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THE LOST LETTER, ...

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THE LOST LETTER, By RICHARD MARSH, Author of The Devil's Diamonds," Mrs Musgrove and Her Husband." CHAPTER IT. The Hon. Augustus returned into the foom. He went to the writing-table. Some- thing on it caught his eye. I What are these ?" he asked. The writing-table, like the rest of the furniture, was of black oak. It had a leather top. On this leather top were spots of what looked like oil or grease. At these the Hon. Augustus pointed, "That's what I can't make out," replied the Earl. "They weren't there when I left the room. They seem to be some sticky stuff." Kneeling down, the Hon. Augustus examined the spots by means of a reading- glass which was lying on the table. As you say, sir, it is some sticky stuff, and something with a strong capacity for sticking, too. Something that is meant to stick. Anybody standing outside the window, with, say, a fishing rod in his hand and a float at the end of his line, smeared with this stuff, if he was to swing that float into the room, might cause it; to adhere to a letter lying on the table, and he might make of the letter a prize." The Earl stared. Good heavens—who do you suppose would be likely to go through a performance of that kind '{ How could anyone know that such a letter was lying on the table 1 or, indeed, that any letter was lying there ? How could he time his appearance on the scene to fit in with the few minutes I was out of the room ? How could he know that I was likely to be out of the room at all 1" "Precisely. four questions are shrewd ones. They will have to be determined. I suppose, sir, you are sure that you did leave the letter lying on the table ? "Sure! Of course I'm sure What the dickens do you mean ?'' And the Earl stamped his foot on the ground in a fashion that suggested that his irritation had very far from decreased. His son stood up. He regarded his father with a close attention which the Earl showed signs of resenting. "If I find this letter for you, sir, what reward will you give me "If you tind the letter—what do you mean ? If I find the. letter and return it to you with its contents unread, and with no one in the world except yourself having an inkling of what those contents are, what reward will you give me 1" The Earl glowered at his son not only in unmisrakeable surprise, but with also some- thing like a glimmering of suspicion. Do you know where the letter is ?" "I do not. I know no more about it than you do yourself, but I am prepared to take your view of the matter and to accept this case as a test as to whether I do or T do not possess something of the instinct of a sleuth-hound. ]f I prove by my success that I do, I shall expect you to give your con- sent to my adopting as my own the profes- sion of a detective." You shall have it—gad, you shall Find out what scoundrel has laid felonious hands on that letter, and return it to me unread— unread, mind !—and I'll not only give you my consent—I'll also give you your first professional fee of a hundred guineas." Very good, sir. I will do my best to earn it." The young man turned to go. His father stopped him. Where the deuce are you off to ? What are you going to do 1" You must forgive my saying that that is my affair. Afterwards, if I succeed, I will explain to you, in detail, if you wish it, my method of procedure. Until then you must allow me to take up my course unques- tioned." The Hon. Augustus left the room. With an exclamation the Earl threw him- self into a chair. "If," said he, "there is an art in which the rising generation is proficient, it is, without any doubt what- ever, the art of being cocksure." The Earl of Glenlean went upstairs to have a few words with the Countess, and so the Countess had a few words with him, which exchange of conversational sweet- meats did him so muh good that. encounter- ing Phil potts, as he was leaving the lady's room, he shouted at that fortunately well- seasoned domestic, as if he'supposecTthafc the man had suddenly gone stone-deaf Where's Augustus 1" 41 Mr Augustus has gone out, my lord." 41 Gone out,"—the Earl glared. Where to r "I do not know, my lord. I saw Mr Augustus a few minutes ago strolling across the lawn. The Earl returned to his study. 41 I should like to be told what idiotic nonsense he is up to now I decline to allow myself to be trifled with by such a puppy any longer. The scoundrel who has stolen the letter is miles away by now, or, worse still, the letter is on its way to town Good heavens •—To think of it." The Earl threw his hands above his head, as if the mere idea of such a catastrophe was more than he could bear. "I'll wire at once to half a dozen decent detectives to come down from town to help me search for it. Who's there ?" Am I interrupting you, sir V The speaker, who was holding the handle of the open door in his hand, was the Hon. Augustus. The sight of him did not appear to calm his father. "By the way, Augustus, I have decided that it is altogether out of the question that I should plice a matter of this paramount importance in such inexperienced hands as yours. I don't want to hurt your feelings by suggesting that you have a higher opinion of your own powers than I have, but I have telegraphed to them to send me half a dozen properly qualified men from town Very good, sir. Will you telegraph before I have returned you the letter, or afterwards 7" What the dickens do you mean V I mean, sir, that the letter is already found." 44 Found—good gracious The Earl dropped into an armchair, then bounded out of it again. Who was the thief ? T fancy, sir, that you yourself were the thief." 441 was the thief!" For a moment it almcst seemed as if the Earl was about to have an apoplectic fit. 44 Allow me to remind you, Augustus Champnell, that I am the unhappy individual who has the misfortune to be your father 44 I was merely stating facts, sir." Facts—and this is a son of mine The Earl dropped back into his armchair. 44 Go on, sir, go on Insult me further. Pray, where is the letter which I have stolen ?" 44 Here, sir." The Hon. Augustus opened the door wider. 44 Come in, Ronald." There entered, looking as if he would much rather have stayed outside, the Hon. Ronald Champnell, who had nearly struck seven and who was holding with both his hands a very large kite which had a very long tail. Taking it from the youngster, the Hon. Augustus held the kite up in front of the Earl. Here is the letter, sir." Placing his glasses on his nose, the Earl looked at the kite with a mystified air. 44 Where V 44 Here, sir, here As he spoke the Hon. Augustus shook the kite. Just for a second he more than half suspected that the Earl was about to throw a ruler at his head—the august nobleman had thrown such things at people's heads more than once in his time. But on this occasion he refrained. He contented himself with addressing his son in a tone which resembled in some respects the highly- rectified extract of vitriolic acid. I have to assure you, Augustus Champ- nell, that there is a limit even to your father's power of endurance." 441 have no desire whatever to try your power of endurance. You will find, sir, that the letter is here. You will observe that the kite has a very long tail—it balances it exactly, doesn't it, Ronald ? The tail is constructed of pieces of paper. Will you kindly cub off the third piece of paper from the end?" I shall do nothing of the kind. I have had enough of your tomfoolery." 44 Then, sir, I will do it for you. I thought that if you cut it off yourself you would be" certain that the letter had re. mained unread. But perha it will be equally satisfactory if I cut it off in your presence." The tail of the kite was formed of pieces of papain tied to a string—as tails of kites are apt to be. With a pen-knife the Hon. Augustus removed the piece of paper which was third from the bottom of the string— and, having freed it from its bonds, handed it -still screwed up anyhow-to his father. 44 There is the letter, sir." The Earl unfolded the piece of paper, which he had taken-gingerly jenough- between his fingers, staring at t as if he had quite decided that, at last, his eyes must be deceiving him. It is—good—good—" The Earl floun- dered in his speech to such an extent that he was actually unable to find a word which was sufficiently strong to enable him to give adequate expression to his feelings. Then he sprang from his seat, and roared at Ronald So you stole it, did you, sir V The Hon. Augustus interposed. S "You are under a misapprehension. If you will permit me, I will explain." He turned to the youngster. Here's your kite, Ronald. I'll make a better tail for you in a minute or two, in exchange for the one j I have spoilt. Off you go, old chap." Off the "old chap" went, evincing no symptom of unwillingness to get out of the paternal study. After he was gone the Earl continued to examine the restored letter in silence, as if he did not know exactly what to say. So his son spoke instead. 41 I believe, sir, that I have earned the stipulated reward. 44 I'll be hanged if you haven't, and you shall have itTaking a cheque book from a drawer the Earl scribbled off a cheque for one hundred guineas then and there. As he was about to hand it to his son he hesi- tated. But how am I to know that the letter has remained unread ?*' You will have sufficient proof of that when I tell you how I tracked it down, or rather up, for, when I first caught sight of it, it was careering through the air. It was in this way. When you told me how it was impossible that anyone could know that such a letter was being written, and it seemed pretty certain chat during your abseuce from the room no one had entered cither through the door or through the window, it became obvious to me that you yourself must have been responsible for its disappearance." The devil it did When," continued Augustus, 44 I saw the spots on the table—which I see are still there-I had at once a glimpse of how the disappearance had been effected." How do make that out ?" Very simply. These things, like con- jurer's tricks, always are simple when they are explained. I had previously noticed (hat some of the contents of a bottle of mucilage had been spilled on one of the book shelves —here, sir, they still are." Jove, now you mention it, I remem- ber spilling the bottle as I was getting down the Red Book Exactly. Anyhow, there were some of the contents. I saw that the spots on the table resembled those contents, and, what was more, I noticed that, as I had expected, you had got some of the contents on to the sleeve of your coat. You see, sir ?" The Hon. Augustus turned his father's right coat sleeve upwards. Sure enough, on it near the cuff was a greasy smear. In covering the letter, as you supposed, with the blotter, nothing was easier in your haste—you told me, sir, you were in a hurry—than for you, with that strong mucilage there actually, though uncon- sciously, to attach it to the sleeve of your coat. That, I take it, is what you did do. The question to be determined was where had you dropped it ? You had not dropped it in the room you must have dropped it before you saw the Countess, otherwise she would have seen it sticking to your sleeve, and have pointed it out to you. It seemed to me probable that you had brushed it off your sleeve against the door as you were entering the Countess's room. That again is what I believe you did do. The room was empty when I reached it. but a number of scraps of paper were littered about on the floor. I knew Ronald had been making a tail to his kite, and as your letter was not among the torn paper I- jumped to the conclusion that Ronald had used it as an addition to his kite's tail. I started off in chase of him, I brought his kite to the ground, perceived that a sheet of your letter paper was attached to the tail, and straightway brought him and his kite back to you. I submit, sir, that the evidence goes'to show that no one has seen the letter but Ronald—he says himself he picked it up from the floor and tied it to the tail and what is Ronald's capacity, or, rather, incapacity to read your handwriting you are well aware. You perceive, sir, that the whole affair is very simple." Simple," growled the Earl. Simply beyond the verge of peurility Here is your cheque, sir. I hope you may earn other cheques as easily. If this sort of thing is the art of detection it is an art which any simpleton may master. As, therefore, the profession of a detective should be within the range even of your capacities, you have my permission to adopt it as your own." So the Hon. Augustus did

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