Part 21 (1/2)

CHAPTER XVI

He went into the dining-room first--Rachel was still upstairs--and picked up the _Arbiter_ again, looking at it with this new, terrible interpretation of what he saw in it. There it was, as d.a.m.ning evidence as ever a man was convicted upon, the map that no one but himself and the two princ.i.p.als had seen, reproduced, roughly it is true, but still unmistakably, from the paper that he alone in the house had had in his possession. He turned hurriedly to the brief but guarded commentary evolved at a venture by Pateley, but nevertheless very near the truth.

Pateley had played a bold game indeed, but he was playing it as skilfully and watchfully as was his wont. Rendel threw down the paper with a gesture of despair, then clenched his hands. If he had been a woman he would have wept from sheer misery and agitation. But it was of no good to clench his hands in despair; every moment that pa.s.sed ought to be used to find out the truth of what had happened, to clear himself from that nightmare of suspicion.

He went hurriedly across the hall to his study with the instinct of one who feels that on the spot itself there may be some suggestion to help discovery. His writing-table was locked. He tried it, shook it. The key, one of a peculiar make, hung always on his watch-chain. It was quite impossible that, save by one who had the key, the table should have been opened. What had he done yesterday? What had happened? And he sat down and buried his face in his hands, concentrating his thoughts, trying to recall every incident. The first time that Stamfordham had come in and given him the rough notes and the map, he, Rendel, had been alone. There was no doubt of that. After that who came in? Rachel? No, Rachel had not been in the room with the papers except just at the end when Rendel was sealing up the packet. Besides, if Rachel had had a hundred secrets in her possession, they would have been as safe as in his own. Then he caught himself up--in his own! after all, he was suspected--so the impossible idea, apparently, could be entertained. Then the thought of Sir William Gore came into his mind, but only to be instantly dismissed, for since the papers were locked up in Rendel's writing-table they must have been as inaccessible to Sir William as though they had been separated from him by the walls of several apartments. And there was one thing pretty certain: Gore, supposing him to be capable of using it, had not got a duplicate key. ”Even he,” Rendel found himself thinking, ”would not do that.” He heard Rachel's step swiftly descend the stairs and go into the dining-room, then she came quickly across the hall to the study.

”Oh, there you are, Frank,” she said. ”My father is----” then she broke off as she saw that he was apparently buried in painful thought from which he roused himself with a start as she spoke. ”Is anything the matter?”

”I will tell you,” said Rendel, speaking with an effort.

”May I just ask you something first?” said Rachel hurriedly. ”I want some foolscap paper for my father. He is so restless this morning, so impatient.”

”It is in there--I told you, didn't I?” said Rendel, turning round and pointing to one of the drawers at the side of his table.

”In that drawer!” said Rachel. ”How very stupid of me! I didn't think of that. I thought it was in the top part, and I could only get one sheet out of there.”

”The top? Wasn't the top locked?” said Rendel quickly, his whole thought concentrated on the problem before him, and the part of the table must have played in the drama that affected him so nearly.

”Yes, it was,” said Rachel smiling, ”and I couldn't open it, but there was a little tiny corner of ruled paper sticking out, so I pulled it, and out it came.”

Rendel started and looked at her.

”It is sweetly simple,” she added.

”Yes,” said Rendel, with an energy that surprised her. ”It would come out quite easily, of course.”

”Frank,” she said, surprised, ”what is it? You didn't mind my pulling it out, did you?”

”Of course not; I don't mind your doing anything--only--I didn't realise that things could be got out of my writing-table in that way.”

”Well, you must be sure to poke them in further next time,” Rachel said lightly, shutting again the side drawer to which she had been directed, and out of which she had got some sheets of foolscap. ”I will be back directly.”

”Wait one moment,” said Rendel. ”Lord Stamfordham has been here.”

”Lord Stamfordham! Since I went upstairs?” said Rachel, standing still in sheer surprise.

”Yes,” said Rendel. ”Some secret information that--I knew about, has got into the paper and is published this morning.”

”Oh, Frank, how terrible!” said Rachel. ”How did it happen? Do they mind?”

”Yes, they mind,” Rendel said.

”Was that what you saw in the paper,” Rachel said, ”that excited you so much?”

”Yes,” said Rendel.

”I don't wonder,” Rachel said, standing with her hand on the handle of the door, an att.i.tude of all others least inviting of confidence. ”Who let it out?”

”That is what we want to know,” said Rendel. ”That is what Lord Stamfordham came here to ask.”