The Woman's Way

  CHAPTER XXVI

  Meanwhile, Heyton returned to the Hall; walking with a certainjauntiness which was not altogether assumed; for the disposal of thejewel-case had been an immense relief. Some of the servants were nowabout, and to her surprise, he wished one of the maids good morningquite pleasantly; to her surprise, because Heyton's manner to hisinferiors was usually anything but a pleasant one; and, while all thehousehold was devoted to the Marquess, and would have done anything forhim, his son was unpopular. As he passed along the lower hall, Heytonglanced at the window he had opened: it had not been shut. He went upthe stairs and, as he entered his dressing-room, hummed the latest comicsong. The breakfast hour at the Hall was half-past nine; the Marquesswas called at half-past eight, but Heyton's valet had orders not todisturb his master until he rang, and, more often than not, Heyton'sbell did not ring until breakfast was on the table.

  Heyton threw himself down on the bed and closed his eyes with thepreposterous idea of getting a little sleep; but he lay and listened,and presently he heard Miriam's maid knocking at the bedroom door; thenhe rose and rang for his man.

  "Early this morning, eh, Simcox?" he said. "Been for a swim. Feel jollyfit. Fact is, we all lie abed too late; I've half a mind to get up for abath in the lake every morning."

  The valet grinned to himself as he answered respectfully,

  "Yes, my lord. Very pleasant in the morning."

  When he had half finished dressing, Heyton called to Miriam.

  "I say, Miriam, what about a drive this morning? We might go over toTeynsham."

  "I don't know; I'll see," she called back listlessly.

  "I'll wear a tweed suit," said Heyton to his man; "I'll have the newone. And, look here, you tell the tailor to give me a little more roomround the waist. I suppose I must be getting fat, eh, Simcox?"

  "Oh, not fat, my lord," murmured Simcox, remonstratingly."More--er--comfortable."

  When the man had finished with him, Heyton lit a cigarette and leantback in his chair--as if he were waiting for something.

  He had not to wait long.

  A cry rang through the house; it was followed by others; there was thesound of rushing footsteps and voices raised in terror; his door wasflung open and Simcox stood on the threshold, his face white, his eyesstarting; he gaped at his master speechlessly, and Heyton gaped back athim.

  "Well, what the devil is it?" he asked at last, his face red, his lipsquivering. "What do you mean by rushing in, in this--idiotic fashion?"

  "Oh, my lord!" gasped Simcox. "Something's--something's happened. Oh,it's awful! It's the Marquess's man--Mr. Jenkins--he's just been to callhis lordship and--and--oh, my lord, it's 'orrible!"

  Heyton rose, gripping the back of the chair.

  "What do you mean?" he demanded. "What the devil are you talking about?"

  "Oh, my lord, the Marquess is dead!" stammered Simcox.

  "Dead!" echoed Heyton, his face livid, his whole form shaking as if withpalsy.

  "Well, Jenkins thinks so, my lord. If so, it's--murder."

  "Murder!" echoed Heyton, his voice again hoarse.

  "Yes, my lord. There's been a burglary; the safe, the safe in hislordship's dressing-room, has been broken into. Jenkins found hislordship lying on the ground--there was blood----"

  The man's voice had risen by this time and it brought Miriam to thedoor. She looked from one to the other, the nameless terror she feltshowing in her eyes.

  "What is it?" she demanded.

  "Go--go away, Miriam," said Heyton, hoarsely. "Go back to your ownroom."

  Disregarding his injunctions with a kind of contempt, she advanced andaddressed herself to the terror-stricken valet.

  "What is it, Simcox?" she asked. "I heard you say----"

  "Yes, my lady, it's true," faltered Simcox, wiping the sweat from hisface. "I helped Jenkins carry the Marquess into his bedroom. If hislordship isn't dead, he's as good as dead."

  Swiftly, without a moment's hesitation, Miriam went past them to theMarquess's bedroom, thrusting her way through a crowd of horrified,gaping servants. The Marquess lay on the bed where they had placed him.The blood had ceased flowing, but it had stained one side of his face,had reddened a greater part of the old-fashioned night-shirt which hewore. He lay quite still, his eyes closed. She stood and looked at him,frozen with horror; then she became conscious that her husband wasstanding beside her.

  "Is he dead?" she asked, almost inaudibly. "Who--who has done this?"

  At the question, he drew back a little, and lifted his eyes from thereddened face to hers.

  "What do you mean?" he demanded, almost shouted. "It's pretty plain, Ishould think. Didn't you hear what Simcox said? There's been a burglary;the--the safe's broken open----"

  "The safe----?" she said, unconscious that she had spoken.

  For a moment her eyes met his; then hers sank and she shuddered.

  "Has anyone gone for the doctor?" she asked in a low voice.

  "Yes, my lady," said Jenkins. "I've sent a groom for Doctor Scott; butI'm afraid----"

  "Give me some water," she said tonelessly.

  They brought her some and a sponge, and with a hand that was unnaturallycalm, she wiped the blood from the old man's face and neck.

  "Here, look here!" said Heyton, hesitatingly. "Do you think you ought totouch him, do anything till the doctor comes?"

  She did not look at him, and continued her pitiful ministration. Heytondrew back from the bed, his eyes withdrawing themselves from hisfather's face slowly, as if fascinated.

  "Has anything gone from the safe?" he asked.

  "I don't know, my lord. I didn't wait to look," said Jenkins in a hushedvoice.

  Heyton went into the dressing-room and returned a moment later.

  "If there was anything of value in the safe, it's gone," he said. "Lookhere!--Here, you, Simcox, what the devil are you gaping there for, likea stuck pig; why don't you send for the police?"

  Simcox turned to fly, and almost ran into Mrs. Dexter, who was followedby Celia. Strangely enough Mrs. Dexter had been almost the last to hearof the calamity; a terrified servant had dashed into her room with theawful news. Celia's room was next to Mrs. Dexter's and she had heardMrs. Dexter's cry of horror, and had darted out to learn what it meant.Mrs. Dexter went to the bed, gently and unconsciously putting Miriamaside, and bent over the motionless form.

  "He is not dead," she said, in a whisper.

  "Oh, thank God!" broke from Miriam's white lips, and she turned to Celiaand grasped her arm. "Oh, I'm glad you've come; I'm glad you are here!"she sobbed. "I'm all alone--oh, I'm glad you are here! Do _you_ think heis not dead?"

  "Mrs. Dexter will know," said Celia, trying to control her voice. "Don'tbe frightened, don't get worried, Lady Heyton. Come with me!"

  She took Miriam's hand and drew her into her bedroom. Miriam sank on thebed and covered her face with her hands; and for a while, there wassilence; for Celia had no words at command. Presently Miriam dropped herhands from her face and looked straight before her; there was somethingworse than horror in her expression; there was a poignant, a vividterror.

  Celia found some eau-de-Cologne and bathed Miriam's forehead.

  "You won't faint, Lady Heyton?" she said. "They will need you--you musttry to bear up. He is not dead----"

  "No, thank God!" murmured Miriam. "Why, it would be--murder, wouldn'tit?" she asked suddenly, still staring in front of her.

  "I--I don't know," said Celia. "I know no more than you do. It is aburglary, isn't it? I heard one of the servants say that the safe hadbeen broken into."

  "The safe!" echoed Miriam, in a toneless voice. "Yes, the safe--thediamonds. What is that?" she asked, with almost a scream.

  "Carriage wheels: the doctor," said Celia, soothingly.

  "Go--go and hear what he says," said Miriam, in a hushed whisper. "I--Iwant to know at once. I can't go back; I dare not!"

  "No; stay here, I will come to you," said Celia. "Shall I bring LordHeyton to you?"

  "No, no
!" responded Miriam, shrinking away. "No, no! Don't bring himhere. I--I mean he should be there; there will be things to do----Oh,don't you understand! I don't want him here!"

  "I understand," said Celia; "but you must try to be calm. There will beso much to do----"

  "Calm!" cried Miriam, flinging out her arms. "Am I not calm? Do youthink I'm not trying not to give way; that I'm not trying to keep sane?Go! Go!"

  Celia went back to the Marquess's room. Mrs. Dexter and the doctor werebending over the bed; Heyton was standing at a little distance, watchingthem and gnawing his nails. Mrs. Dexter looked round as Celia entered.

  "I want you, my dear," she said. "I want you to help me. He is notdead," she went on in a whisper; "he is still alive, though Doctor Scottwill not give us any hope yet."

  Celia assisted Mrs. Dexter in carrying out the doctor's orders; theMarquess was still unconscious; but though he looked more dead thanalive, life was still present. After a time, there came a timid andsubdued knock at the door. Mrs. Dexter signed to Celia to open it andshe did so. It was Smith, the butler.

  "The Inspector has come, Miss Grant, and is asking for Lord Heyton," hesaid in a tremulous voice.

  Heyton turned at the sound of his name and went out.

  "How is the Marquess, my lord?" asked Smith, who was deeply agitated.

  "Oh, he's all right," said Heyton. "I mean, the doctor thinks he'll pullround. Here, don't make more fuss than is necessary, Smith; keep thehouse quiet and tell the servants to keep their mouths shut."

  Smith looked at him with surprise; for Heyton's manner was scarcely thatof a son whose father had nearly been done to death. The Inspector wasin the hall and Heyton signed to him to follow into the library.

  "This is dreadful news, my lord," said the Inspector.

  "Rather!" assented Heyton. He was very pale, and his hair was dank withsweat, and his tongue moved over his lips thickly, with a restless,feverish movement. "Here, we'd better have a drink before we begin. I'mterribly upset. Only natural, eh, Inspector?--Own father, youknow?--Bring in some soda and whisky," he ordered the footman whoanswered the bell.

  "Not for me, my lord, thank you," said the Inspector, respectfully.

  Heyton poured out half a glassful of whisky, made a pretence of addingsoda, and swallowed the spirit.

  "Absolutely upset," he said, wiping his lips on his handkerchief. "Butthere! I half expected it. I was telling my father only last night--orwas it the night before?--about those damned gipsies on the common. Iwarned him; yes, I warned him."

  "Gipsies, my lord?" said the Inspector. "You suspect them?"

  "Who else am I to suspect?" demanded Heyton, with a sideway glance ofhis bloodshot eyes.

  "That remains to be seen, my lord," said the Inspector quietly; "formyself, I don't think the gipsies have had any hand in this. I shouldlike you to tell me everything you know about the affair, please, mylord."

  "Certainly, Inspector," responded Heyton, promptly. "But, you see, Iknow precious little; in fact, I don't know anything. My man camebursting into my room this morning, and told me they'd found myfather--well, as you know, lying in his dressing-room, badly knockedabout; and, of course, I went straight to his room, and--that's all Iknow about it."

  "Quite so, my lord. I should like to see the room at once."

  "Come on, then," said Heyton. He was quite calm, and was quite proud ofbeing so calm. The Inspector might look at the room as long as he liked;it wouldn't tell him anything of the truth.

  They went up to the dressing-room, and the Inspector walked straight tothe safe and began to look, not at its contents, but along the edge ofthe door. He nodded with a kind of satisfaction, and said:

  "I've wired for a detective; he's more at home at this kind of case thanI am."

  He turned from the safe and examined the part of the floor on which theMarquess had fallen; then he caught sight of the poker and pursed hislips.

  "That's what did it," he said, confidently. "The blood's still wet onit."

  Heyton made as if to pick up the poker, but the Inspector caught his armand stayed him.

  "Beg pardon, my lord," he said, apologetically. "But you mustn't touchanything. We'll let everything bide as it is until the detective comesdown from Scotland Yard."

  He went to the window and examined it; but without touching it.

  "Closed and hasped! Have you any idea how they got in, my lord; have anyof the servants found a window or a door open?"

  "No," replied Heyton; then he added, as if he had suddenly remembered."Here, by George, that's strange! I mean about the window. I found oneof the back windows open when I went down this morning for a swim."

  "Oh!" said the Inspector. "I should like to see that window, my lord.But one moment! Was there anything of value--I mean, jewels or money oranything of that kind--in the safe?"

  "Not that I'm aware of," replied Heyton, almost instantly; but he hadhad time to consider the question. "There may have been, of course. Notjewels, because my father kept the family diamonds at the bank."

  "That's something to be thankful for, my lord," said the Inspector, withan approving shake of the head. "Quite the proper thing to do. Therewouldn't be half the burglaries, if the gentry didn't leave their jewelsabout in the way they do. But there might have been money?"

  "Oh, yes, there might," said Heyton.

  The Inspector walked round the room cautiously, and presently went tothe outer door.

  "Is this locked, my lord?"

  "I don't know," said Heyton; and, as if he had forgotten the Inspector'sinjunction, he tried the handle of the door before the Inspector couldstop him. "It's locked," said Heyton.

  "Tut, tut!" said the Inspector to himself, as if he were much annoyed bysomething.

  "Come on," said Heyton. "I'll show you the window I found open." He wasconsumed by a feverish desire to get the Inspector out of the room.

  They went down to the lower hall, the white-faced servants staring atthem from coigns of vantage; and the Inspector glanced swiftly at thewindow and then at the hall.

  "That's where they got in," he said. "Nothing easier. There is no door,I suppose, between the Marquess's room and the window here?"

  "No," replied Heyton, moistening his lips as he stood behind theInspector.

  "And you are sure this window was open when you went out this morning,my lord? What time was that, by the way?"

  "A little after six," replied Heyton. "It was deuced hot; I woke and hada fancy for a swim. There was no one about, and I opened the door, thisdoor, for myself."

  "Oh, it's plain enough," said the Inspector, nodding once or twice."It's quite easy for them to slip this hasp back with an ordinary knife.The rest isn't difficult to guess. They must have made some noise whilethey were breaking into the safe; well, not 'breaking into' it, for theymust have opened it with a key, because there wasn't even the mark of anordinary chisel on the safe. You noticed that, my lord, no doubt?"

  "I--I can't say I did," said Heyton; "I'm a bit upset and confused, youknow."

  "Yes, it was opened with a key," said the Inspector, "and that's theonly part of the business that troubles me. That's a good safe, my lord;one of the first-class makers, and it couldn't have been opened with askeleton key; in fact, with anything but the proper key or a duplicate."

  "Oh?" said Heyton. "Where did they get it?"

  The Inspector shook his head. "Of course, that's just the puzzle, mylord. I'm afraid we shall have to leave that to the Scotland Yard man."

  As he spoke, he took out his whistle and blew sharply on it. A constablecame to the door and saluted.

  "Got your men placed, Brown?" asked the Inspector. "Just put another manon the drive, and give him orders that no man is to enter the lodgegates excepting the detective, when he comes."

  "What's that for?" asked Heyton, as if the question were inspired by hisdesire to understand everything that was being done.

  "I don't want a lot of people tramping over the place," said theInspector, rather evasively.


  "Oh, ah, yes," said Heyton. "Well, I'll go upstairs again. Send for me,if you want me, Inspector."

  He went upstairs, paused a moment outside the Marquess's door, then wenton to his own dressing-room. He listened at the door leading to thebedroom; but there was no sound. He touched the handle of the door; buthe could not open it, though he knew that Miriam was in the room, andthat he ought to go to her. He could not. He rang the bell, and when thevalet came, Heyton told him to bring some whisky and soda. But even thedraught of almost undiluted spirit could not give him sufficient courageto face his wife.

  For he knew that she would remember that she had told him the diamondswere in the safe. And that he had wanted them.