The Bowbells tribune., 1900-01-26
"Heart again queer, and need you
urgently. Let affair wait, if need be,
but come at once. Reply.
-"ArneWOOd,
shelborne Hotel, Dublin"


Shelborne Hotel, Dublin"
No better solution Of my doubts could
possibly have presented itself. If
Richard Arnewood were, indeed, a
guilty man. he could scarcely fail to
betray himself under the unexpected
and searching questions which it was
in my power to put to him If, after
all. the evidence which now seemed to
tell SO heavily against him, should
prove to have no reference to him at
all. then 1 would be free to plunge into
my task with redoubled energy and
confidence. And so, without even wait
ing to consult Mr.. Hawkins, l for
warGed the following terse reply:
every sorry. Shall be with you to-
morrow morning. All well.
WESTON
My chief expressed no opinion, one
way or the other. when l showed him
Captain Arnewood's message and 4
copy Of my reply.
"Do exactly as you please, Weston"
was his comment. "The case is abso-
lutely in your hands, and would rath-
er not interfere. even with advice. I
want to hear nothing more about the
affair until you can tell me either that
YOU have succeeded or have given it
up"
every well. sir,' I made answer, and
the subject dropped.
Eight o'clock found me at Euston
Station. fortified by an excellent dill
ner. and in ample time to select berth
in the sleeping car. / have always adj
mired the sound common sense of the
text which asserts that "the laborer is
wcrthy of his hire" and while pride
myself upon doing my very utmost for
my client. l deny myself nothing that
can contribute to my material comfort
when am on active service. A short,
stout man had preceded me at the
booking office, and asked for a second
class return to Westland Row. There
was nothing remarkable in that. see
ing that the train was the Irish mail,
and that Westland Row is the name of
the Dublin terminus. But there was
something in the speech Of the man,
that at once riveted my attention. He
repeated the words "second-class" four
or five times. as though he either be-
lieved the clerk to be deaf or was
frightened of being compelled to travel
first-class against his will. took an
opportunity, after securing my ticket,
of having a good look at him. Bright,
beady eyes, a scar near the right tenn
pie. his face absolutely clean-shaven;
in other words, he answered Billy's de-
scription of the stranger exactly,
with the exception Of the black NOUS
tache He was booked to Dublin, and
by the class almost always affected by
servants of superior station. The plain
inference was that his master was in
Ireland. So was Captain Arnewood.
And it required all my trained habit Of
caution to avoid the conclusion that
they were one and the same person.
My first impulse, after satisfying my
self of the identity of my fellow trav-
eler, was to follow him into a second
class carriage (at all events, as far as
Rugby or Crewe), and endeavOr to en-
ter into conversation with him. But q
little reflection served to deter me from
this course. If he were, indeed, the as
tute stranger" and Captain Arne-
woods servant rolled into one, he
would subsequently recognize me as
the individual who had sought his ac-
uuaintance on the train. and would be
suspicious of me at once. If had been
deceived by a mere accidental resem-
blance, and he were some entirely
harmless person, still stood to gain
nothing. So I made myself comforta-
BILE in my Pullman, and left him to his
less luxurious horsehair seat.
The journey was as uneventful as
such Journeys are nowadays. saw
nv man on board the packet, and again
at Westland Row, where lost sight
of him. 1 quite expected that he would
precede or follow me to the Shelborne
Hotel but he did not. Whatever his
mission in Ireland. his business with
Captain Arnewood was apparently not
of an urgent nature.
I was told by the people at the hotel
that the captain expected me, and had
given orders that was to be conducted
to his bedroom as soon as arrived. 1t
was not vet 8 o'clock. and there was
therefore nothing surprising in the fact
that he was still in bed. But was
fairly startled by the change that had
beer wrought in his appearance during
the brief interval that had elapsed
since / had last seen him. A dellcate
man WlGl Il weak lciIL UC CApSSS-
ed to fall away rapidly when Ill; but
Richard Arnewood could have looked
no worse had he barely escaped with
life from some terrible accident.
''Thank Heaven, you have come!'
was his greeting. as he motioned me to
a chair by his bedside. "You remem-
ber what told you about Irish air dis
agreeing with me? Well, have col
lapscd this time even worse than when
I was here last month"
"You are certainly looking very poor
w. replied. Though I cannot bring
myself to believe that the air of this
place is wholly to blame"
"Do you really think not?' he asked,
with nervous eagerness. "Tell me--to
what other cause would it occur to you
to attribute it?"
81 am not doctor enough to say"
made answer. 81 think. though. that
worry and mental anxiety would go a
long way: and you will pardon my re-
marking that you have impressed me
as suffering under some severe mental
strain ever since first met you 4"