"I wonder if the men are in the "ouse now?" suggested the maid-servant suddenly, the word "man" being always very expressive in the vocabulary of the kitchen.
"Not likely," declared the constable. "They"ve gone long ago. I wonder who they were?"
"Perhaps they thought that only Mrs Parham and Jane were at home,"
remarked the cook"s brother. "And then, when they found Lane, my sister and Emily they got frightened, and cleared out."
"Most probably," was the policeman"s reply. "They were disturbed by something; that"s very evident. They intended to have the silver, because it"s easy got rid of. Perhaps it"s the gang what worked Norwood a couple of months ago. Two of "em got five years at the Old Bailey last week."
"They were a desperate pair, whoever they were," I said. "Men don"t carry scarves like these and chloroform all ready if they don"t mean to do some big piece of business. The affair, whatever it was, must have been well planned."
"They had their pals outside this house, no doubt. Men like those don"t work without spies watching the house to give alarm."
His words caused me to ponder.
If one of the gang had been outside, then I had certainly been noted, for I had stood before the gate for quite a minute. I had been noticed, without a doubt! They knew that I had seen that thin, tall figure crossing the room so stealthily!
Perhaps I had quite unintentionally frightened them and prevented them from fully carrying out their object! When I had gone the spy outside might have given the signal which caused them to make their escape.
Now that I recollected, I remembered most distinctly that while I had spoken to the lamplighter, somebody a little distance down the road was whistling gaily a music-hall air.
There was a m.u.f.fin-man, too, who had suddenly commenced to ring his bell as I had stopped to speak and was balancing his tray upon his head as he pa.s.sed by us, glancing into my face.
Was he the spy?
I was in the study, discussing the affair with the constable, when the doctor was announced.
I followed him into the drawing-room and noted his surprise when he saw Mrs Parham lying there.
Quickly he made his examination and relieved our minds by declaring that she would before long return to consciousness.
Then he crossed to the maid Jane, placed his hand upon her heart, opened her eyes, felt her hands, and bent the fingers.
For a long time he scrutinised her very carefully, taking up a small mirror and holding it close to her mouth, while we stood anxiously awaiting his verdict.
At last he turned to us, shook his grey head, and said,--
"The poor girl is dead?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
RELATES WHAT WE DISCOVERED.
While the doctor occupied himself with restoring the mistress of the house to consciousness, I stood by watching, and then turned to the window abstractedly, and awaiting my opportunity, succeeded in transferring the photograph of the dead unknown to my overcoat pocket.
Suddenly the housemaid, on returning to the room with some water, pointed to a corner, exclaiming,--
"Why? Look there, sir!"
We all glanced in the direction she indicated, and noticed that from the corner of the room the blue carpet had been torn up, and lay back disclosing about a foot of flooring.
Quickly I bent down to examine it, and found to my surprise that one of the boards had been cut across about nine inches from the wainscoting, and was hinged, so that it could be pulled up. There had evidently been a strong fastening which had been forced, for the wood was newly splintered.
After some little difficulty I pulled it up, revealing a small box-like cavity lined with sheet-iron, well designed in order to hide plate or valuables secretly and securely. I placed my hand down, but could feel nothing. It was empty. The men, whoever they were, knew of that secret hiding-place, and had taken whatever it had contained.
I struck a vesta in order to examine the place more closely, and the others grouped eagerly around me, when I distinguished at the bottom of the box a further flap, which I lifted, and saw something concealed in the false bottom. It was a small red morocco jewel-case about four inches square, which I opened very carefully.
Next instant those around me with one breath gave vent to exclamations of surprise and horror. And well they might.
The object which the jewel-case contained was truly startling. I stood staring at it amazed. Since that moment when I had stood with Sybil in the Long Gallery at Ryhall every hour seemed to bring with it some fresh mystery, or some gruesome problem.
That jewel-case contained a most curious and uncommon object, a dark and somewhat shrivelled, but yet well-preserved, human eye!
The doctor, leaving the unconscious woman"s side, took it from me, and putting on his pince-nez examined it long and carefully beneath the light.
It was a horrid thing, the white bloodshot, and the pupil a dark leaden grey.
"It"s a man"s eye," declared the doctor, after long and very careful scrutiny. "It was removed by somebody unskilled in anatomy, and has been treated with some preservative. There"s mystery here," he added, looking round at the scared faces of those grouped around him.
"I wonder if the men wanted to get hold of that?" the constable suggested, a theory which Lane and the housemaid at once declared to be a sound one. "At any rate," he added, "I think I"d better report the affair at the station. They"ll certainly want to make some inquiry about that eye."
"For the present I"ll take possession of it," said the doctor, replacing the ghastly-looking little object in the velvet-lined case, and closing it with a snap.
Then he returned to Mrs Parham, who a few minutes afterwards stirred slightly, while her eyelids quivered. It was a good sign, as he pointed out, and ten minutes later the poor lady opened her eyes and looked wonderingly around.
"Remain quiet, madam," the doctor urged in a gentle voice. "You are not very well."
"No," she gasped faintly. "I--I don"t think I--"
Then her jaws became fixed. She could not conclude the sentence, and lapsed again into unconsciousness.
The constable had sent Lane round to the police station, and an inspector, entering the room, was told what had occurred, and was shown the human eye.
When he saw it he knit his brows. Like ourselves, he scented tragedy, especially as the poor girl Jane was lying dead.
The inspector was also shown the secret cavity beneath the carpet. He examined the windows of all the rooms on the ground floor, made a tour of the exterior of the house, and closely questioned all the servants.
The absence of the master of the house somewhat puzzled him, for the cook explained that Mr Parham returned from the country two days before and remained at home all the afternoon, packed another big travelling bag and left again about seven o"clock, telling his wife that he had to go to Birmingham.
When, a little later, we returned to the drawing-room we found Mrs Parham propped up with pillows and attended by the doctor and the housemaid. She was talking with them, and looked at me inquiringly as I entered with the inspector. She probably took me for a police officer in plain clothes.
"I was sitting at the piano playing when Jane entered and drew down one of the blinds," she said, in a low voice, speaking with some difficulty.
"Then she switched on the light and drew down the other blind. At that instant I heard a movement behind me, and turning I saw a man, but next moment something was slipped over my head and eyes. I struggled and at the same time heard Jane cry out. While my a.s.sailant held me tightly I heard Jane struggling, therefore there must have been two men in the room at least. A few moments later I lost consciousness and know nothing else until I found you all here standing around me. What has happened?" she inquired, in a refined voice, looking from the doctor across to me.
"We don"t quite know yet, mum," answered the police inspector. "It seems as though the men were thieves who being disturbed slipped away."
"Thieves!" she gasped, open-mouthed. "Have they taken anything?"
"We can"t make out. When you feel a little better you must come round the house with us."