THE LINK IN THE CHAIN
Practically for three days and three nights the Council sat continually.
There was no pretence now at recreation, no other guests. We worked, all of us, from the Duke downwards, unflaggingly and with very little respite. When at last the end came, my padlocked notebook, with its hundreds of pages of hieroglyphics, held the princ.i.p.al material for three schemes of coast defence, each one considered separately and supported by a ma.s.s of detail as to transport, commissariat, and many minor points.
The princ.i.p.al members of the Council departed by special train early on Monday morning. I myself, a little dizzy and hot-eyed, walked across the park an hour after dawn, and flung myself upon my bed with a deep sigh of relief. Before I had closed my eyes, however, Grooton appeared with apologies for his dishabille.
"I have been up to the house twice, sir," he said, "but they would not let me see you or even send in a message. I thought it only right to let you know at once, sir, that the police have been here rummaging about. They had what they called a search warrant, I believe. I came up to the house immediately, but I could not induce any of the servants to bring word in to you. Mr. Jesson, the Duke"s own man, told me that it was as much as his place was worth to allow any one to enter the library."
"All right, Grooton," I muttered. "Hang the police!"
I believe he said something else, but I never heard it. I was already fast asleep.
About mid-day I was awakened by the dazzling sunshine which seemed to fill the room. I called for a bath, dressed, and made an excellent breakfast. Then I brought out my notebook and prepared for work. I had scarcely dipped my pen in the ink, however, when a shadow darkened the window. I looked up quickly. It was Ray.
He entered without knocking, and I saw at once that he was in a strange condition. He scarcely greeted me, but sank into my easy chair, and drawing out his pipe began to fill it. Then I saw, too, what I had never seen before. His fingers were shaking.
"Boy," he said, "have you any wine?"
"The Duke sent me some claret," I answered. "Will that do?"
I summoned Grooton and ordered the wine and some biscuits. Ray was a man who ate and drunk sparingly. Yet he filled a tumbler and drank it straight off.
"You and I," he remarked, "are the only two who sat the whole show out.
It was a grind, wasn"t it?"
"It was," I answered, "but I have slept, and I feel none the worse for it. Lord Chelsford carried us on splendidly. There is solid work here," I said; "something worth the planning."
I touched my notebook almost affectionately, for the work was fascinating now that it had attained coherent form. Ray smoked on and said nothing for several minutes. Then he looked up at me.
"Have you a spare bedroom, Ducaine?"
"One or two," I answered. "They are not all furnished, but one at any rate is decent."
"Will you put me up for a day--perhaps two?"
"Of course," I answered, "but--"
He answered my unspoken question.
"The Duke has turned me out," he said grimly. "Who would have suspected the old man of such folly? He believes in Blenavon. I told him the plain truth, and he told me that I was a liar."
"I thought that he would be difficult to convince," I remarked.
"He has all the magnificent pig-headedness of his race," Ray answered.
"Blenavon is Blenavon, and he can do no wrong. He would summon him home again, but fortunately the young man himself is no fool. He will not come. You told Lady Angela?"
"Everything."
"She believed you?"
"I think that she did," I answered.
His face softened.
"The Duke showed me from the door himself," he said. "You will not object to my sending a note to Lady Angela by your servant?"
"Make whatever use of him you choose," I answered. "There are pen and ink and notepaper upon the table."
Then I settled down to my work. Ray wrote his note, and went upstairs to sleep. In an hour"s time he was down again. There were black rims under his eyes, and I could see at once that he had had no rest.
Grooton had brought his bag from the house, and a note from Lady Angela.
He read it with unchanging face, and placed it carefully in his breast coat-pocket.
"I am off to the village to send some telegrams," he said, "and afterwards I shall go on for a walk." "What about lunch?" I asked, glancing at the clock. "None for me," he answered. "Some tea at four o"clock, if I may have it. I will be back by then." He swung off, and I was thankful, for my work demanded my whole attention and very careful thought. At a few minutes after four he returned, and Grooton brought us some tea. Directly we were alone Ray looked across at me with a black frown upon his face.
"You know what they are saying in the village about you, young man?"
"I can guess," I answered.
"Who is this girl, Blanche Moyat?"
"A farmer"s daughter," I answered. "It seems that I paid her too much or too little, attention, I am not sure which. At any rate, she has an imaginary grievance against me, and this is the result."
"She tells the truth?"
"I have not heard her story," I answered, "but it is true that I encouraged her to suppress the fact that she bad seen the man in the village, and that he had asked for me."
"What folly!"
"Perhaps," I answered. "You see, I thought that a verdict of "found drowned" would save trouble."
"This accursed woman at the Grange is in it, I know," Ray remarked, slowly filling his pipe. "I wonder if she knew that I was about? That would give her a zest for the job."
"She knows that you were at Braster at the time," I said. "It was the night of your lecture."
Ray began to blow out dense clouds of smoke.
"We"re safe," he said thoughtfully, "both of us. There"s just a link in the chain missing."
"The police have been here with a warrant in search of that link," I remarked.
"They"ll never find it, for it"s in my pocket," he remarked grimly.
"Colonel Ray," I said, suddenly nerving myself to risk his anger, "there is a question which I must ask you."
I saw his lips come firmly together. He neither encouraged nor checked me.
"Who was that man?"