"Nearly always. I like to know what"s going on. Mr. Wilson said I should make myself acquainted with everything."
"I"m sure he did," muttered Steel ironically. "Did you read any letter saying that Miss Kent had inherited a fortune? Miss Daisy Kent, who lived with Mr. Morley at Rickwell?"
Alexander thought for a moment. "Yes, I did. It was a letter to some lawyers in Sydney."
"Did you tell Mr. Wilson about it?"
"Yes, sir. He was always talking about people coming in for money, and I said that a girl called Miss Kent had come in for five thousand a year."
"I thought so. When did you tell Mr. Wilson this?"
"Three days after Christmas."
"Before he offered to serve the summons?"
"Why, I hadn"t got the summons then," said Alexander. "Mr. Asher gave it to me the day before New Year. I said I was going into the country to Rickwell, for Mr. Wilson asked me what I was making myself smart for. He said he"d take the summons, and that I could go to the Hippodrome with Jim Tyler."
"Which you did on your employer"s money. You are a smart lad, Alexander.
What did your mother say?"
"Mother was out when I came home with the summons, and after Mr. Wilson said he"d take it I didn"t say anything to her."
"Then she thought that on the day before the New Year you were at the office as usual?"
"Yes," snuffled Master Benker, "she did. Oh, Lor"!" as the cab stopped before a tidy house in a quiet street, "here we are."
"And there is your mother," said the detective cheerfully, as a severe face appeared at the white-curtained window.
Alexander wept afresh as Steel paid the cabman, and positively howled when the door opened and his mother--a lean woman in a black dress, with a widow"s cap--appeared. He would have run away but that Steel again had a hand on his collar.
"Alexander," cried his mother harshly, "what have you been doing?"
"Nothing very dreadful, ma"am," interposed Steel. "It will be all right.
Let me in, and I"ll speak for my young friend."
"And who may you be, sir?" demanded Mrs. Benker, bristling.
"A personal friend of Mr. Asher"s."
On hearing this dreaded name Mrs. Benker softened, and welcomed Steel into a neat parlor, where he seated himself in a horsehair mahogany chair of the most slippery description and related what had happened.
Alexander stood by and wept all the time. He wept more when his mother spoke.
"I expected it," she said in quiet despair; "that boy is the bane of my life. I"ll speak to you shortly, Alexander. Go to your room and retire to bed."
"Oh, mother! mother!" cried Master Benker, writhing at the prospect of a thorough whipping.
"Go to your room, Alexander, and make ready," repeated the widow, with a glare, and the boy retired slowly, wriggling and snuffling. When his sobs died away and an upstairs door was heard to close with a bang, Mrs.
Benker addressed herself to Steel.
"I hope you will induce Mr. Asher to overlook this," she said, clasping a pair of lean, mittened hands; "I am so poor."
"I"ll do my best," responded Steel; "that is, if you will give me some information about your late lodger, Mr. Wilson."
"Why should I do that?" asked Mrs. Benker suspiciously.
"Because Mr. Asher wishes to know all about him. You see, your son allowed Mr. Wilson to serve this summons, and it is necessary that Mr.
Asher should learn where he is."
"That"s only fair; but I don"t know. Mr. Wilson has not returned here since he left on the day before New Year."
"Did he leave any luggage behind him?"
"No, sir, he didn"t." Mrs. Benker paused, then continued, "I"ll tell you exactly how it occurred, if Mr. Asher will make some allowance for the wickedness of that wretched boy of mine."
"I"ll see what can be done, and use my influence with Mr. Asher."
"Thank you, sir," said the widow gratefully. "Well, sir, I was absent all the last day of the year, as I was seeing a married daughter of mine in Marylebone. Mr. Wilson was in the house when I left at ten in the morning, but said nothing about going away. When I returned at six in the evening I found that he was gone bag and baggage, and that he had left his rent on the table. Also a note saying that he was suddenly called away and would not return."
"Have you the note?" asked Steel, thinking it just as well to have some specimen of Wilson"s handwriting.
Mrs. Benker shook her head. "I burnt it," she replied; "it was only written in pencil and not worth keeping. I must say that Mr. Wilson always behaved like a gentleman, although I saw little of him. He was queer in his habits."
"How do you mean--"queer"?"
"Well, sir, I hardly ever saw him in the daytime, and when I did he usually kept his blinds down in his room, as he suffered from weak eyes.
Even when he saw Alexander in the evening he would hardly have any light. Then sometimes he would lie in bed all the day, and be out all the night. At other times he would stay at home the whole of the twenty-four hours. But he always paid his rent regularly, and gave little trouble over his food. Yes," added Mrs. Benker, smoothing her ap.r.o.n, "Mr. Wilson was always a gentleman. I will say that."
"Humph!" thought Steel, taking all this in eagerly. "A queer kind of gentleman," he added aloud. "Did you know anything else about him, Mrs.
Benker?"
"No, sir." She drew herself up primly. "I never pry--never."
"Did any one call to see Mr. Wilson?"
"No one. All the time he was here not one person called."
"Did he receive any letters?"
"No. Not one letter arrived."
"Queer," murmured Steel. "What newspaper did he take?"
"The _Morning Post_. Also he took the _World_, _Truth_, _Modern Society_, and _M. A. P._ He was fond of the fashionable intelligence."
"Oh, he was, was he? Would you have called him a gentleman?"
"He always paid his rent duly," hesitated Mrs. Benker, "so far he was a perfect gentleman. But I have lived as a lady"s maid in the best families, sir, and I don"t think Mr. Wilson was what you or I would call an aristocrat."