CHAPTER XVI.
MR. BARNES DISCOVERS A VALUABLE CLUE.
Immediately after the wedding Mr. Mitchel and his bride started west,intending to spend their honeymoon in the Yosemite Valley, havingpromised Mrs. Remsen and Dora, however, to join them in the WhiteMountains before the end of the season. About the first of July theRemsens and the Van Rawlstons went to Jefferson, New Hampshire, a smalltown along the base of the Pliny Range of mountains, from which amagnificent view of the Presidential Range, only ten miles away, is tobe obtained. About the middle of the month Mr. Randolph determined tovisit the same place, and was intensely disgusted on alighting from thestage, which reaches the Waumbeck Hotel about eight o'clock at night, tobe greeted familiarly by Mr. Alphonse Thauret. It was evident that hisrival did not intend to lose any chance to win the hand of Dora Remsen.
If one has anything of the artistic in his nature he could scarcely failto enjoy himself at Jefferson. The town is practically a single road,well up the side of the mountain range. Thus the hotels all look outover a long and beautiful valley. From the piazza of the Waumbeck, on aclear day, no less than thirty-five mountain peaks can be easilycounted, the Green Mountains over in Vermont being visible as a distantline of blue, and not in the total.
Of course the most conspicuous and most admired peak is MountWashington. One who has not visited the region might suppose that hewould soon become sated with the sight of the same mountains day afterday. This is a great error. All the mountains, and especially MountWashington, are ever presenting new aspects. All changes of atmosphereproduce corresponding variations. The shadows of passing clouds, theeffects at sunrise or at sunset, the moonlight, the partly cloudyweather when the top of the mountain is hidden, the mists, and the rain,all offer such totally different coloring and picturesque effects thatthe artistic eye is never tired.
Dora was an artist in every fibre of her being, as one would know wholistened to her talking to Mr. Randolph half an hour after his arrival,as they sat together on the piazza. In his delight to be with her and tohear her, he would have forgotten the very existence of Mr. Thauret wereit not that he sat near them in the rotunda at the end of the piazza,and so shared the entertainment that she offered.
"What a pity," she was saying, "that you did not come up yesterday. Youhave missed the grandest sights that mortal ever beheld. I suppose onyour trip up you saw nothing beautiful in the rain-storm that we hadthis afternoon?"
"Nothing whatever," said Mr. Randolph. "However it may have been hereamong the mountains, the rain did not make the valleys more attractive.Indeed I thought it simply a beastly day."
"What a mistake that you were not here instead of in the horrid cars.Why, I tell you that I haven't words with which to describe themagnificent pictures that I have enjoyed. Yet I am about to try. Youmust not lose it all, you know. May I tell you about it?"
"Assuredly; I shall be delighted."
"Well, then, to begin; look out over the valley. What do you see?"
"The moonlight shedding a beautiful ray over the lake."
"Exactly," said Dora, laughing heartily. "That is just the funny mistakeI thought you would make. That is not a lake at all. It is mist, orclouds rather. In the morning if I had not told you, you would have beenastonished to find that your lake is all trees and meadows. To begin,then; about four o'clock it began to cloud up. That was veryinteresting. The sun was shining brightly here, but we could see that itwas raining hard over in the direction of Lancaster. Slowly it began tocome toward us. Some of the boys made wagers as to how soon it wouldrain here. Then one of the proprietors came out, and surprised us all bysaying that it would probably rain over on the Presidential Range beforeit did here. This seemed extraordinary to us, you know, because whyshould it skip right over us and go to the big mountains?"
"Well, did it? It does seem impossible."
"That is exactly what occurred. You see, it is like this: Whenever astorm comes from Lancaster way, the clouds when they get here aredivided by the Pliny Range, and pass on either side, leaving us dry.Then they strike against the sides of the Presidential Range, and rollback into our valley. It was a curious sight, I assure you, to see theclouds flying in exactly opposite directions."
"Well, but after all, there could not have been any great beauty in therain. It must have blotted out all the view."
"Yes, but think how odd it was to find all these tremendous peakssuddenly gone. Not a mountain in sight in any direction. But then, thethunder. Oh! that was grand. The way it rolls about and reverberatesgives one a good idea of a great battle. There was something afterwardsthat carried out this similarity, too, which I wish I could describe. Itwas after the storm had passed and the bright-setting sun shone forth.Try to see the picture. Imagine yourself sitting just where I am now,and looking toward the Presidential Range, the sun setting red behindus. Mount Washington had shaken the clouds from his head, and wasencircled by a gorgeous halo, in the form of a brilliant double rainbow.One end of it seemed to come up right out of the valley there, whilstthe other disappeared behind Starr King Mountain. The flying clouds,still black and heavy, whirled swiftly along, hanging low, and, with thesun approaching the horizon, made shifting shadows across the base ofMount Washington, whilst between the rifts the red rays of the sunstriking different parts made beauteous timings among the green and thebrown of trees and rock. Oh, if an artist could only have seen that. Butthen it would have been useless, for the hand of man could not paintsuch grandeur. It was in the foreground that the resemblance to thebattle-field was to be seen again. Every here and there stray bits ofclouds disentangled themselves from the treetops and rose up smoke-liketill one could imagine them to be from thousands of camp-fires. Oh! itwas simply wonderful."
"It was indeed," said Mr. Thauret; "and your description brings it allback again to me."
"Then the beautiful long twilight," Dora continued, almost unheeding,"that was lovely. Slowly these stray bits of mist met and joined others,till as the darkness came and the moon brightened, that beautiful sheetof water, for after all your lake is real water, accumulated, and thereit is. At least you can enjoy that."
He did. But what he enjoyed more was the simple happiness of being withher. After a short time, however, he was deprived of that, for Mrs.Remsen claimed his attention, and took him up to the ball-room tointroduce him to some of the many young women who were dancing with eachother and with boys of fourteen for want of better partners.
If Mr. Thauret annoyed Mr. Randolph by being at this resort, the formergentleman was none the more pleased at his arrival. Being left alonewith Dora, and construing her present mood to be one favorable to hiswooing, he determined to speak to her before the other man might find achance. Moving his chair nearer hers, he began, getting to his subjectwithout much circumlocution.
"Miss Dora," said he, "do you recall a conversation that I had with youone day? I mean about loneliness, and the longing one has forcompanionship?"
"Oh, yes," said she, frankly, "why? Do you wish to continue it now?"
"If you please. You remember you said you would be better able to do soafter your sister's marriage."
"Because I thought that I would miss her so much and be lonely myself,was not that it? Well, of course I have missed Queen very much, but Ihave scarcely been lonely. You have taken care of that, and I am surethat I am very grateful to you. You have been very nice to me."
"You think so? You admit that?" He spoke eagerly.
"Why, yes! Why not, since it is true?"
"Of course, but then you know so many young ladies hide their feelings.I mean suppression of all emotion is considered so necessary in a womanin these days."
"Suppression!" and she laughed heartily. "Now do you think that I couldever be suppressed?"
"No, indeed, and certainly I hope that you never will be. But if youhave not been lonely, perhaps you have thought some of that othersubject, love, I mean."
"Oh! That!"
"Yes. That is one question, supreme to me, about which I
wish to haveyour views. Do you think you would be happier or unhappier,--if you weremarried?"
"That is a question. It would depend upon--my husband, would it not?"
"Suppose that we were----"
"Don't call names, please. I couldn't suppose such a thing. I havepromised not to."
"Promised not to, I don't understand?"
"I mean that I have made a bet. You don't think I am horrid to bet, doyou? Of course you don't. Well, I have made a curious bet with Bob, Mr.Mitchel, you know. I call him Bob now, and I used to do it sometimesbefore. That was when I wanted him to do anything for me. It made himfeel like one of the family. Well, to tell you about my bet. You see,sometimes, when Emily was out, Bob would play make love to me. He saidit would be good practice for me; would teach me the ways of the worldand all that sort of thing. Oh! Bob is a curious man, but he is greatsport. Don't you like him?"
"Immensely. But you have not told me yet about your bet."
"I am coming to it. Well, one day when he was making love to me, and Iwas doing my best, suddenly he burst out laughing, and said: 'Dora, I'llbet you'll be engaged within six months of our marriage.' 'How much?'said I. 'As much as you like,' said he. I asked him if he would make ita thousand dollars, and he whistled and called me a little gambler. ButI don't think it was gambling, because I was to have a certainty. Ofcourse I wanted the stake to be a large one. So it was agreed, and hewrote it down on paper. I'll show it to you sometime if you like. If Iam not engaged before the 1st of January, Bob will have to pay me athousand dollars."
"And you mean to win that bet?"
"Indeed I do. I am young and can afford to wait that long, I am sure.There will be time enough afterwards to get a husband."
"Then it would not make any difference how anxious a suitor might be tohave his reply at once?"
"No, certainly not. If a man did not love me enough to wait a few monthsfor his answer I should think myself well rid of him. Besides it wouldgive me a chance to study him."
"Suppose--but no--I do ask you. Miss Dora--Dora--I love you madly,passionately, and----"
"Well, don't say any more. If that is true, and you love me madly,passionately, why then you will surely wait till January for youranswer." This was said rather curtly, and Mr. Thauret's hopes sank, butrose again to fever heat as she said, very softly: "There, I did notmean to hurt you. You must not think me hard. But I must win that wager.Not so much for the money as for the gratification of proving to Bobthat I have some control over myself. Surely, if you truly love me youwill not begrudge me that satisfaction?"
"No, no, sweet one. Have your own way. I'll wait. Only say that there issome chance of my succeeding."
"Why, of course, every one has a chance. But I must not tell you howgreat yours is, because if I did I would not be winning my bet fairly.And I must say good-night," with which she left him. Her last wordslingered with him, and he took comfort. For what could she mean but thathis chances were good, since if otherwise, how could the telling preventher from winning her wager? Nevertheless, as the weeks went on, he triedmany times to get a more definite reply from her, but never succeeded.Still he hugged the cherished hope to his heart and waited as patientlyas man could.
Randolph was simply miserable all the time. Whenever he was with Dorashe was good to him, kind to him, and often used tender tones thatthrilled his heart. But he too failed to get anything from her, save theold request that he should be patient and wait. He too waited, but notpatiently.
Meanwhile, in New York, Mr. Barnes was still burrowing into everythingthat seemed to have any connection direct or otherwise with the mystery,or mysteries, that baffled him. Of one thing he had satisfied himselfbeyond all doubt. That was that Mr. Fisher had not been implicated inthe train robbery. His spy had found that he had been absent from thecity during three days at the time of the crime, but this very fact hadbeen shown to be his safeguard. By some skilful work the man discovered,that during that time he had simply been off shooting ducks, in a partof the country where it would have been impossible for him to be anaccomplice. This simple fact should not have been hard to discover, wereit not that Fisher had kept his trip a secret. This for some timepuzzled the detective, but finally he followed him out of the city, andpractically accompanied him on a similar outing, after which he learnedthat his sister was morbidly opposed to all killing, whether for sportor for a livelihood. It was to humor this idea that her brother made hisexcursions in secret. The spy learned from the man from whom the dogswere hired that Mr. Fisher had used them in December. So that left himout of the score, or at least so it seemed. It was still possible thathe was implicated in the ruby robbery, though save that he was presentthere seemed nothing against him. Mr. Barnes did not entirely leave himout of the account.
Thus practically the detective made no progress, and was chagrined to becompelled to admit it. Finally, however, an idea occurred to him, uponwhich the more he dwelt, the more fascinated he became with it. To putit into practice, however, he felt that he must await the return of Mr.Mitchel. He thought he would injure his cause by seeking him and sodisturbing him during his pleasure trip.
The Mitchels did not keep their promise to go to the White Mountains,but on the contrary prolonged their western travel, so that it wasNovember before they were at home again, and temporarily quartered atthe Fifth Avenue. A few days after, Mr. Barnes sent up his card, and asusual, was cordially received.
"Any news of my wife's ruby?" asked Mr. Mitchel, grasping the detectivewarmly by the hand.
"No, Mr. Mitchel. I am sorry to say that I am utterly unable to proveany of my theories about that. But I have come to a set determination,and one that to you may seem a peculiar one. I have come to ask yourassistance in the murder case."
"Why, certainly, I will help you. Did I not tell you so at the veryoutset? Have I not always been willing to talk freely to you?"
"You have, but as long as I thought that you yourself might havecommitted the crime, how could I come to you to ask you to assist me?"
"Then I am to understand that at present you do not suspect me?"
"I have come to that conclusion at last, and wish now that I had done sosooner."
"Would you mind telling me why you have altered your mind? You have toldme so much that seemed to implicate me, that I am curious to hear theother side."
"Certainly. I overheard your wager. Then came the robbery, and then themurder. Later there was a second jewel robbery; all of these crimesoccurred within the limit which you set. One of them of course youcommitted. It seems more probable that you stole the single ruby, for indoing that you committed a crime for which you could not be punished,especially since you have married the lady. Even before, she wouldwillingly have testified that it was understood between you, and that itwas simply a trick to win a wager. Is not that correct logic?"
"Correct logic? Yes. Of course I admit nothing as to facts."
"Either or both of these robberies are secondary to the murder. That Ihave determined to unravel if I can. At present I think the train robberand the murderer was one and the same person. Now, there is one cluewhich I have not been able to follow, but which, if pursued, I amcertain will lead me straight to the criminal."
"And that is?"
"The button which I found in the room. That is significant. It is toogreat a coincidence that it should match your set, not to have anexplanation that would shed light upon this case."
"How do you expect me to assist you in that direction?"
"As long as I thought you guilty, I believed that you had lied when yousaid that the seventh button of the set was the Shakespeare pin whichyour wife had. That is why I thought it of importance to recover it;sufficiently so, to send my spy, Lucette, into the house withinstructions to obtain it if possible. Now that I believe you innocentof the murder, this thought has recently come to me. When I first toldyou about this button, before you would speak about it, you asked me toallow you to examine it. After doing so, you gave it back to me, with acheerful smile. If
that button had been evidence against you, I see nowthat it would have required a powerful nerve to appear so unconcerned,and especially to return it to me. The question then that I wish you toanswer is, what was it that you saw on that button, which satisfied youthat it was not of your set?"
"In the first place, Mr. Barnes, I knew that there were but three likeit, the other three having different heads, and the seventh being theShakespeare button. Thus as I knew that all the buttons were in mypossession, I felt safe."
"But in the second place," said the detective, "there was a distinctdifference between the buttons, and by that you were even more assured.Am I not right?"
"Mr. Barnes, you deserve to succeed, and I hope you will. I will aid youall that I can. You are right. There is a difference in the buttons.Have you yours with you?"
"Yes, here it is;" saying which, he took it from his pocket-book.
"Keep it a moment. When Miss Remsen ordered these buttons, she directedthat a tiny initial should be adroitly carved in the hair of each of theRomeo and Juliet buttons. In the former she ordered an "R." She calls meRoy. And in the others a "Q." I call her Queen. This would escapeordinary observation, but after seeing it with a lens, one may readilyfind it with the naked eye afterwards. Now take this lens and examineyour button, just at the base of the hair, near the neck. So! What doyou find?"
"By heavens," exclaimed the detective, "This is most important. This isa Juliet, and if one of your set, it should have a "Q," on it. I believethat there was an attempt to make that letter, but the tool must haveslipped, and so it is a poor result, a chip in fact, which mars thecontinuity of the letter. I doubt if with the eye alone as you looked atit that day, when I first showed it to you, that you saw any letter atall."
"You are correct. I simply looked for the "Q," and not finding it, wassatisfied."
"This is serious. This button evidently was made by the same hand thatmade yours. It was spoiled, and another cut to replace it. The man whocarved it, or the person who became possessed of it, must and shallexplain to me how it came into the room where the murder was done. Youmust tell me now where these buttons were bought."
"I will do so upon one condition."
"Name it."
"That whatever you discover, you will tell me before you act, and thatyou will not act before January 1st unless absolutely necessary."
"You mean as to making an arrest?"
"That is precisely what I mean. You need not fear to make the promise. Iwill guarantee that your man shall not escape. I know him."
"You know him?" Mr. Barnes was astonished that Mr. Mitchel should makesuch an admission.
"Yes, I know him. That is, I am morally certain that I know him. I willtell you at once, that having the knowledge that I myself was innocent,I have had an advantage over you, and I have been hunting down this manall these months. I have good circumstantial evidence against him, butnot enough to warrant an arrest; at least not yet. If you could followthis clue, and find that it leads to the same man, we could convicthim."
"Will you give me the name of the man whom you suspect?"
"No! That would materially weaken our case. We must get the same resultwithout collusion. No, you work alone and work quickly, for Iparticularly wish the case to be completed by January 1st."
"Why so?"
"It is the day upon which my wager is to be decided, and I shall give adinner party, at which I anticipate some fun. By the way, don't forgetthat you won a dinner from me on a wager. Accept an invitation to dinewith me January 1st, and if you can then convict our man, you shall bemost welcome."
"I shall bend every energy to that end. But now tell me the name of thejeweller from whom the buttons were procured."
Mr. Mitchel then wrote down the name of a Paris firm, also giving theiraddress. Handing the slip of paper to Mr. Barnes, he took another sheetand continued writing.
"Why, Mr. Mitchel," exclaimed Mr. Barnes, "This is the same firm fromwhom your jewels were bought; those I mean, which are similar to thestolen set. I have already communicated with these people, and they sentme word that they knew nothing."
"Yes, I know. That was by my instruction," saying which Mr. Mitchelsmiled, and Mr. Barnes once more discovered that he had been fightingagainst a man who thought of everything. "You see," continued Mr.Mitchel, "I knew that you saw the name of the jewellers on the bill ofsale. What more probable than that you should apply there forinformation? Now, my one object throughout has been, not to defeatjustice, but to have time enough elapse for me to win my wager.Therefore, I immediately sent a cable to these persons, 'Answer nothingsigned Barnes till you hear from me.' Rather a long cable despatch, butthen I don't mind a few dollars. Of course, my letter to them made themshut their mouths to you. It was very simple. However, I myself have notbeen able to get satisfactory facts from them, and I think it needs aperson actually on the ground to ferret out this thing. I believe youare just the man for the case. This letter will give you theirassistance, and here is a check for five hundred dollars for expenses."
Mr. Barnes would have refused, but Mr. Mitchel insisted, that from thattime on, Mr. Barnes should consider himself regularly employed on themurder case, "though, of course," said Mr. Mitchel, jocularly, "you arestill free to work out the robberies."
The two men shook hands at parting, and one would have said that theywere separating after a mutually satisfactory interview.