Old Wargrave knows his law. It was almost as though he had a private down on the fellow.’
All these memories rushed through the doctor’s mind. Before he could consider the wisdom of the question he had asked impulsively:
‘Did you know Seton at all? I mean previous to the case.’
The hooded reptilian eyes met his. In a clear cold voice the judge said:
‘I knew nothing of Seton previous to the case.’
Armstrong said to himself:
‘The fellow’s lying—I know he’s lying.’
II
Vera Claythorne spoke in a trembling voice.
She said:
‘I’d like to tell you. About that child—Cyril Hamilton. I was nursery governess to him. He was forbidden to swim out far. One day, when my attention was distracted, he started off. I swam after him… I couldn’t get there in time… It was awful… But it wasn’t my fault. At the inquest the Coroner exonerated me. And his mother—she was so kind. If even she didn’t blame me, why should—why should this awful thing be said? It’s not fair—not fair…’
She broke down, weeping bitterly.
General Macarthur patted her shoulder.
He said:
‘There there, my dear. Of course it’s not true. Fellow’s a madman. A madman! Got a bee in his bonnet! Got hold of the wrong end of the stick all round.’
He stood erect, squaring his shoulders. He barked out:
‘Best really to leave this sort of thing unanswered. However, feel I ought to say—no truth—no truth whatever in what he said about—er—young Arthur Richmond. Richmond was one of my officers. I sent him on a reconnaissance. He was killed. Natural course of events in wartime. Wish to say resent very much—slur on my wife. Best woman in the world. Absolutely—Cæsar’s wife!’
General Macarthur sat down. His shaking hand pulled at his moustache. The effort to speak had cost him a good deal.
Lombard spoke. His eyes were amused. He said:
‘About those natives—’
Marston said:
‘What about them?’
Philip Lombard grinned.
‘Story’s quite true! I left ’em! Matter of self-preservation. We were lost in the bush. I and a couple of other fellows took what food there was and cleared out.’
General Macarthur said sternly:
‘You abandoned your men—left them to starve?’
Lombard said:
‘Not quite the act of a pukka sahib, I’m afraid. But self-preservation’s a man’s first duty. And natives don’t mind dying, you know. They don’t feel about it as Europeans do.’
Vera lifted her face from her hands. She said, staring at him:
‘You left them—to die?’
Lombard answered:
‘I left them to die.’
His amused eyes looked into her horrified ones.
Anthony Marston said in a slow puzzled voice:
‘I’ve just been thinking—John and Lucy Combes. Must have been a couple of kids I ran over near Cambridge. Beastly bad luck.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said acidly:
‘For them, or for you?’
Anthony said:
‘Well, I was thinking—for me—but of course, you’re right, sir, it was damned bad luck on them. Of course it was a pure accident. They rushed out of some cottage or other. I had my licence suspended for a year. Beastly nuisance.’
Dr Armstrong said warmly:
‘This speeding’s all wrong—all wrong! Young men like you are a danger to the community.’
Anthony shrugged his shoulders. He said:
‘Speed’s come to stay. English roads are hopeless, of course. Can’t get up a decent pace on them.’
He looked round vaguely for his glass, picked it up off a table and went over to the side table and helped himself to another whisky and soda. He said over his shoulder:
‘Well, anyway it wasn’t my fault. Just an accident!’
III
The manservant, Rogers, had been moistening his lips and twisting his hands. He said now in a low deferential voice:
‘If I might just say a word, sir.’
Lombard said:
‘Go ahead, Rogers.’
Rogers cleared his throat and passed his tongue once more over his dry lips.
‘There was a mention, sir, of me and Mrs Rogers. And of Miss Brady. There isn’t a word of truth in it, sir. My wife and I were with Miss Brady till she died. She was always in poor health, sir, always from the time we came to her. There was a storm, sir, that night—the night she was taken bad. The telephone was out of order. We couldn’t get the doctor to her. I went for him, sir, on foot. But he got there too late. We’d done everything possible for her, sir. Devoted to her, we were. Anyone will tell you the same. There was never a word said against us. Not a word.’
Lombard looked thoughtfully at the man’s twitching face, his dry lips, the fright in his eyes. He remembered the crash of the falling coffee tray. He thought, but did not say: ‘Oh yeah?’
Blore spoke—spoke in his hearty bullying official manner.
He said:
‘Came into a little something at her death, though? Eh?’
Rogers drew himself up. He said stiffly:
‘Miss Brady left us a legacy in recognition of our faithful services. And why not, I’d like to know?’
Lombard said:
‘What about yourself, Mr Blore?’
‘What about me?’
‘Your name was included in the list.’
Blore went purple.
‘Landor, you mean? That was the bank robbery—London and Commercial.’
Mr Justice Wargrave stirred. He said:
‘I remember. It didn’t come before me, but I remember the case. Landor was convicted on your evidence. You were the police officer in charge of the case?’
Blore said:
‘I was.’
‘Landor got penal servitude for life and died on Dartmoor a year later. He was a delicate man.’
Blore said:
‘He was a crook. It was he who knocked out the night watchman. The case was quite clear against him.’
Wargrave said slowly:
‘You were complimented, I think, on your able handling of the case.’
Blore said sulkily:
‘I got my promotion.’
He added in a thick voice.
‘I was only doing my duty.’
Lombard laughed—a sudden ringing laugh. He said:
‘What a duty-loving law-abiding lot we all seem to be! Myself excepted. What about you, doctor—and your little professional mistake? Illegal operation, was it?’
Emily