The Fellowship Of The Frog - free ebook by Edgar Wallace

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The Fellowship Of The Frog

Edgar Wallace

43 chapters

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43 chapters

THE FROGS

THE FROGS

I T was of interest to those who study the psychology of the mass that, until the prosperous but otherwise insignificant James G. Bliss became the object of their attention, the doings and growth of the Frogs were almost unnoticed. There were strong references in some of the country newspapers to the lawless character of the association; one Sunday journal had an amusing article headed “ Tramps’ Trade Union Takes Frog for Symbol of Mystic Order ” and gave a humorous and quite fanciful extract fr

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AT MAYTREE COTTAGE

AT MAYTREE COTTAGE

A DRY radiator coincided with a burst tyre. The second coincidence was the proximity of Maytree Cottage on the Horsham Road. The cottage was larger than most, with a timbered front and a thatched roof. Standing at the gate, Richard Gordon stopped to admire. The house dated back to the days of Elizabeth, but his interest and admiration were not those of the antiquary. Nor, though he loved flowers, of the horticulturist, though the broad garden was a patchwork of colour and the fragrance of cabbag

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A TALK ABOUT FROGS

A TALK ABOUT FROGS

M AITLANDS Consolidated had grown from one small office to its present palatial proportions in a comparatively short space of time. Maitland was a man advanced in years, patriarchal in appearance, sparing of speech. He had arrived in London unheralded, and had arrived, in the less accurate sense of the word, before London was aware of his existence. Dick Gordon saw the speculator for the first time as he was waiting in the marble-walled vestibule. A man of middle height, bearded to his waist; hi

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THE FROG

THE FROG

I T was growing dark when the two tramps, skirting the village of Morby, came again to the post road. The circumvention of Morby had been a painful and tiring business, for the rain which had been falling all day had transformed the ploughed fields into glutinous brown seas that made walking a test of patience. One was tall, unshaven, shabby, his faded brown coat was buttoned to his chin, his sagged and battered hat rested on the back of his head. His companion seemed short by comparison, though

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ELK

ELK

T HERE was no detective in the world who looked less like a police officer, and a clever police officer, than Elk. He was tall and thin, and a slight stoop accentuated his weediness. His clothes seemed ill-fitting, and hung upon rather than fitted him. His dark, cadaverous face was set permanently in an expression of the deepest gloom, and few had ever seen him smile. His superiors found him generally a depressing influence, for his outlook on life was prejudiced and apparently embittered by his

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MR. MAITLAND GOES HOME

MR. MAITLAND GOES HOME

T HEY were nearing the imposing home of Maitlands Consolidated, when Mr. Johnson suddenly broke off in the middle of an interesting exposition of his philosophy and quickened his pace. On the pavement ahead of them he saw Ray Bennett, and by his side the slim figure of a girl. Their backs were toward the two men, but Elk guessed rightly when he decided that the girl was Ella Bennett. He had seen her twice before, and he had a wonderful memory for backs. Turning as the stout man came up to her, h

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MR. MAITLAND GOES SHOPPING

MR. MAITLAND GOES SHOPPING

E LDOR STREET, Tottenham, was one of thousands of drab and ugly thoroughfares that make up the central suburbs of London. Imagine two rows of houses set on either side of a straight street, lighted at economic intervals by yellow lamps. Each house has a protuberance, called a bay window; each house is separated from the road by iron railings pierced by an iron gate. There is a tiny forecourt in which the hardiest of shrubs battle desperately for existence; there is one recessed door, and on the

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A CALL ON MR. MAITLAND

A CALL ON MR. MAITLAND

O UTWARDLY, John Bennett accepted his son’s new life as a very natural development which might be expected in a young man. Inwardly he was uneasy, fearful. Ray was his only son; the pride of his life, though this he never showed. None knew better than John Bennett the snares that await the feet of independent youth in a great city. Worst of all, for his peace of mind, he knew Ray. Ella did not discuss the matter with her father, but she guessed his trouble and made up her mind as to what action

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THE OFFENSIVE RAY

THE OFFENSIVE RAY

I T was perfectly absurd, Dick told himself a dozen times during the days which followed, that a grown man of his experience should punctiliously and solemnly strike from the calendar, one by one, the days which separated him from Sunday. A schoolboy might so behave, but it would have to be a very callow schoolboy. And a schoolboy might sit at his desk and dream away the time that might have been devoted to official correspondence. A pretty face . . . ? Dick had admired many. A graciousness of c

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THE MAN WHO WAS WRECKED

THE MAN WHO WAS WRECKED

J OHN BENNETT was working in his garden in the early morning when Elk called, and the inspector came straight to the point. “There was a burglary committed at the residence of Lord Farmley on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Probably between midnight and three o’clock. The safe was blown and important documents stolen. I’m asking you to account for your movements on Saturday night and Sunday morning.” Bennett looked the detective straight in the eyes. “I was on the London road—I walked from to

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ON HARLEY TERRACE

ON HARLEY TERRACE

S O writing, the telephone buzzed, and in his unflurried way he finished his entry and blotted it before he took up the instrument. “Captain Gordon wishes you to take the first taxi you can find and come to his house—the matter is very urgent,” said a voice. “I am speaking from Harley Terrace.” “All right.” Elk found his hat and umbrella, stopped long enough to return the records to their home, and went out into the dark courtyard. There are two entrances to Scotland Yard: one that opens into Wh

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MR. BROAD EXPLAINS

MR. BROAD EXPLAINS

D ETAINED under police supervision, Mr. Broad did not seem in any way surprised or disconcerted. Dick Gordon and his assistant reached Wandsworth Common ten minutes after the news came through, and found the wreckage of the police car surrounded by a large crowd, kept at a distance by police. The dead prisoner had been taken into the prison, together with one of the attackers, who had been captured by a party of warders, returning to the gaol after their luncheon hour. A brief examination of Lit

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THE EMBELLISHMENT OF MR. MAITLAND

THE EMBELLISHMENT OF MR. MAITLAND

T HERE was a concert that night at the Queen’s Hall, and the spacious auditorium was crowded to hear the summer recital of a great violinist. Dick Gordon, in the midst of an evening’s work, remembered that he had reserved a seat. He felt fagged, baffled, inclined to hopelessness. A note from Lord Farmley had come to him, urging instant action to recover the lost commercial treaty. It was such a letter as a man, himself worried, would write without realizing that in so doing he was passing on his

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A RAID ON ELDOR STREET

A RAID ON ELDOR STREET

J OHNSON did not come back, and in many respects the two men were glad. Elk had been on the point of telling the secretary to clear, and he hoped that Mr. Maitland would follow his example. As if reading his thoughts, the old man rose soon after the room had quietened down. He had sat through the scene which had followed Ray’s meeting with his father, and had apparently displayed not the slightest interest in the proceedings. It was as though his mind were so far away that he could not bring him

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“ALL BULLS HEAR!”

“ALL BULLS HEAR!”

E LK went out on the street to see the American. Mr. Broad was in faultless evening dress, and the gleaming head-lamps of his car illuminated the mean street. “You’ve certainly a nose for trouble,” said Elk with respect; “and whilst you’re telling me how you came to know about this raid, which hadn’t been decided on until half-an-hour ago, I’ll do some quiet wondering.” “I didn’t know there was a raid,” confessed Joshua Broad, “but when I saw twenty Central Office men dash out of Heron’s Club an

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THE MORNING AFTER

THE MORNING AFTER

R AY BENNETT woke with a groan. His temples were splitting, his tongue was parched and dry. When he tried to lift his aching head from the pillow he groaned again, but with an effort of will succeeded in dragging himself from the bed and staggering to the window. He pushed open a leaded casement and looked out upon the green of Hyde Park, and all the time his temples throbbed painfully. Pouring a glass of water from a carafe, he drank greedily, and, sitting down on the edge of the bed, his head

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RAY LEARNS THE TRUTH

RAY LEARNS THE TRUTH

L OLA was the quickest to recover. “What do you mean . . . Frog tap? Got that Frog stuff roaming loose in your head, haven’t you?” “It is a new accomplishment,” said Dick with mock gravity. “A thirty-third degree Frog taught me. It’s the signal the old Grand Master Frog gives when he enters the presence of his inferiors.” “Your thirty-third degree Frog is probably lying,” said Lola, her colour returning. “Anyway, Mills——” “I never mentioned Mills,” said Dick. “I know it was he. His arrest was in

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THE COMING OF MILLS

THE COMING OF MILLS

O N the morning that Elk waited for the arrival of the informer, elaborate precautions were being made to transfer the man to headquarters. All night the prison had been surrounded by a cordon of armed guards, whilst patrols had remained on duty in the yard where he was confined. The captured Frog was a well-educated man who had fallen on evil times and had been recruited when “on the road” through the agency of two tramping members of the fraternity. From the first statement he made, it appeare

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THE BROADCAST

THE BROADCAST

H IS jaundiced clerk was, as usual, in a complaining mood. “Records have been making a fuss and have been blaming me,” he said bitterly. “Records give themselves more airs than the whole darned office.” The war between Balder and “Records”—which was a short title for that section of Headquarters which kept exact data of criminals’ pasts,—was of long standing. “Records” was aloof, detached, sublimely superior to everything except tabulated facts. It was no respecter of persons; would as soon snap

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IN ELSHAM WOOD

IN ELSHAM WOOD

D ICK GORDON, in the sudden lightening of his heart which had come to him when he realized that his horrible fears were without foundation, was inclined to regard the night as having been well spent. This was not Elk’s view. He was genuinely grave as they drove back to headquarters. “I’m frightened of these Frogs, and I admit it,” he confessed. “There’s a bad leakage somewhere—how should she know that I put Balder in with Hagn? That has staggered me. Nobody but two men, in addition to ourselves,

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HAGN

HAGN

A MINUTE later Ella came to the door to call them. “Was that a car went past?” she asked, and they detected a note of anxiety in her tone. “Yes,” said Elk, “it was a big car. Didn’t see who was in it, but it was a big car.” Dick heard her sigh of relief. “Will you come in, please?” she said. “Breakfast is waiting for you.” They left half an hour later, and each man was so busy with his own thoughts that Dick did not speak until they were passing the villas where the body of Genter had been found

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MR. JOHNSON’S VISITOR

MR. JOHNSON’S VISITOR

T HERE is a certain murky likeness between the houses in Fitzroy Square, London, and Gramercy Park, New York. Fitzroy Square belongs to the Georgian days, when Soho was a fashionable suburb, and St. Martins-in-the-Fields was really in the fields, and was not tucked away between a Vaudeville house and a picture gallery. No. 431 had been subdivided by its owner into three self-contained flats, Johnson’s being situated on the ground floor. There was a fourth basement flat, which was occupied by a m

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THE INQUIRY

THE INQUIRY

H E intended making an early call at King’s Cross to examine the contents of the bag, but awoke the next morning, his mind filled with the coming inquiry to the exclusion of all other matters; and although he entered Johnson’s burglary in his report book very carefully, and locked away the cloak-room ticket in his safe, he was much too absorbed and worried to make immediate inquiries. Dick arrived for the inquiry, and his assistant gave him a brief sketch of the burglary in Fitzroy Square. “Let

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A MEETING

A MEETING

H ERON’S CLUB had been temporarily closed by order of the police, but now was allowed to open its doors again. Ray invariably lunched at Heron’s unless he was taking the meal with Lola, who preferred a brighter atmosphere than the club offered at midday. Only a few tables were occupied when he arrived. The stigma of the police raid lay upon Heron’s, and its more cautious clients had not yet begun to drift back. It was fairly well known that something had happened to Hagn, the manager, for the ma

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WHY MAITLAND CAME

WHY MAITLAND CAME

E LLA BENNETT was cooking the dinner when her father came in, depositing his heavy camera on the floor of the sitting-room, but carrying, as was usual, his grip to the bedroom. She heard the closing of the cupboard door and the turning of the lock, but had long ceased to wonder why he invariably kept his bag locked in that cupboard. He was looking very tired and old; there were deeper lines under his eyes, and the pallor of his cheeks was even more pronounced. “Did you have a good time, father?”

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IN REGARD TO SAUL MORRIS

IN REGARD TO SAUL MORRIS

D ICK GORDON ’phoned across to headquarters, and Elk reported immediately. “I’ve discovered six good get-away bags, and each one is equipped as completely and exactly as the one we found at King’s Cross.” “No clue as to the gentleman who deposited them?” “No, sir, not so much as a clue. We’ve tested them all for finger-prints, and we’ve got a few results; but as they have been handled by half a dozen attendants, I don’t think we shall get much out of it. Still, we can but try.” “Elk, I would giv

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PROMOTION FOR BALDER

PROMOTION FOR BALDER

A WEEK had passed, and the explosion at headquarters was ancient history. The injured detective was making fair progress toward recovery, and in some respects the situation was stagnant. Elk apparently accepted failure as an inevitability, and seemed, even to his greatest admirer, to be hypnotized into a fatalistic acceptance of the situation. His attitude was a little deceptive. On the sixth day following the explosion, headquarters made a raid upon the cloak-rooms, and again, as Elk had expect

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MR. BROAD IS INTERESTING

MR. BROAD IS INTERESTING

D ICK GORDON ended his interview with Mr. Ezra Maitland at three o’clock in the morning, and went to Headquarters, to find the charge-room at Cannon Row singularly empty. When he had left, it was impossible to get in or out for the crowd of detectives which filled or surrounded the place. “On the whole, Pentonville is safest, and I’ve got him there. I asked the Governor to put him in the condemned cell, but it is not etiquette. Anyway, Pentonville is the safest spot I know, and I think that, unl

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MURDER

MURDER

T HE stone which woke Ella Bennett was aimed with such force that the pane cracked. She slipped quickly from bed and pulled aside the curtains. There had been a thunderstorm in the night, and the skies were so grey and heavy, and the light so bad, that she could only distinguish the shape of the man that stood under her window. John Bennett heard her go from her room and came to his door. “Is it Maitland?” he asked. “I think so,” she said. He frowned. “I can’t understand these visits,” he said.

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THE FOOTMAN

THE FOOTMAN

D ICK ran to the bedside, and one glance at the still figures told him all he wanted to know. “Both shot,” he said, and looked up at the filmy cloud under the ceiling. “May have happened any time—a quarter of an hour ago. This stuff hangs about for hours.” “Hold every servant in the house,” said Elk in an undertone to the men who were with him. A doorway led to a smaller bedroom, which was evidently that occupied by Maitland’s sister. “The shot was fired from this entrance,” said Dick. “Probably

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THE TRAMPS

THE TRAMPS

L EW BRADY sat disconsolately in Lola Bassano’s pretty drawing-room, and a more incongruous figure in that delicate setting it was impossible to imagine. A week’s growth of beard had transfigured him into the most unsavoury looking ruffian, and the soiled old clothes he wore, the broken and discoloured boots, the grimy shirt, no less than his own personal uncleanliness of appearance made him a revolting object. So Lola thought, eyeing him anxiously, a foreboding of trouble in her heart. “I’m fin

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THE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

THE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

E LK had promised to dine at Gordon’s club. Dick waited for him until twenty minutes past the hour of appointment, and Elk had neither telephoned nor put in an appearance. At twenty-five minutes past he arrived in a hurry. “Good Lord!” he gasped, looking at the clock. “I had no idea it was so late, Captain. I must buy a watch.” They went into the dining-hall together, and Elk felt that he was entering a church, there was such solemn dignity about the stately room, with its prim and silent diners

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IN GLOUCESTER PRISON

IN GLOUCESTER PRISON

T HERE is a cell in Gloucester Prison; the end cell in a long corridor of the old building. Next door is another cell, which is never occupied, for an excellent reason. That in which Ray Bennett sat was furnished more expensively than any other in the prison. There was an iron bedstead, a plain deal table, a comfortable Windsor chair and two other chairs, on one of which, night and day, sat a warder. The walls were distempered pink. One big window, near the ceiling, heavily barred, covered with

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THE FROG OF THE NIGHT

THE FROG OF THE NIGHT

J OHN BENNETT emerged from the wood-shed, which he had converted into a dark room, bearing a flat square box in either hand. “Don’t talk to me for a minute, Ella,” he said as she rose from her knees—she was weeding her own pet garden—“or I shall get these blamed things mixed. This one”—he shook his right hand—“is a picture of trout, and it is a great picture,” he said enthusiastically. “The man who runs the trout farm, let me take it through the glass side of the trench, and it was a beautifully

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THE PHOTO-PLAY

THE PHOTO-PLAY

D ICK’S face went white. “How do you know this?” “Well, there’s a photograph coming along; it will be in London this afternoon; but I needn’t see that. This man under sentence has three vaccination marks on the right forearm.” There was a dead silence. “I wondered why you turned the talk to vaccination,” said Dick quietly. “I ought to have known there was something in it. What can we do?” “I’ll tell you what you can’t do,” said Elk. “You can’t let that girl know. For good and sufficient reasons,

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GETTING THROUGH

GETTING THROUGH

W HEN Elk came up to the Prosecutor’s room, Dick was sitting at the table, writing telegrams. They were each addressed to the Governor of Gloucester Prison, and contained a brief intimation that a reprieve for James Carter was on its way. Each was marked viâ a different route. “What’s the idea?” said Elk. “The ’phone to Gloucester is out of order,” said Dick, and Elk bit his lip thoughtfully. “Is that so?” he drawled. “Then if the ’phone’s out of order——” “I don’t want to think that,” said Dick.

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THE POWER CABLE

THE POWER CABLE

D ICK GORDON knew that any discussion with his captors was a waste of breath, and that repartee was profitless. His head was aching, but no sooner was he left alone than he gave himself a treatment which an osteopath had taught him. He put his chin on his breast, and his two open hands behind his neck, the finger-tips pressing hard, then he slowly raised his head (it was an agony to do so), bringing his fingers down over the jugular. Three times repeated, his head was comparatively clear. The do

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THE GET-AWAY

THE GET-AWAY

D ICK, with his ear to the floor, heard the words “Frog says he’s got to die,” and his cracked lips parted in a grin. “Have you heard him moving about?” asked Hagn. “No, he’s asleep, I expect,” said another voice. “We shall have to wait for light. We can’t do it in the dark. We shall be killing one another.” This view commended itself to most of the men present. Dick counted six voices. He struck a match for another survey, and again his eye fell upon the cable. And then an inspiration came to h

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THE MYSTERY MAN

THE MYSTERY MAN

R AY BENNETT woke from a refreshing sleep and sat up in bed. One of the warders, who had watched him all night, got up and came over. “Do you want your clothes. Carter?” he said. “The Governor thought you wouldn’t care to wear those old things of yours.” “And he was right,” said the grateful Ray. “This looks a good suit,” he said as he pulled on the trousers. The warder coughed. “Yes, it’s a good suit,” he agreed. He did not say more, but something in his demeanour betrayed the truth. These were

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THE AWAKENING

THE AWAKENING

T HROUGHOUT the night Ella Bennett lay, half waking, half sleeping. She remembered the doctor coming; she remembered Elk’s urgent request that she should drink the draught he had prepared; and though she had suspected its nature and at first had fought against drinking that milky-white potion, she had at last succumbed, and had lain down on the sofa, determined that she would not sleep until she knew the worst or the best. She was exhausted with the mental fight she had put up to preserve her sa

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FROG

FROG

T HERE is a happiness which has no parallel in life—the happiness which comes when a dear one is restored. Ray Bennett sat by his father’s chair, and was content to absorb the love and tenderness which made the room radiant. It seemed like a dream to be back in this cosy sitting-room with its cretonnes, its faint odour of lavender, the wide chimney-place, the leaded windows, and Ella, most glorious vision of all. The rainstorm that lashed the window-panes gave the comfort and peace of his home a

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IN QUARRY HOUSE

IN QUARRY HOUSE

T HE first impression that Ella Bennett had when she returned to the kitchen to fasten the door that shut off the sitting-room, was that the tea-cloth, which she had hung up to dry on the line near the lofty ceiling, had fallen. With startling suddenness she was enveloped in the folds of a heavy, musty cloth. And then an arm was flung round her, a hand covered her mouth and drew back her head. She tried to scream, but no sound came. She kicked out toward the door and an arm clutched at her dress

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JOSHUA BROAD EXPLAINS

JOSHUA BROAD EXPLAINS

T HE sunlight was pouring through the windows of Maytree Cottage; the breakfast things still stood upon the table, when the American began his story. “My name, as you rightly surmised, Mr. Elk, is Saul Morris. I am, by all moral standards, a criminal, though I have not been guilty of any criminal practice for the past ten years. I was born at Hertford in Connecticut. “I am not going to offer you an apology, conventional or unconventional, for my ultimate choice; nor will I insult your intelligen

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