before jen had time to inquire the meaning of david's strange exclamation, the young man had turned on his heel and was walking rapidly back to the house. surprised by this behavior, and suspicious of its reason, the major called out to him to stop; but without taking any notice the young man increased his pace, and was soon lost to sight. still marveling, jen went after him, and on entering the library found that only arkel was present.
"where is dr. etwald?" demanded the major, anxiously.
"he went upstairs a few minutes ago to see your servant," replied the inspector, rising.
"alone, mr. arkel?"
"why no, major. mr. sarby was with him."
jen started. evidently david had returned before him in order to see etwald, and to gain private speech with the doctor, had conducted him to jaggard's sick-room. for the moment jen--still suspicious of sarby's behavior--had it in his mind to follow; but a few minutes of reflection convinced him that this was unnecessary. david did not know all the conversation which had taken place between himself and isabella, therefore he could inform etwald of nothing new. but, indeed, the major wondered why david wished to speak privately with the doctor. it looked, to his mind, as though the two men were in league.
"i'll find out what it all means after i have had speech with arkel," said jen to himself. "the doctor cannot escape me, and if david has an understanding with him, i'll force them both to confess. there can be no harm in leaving them together for a few minutes."
in this jen was wrong, but, as he was only an amateur detective, he cannot be blamed very severely for his negligence at this particular moment. he acted--as he thought--for the best, and therefore hastened to explain to arkel the position of affairs before the return of dr. etwald. afterward, when the matter of the accusation and arrest were settled, he intended to have speech with david, and insist upon an explanation of the young man's mysterious behavior. thus did the situation present itself to his inexperienced eyes.
"well, never mind dr. etwald just now," he said aloud, pointing to a chair. "he has his duties to perform, and i have mine. sit down, mr. arkel. i suppose you wonder why i have sent for you?"
"well; no, major. i presume it is in connection with the case."
"you are right. i wish to know if you have discovered anything new."
"yes. your messenger, battersea, was wandering about your grounds on that night."
"battersea!" cried jen, thunderstruck. "did he see the body carried off?"
"he did not see it taken out of the house," explained arkel, referring to some notes which he held in his hand, "but he saw it put into the carriage."
"a carriage?"
"yes, which was waiting in the winding lane at the foot of your grounds. two people carried the body between them--a man and a woman--but battersea cannot give me their names."
"i can, however," said jen, grimly. "oh, it is just as i thought."
"what are the names, major?" asked arkel, anxiously.
"i'll give you the names later on, mr. inspector. in the meantime, be good enough to conclude your report of battersea's confession. it interests me deeply."
"i thought it would," replied arkel, with a look of satisfaction. "well, battersea wondered at the body being put into the carriage--"
"did he know that it was alymer's corpse?" interrupted jen, sharply.
"he guessed as much from the circumstance that the body was carried through your grounds to the lane where the carriage was waiting. you know, major, that this tramp is rather stupid, and it is not an easy thing for him to put two and two together."
"on this occasion, however, he discovered that they made four," replied the major, dryly. "well, the man and the woman put the body into the carriage--a closed carriage, i suppose?"
"yes," assented arkel, with a nod, "a brougham."
"a doctor's brougham?"
"what," cried the inspector, with a look of surprise, "has the scamp told you?"
"he has told me nothing. please go on."
"well," said arkel, making his invariable beginning, "when the body was placed in the carriage and the door closed, the woman went away."
"in what direction?"
"she returned through your grounds, but where she went battersea does not know."
"i do, however," muttered jen, divining that dido had taken the usual route back to "the wigwam."
"and the man?"
"he mounted the carriage-box and drove off. it appears that there was no coachman."
"i don't wonder at that," rejoined the major. "this precious pair were afraid to trust their infernal secret to a third party. no doubt the horse, being quiet, was left to stand in the deep shadow of the lane, while the robbers stole the corpse. however, i understand. the woman went away, the man mounted the box, and i suppose, drove off with the corpse."
"also with battersea," added arkel, with a significant smile. "it seems that the tramp wished to see the end of this singular adventure, or, no doubt, he wished to make money out of it."
"by blackmailing? i see. i suppose he hung on behind."
"yes; like a street arab. he was one, once, you know, major, and has not forgotten his early habits. well, he was driven with the carriage to deanminster."
"quite so, and into that gloomy courtyard which surrounds the house of dr. etwald," added major jen, with a satisfied smile, "battersea saw the doctor take the body out of the carriage and carry it into the house. then, on his return--etwald's i mean--he unharnessed the horse and put it into the stable; also the carriage into the coach-house. is that not so, mr. arkel?"
"battersea told you," stammered arkel, amazed at his insight.
"i assure you he told me nothing. but i am as clever as battersea, and can put two and two together. next day battersea went to etwald, did he not, and tried to blackmail him, but this clever doctor compelled him to keep silent."
"it's all quite true," assented the inspector, thunderstruck; "though how you guessed it all i cannot say. but, as you know so much, perhaps you can tell me one thing more, which bothers me not a little. how did dr. etwald compel battersea to keep silence?"
"very easily," said jen, with a shrug. "battersea is half negro. the black race adore the voodoo stone, of which dr. etwald is the possessor. etwald simply threatened battersea with the vengeance of the voodoo stone if he spoke. therefore, he held his tongue, and was forced to confess all this only by your threatening to have him arrested as the murderer of mr. alymer.
"i did threaten him; but how you know--"
"i know a great many things, mr. inspector. for instance, i know that the woman who assisted dr. etwald to steal the body is dido, the negress of mrs. dallas; also that dr. etwald is a murderer as well as a thief."
"heavens! if i had only known that i would have had the warrant altered."
"what!" cried jen, with an expression of ferocious joy lighting up his face, "you have a warrant for the arrest of etwald?"
"yes, but on the charge of stealing the body only. i took it out after hearing the evidence of the tramp, battersea."
"very good. then you can take out a warrant for his arrest as a murderer, after hearing my evidence."
"can you prove him guilty?"
jen rose to his feet and stretched out one hand toward arkel.
"i swear, on my sacred honor, that maurice alymer was killed by max etwald!"
at this moment the door of the library opened slowly, and dr. etwald, calm and composed, appeared on the threshold. behind him, over his shoulder, peered the pale countenance of david. from the ironical look on the doctor's face it would appear that he had overheard the accusation of the major, and was prepared to treat it with contempt. that such was the case appeared by the first words which issued from his mouth as he faced his accuser.
"i hear the name of max etwald coupled with the crime of murder. is this the way you treat your guests, major?"
"you are not my guest," retorted jen, furiously.
"no; rather your victim, seeing that you have lured me into a trap. it was not to see jaggard that you asked me here; but rather to force me--if you can--into confessing that i am guilty of a triple crime."
"you make one slight mistake, sir," said jen, coldly. "i accuse you of two crimes, not of three."
"ah, you are lenient," replied etwald, a shade of surprise passing over his features, a surprise which was reflected in the agitated face of david sarby.
"well, sir, let me hear of what i am accused."
with the utmost coolness he entered the room and sat down in a chair near arkel. the inspector, with his hand in his breast-pocket, fingered the warrant, but did not deem it wise to execute it until he had heard what proof the major possessed against etwald for the murder of maurice alymer. david sat down near the door, and followed every movement of the scene which ensued with keen eyes. thus, three of the occupants of the room were seated--sarby, arkel, and etwald. only one man stood up--major jen--and he stood as the accuser.
"dr. etwald," said the major, with great calmness and deliberation, "you are a clever and ambitious man, who wishes to make his way in the world, but has hitherto failed to do so for lack of money. to procure money for your experiments in chemistry, you would do anything--even marry a rich woman!"
"or murder the man formerly engaged to her," retorted etwald, with a pale smile. "go on. major jen, i see the mark you are aiming at."
"you found this rich match here," resumed jen, without noticing the interruption, "in the person of miss dallas, already engaged to the late mr. alymer."
"and also loved by mr. sarby," said the doctor, coolly.
"we will come to that later on, if you please," said the major, making a gesture to david to be silent. "you loved her and wanted your rival, mr. alymer, out of the way. to do so you had my devil-stick stolen."
"ho, ho; and by whom?"
"by mrs. dallas!"
"mrs. dallas?" cried david, starting from his seat. "did she steal the devil-stick?"
"it would seem so from this veracious history the major is telling us, said etwald, with irony.
"mrs. dallas stole the devil-stick," resumed jen, imperturbably, "and gave it to dido, who, by your directions, filled it with fresh poison. dido gave the newly-prepared weapon of death to you, and with it you killed my poor boy at the very gates of the girl he loved."
"really!" said etwald, with pointed satire. "was i as cruel as that!"
"afterward you stole the body of the man you murdered. dido helped you to do so, and drugged my servant, jaggard, with the perfume of the devil-stick poison, in order that the theft might be carried out with safety."
"it would seem that dido has a great deal to do with these matters," said etwald, looking up to the roof.
"she has everything to do with them. she will be brought up against you as a witness."
"indeed! then it appears that i am to be arrested."
"i can answer that," broke in arkel, amazed at the self-possession of the man. "i have here a warrant to arrest you for stealing the body of maurice alymer."
etwald glanced over the warrant and smiled.
"how can you prove that i did so?" he demanded.
"by the evidence of the tramp battersea."
"battersea!" repeated the doctor, and for the first time he frowned.
"yes. he saw you place the body in your brougham, with the assistance of dido. he followed you to deanminster, and saw you take the body into your house."
"really! but all this evidence is circumstantial. have you searched my house?"
"we intend doing so."
"i am afraid you will have your trouble for nothing," rejoined etwald, coolly. "moreover, you can't arrest me without actual proof."
"i can arrest you on suspicion," said arkel, rising with his warrant, "and i arrest you now in the queen's name."
"on what charge?"
"on the charge of stealing the body of maurice alymer."
"oh, then," said etwald, turning toward jen, "i am not to be accused of the murder."
"later on, my friend cain," said the major, grimly. "you will have quite enough to do to save your neck from the halter."
"i am afraid so, indeed, major, therefore i must have assistance. there is nothing like being provided in time with counsel for the defense; therefore, i must ask mr. david sarby to defend me from these absurd charges."
"i!" cried david, starting up with pale cheeks. "i defend you!"
"assuredly," replied etwald, fixing a piercing glance on the young man. "do you refuse?"
"of course he does," cried jen, wrathfully.
david raised his head and looked at the major, at the doctor, at the inspector.
"no," he said in a firm voice to all three. "i accept. i shall defend max etwald."
