Part 37 (1/2)
”I understand. My own experience was nearly identical.”
”Then,” continued the girl, ”as I unlocked my door and peeped out, feeling too frightened to venture farther in the darkness, I heard Madame's voice in the hall below.”
”Crying for help?”
”No,” replied the girl, a puzzled frown appearing between her brows.
”She cried out something in French. The intonation told me that it was French, although I could not detect a single word. Then I thought I heard a moan.”
”And you ran down?”
”Yes. I summoned up enough courage to turn on the light in the corridor and to run down to the hall. And there she was lying just outside the door of her room.”
”Was her room in darkness?”
”Yes. I turned on the light and succeeded in partly raising her, but she was too heavy for me to lift. I was still trying to revive her when Pedro opened the door of the servants' quarters. Oh,” she closed her eyes wearily, ”I shall never forget it.”
I took her hand and pressed it rea.s.suringly.
”Your courage has been wonderful throughout,” I declared, ”and I hope it will remain so to the end.”
She smiled, and flushed slightly, as I released her hand again.
”I must go and take a peep at Madame now,” she said, ”but of course I shall not disturb her if she is still sleeping.”
We turned and walked slowly back to the hall, and there just entering from the courtyard was Inspector Aylesbury.
”Ah!” he exclaimed, ”good morning, Mr. Knox. This is Miss Beverley, I presume?”
”Yes, Inspector,” replied the girl. ”I understand that you wish to speak to me?”
”I do, Miss, but I shall not detain you for many minutes.”
”Very well,” she said, and as she turned and retraced her steps, he followed her back into the library.
I walked out to the courtyard, and avoiding the Tudor garden and the billiard room, turned in the other direction, pa.s.sing the stables where Jim, the negro groom, saluted me very sadly, and proceeded round to the south side of the house.
Inspector Aylesbury, I perceived, had wasted no time. I counted no fewer than four men, two of them in uniform, searching the lawns and the slopes beyond, although what they were looking for I could not imagine.
Giving the library a wide berth, I walked along the second terrace, and presently came in sight of the east wing and the tower. There, apparently engaged in studying the rhododendrons, I saw Paul Harley.
He signalled to me, and, crossing the lawn, I joined him where he stood.
Without any word of greeting:
”You see, Knox,” he said, speaking in the eager manner which betokened a rapidly working brain, ”this is the path which the Colonel must have followed last night. Yonder is the door by which, according to his own account, he came out on a previous occasion, walking in his sleep. Do you remember?”
”I remember,” I replied.
”Well, Pedro found it unlocked this morning. You see it faces practically due south, and the Colonel's bedroom is immediately above us where we stand.” He stared at me queerly. ”I must have pa.s.sed this door last night only a few moments before the Colonel came out, for I was just crossing the courtyard and could see you at my window at the moment when you saw poor Menendez enter the Tudor garden. He must have actually been walking around the east wing at the same time that I was walking around the west. Now, I am going to show you something, Knox, something which I have just discovered.”
From his waistcoat pocket he took out a half-smoked cigarette. I stared at it uncomprehendingly.