The Black Bag - Louis Joseph Vance (best reads of all time txt) 📗
- Author: Louis Joseph Vance
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“Didn’t you find it?” he countered blandly.
She stopped jerkily at the bottom, and, after a moment of confusion. “Find
what, sir?” she asked.
“What you sought, Mrs. Hallam.”
Smiling, he bore unflinching the prolonged inspection of her eyes, at once
somber with doubt of him and flashing with indignation because of his
impudence.
“You knew I wouldn’t find it, then!… Didn’t you?”
“I may have suspected you wouldn’t.”
Now he was sure that she had been searching for the gladstone bag. That,
evidently, was the bone of contention. Calendar had sent his daughter for
it, Mrs. Hallam her son; Dorothy had been successful … But, on the other
hand, Calendar and Mrs. Hallam were unquestionably allies. Why, then—?
“Where is it, Mr. Kirkwood?”
“Madam, have you the right to know?”
Through another lengthening pause, while they faced each other, he marked
again the curious contraction of her under lip.
“I have the right,” she declared steadily. “Where is it?”
“How can I be sure?”
“Then you don’t know—!”
“Indeed,” he interrupted, “I would be glad to feel that I ought to tell you
what I know.”
“What you know!”
The exclamation, low-spoken, more an echo of her thoughts than intended
for Kirkwood, was accompanied by a little shake of the woman’s head, mute
evidence to the fact that she was bewildered by his finesse. And this
delighted the young man beyond measure, making him feel himself master of
a difficult situation. Mysteries had been woven before his eyes so
persistently, of late, that it was a real pleasure to be able to do a
little mystifying on his own account. By adopting this reticent and
non-committal attitude, he was forcing the hand of a woman old enough to be
his mother and most evidently a past-mistress in the art of misleading. All
of which seemed very fascinating to the amateur in adventure.
The woman would have led again, but young Hallam cut in, none too
courteously.
“I say, Mamma, it’s no good standing here, palaverin’ like a lot of flats.
Besides, I’m awf’ly knocked up. Let’s get home and have it out there.”
Instantly his mother softened. “My poor boy!… Of course we’ll go.”
Without further demur she swept past and down the stairway before
them—slowly, for their progress was of necessity slow, and the light most
needed. Once they were in the main hall, however, she extinguished the
candle, placed it on a side table, and passed out through the door.
It had been left open, as before; and Kirkwood was not at all surprised to
see a man waiting on the threshold,—the versatile Eccles, if he erred not.
He had little chance to identify him, as it happened, for at a word from
Mrs. Hallam the man bowed and, following her across the sidewalk, opened
the door of a four-wheeler which, with lamps alight and liveried driver on
the box, had been waiting at the carriage-block.
As they passed out, Kirkwood shut the door; and at the same moment the
little party was brought up standing by a gruff and authoritative summons.
“Just a minute, please, you there!”
“Aha!” said Kirkwood to himself. “I thought so.” And he halted, in
unfeigned respect for the burly and impressive figure, garbed in blue and
brass, helmeted and truncheoned, bull’s-eye shining on breast like the
Law’s unblinking and sleepless eye, barring the way to the carriage.
Mrs. Hallam showed less deference for the obstructionist. The assumed
hauteur and impatience of her pose was artfully reflected in her voice as
she rounded upon the bobby, with an indignant demand: “What is the meaning
of this, officer?”
“Precisely what I wants to know, ma’am,” returned the man, unyielding
beneath his respectful attitude. “I’m obliged to ask you to tell me what
you were doing in that ‘ouse…. And what’s the matter with this ‘ere
gentleman?” he added, with a dubious stare at young Hallam’s bandaged head
and rumpled clothing.
“Perhaps you don’t understand,” admitted Mrs. Hallam sweetly. “Of course—I
see—it’s perfectly natural. The house has been shut up for some time
and—”
“Thank you, ma’am; that’s just it. There was something wrong going on early
in the evening, and I was told to keep an eye on the premises. It’s duty,
ma’am; I’ve got my report to make.”
“The house,” said Mrs. Hallam, with the long-suffering patience of one
elucidating a perfectly plain proposition to a being of a lower order of
intelligence, “is the property of my son, Arthur Frederick Burgoyne Hallam,
of Cornwall. This is—”
“Beg pardon, ma’am, but I was told Colonel George Burgoyne, of Cornwall—”
“Colonel Burgoyne died some time ago. My son is his heir. This is my son.
He came to the house this evening to get some property he desired, and—it
seems—tripped on the stairs and fell unconscious. I became worried about
him and drove over, accompanied by my friend, Mr. Kirkwood.”
The policeman looked his troubled state of mind, and wagged a doubtful head
over the case. There was his duty, and there was, opposed to it, the fact
that all three were garbed in the livery of the well-to-do.
At length, turning to the driver, he demanded, received, and noted in his
memorandum-book, the license number of the equipage.
“It’s a very unusual case, ma’am,” he apologized; “I hopes you won’t ‘old
it against me. I’m only trying to do my duty—”
“And safeguard our property. You are perfectly justified, officer.”
“Thank you, ma’am. And would you mind giving me your cards, please, all of
you?”
“Certainly not.” Without hesitation the woman took a little hand-bag from
the seat of the carriage and produced a card; her son likewise found his
case and handed the officer an oblong slip.
“I’ve no cards with me,” the American told the policeman; “my name,
however, is Philip Kirkwood, and I’m staying at the Pless.”
“Very good, sir; thank you.” The man penciled the information in his little
book. “Thank you, ma’am, and Mr. Hallam, sir. Sorry to have detained you.
Good morning.”
Kirkwood helped young Hallam into the carriage, gave Mrs. Hallam his hand,
and followed her. The man Eccles shut the door, mounting the box beside the
driver. Immediately they were in motion.
The American got a final glimpse of the bobby, standing in front of Number
9, Frognall Street, and watching them with an air of profound uncertainty.
He had Kirkwood’s sympathy, therein; but he had little time to feel with
him, for Mrs. Hallam turned upon him very suddenly.
“Mr. Kirkwood, will you be good enough to tell me who and what you are?”
The young man smiled his homely, candid smile. “I’ll be only too glad, Mrs.
Hallam, when I feel sure you’ll do as much for yourself.”
She gave him no answer; it, was as if she were choosing words. Kirkwood
braced himself to meet the storm; but none ensued. There was rather a lull,
which strung itself out indefinitely, to the monotonous music of hoofs and
rubber tires.
Young Hallam was resting his empty blond head against the cushions, and had
closed his eyes. He seemed to doze; but, as the carriage rolled past the
frequent street-lights, Kirkwood could see that the eyes of Mrs. Hallam
were steadily directed to his face.
His outward composure was tempered by some amusement, by more admiration;
the woman’s eyes were very handsome, even when hardest and most cold. It
was not easy to conceive of her as being the mother of a son so immaturely
mature. Why, she must have been at least thirty-eight or -nine! One
wondered; she did not look it….
The carriage stopped before a house with lighted windows. Eccles jumped
down from the box and scurried to open the front door. The radiance of
a hall-lamp was streaming out into the misty night when he returned to
release his employers.
They were returned to Craven Street! “One more lap round the track!” mused
Kirkwood. “Wonder will the next take me back to Bermondsey Old Stairs.”
At Mrs. Hallam’s direction, Eccles ushered him into the smoking-room, on
the ground floor in the rear of the dwelling, there to wait while she
helped her son up-stairs and to bed. He sighed with pleasure at first
glimpse of its luxurious but informal comforts, and threw himself
carelessly into a heavily padded lounging-chair, dropping one knee over the
other and lighting the last of his expensive cigars, with a sensation of
undiluted gratitude; as one coming to rest in the shadow of a great rock in
a weary land.
Over his shoulder a home-like illumination was cast by an electric
reading-lamp shaded with red silk. At his feet brass fire-dogs winked
sleepily in the fluttering blaze of a well-tended stove. The walls were
hung with deep red, the doors and divans upholstered in the same restful
shade. In one corner an old clock ticked soberly. The atmosphere would
have proved a potent invitation to reverie, if not to sleep—he was very
sleepy—but for the confusion in the house.
In its chambers, through the halls, on the stairs, there were hurryings and
scurryings of feet and skirts, confused with murmuring voices. Presently,
in an adjoining room, Philip Kirkwood heard a maid-servant wrestling
hopefully with that most exasperating of modern time-saving devices,
the telephone as countenanced by our English cousins. Her patience and
determination won his approval, but availed nothing for her purpose; in the
outcome the telephone triumphed and the maid gave up the unequal contest.
Later, a butler entered the room; a short and sturdy fellow, extremely ill
at ease. Drawing a small taboret to the side of Kirkwood’s chair, he placed
thereon a tray, deferentially imparting the information that “Missis ‘Allam
‘ad thought ‘ow as Mister Kirkwood might care for a bit of supper.”
“Please thank Mrs. Hallam for me.” Kirkwood’s gratified eyes ranged the
laden tray. There were sandwiches, biscuit, cheese, and a pot of black
coffee, with sugar and cream. “It was very kindly thought of,” he added.
“Very good, sir, thank you, sir.”
The man turned to go, shuffling soundlessly. Kirkwood was suddenly
impressed with his evasiveness; ever since he had entered the room, his
countenance had seemed turned from the guest.
“Eccles!” he called sharply, at a venture.
The butler halted, thunderstruck. “Ye-es, s-sir?”
[Illustration: Eccles]
“Turn round, Eccles; I want a look at you.”
Eccles faced him unwillingly, with a stolid front but shifty eyes. Kirkwood
glanced him up and down, grinning.
“Thank you, Eccles; I’ll remember you now. You’ll remember me, too, won’t
you? You’re a bad actor, aren’t you, Eccles?”
“Yes, sir; thank you, sir,” mumbled the man unhappily; and took instant
advantage of the implied permission to go.
Intensely diverted by the recollection of Eccles’ abortive attempt to stop
him at the door of Number 9, and wondering—now that he came to think of
it—why, precisely, young Hallam had deemed it necessary to travel with
a body-guard and adopt such furtive methods to enter into as well as to
obtain what was asserted to be his own property, Kirkwood turned active
attention to the lunch.
Thoughtfully he poured himself a cup of coffee, swallowing it hot and black
as it came from the silver pot; then munched the sandwiches.
It was kindly thought of, this early morning repast; Mrs. Hallam seemed
more and more a remarkable woman with each phase of her character that she
chose to disclose. At odds with him, she yet took time to think of his
creature needs!
What could be her motive,—not in feeding him, but
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