CHAPTER XVII
THE STEEL SAFE
Don Juan's conduct upon our arrival in London was both a revelation anda surprise to me.
First, following a custom, now long established for diplomatists, heput up at Claridge's.
From that famous hotel I had the pleasure of accompanying him at hisrequest on a series of visits.
The first was an appointment at the Foreign Office, and there he wascloseted with the Secretary of State for a solid two hours, while I waskicking my heels in a waiting-room. His last words to me had beenexceedingly disappointing.
"You must forgive me for not taking you with me, Anstruther," he said,"but the matter I am engaged upon is of such an exceedinglyconfidential nature that I dare not disclose it to any one, except theMinisters themselves."
I simply bowed my acquiescence and said nothing.
But being left alone in the waiting-room, which was liberally suppliedwith writing materials, I industriously filled up my time by writingletters.
First, of course, to Dolores, whom I had left but an hour before atClaridge's, and to whom I yet felt constrained to pour forth my soul onpaper.
The feeling, I have no doubt, was a mutual one, as when I returned tomy hotel to dress, there was handed to me as usual a letter fromDolores, giving me an account of her morning's proceedings.
Having disposed of my letter to her on this particular morning, I wroteto my cousin St. Nivel.
"As for solving the mystery of the old lady at Bath and her casket," Iwrote, "whether she is alive or dead, and why she sent me to Valoro,_all_, my dear Jack, are to me at the present moment as great a mysteryas the reason why His Serene Highness the Duke of Rittersheim shouldwant to shoot me at a _battue_ down in Norfolk!
"I go about with Don Juan d'Alta, and I might just as well be walkingabout with one of the lions in Trafalgar Square for all the informationI get out of him. His is the silence of the old diplomatist."
To Ethel I sent my love; she was pretty well informed of our movements,as she and Dolores had become fast friends, and corresponded twice orthrice a week.
From the Foreign Office Don Juan walked me over to the Home Office, andthere he had a lengthy interview with the Home Secretary of fully anhour's duration. Finally, we went to Scotland Yard, and there Ithought we should never get away at all; I, of course, being "inwaiting" all the time.
But there was one consolation which Dolores and I had had ever since weset foot on board the _Oceana_ on our return, and that was, we did notcare how soon Don Juan knew of our betrothal; we only waited for theold gentleman to be rid of his mysterious business to declare ourselves.
For myself, I had but little anxiety as to the result. I had caughthim looking at us on board the steamer, when we were together, openlylovemaking, and his expression then had been wistful, but not unkindnor unfavourable. Therefore, I had great hope.
"If he will not give his consent, darling," my little sweetheart hadwhispered often in my ear, "I shall tell him that I will go and be anun."
"But you _won't_, will you, little one?" I always asked anxiously, "youwon't go and leave me?"
And then she would generally make the naive confession--
"I would rather marry _you_, dear, than be a nun."
After ringing the changes between the Foreign Office, the Home Office,and Scotland Yard for a week, Don Juan suddenly expressed hisdetermination to go down to Bath. I was asked to secure rooms for themat the "Magnifique"; it was to be a fairly long stay, and Dolores wasgoing too.
The proceedings at Bath mystified me more than ever. The first thingthat happened, when we were installed at the "Magnifique," was, thatInspector Bull accompanied the head of the police on a visit ofceremony and absolutely raised his hat to _me_ on discovering that Iwas _a la suite_ of Don Juan d'Alta! I was never more thunderstruck inmy life, and was hardly able to return such an unexpected act ofcourtesy, through astonishment.
The next thing was a ceremonious visit to Cruft's Folly in a motor car.There we found the inspector keeping guard over a curious array ofarticles assembled on a table on the ground floor of the tower; theywere a most extraordinary collection. First, there was a lady'shandkerchief, and I identified it at once as a fellow one to that whichI had found in the still warm bed of the old lady in Monmouth Street.
"Are you quite certain," inquired Don Juan, when I had told him aboutit in answer to his question. "Are you certain the handkerchief youfound was like this?"
"As certain as I stand here," I answered; "if there is any doubt aboutit I can get the other, for it is only at the hotel."
"Very well," replied the old gentleman with an air of satisfaction,making a note in a book, "that settles that matter. Now for the next.Have you ever seen that silver cigarette box before?"
I took up the article he referred to, which was standing by thehandkerchief on the table, and examined it; it might, or might not,have been that case from which I took a cigarette in the old lady'sroom on the occasion of my first visit. I told them so.
"You cannot swear to it?" asked the old Don.
"No," I answered, "I cannot swear to it; it may be the case, and it maynot."
"Now, Inspector," he said, turning to the police officer, "kindly showMr. Anstruther _that_."
He pointed to a bundle lying on the table, the last of the articles,and the inspector took it up, and slowly unfolded it. _It was a lady'squilted white silk dressing-gown, and the whole of the bosom of it wasdeeply stained with what was evidently dried blood._
I turned in triumph to the police officer.
"_That_ is the dressing-gown worn by the old lady the last time I sawher lying bleeding on her bed in the basement of 190 Monmouth Street.I told you of it at the time, and you would not believe it."
Don Juan appeared exceedingly interested at this exhibit, and leantover it with his gold pince-nez held to his eyes.
"Ah!" he remarked at last, removing his glasses with a sigh, "then Isuppose that is all you have to show Mr. Anstruther, Inspector?"
The inspector gathered up the articles ceremoniously before he answered.
"That is all we 'ave to exhibit to Mr. Anstruther _at present_," hesaid.
Mr. Bull was not going to commit himself.
From Cruft's Folly we went straight to 190 Monmouth Street, and therewe found the sergeant's wife in her Sunday clothes to do honour to theoccasion; the baby as usual dangled easily from her arm.
Descending to the basement, I was astonished to find a well-knowngentleman waiting us in the room with so many sad remembrances for me.
This gentleman was a Mr. Fowler, and I knew him to be one of the Crownsolicitors. His presence there, however, was accounted for when DonJuan asked me for the key of the steel safe, which I still had in mypossession.
Under the circumstances I felt fully justified in giving it to him.
"Now, Anstruther," he said cheerfully, "I will get you to show me andMr. Fowler the secret of the panel."
The broken glass had been already cleared from the frame over themantelpiece; therefore, as soon as I touched the carved rose on theleft-hand side, the framework moved up. I touched the spring beneathand the door in the wall flew open; there within was the steel safe,exactly as I had seen it last, Don Juan turned to me with a look ofsolicitude.
"Don't feel offended, Anstruther," he began, "at what I was going tosay, but it is essential that I should open this safe in the presenceof Mr. Fowler alone."
As he took the key from my hands and inserted it in the lock, I bowedand left them.
For half an hour I paced the passage without or wandered through theback door into the neglected garden, which I found abutted on a disusedgraveyard--a very common object, met with often in startlingly unlikelyplaces in one's walks in Bath.
It was on my return from one of these little rambles that I found thedoor of the old lady's sitting-room open, and Don Juan and Mr. Fowlersuperintending the removal of the safe by two porters; a thirdgentleman had now joined the party.
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"This is Mr. Symonds of the Bank of England," said the old Donceremoniously. "He has very kindly undertaken the removal of this safeto London."
I was getting now so used to the Don's mysterious movements that eventhis did not surprise me. I noticed, however, that the safe had beenvery carefully _sealed_ in addition to being locked. The safe wascarried up to the street and placed on the front seat of a large motorcar which was waiting.
In this the representative of the Bank of England quickly entered, andtwo very unmistakable detectives who had been standing by mounted onthe front seat, then the motor puffed away.
"They won't stop now," remarked Mr. Fowler, "until they reachThreadneedle Street."
Within a quarter of an hour Don Juan and I were back in his privateroom at the hotel.
"Thank God!" he exclaimed as we entered, "my mind is now cleared fromthat terrible anxiety, and I can rest in peace."
I looked very hard at the old gentleman as he sank into an arm-chair,but I did not agree with him.
"Excuse me, Don Juan," I said, "I have another very serious matter totrouble you with."