Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-05-08
CHAPTER VI.
a Policy of silence.

N Policy of silence.
Steel dropped into a chair and gazed
at Inspector Marley With mild surprise.
At the same time. he was not in the
least alarmed. Not that he failed to
recognize the gravity Of the situation,
only it appealed. in the first instance. to
the professional side of his character.
"Walen is quite sure?" he asked. NO
possible doubt abou. it?"
mot in the least. You see. he recog-
nized his private mark at once. and
Brighton is not so prosperous place
that man could sell $50 cigar case
and forget all about it-that is, a second
case. mean. It's most extraordinary"
Rather. What a magnificent story,
Marley"
Very responded Marley, drily. lit
would take all your we'll known ingenu
tty to get your hero out of this trouble"
Steel nodded. gravely. This personal
twist Brought him to the earth again.
He could clearly see the trap into which
he had placed himself. There before
him lay the cigsr case which he had
positively identified as his own; inside
'|OAS $1,000
And vet the same case had been identi-
fed beyond question as one sold by
highly respectable local tradesman to
the mysterious individual now lying in
the Sussex county hospital.
MAY smoke q cigarette?' David
asked.
You may smoke a score if they will
be of any assistance to you SIR" Mar
any questions. and I don't want you
well, to commit yourself. But, really,
sir. you must admit"
The inspector paused, significantly.
David nodded again.
3'Pray proceed he said; "speak from
the brief you ha re before you"
"Well, you see. it's this way" Marley
said, not without hesitation. you call
us up to your house, saying that muir
der has been committed there: We find
a stranger. almost 1t his lest gasp, in
your conservatory with every sign of a
struggle having taken Place. You tell
US that the injured man is a stranger to
you: YOU go on to say that he must
have found his way into your house
during rocturr al ram5le of yours.
Well. that sounds like common sense,
OIL llle lace VI IL. Lie CJ1IIJjldl has
studied your habits. and has taken ad
vantage of them. Then I ask if you are
in the habit of taking these midnight
strolls, and, with some signs of hesita-
ton, you say that you have never done
such thing before. Charles Dickens
was very fond of that kind of thing. and
I naturally imagined that yen had the
same fancy. But you had never done
1,1fo Ay,1 o,,11y n
is nearly murdered in your house..
Perfectly correct" David murmurad.
"Gaboriau could not have put it better.
You might have been pupil of my re-
vnarkable acquaints nee. Hatherly Bell"
81 am pupil of Mr.. Bells Marley
said, quietly. "Sey-n years ago he in
lice to go into his office. where I stayed
when I applied for and gained my pres
ent position. Curious you should men
ton MI. Bells name seeing that he was
here so recently as this afternoon.
Staying in Brighton" Steel asked,
eagerly. "What is his address,"
mo. 219 Brunswick Square"
It took all the nerve that David pos
sessed to crush the cry that rose to his
the man he most desired to see at this
juncture should be staying in the very
house where the novelist had his great
adventure. And in the mere fact might
be the key to the problem of the cigar
ease.
"I'll certainly see Bell" he muttered.
go on, Marley
Eyes. sir We now proceed to the CT
gar case that lies before you. 1t was
also lying on the floor of the conserv-
atory on the night in question. I sug
gested that here we might have found
clue. taking the precaution, at the same
time to ask if the article in question
was your property. You looked at the
case as one does who examines an OBJ
iect for the first time, and proceeded to
declare that it was not yours. I am
quite prepared to admit that you in
stantly corrected yourself But. ask.
is. 1t usual thing for man to forget
the ownership of $50 cigar case?"
"a nice point and congratulate you
upon it, David said.
Then we will take the matter little
farther. A day or two ago You were in
dire need of something like G1,000.
Temporarily, at any rate. you We're
practically at the end of your resources.
IF the money We're not forthcoming, in
q few hours you were ruined man. In
vulgar parlance. you would have been
sold up. Mossa & Mack had you in
their grip, and they were determined 10
make all they could out of you. The
morning following the outrage at your
house you call upon Mr.. Mossa and pro-