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25 chapters
CHAPTER I WHEREIN THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET
CHAPTER I WHEREIN THE QUICK AND THE DEAD MEET
If there is one place, in the wide world, more dreary and disconsolate-looking than another, on a gusty evening in March, it is that part of Essex which lies some twenty miles to the north of the Thames, and is bordered nowhere, so far as the eye can reach, by anything but flat and desolate marshlands, and by swampy roads and fields. For there, all the contrary winds of Heaven seem to meet, to play a grand game of buffets with themselves, and everything else which rises an inch or two above the
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CHAPTER II ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW
CHAPTER II ON THE TRACK OF A SHADOW
The man’s first impulse was to shout for assistance; his second, to dash hot foot after the murderer; his last, to keep perfectly still, while he thought hard, with all his wits sharpened by the crisis of the moment. For hours, he had been racing across country, and hiding and dodging, in pursuit of this man; and he came upon him lying dead, the victim of he knew not what conspiracy. Instinctively he glanced about him, with the dread of seeing other murderous eyes watching; instinctively sprang
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CHAPTER III BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALARMED
CHAPTER III BETTY SIGGS BECOMES ALARMED
Philip Crowdy felt, however, that there was no time to waste in vain speculation; he had plunged into a mad business, and it must be carried through at all hazards. Moreover, the more he came to think about it, the more the strong nature of the man rose up, to assist him to confront his difficulties. Essentially cool and calculating, he saw his desperate position, and saw, too, how the house of cards he was erecting might be fluttered down at a breath. At the same time, with the daring of a desp
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CHAPTER IV A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED
CHAPTER IV A SUNDAY TO BE REMEMBERED
The sun, shining brightly over the trim lawns which stretched before Chater Hall, seemed to declare, deceitfully enough, the next morning, that winter was dead and buried, and spring come in full force to take its place. Philip Crowdy—or Philip Chater, as we must now call him—waking in the unaccustomed softnesses of a great bed, and gradually opening his eyes upon the luxuries about him, awoke as gradually to a remembrance of his new position; looked at it lazily and comfortably, as a man will w
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CHAPTER V AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN
CHAPTER V AN HONEST SAILOR-MAN
Philip Chater sat over the fire late that night, in a futile endeavour to see his new position clearly, and to decide upon the best course of action for him to adopt. Try as he would, however, the thing resolved itself merely into this: that Dandy Chater was dead, and that he (Philip), together with possibly one other man, alone knew of his death; that Philip Chater was accepted by every one—even the most intimate—as the real Dandy; that, in that capacity, he was already engaged to be married—ha
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CHAPTER VI AT THE SIGN OF “THE THREE WATERMEN”
CHAPTER VI AT THE SIGN OF “THE THREE WATERMEN”
For a few moments Philip Chater sat gazing at Peter Quist, as though he half suspected that the man knew more than his guileless face proclaimed, and that he was playing a joke upon him. Seeing, however, that his friend appeared to be completely in earnest, and that he had simply answered his question as straightforwardly as it had been put, he merely remarked, in a surprised tone— “Why—what takes you to ‘The Three Watermen’?” “I was a cruisin’ about in these parts—bein’ near the water, and so c
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CHAPTER VII MASTER AND SERVANT
CHAPTER VII MASTER AND SERVANT
For a long time, Philip Chater sat staring, in a stupefied fashion, at the packets of bank-notes, and at the paper he held in his hand. He was at first utterly at a loss to understand why such a sum of money should have been paid into his hands, together with a similar sum for the mysterious man, his cousin, known as the Count. Gradually, however, a light began to dawn upon him; remembering the talk about diamonds, and about the young girl who was to receive no hurt, the horrible business began
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CHAPTER VIII TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN IN THE WOOD
CHAPTER VIII TELLS OF SOMETHING HIDDEN IN THE WOOD
Philip Chater was so stunned, in the first shock of the thing, that he did not know what to say, or what to do. Standing, as he did, an absolutely innocent man, he yet had time to recognise that he had taken upon himself the identity of another; and stood answerable, by reason of that, for that other’s sins, in the eyes of the world, at least. He had no doubt, in his own mind, that Dandy Chater had murdered this unfortunate girl. Her words to himself, on the night of his coming to Bamberton—her
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CHAPTER IX A SUMMONS FROM SHYLOCK
CHAPTER IX A SUMMONS FROM SHYLOCK
For quite a long time, Philip Chater stood, staring helplessly in the direction in which the girl had disappeared. All around him was the silence of the wood, broken only by the call of some night-bird, or by the whisper and rustle of the branches, stirred by a rising wind. So still was it all, that he almost shrieked aloud when a hand was laid softly on his arm. It was Harry—white-faced, and shaking as though with an ague. He, too, gazed in the direction in which Philip’s eyes were turned, and
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CHAPTER X A BODY FROM THE RIVER
CHAPTER X A BODY FROM THE RIVER
Captain Peter Quist, for some two or three days after his parting with Philip Chater, roamed about uneasily, in his search for a desirable circus which might happen to be for disposal, and which might possess the additional advantage of having attached to it a fat lady or two, who might not object to show herself, for a consideration, to a curious public. On more than one occasion, he entered into negotiations with gentlemen—usually hoarse as to voice, and inflamed as to countenance—who appeared
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CHAPTER XI MISS VINT HEARS VOICES
CHAPTER XI MISS VINT HEARS VOICES
Philip stood, for some moments, turning over in his mind the probable cause of the extraordinary terror evinced by the Captain, while he watched the flying figure of that gentleman, careering down the street. After some little thought, he put down that sudden desire, on the Captain’s part, to get away from him, to a knowledge of the murder; and to a natural dread and abhorrence of the man he supposed to be guilty of it. He turned away, with bitterness in his heart, feeling that all the world was
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CHAPTER XII WANTED—A DEAD MAN!
CHAPTER XII WANTED—A DEAD MAN!
For quite a long minute, Ogledon stared at the trembling Cripps—knitting his brows, and biting his lips at him—the while he turned this thing over in his mind. And the more he stared at Cripps, the more did that gentleman continue to babble of Dandy Chater dead, and Dandy Chater alive and with the diamond necklace. Presently, the strong common sense of the bigger man seemed to assert itself; he caught Cripps by the shoulder, and shook him again, and compelled his attention. “Now—listen to me, yo
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CHAPTER XIII INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC
CHAPTER XIII INSPECTOR TOKELY IS EMPHATIC
In one of the many rooms of that barrack-like building, which harbours so many guilty secrets, and is so learned in many shady ways of life, and is known to all and sundry as Scotland Yard, there worked—with long intervals for mysterious disappearances into various parts of the country—a small man, with a hard, expressionless face, ornamented with a tuft of greyish hair on the chin. This man had once had the extraordinary good fortune to pick up a vital piece of evidence—literally, to trip over
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CHAPTER XIV BETTY SIGGS DREAMS A DREAM
CHAPTER XIV BETTY SIGGS DREAMS A DREAM
The girl rose slowly from the ground, after the two men had disappeared, and, still sobbing heavily, made her way towards the door which led to the upper part of the house. But her mother, brought to herself by the movement, advanced rapidly, and caught her in her arms. “Child,” she said, in a sort of gasp—“this ain’t no time for callin’ folks names, or talkin’ about rights and wrongs. Quick—what’s i’ the wind? I see Master Dandy a lookin’ in at that winder—straight at me; what’s i’ the wind, ch
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CHAPTER XV THE SHADY ’UN AS A MORAL CHARACTER
CHAPTER XV THE SHADY ’UN AS A MORAL CHARACTER
It must be confessed that Mr. Ogledon—better known, in some shady circles, as “The Count”—was in an awkward situation. For a whole week, he had secretly congratulated himself on the fact that his unfortunate cousin Dandy Chater was safely out of the way; moreover, he had carefully rehearsed the part he was to play, when first told of Dandy’s disappearance; had decided how best to show his pain and indignation, and his determination to hunt down the mystery, and find the murderer. In a word, he h
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CHAPTER XVI WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN?
CHAPTER XVI WHO KILLED THIS WOMAN?
Bamberton was taking grim holiday. Bamberton the sleepy—with nothing to stir it, from one dreary year’s end to the other, treading its dull respectable round, knowing exactly who married who, and how John This, or James That, got on with their respective wives, with the certainty of the dull little clock in the Chater Arms—had suddenly awakened to find itself notorious, and its name in big print in the great London papers. Moreover, had not Bamberton, the newly-awakened, already had pictures of
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CHAPTER XVII CLARA FINDS A LODGING
CHAPTER XVII CLARA FINDS A LODGING
On the morning following that verdict of Wilful Murder, some one was astir very early at the Chater Arms; some one dressed hurriedly, while the dawn was yet breaking; some one crept softly down the stairs—pausing for a moment at one door, and seeming to catch her breath in a sob—and so went cautiously out of the house. It was Clara Siggs. But not the Clara Siggs of old; not the bright-eyed impudent little beauty, ready for a dozen coquetries—willing to exchange smiling glances with any good-look
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CHAPTER XVIII A CHASE IN THE DARK
CHAPTER XVIII A CHASE IN THE DARK
Not daring to say a word in explanation to the Captain or Mrs. Quist, Clara went out that night, when darkness had fallen, and waited near the prison. Fortunately, it stood in a quiet spot—not much frequented after nightfall; she found a convenient arched doorway, from which she could watch the building unseen. On the first night, nothing happened; the moon was set high in flying clouds, and the night was very still; now and then, she heard the passing feet of a pedestrian, crossing the end of t
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CHAPTER XIX HAUNTED
CHAPTER XIX HAUNTED
That one thought dominated all else in the mind of Philip Chater. She believed him innocent—and she loved him. True, the message was not for him, in reality; it was for the man who lay in an unknown grave. But, having taken that dead man’s place, he claimed this message also, as belonging to him. “I have taken the burden of his sins upon me—I am in peril of my life on account of them,” he thought. “Surely I have the right to claim this sweeter portion of what was his, as some leaven in the weigh
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CHAPTER XX NEPTUNE TO THE RESCUE
CHAPTER XX NEPTUNE TO THE RESCUE
Not daring to venture near the Cottage again, Philip got as near to the village as he could, and hung about, until lights were gleaming only in the upper windows of cottages, and until the doors of the Chater Arms had been closed for some time upon the last roystering yokel who had had more than was good for him. His purpose was to see Betty Siggs, and assure her, in accordance with his promise, of Clara’s welfare. But it took a longer time to carry out his purpose than he had anticipated. Over
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CHAPTER XXI DR. CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT
CHAPTER XXI DR. CRIPPS IS INCOHERENT
When that unfortunate and much battered football of Fate—Dr. Cripps—was left, stranded and alone, at Liverpool Street Station, he cast about in his mind as to what was best to be done. His small share of the spoils of the Sheffield robbery had been passed into the hands of a person, who had promised to effect a safe exchange; and Cripps was, as usual, remarkably short of money. He remembered too, not with contrition, but with something of alarm, that he had, in a moment of forgetfulness, struck
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CHAPTER XXII OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD
CHAPTER XXII OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD
Philip Chater, after being tumbled so unceremoniously out of the fly, lost no time in scrambling to his feet, with the aid of Captain Quist and the man of the melancholy visage. He found some difficulty in getting up on his own account, by reason of the handcuffs which still adorned his wrists. The Captain, now that his first lament was over concerning the wonderful silk hat, picked up the wreckage of his headgear out of the dust, and became in a moment the resolute man of action. “Phil, my lad,
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CHAPTER XXIII DANDY CHATER COMES FROM THE GRAVE
CHAPTER XXIII DANDY CHATER COMES FROM THE GRAVE
Dr. Cripps—partly from excitement, partly from sheer vindictiveness against Ogledon—was only too ready for the expedition. Indeed, both men were so eager for it, though each for a different reason, that Philip almost forgot the caution that was necessary, in his own case; he would have started off, in broad daylight that very hour, to track down the man of whom he was in search, had not Cripps pointed out to him the madness of such a course. “You see, my dear Chater,” he said—“you’ll get me into
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CHAPTER XXIV A RACE FOR A LIFE
CHAPTER XXIV A RACE FOR A LIFE
The Shady ’un, in the vindictiveness of his temper, had a word or two to say to the stricken man, before he was marched off. “You’re the bloke wot took ’old of me by the windpipe—ain’t yer?” he said, going close up to Philip, and thrusting his face forward at him. “Let this ’ere be a warnin’ to yer not ter tike ’old of other chap’s windpipes in futur’. You’ve done me rather a good turn—you ’ave, Mister Dandy Chater; there was a ’underd pound a ’angin’ to you—for sich infermation as would lead to
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CHAPTER XXV GOING—GOING—GONE!
CHAPTER XXV GOING—GOING—GONE!
Six months had gone by since Dandy Chater—(or Philip Chater as he really was)—stood on trial for his life; and with the turn of the year, Quist’s Royal Circus and Unparalleled Combination of Equestrian Talent had come again to Bamberton. Judging by the appearance of the Captain as he sat smoking his pipe on the steps of his caravan, the venture had been so far a profitable one; for the Captain was somewhat rounded and ruddier even than of old. It was the afternoon of a warm and sunny day, and th
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