Part 26 (2/2)
Copley turned upon them with a snarl.
CHAPTER XLI
HOME AGAIN
”What do you mean by this?” Copley demanded.
The intruders were not in the least abashed. On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground. The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.
”Mr. Raymond Copley, I believe?” he said politely.
”It would be foolish to deny it,” Copley sneered.
”Very good, sir,” the stranger went on. ”And this other gentleman is Mr.
Foster?”
Foster nodded uneasily. He held the screwdriver he was using and waited for developments with white face and quivering lips.
”That being so, gentlemen,” the stranger said, ”I may as well introduce myself. I am Inspector Andrews of Scotland Yard and this is my a.s.sistant. We have a warrant for the arrest of both of you on the charge of obtaining a large sum of money by means of a trick from Mr. Selwyn and others in connection with race meetings at Mirst Park. The warrant was obtained on the information of Mr. Selwyn, and you will please consider yourselves my prisoners. Anything you say, of course, will be given in evidence against you.”
Copley cursed himself under his breath. What a fool he had been to come here! The matter would have been bad enough if he had been arrested at Seton Manor, but to be taken here, to be identified in this fas.h.i.+on at The Nook was fatal. There was nothing for it in the circ.u.mstances but to try to bl.u.s.ter.
”This is an outrage,” he exclaimed. ”It is a mere tale to extort money from a man in my position. You haven't a sc.r.a.p of evidence to justify a proceeding like this.”
”That remains to be proved, sir,” the Inspector said quietly. ”I may say that your accomplice, Captain Eversleigh, is already in custody and is volunteering all the information we require. We have also arrested the man Chaffey in the neighbourhood of Covent Garden. More than that, we have interviewed the National Telephone authorities, and they have not been reticent, either. Besides that, we can produce the agent who let this house and who has already identified you. Also, we have taken possession of the office of Jolly & Co., and your accomplice there is in our hands also. I don't think we have left anything undone. We motored to Seton Manor, but you had left just before we arrived. We kept you under observation till now. Come, Mr. Copley, nothing will be gained by taking this att.i.tude. I am telling you this in fairness to yourself so that you may know what you have to answer.”
Copley was done and submitted quietly to have the handcuffs put upon his wrists. Foster seemed equally subdued. He advanced towards the Inspector's a.s.sistant, then suddenly lunged forward, brushed him aside, and darted through the door into the open air. Instantly he was lost in the thick bushes. Inspector Andrews shrugged his shoulders.
”You are to blame for that,” he said. ”No, it is no use following him just now. We must pick him up later. Mr. Copley, if you are quite ready we'll get back to London.”
An hour later Copley was safely housed. By seven o'clock his name was ringing from one end of London to the other. At first the published details were meagre, but the extra specials contained fuller tidings.
They had managed to ferret out some racing particulars and to interview Rickerby, who was not in the least reticent. By ten o'clock Copley's arrest formed the one topic of conversation in the clubs. His name appeared largely on every poster and the South African millionaire found himself notorious.
The news even reached the ears of May Haredale and her friend Alice.
They had been treating themselves to the theatre in honour of recent events and paused on their way home to buy a paper. There was plenty to discuss as they partook of their frugal supper and they sat till late with the paper between them.
”You have had a lucky escape,” Alice said.
”My father has,” May replied. ”I would never have married that man. I would have starved first. I never liked him and always felt there was something wrong about him. He won't trouble us any more and I only hope this terrible business won't upset my father.”
”Don't let us talk any more about it,” Alice said. ”Let us think about nothing else but your going home again. I don't know how I shall manage to stay in London after this. My fortnight at Haredale Park spoilt me.”
It is not necessary to say much about May's homecoming. Sir George met his daughter in the hall. He waited to say a few words to Alice Carden and then led May into the library.
”I hope you won't blame me, my child,” he said. ”I can say no more than that I am exceedingly sorry for what happened. It was only after you had gone that I realized what a brute I had been. I must have been mad. But I thought I was going to be turned out of the old home, and to marry Copley--pardon me for alluding to it--seemed such an easy way out of my difficulty. I know now that women don't regard these things from the same standpoint as men do and, of course, I believed Copley was in a strong position. I regarded him as honest and straightforward, otherwise----”
<script>