iron washot. So he, too, vanished into the interior.