He paused and placed his fingers together in deep thought.
"I place myself mentally," he continued, "in your position, and I try to think as you think--try to realise your feelings: the appeal you received from the old lady as she stood at the door of the house in Monmouth Street, your acceding to her request, your second visit, the discovery of the tragedy, the undeserved misfortunes that fell upon you in consequence, your fidelity to your promise to the lady who was at best a mere chance acquaintance, the impenetrable mystery which surrounds it all.
"I have thought of it, and I feel that you must be consumed with a great and reasonable curiosity.
"That you have not indulged that reasonable curiosity, that you have maintained a discreet silence under very trying circ.u.mstances has caused a very good first impression of you to grow into one of respect and strong regard."
He rose and took my hand in both his, the tears running down his cheeks.
"Anstruther," he continued, mastering his emotion with an effort, "I am going to ask a further sacrifice from you as a condition of my consent to your marriage with Dolores--a very necessary condition, or I would not make it.
"Anstruther, I ask you to keep eternal silence on what has occurred to you since you entered the door of the house in Monmouth Street, that dull evening in November. I ask you never to refer to it again from this moment, in any shape or form.
"Tell me, can you make this promise?"
I stood with my hand in his, my eyes fixed on his kind old face working with emotion.
"And this is the final condition you ask," I replied, "to my union with Dolores? You are satisfied in every other way?"
"I am satisfied," he replied; "I ask no more."
"Then I give you my promise," I replied, gripping his hand hard; "the subject to me shall be dead. G.o.d help me to keep my word!"
My future father-in-law and I sat chatting an hour longer over the bright fire in the sitting-room while the gloaming of a February day was deepening without, and he had talked to me with the familiarity accorded to one already admitted to his family circle.
Dolores had gone to a concert at the a.s.sembly Rooms and we did not expect her back until between five and six.
It was when we had both paused in our conversation and sat with our eyes fixed on the leaping flames--the only illumination of the room--that a knock came at the door and a waiter entered.
"A gentleman to see you, sir," he said, addressing Don Juan.
"Who is it?" d"Alta asked.
"I think it is one of the police officers, sir," replied the man; "he gave the name of Bull."
"Ah! it"s the inspector, evidently," commented the Don. "Show him up.
I wonder whatever Inspector Bull can want," he continued, turning to me; "we only left him an hour or two ago."
The inspector came to answer for himself. The waiter threw open the door and he entered.
I saw at once that he had something of importance to communicate. His demeanour was that of the Duke of Wellington on the morning of Waterloo.
"Certain information of importance," he commenced, after we had greeted him, "having come to "and this afternoon, sir, I thought it well to come round and see you immediate."
The inspector"s eyes wandered round the apartment. There was a sideboard certainly; previous experience on former visits had, however, taught him to expect nothing from it. The foreign Don was evidently an advocate of temperance, like so many other foreigners who could not drink good, honest English beer--well seasoned with noxious chemicals.
"Indeed," commented Don Juan, who had received several of these mysterious visits before, and did not on that account expect much from this one. "What have you discovered?"
"It "pears," continued the police officer, "that just after dinner to-day some children was playing in the little disused graveyard in the rear of 190 Monmouth Street."
From being a listless listener I became an earnest one immediately; an idea concerning that graveyard had crossed my mind that very morning while I contemplated its dismal gravestones, almost hidden in old rank gra.s.s, through the open ironwork forming the upper part of the gate which shut it off from the little strip of sloping garden in rear of 190 Monmouth Street. In my walk backwards and forwards, while I waited for Don Juan and the lawyer, Mr. Fowler, during their examination of the safe, I had come back to that iron grating again and again. It had somehow fascinated me.
"These "ere children," proceeded the inspector, "was playing round the gravestones, and jumpin" over "em to keep warm. It was while they were jumpin" and shovin" each other about over the graves that they noticed that the top stone of a great flat old grave was loose, and, of course, they started to make it looser by see-sawing it, until one fat boy jumped it a bit too "eavy, and it tilted and let him in."
"In where?" I asked quickly.
"Into a new-made grave, sir," he answered solemnly--"a grave what had been dug recently under the old stone."
"Whatever for?" asked Don Juan.
"That"s just where it is," replied the officer; "that"s just what we want to find out. The grave is about half filled in with loose earth.
We want to know what"s under that loose earth, and that"s why I"m here."
"What have we got to do with it?" asked the Don.
"The theory is, sir," replied Bull, "that _something_ is buried under that loose earth. It may be stolen property. It may be a _body_."
I think both Don Juan and I whitened at the prospect disclosed by the inspector, but the Don soon recovered himself. He did not seem so affected by it as I imagined he would be.
"What do you propose to do?" he asked.
"We propose," answered the inspector, "to at once have the loose earth cleared out and see what"s underneath."
"Do you mean now?" I asked. "Why, it is quite dark."
"We mean to put two workmen on to dig out that earth at once, sir, and I want you and this gentleman, sir," he added, with a bow to the Don, "to come and be present. _There might be something to identify_."
"Identify!" I exclaimed, rather horrified at the prospect; "what could we identify in the dark?"
"There"ll be plenty of light, sir," answered Bull. "We shall bring half a dozen lanterns; besides, the moon will be up in half an hour"s time."
I looked at Don Juan.
"Do you intend to go?" I asked.
The old man sprang to his feet.
"Though I believe the search may be a fruitless one," he answered, "I will miss no opportunity. I will certainly accompany the inspector."
The latter at once rose to his feet with a look of satisfaction on his large face.
"I thought you would, sir," he answered, with a broad smile; "but I should advise you, sir, if I might be so bold, to _wrop_ up well, as the job may be a longish one, and them graveyards is very damp."
Don Juan rang the bell for his valet to fetch him a fur-lined overcoat, and I told the waiter to tell my man Brooks to bring mine.
At my suggestion, the Don ordered some liquid refreshment for the inspector. Scotch, cold, proved to be his selection, and he stood imbibing it, while we waited, commenting upon its excellent qualities for "keeping out the cold," a theory which I have since learned is totally erroneous.