"Have I your promise?" enquired Malcolm Sage of Mr. Doulton.
"As far as I am concerned, yes," was the response, "and I think I can answer for Papwith. It"s very inconvenient, though."
"Not so inconvenient as having to explain things at the Olympia to-morrow night," remarked Malcolm Sage drily. "Now," he continued, turning once more to Alf Pond, "I suppose you"ve all got something on this fight."
"Something on it!" cried Alf Pond; then, turning to the sparring-partners, he cried, "He asks if we"ve got somethink on it.
My Gawd!" he groaned, "we got our shirts on it. That"s what we got on it, our shirts," and his voice broke in something like a sob.
"You had better post someone at the gate to tell all enquirers that Burns is doing well and is confident of winning," said Malcolm Sage to Mr. Doulton, "and keep an eye on the telephone. Tell anyone who rings up the same; in fact"--and he turned to the others--"as far as you are concerned, Burns is still with you. Do you understand?"
They looked at one another in a way that was little suggestive of understanding.
"Did Burns wear the same clothes throughout the day?" asked Malcolm Sage of the trainer.
"Course he didn"t!" Alf Pond made no effort to disguise the contempt he felt. "In the daytime he used to wear flannel trousers an" a sweater, same as me, except when he was sparrin", then he put on drawers. Always would have everythink same as it was goin" to be, would Charley--seconds, referee, timekeeper. Said it made him feel at home when the time came. Quaint he was in some of his ideas."
"Then from the time he got up until bedtime he wore the same clothes?" queried Malcolm Sage, without looking up from the inevitable contemplation of his finger-nails.
"No he didn"t." Alf Pond spat his boredom at these useless questions into a far corner. "He was always a bit of a nib, was Charley. After he"d finished the day"s work he"d put on a suit o" dark duds, a white collar, a watch on his wrist, an" all that bunko. Then we"d play poker or billiards till half-past eight, when we"d all turn in." The look with which Alf Pond concluded this itinerary plainly demanded if there were any more d.a.m.n silly questions coming.
"Now I should like to see Burns"s room."
Malcolm Sage and Mr. Doulton followed Alf Pond upstairs to a large room on the first floor, as dest.i.tute of the attributes of comfort as a guardroom. A bed, a wash-hand stand, and a chest of drawers comprised the furniture. A few articles of clothing were strewn about, and in one corner lay a pair of dumb-bells.
The windows were open top and bottom. Malcolm Sage pa.s.sed from one to the other and looked out. He examined carefully each of the window-ledges.
"Are these the clothes he wore when he got up?" he enquired, indicating a sweater and a pair of flannel trousers that lay on a chair.
Alf Pond nodded.
Swiftly Malcolm Sage felt in the pockets. There was nothing there. A minute later he left the room, followed by the others. Descending the stairs, he pa.s.sed along the hall and out on to the short drive, accompanied by Mr. Doulton and Alf Pond.
Half-way towards the gate Malcolm Sage stopped.
"You will hear from me some time to-day or to-morrow," he said. "Do exactly as I have said and, if I don"t telephone before to-morrow evening, go to the Olympia as if Burns were to be there. You might have sent out to my car a pair of drawers and boots in case I find him."
"You"re going to find him then?" Alf Pond suddenly gripped Malcolm Sage"s arm with what was almost ferocity.
Malcolm Sage shrugged his shoulders.
"If you do as I tell you, it will help. By the way," he added, "if you have time, you might put twenty-five pounds on Burns for me. Mr.
Doulton will be responsible for the amount. Now I want to look about me," and with that Malcolm Sage walked a few steps down the drive, leaving two men staring after him as if he had either solved or propounded the riddle of the universe.
For some minutes he stood in the centre of the drive, looking about him. Stepping to the right, he glanced back at the house, and then towards the road. Finally he made for a large clump of rhododendrons that lay between the road and the house.
Motioning the others to remain where they were on the gravelled drive, he walked to a clear s.p.a.ce of short gra.s.s between the rhododendrons and the hedge bordering the road.
Going down upon his knees, he proceeded to examine the ground with great care and attention. For nearly half an hour he crawled from place to place, absorbed in gra.s.s, shrub, and flower-bed. Finally he penetrated half into the privet-hedge that bordered the road.
The sparring-partners had now joined the other two on the drive, and the group stood watching the strange movements of the man who, in their opinion, had already shown obvious symptoms of insanity.
Presently Malcolm Sage emerged from the hedge, in his hand a long cigar, round the centre of which was a red-and-gold band. For fully a minute he stood examining this with great care. Then, taking a letter-case from his pocket, he carefully placed the cigar in the hinge, returned the case to his pocket, and rejoined the group of wide-eyed spectators.
"Found anythink?" enquired Alf Pond eagerly.
"Several things," replied Malcolm Sage.
"What?" The men grouped themselves round him, breathless with interest.
"By "the way," said Malcolm Sage, turning to Alf Pond, "does Burns happen to smoke long Havana cigars with a red----"
"Smoke!" yelled Alf Pond in horror. "Him smoke! You blinkin" well barmy?" he demanded, looking Malcolm Sage up and down as if meditating an attack upon him. "I"d like to see the man who"d so much as dare to strike a match here," and he glared about him angrily, whilst the sparring-partners shuffled their feet and murmured among themselves. There was just the suspicion of a fluttering at the corners of Malcolm Sage"s mouth.
"I"m afraid Pond is rather excited just at present," said Mr.
Doulton tactfully. By now he had entirely regained his own composure.
"Burns is a great lover of tobacco, and Pond takes no risks. You were saying that you had discovered several things?"
Again the group of men drew closer to Malcolm Sage, their heads thrust forward as if fearful of missing a word.
"For one thing, Burns left his room last night to meet a woman by----"
"It"s a lie!" cried Alf Pond heatedly. "It"s a d.a.m.ned lie! I don"t believe it."
"A rather dainty creature, small and well dressed. She was accompanied by several men, one of them rather stout, very careful of his clothes, and an inveterate smoker. The others were bigger, rougher men. They all came in a car, which arrived after the motor bicycle, which in turn arrived later than the small car."
The sparring-partners exchanged glances, whilst Alf Pond stared.
"Subsequently they drove off in a very great hurry. Incidentally they took Burns with them; but against his will. On the way down the girl was in the tonneau; but on the return journey she sat beside the driver. As Burns was in the tonneau, it was no doubt a precaution."
"I don"t believe a word," interrupted Alf Pond. "He"s makin" it all up."
Without appearing to notice the remark, Malcolm Sage turned and walked towards the gate, Mr. Doulton following a step in the rear.
"Liar!" growled Alf Pond, as he turned towards the house. "Ruddy liar!" he added, as if finding consolation in the term. "_He"ll_ never find old Charley."
"Tell me, Sage, were you serious?" asked Mr. Doulton, as they reached the gate.
"Entirely."
"I"m afraid poor Pond thought you were making game of us," he added apologetically. "Do you mind explaining how you arrived at your conclusions?"
"Behind that clump of rhododendrons," began Malcolm Sage, "there is written a whole history. The marks of boots, or shoes, with very high heels suggests a woman, the size and daintiness of the footwear tell the rest. As Burns appeared, she stepped towards him. Her very short steps indicate both fashionable clothes and smallness of stature."
"And the man who was careful about his clothes?"
"He stood behind a holly-bush with an umbrella----"
"But how did you know?"