it was nearly eleven o'clock before bates reached seymour's rooms. he listened patiently to all that the latter had to say, and he chuckled grimly when seymour's plot was laid before him.
"upon my word, sir, you ought to have been in the force yourself," he exclaimed. "i never heard a neater scheme. i have been puzzling my brains the last day or two for some way of getting hold of anstruther. i can nobble carrington at any moment; in fact, i have a warrant for his arrest in my pocket now. you see, i can easily prove that he has been disposing of his clients' securities, but that hardly affects anstruther. i suppose you want me to go round to the great metropolitan hotel, and compel 'simple charlie' to act as bonnet for us. i have not the slightest doubt that he will be able to find a good substitute if he likes. but there is one little difficulty in the way which you have not thought of."
"oh, yes, i have," seymour replied. "i know perfectly well what you mean. you mean that even a burglar has some code of honor, and that he would hesitate to betray a pal into such a trap as this. but if the substitute that i have in my mind is acceptable to you, there is no reason for further anxiety."
seymour scribbled a name on a sheet of paper, and handed it across to bates. the latter laughed as he read it.
"oh, most assuredly you ought to have been in the force," he said. "the thing is so clever, and yet so delightfully simple."
meanwhile, masefield was carrying out his side of the programme.
he saw rigby once or twice during the day, and the latter informed him that everything was going splendidly. "i was at the great metropolitan hotel this morning," he explained; "in fact, i was present at the interview between bates and a man known as 'simple charlie.' we had not the slightest difficulty in getting that rascal to do everything that we wish. he seemed ready to do anything to save his own skin. as i told you just now, the old address mentioned in anstruther's letter was panton square. by ten o'clock this morning anstruther had received a letter, in 'simple charlie's' handwriting, saying that it was quite impossible for him to come himself, but that he would send an efficient substitute, who would meet anstruther at the mansion house station at the appointed time. all you have to do now is to invite yourself to dinner at panton square, and in the course of the evening you will be pretty sure to hear the music going on in the study as usual. of course, anstruther will not be there, but that will make no difference to the harmonic programme. and mind you listen carefully for the original piece of music you heard last night."
"how are you going to manage that?" jack asked.
"well, you see, we have divided ourselves up into three companies," rigby explained. "you are going to look after panton square, bates and seymour will engineer the campaign as far as the city and provincial bank is concerned, and i am going to have supper with padini. he elected that the supper should take place in his own room at the hotel. you can guess why."
jack began to see matters more clearly now. the task allotted to himself was plain and simple. he would have preferred something more in the way of adventure; but, after all, somebody must do the ordinary work. he managed to see anstruther in the afternoon, and intimated to him that he was dining in panton square that night. anstruther replied that he was glad to hear it; possibly, jack thought, because there would be an ear-witness to prove the music in the study.
it was nearly eight o'clock when jack strolled into the drawing-room of panton square, and found claire alone there. he deemed it prudent not to tell her too much of what had taken place the last few hours; indeed, he was more concerned to hear the latest information about serena.
"i have not seen much of her to-day," claire said. "i do not know what to make of her at all. last night late she came into my bedroom, and we had a long talk about her boy. it is a very strange thing, jack, that only this morning a man arrived to see my guardian--a man who seemed to be annoyed at mr. anstruther's refusal to pay him a sum of money. i happened to overhear a few words as they parted. the stranger declared that if he did not have something definite by saturday, 'he would send the kid back.' i should have thought nothing of this unless i had heard serena's story last night, but, taken in conjunction with what she said, i shouldn't wonder if the man in question had not the custody of the poor woman's child."
"this is interesting," jack said. "did you take any particular note of the man's appearance?"
claire replied that she had not failed to do so. but she had not followed him, though her suspicions were aroused. jack debated the thing in his mind for a moment before he spoke again.
"we know perfectly well," he said, "that anstruther is terribly pressed for ready money. he is certain not to send that check, and it is equally certain that the man will call again for the cash on saturday morning. it will be an easy matter to get bates to lend me a plain clothes man and follow the fellow wherever he goes. but you must understand----"
what more jack would have said was prevented by the entrance of anstruther, closely followed by the announcement of dinner. it was not a gay meal, for the host was moody and depressed. he talked brilliantly at times, then lapsed into a reverie, and appeared not to hear when spoken to. claire rose presently with a sigh of relief, glad to get away from the gloom of the dining-room and its depressing atmosphere. anstruther smoked half a cigarette, and then threw the end down impatiently.
"i must really get you to excuse me," he said. "but my head is so bad that i can hardly hold it up. i am afraid that even my music will fail to soothe me to-night."
jack murmured something in the way of polite sympathy. he was glad of the opportunity to be able to escape to the drawing-room, where he sat for a long time discussing the situation with claire. it was pleasant and soothing to sit there with his arm about her and her head lovingly upon his shoulder; but, happy as they were, they could not altogether shake off the feeling of impending evil. all this time the music of the violin floated mournfully from the study. eleven o'clock struck, and still the melody went on. claire roused herself a little presently, and a look of pleased interest crossed her pretty face.
"what a delightful little composition," she said . "i have never heard that before. i am quite sure that is original."
"listen very carefully," jack said. "i want you to impress that piece of music on your mind."
the piece was finished at length, and then repeated once more. as the last strains died away, claire rose from her comfortable seat and crossed over to the piano. very quietly, yet quite correctly, she went through the whole composition.
"i am glad it has so impressed you," jack said. "you will, perhaps, be surprised to hear that anstruther has never heard that piece of music in his life, and that it was composed by padini, who has never played it to anybody till last night, when he performed it for rigby's benefit. not only this, but he gave dick rigby the original manuscript to get published for him. i know this is only a small matter, but these small matters will make a mountain of evidence against anstruther when the time comes."
"it is very extraordinary," claire murmured, "to think that that music should sound so charming and natural, when we know that all the time the player is a mile or two away. you are sure that my guardian is not in his study, jack?"
jack was sure enough on that point. it was a few moments later that serena came quietly into the room with a request that mr. masefield would go to the telephone, as some one desired to speak to him on pressing business. jack rose with alacrity.
"i shall soon be able to prove to you that anstruther is a long way off, or i am very much mistaken," he said. "very well, serena, i will come down at once."
the voice at the other end of the telephone inquired cautiously if that were mr. masefield. jack replied that it was, but even then the questioner did not appear to be satisfied.
"i think i recognize your voice," he said, "but one has to be very careful in sending messages to panton square. how goes the music? anything original to-night?"
"one piece," jack smiled. "i know what you mean, and i don't mind making you a small bet that you are inspector bates."
the voice at the other end of the telephone chuckled.
"you have got it quite right, mr. masefield," he said. "i am bates sure enough. and you needn't worry about going down-stairs to see whether or not anstruther is playing at paganini, because he isn't on the premises at all."
"where are you speaking from?" jack asked.
bates replied that he was speaking from a public call office in the neighborhood of mansion house station. all he wanted to do was to make sure that jack was still in panton square, and now that his mind was easy on this score, he could devote himself to the serious business of the evening. anstruther had just been shadowed outside the mansion house station, where he was apparently waiting for the substitute so kindly provided for him by "simple charlie."
the message ceased here, and the connection was cut off. jack would have been just a little surprised if he had seen the transmogrified bates who had been speaking to him over the line. the inspector crossed the road and disappeared into the shadow. anstruther stood there, glancing impatiently up and down the road as if waiting for somebody that was late. a figure slouched up to him, and a hoarse voice whispered in his ear:
"party of the name of maggs," he said in his gin and fog voice. "pal of 'simple charlie.' old charlie couldn't get away to-night, so he sent me instead. don't you be disappointed, guv' nor; you will find me just as clever with them bits of steel as charles himself. bit of burglary, ain't it?"
anstruther nodded curtly.
"we had better walk along," he said. "i suppose your friend explained to you that this little job will put twenty pounds in your pocket? it is a mere matter of opening a safe. the getting into the premises is perfectly simple, because i have come provided with the keys. you know the city and provincial bank?"
the other man grinned, and remarked that banks generally were a bit above his form. anstruther smiled as he reflected that he had the keys of the bank premises proper in his pocket, so that there would be no great difficulty in getting into the counting house, and from there to carrington's private office. as to the night watchmen--that was another matter altogether. in the face of recent happenings, they would be more alert than they had been in the past; but, at the same time, their attention would be bestowed more upon the cellars than the office.
the road was entirely deserted now, as anstruther crossed the street and gently turned the key in the outer door. a moment later, and the pair were in carrington's private office. they could afford to turn the lights up, for the iron shutters outside made a perfect screen. in one corner of the room stood the safe upon which the man who called himself maggs was intended to operate. anstruther pointed at it impatiently.
"get to work at once," he said. "there is something inside that i must take away to-night."
"a fine set of cellini plate, i presume?" maggs said, in an entirely different voice. "no, you don't, mr. anstruther. if you put your hand in your hip pocket, i'll blow your brains out. i have the advantage of you here, and i am going to keep it."
"who the deuce are you?" anstruther stammered. his hands had fallen to his side, and his face was pale and ghastly. "who are you?"
the so-called burglar snatched away his wig and ragged beard, and with a handkerchief changed the aspect of his face.
"i am inspector bates," he said. "very much at your service."
