Part 96 (1/2)
”I thought you would. Well, the letter was a blind; the bearer an agent of the firm of Huysmans and Eybel, sent to make certain of our weakest points before they put in the attack on the Barala town; and--that's the man who committed the murder!”
”The man who committed the murder?”
Saxham's vivid eyes were intent upon the Major's face. The Major coughed, and went on:
”My wife came across that man at Tweipans under curious circ.u.mstances, which I'm here to put before you as plainly as may be.... She'd met him before the Siege, travelling up from Cape Town. He sc.r.a.ped acquaintance, called himself a loyal Johannesburger, and an Agent of the British South African War-Intelligence-Bureau. Not that there ever was such a Bureau.”
Major Bingo blinked nervously, and ran a thick finger round the inside of his collar as he added: ”The beggar spoofed Lady Hannah up hill and down dale with that, and she believed him. And when she subsequently flew the coop--dash this cold of mine!...”
The Major drew out a very large pink cambric pocket-handkerchief, and performed behind its shelter an elaborate but unconvincing sneeze:
”--When she shot the moon with Nixey's mare and spider, it was by private arrangement with this oily, lying blackguard, who had given her an address--a farm on the Transvaal Border, known as Haargrond Plaats--where she might communicate with him through another scoundrel in the Transport Agency line, supposin' she chose to do a little business on her own in Secret Intelligence----”
Saxham interrupted:
”I shall say nothing to my wife of this, and I trust you will impress upon Lady Hannah that it would be highly inadvisable for her to do so.”
”She won't, you may depend on it.” Major Bingo palpably grew warm, and mopped the dew from his large, kind, rather stupid countenance with the pink cambric handkerchief--”She's awfully afraid, as it is, that a word or two she dropped quite innocently, to that infernal liar and swindler, who'd bled her of a monkey, good English cash--paid for procurin' and forwardin' items of information that he took d.a.m.ned good care should reach us at Gueldersdorp too late to be of use, led up to--to the crime!... By the Living Tinker! it's out at last!”
The big man, so cool and nonchalant a minute or so before, fanned himself with the pocket-handkerchief, and turned red, and went white, and went red, and turned white half a dozen times, in twice as many beats of his flurried pulse.
”--Out at last, Saxham, and that's why I've been gulpin' and blunderin'
and bogglin' for the last ten minutes. Poof!” Major Bingo exhaled a vast breath of relief. ”Tellin' tales on a woman--and her your wife--even when she's begged you to, isn't the sweetest job a man can tackle!”
”Let me have this story in detail once and for all,” said Saxham, turning a stern, white face, and hard, compelling eyes upon the embarra.s.sed Major.
”What utterance of Lady Hannah's do you suppose to have led to the tragedy in the Convent Chapel? Upon this point I must and shall be clear before you leave me!”
”You shall have things as clearly as I can put 'em. This pretended Secret Agent of the War-Intelligence-Bureau that never existed, and who called himself Van Busch--a name that's as common among Boers as Murphy is among Irishmen--arranged to pa.s.s off my wife as his sister, a refugee from Gueldersdorp, who'd married a German drummer, and buried him not long before. Women are so dashed fond of play-actin'! Kids, Saxham,--that's what they are in their weakness for dressin' up and makin'-believe! And my wife----”
The large Major was in a violent lather as he ran the thick finger round inside his collar, and swallowed at the lump in his throat.
”--My wife saw Van Busch at Kink's hotel at Tweipans from time to time. He came, I've already explained, to sell bogus information for good money.
And as the boodle ran low, the cloven hoof began to show, and the brute became downright insolent.”
”As might have been expected,” said Saxham, coldly.
”--Kept his hat on in my wife's room, talked big, and twiddled a signet-ring he wore,” went on the Major. ”And, bein' quick, you know, and sharp as they make 'em, you know, my wife recognised the crest of an old acquaintance cut upon the stone. I knew the man myself”--declared Major Bingo--”and a better never stepped in leather. A brother-officer of the Chiefs, too, and a rippin' good fellow!--d.i.c.ky Mildare, of the Grey Hussars.”
”Mildare!” repeated Saxham.
”You understand, Saxham, the name did it. My wife had seen the present Mrs. Saxham at Gueldersdorp, and, not knowin' that the surname of Mildare had been taken by her at the wish of her adopted mother, supposed--got the maggot into her head that the Mother-Superior's ward might possibly be a--a daughter of the man the seal-ring had belonged to, knowing--Lord!
what a mull I'm making of it!--that Mildare had at one time been engaged to marry that”--the Major boggled horribly--”that uncommonly brave and n.o.ble lady, and had, in fact, thrown her over, and made a bolt of it with the wife of his Regimental C.O., Colonel Sir George Hawting.”
The faint stain of colour that had showed through Saxham's dead-white skin faded. He waited with strained attention for what was coming.
”South Africa Lady Lucy and Mildare bolted to,” went on Bingo, ”and now you know the kind of mare's-nest her ladys.h.i.+p had scratched up. And,”
declared Bingo, ”rather than have had to spin this yarn. I'd have faced a Court-Martial of Inquiry respectin' my conduct in the Field. For my wife has a kind heart and a keen sense of honour, and rather than bring harm upon Miss Mildare that was, or anyone connected with her, she'd have stood up to be shot! By G----!” trumpeted Bingo, ”I know she would!”