Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-24
Martin Hewitt,
Investigator
BY ARTHUR MORRISON.
The Affair of the Tortoise.
BY ARTHUR MORRISON.

you about Rameau's treatment of Goujon's
| pet tortoise?- -
| Il think it was mentioned among his
other FRANKS. But this is an extreme re-
Vehge Tor thing of that sort, and a
queer way of announcing it,"
| On, he's mad-mad with Rameau's con-
tinual Raging and batting" Meetings. an
swered Any way, this is plain indi-
cauon-pialn as though he'd left his own
| signature. Besides, it's In his own Ian
! guage-French. And there's his chopper.
| too
| Speaking of signatures" Hewitt re-
marked. perhaps you have already COM
| pared TINS with other specimens of Gou-
| joins writing?"
| Il did think of it. but they don't seem
| 10 nave specimen to hand, and. any way,
II doesn't seem very important. There s
dFenger or the tortoise plain enough, in
| the mans own language. and that tells
| everything. Besides, handwritinss are easily
! disguised.
Have you got GouJon?"
| Well. no: we haven't There seems to
| be some little difficulty about that. But
! expect to have him by this time tomor-
row. Here comes Mr.. Styles the land
| lord
/ Mr. Styles was thin. ouerulous ard
withered-looking little man, who twltched
! ms eyebrows as he spoke and spoke in
| short, jerky phrases
No news. Ell. inspector? Ell? Found out
nothing else. eh? Terrible thing for my
property-tefriblei Who's your friend?"
Meetings. introduced Hewitt
| shocking thing this, Ell, Mr. Hew-
1T? Terrible. Comes of having any
foreigners, Ell? New buildings and all
lIcnaracter ruined. No one come to
ive there now. Ell? Tenants-neisy niggers
murdered by my own servants-terriblei
You formed any opinion. eh?"
/ case" ''o '''e
yes. yes-same opinion as inspectors.
| en-? mean opinion of your own, The
! old man scrutinized Hewitt's face sharply.
IT you'd like me to look into the matter
| - Hewitt began.
"Eh? Oh. look into it! Well. can't com
! mission you, you know-matter for the
| police. Mischiers done. Police doing very
| well. l think-must be Goujon But look
! ABOUT the place certainly, II you like If
you see anything likely to serve my in
| terests. tell me. and-and-perhaps III en-
| pioy you. eh, Ell? Good afternoon
The landlord vanished, and the inspector
laughed Likes to see what he's buying,
| does MIR. Styles, he said.
| Hewitts first impulse was to walk ont of
| the place at once. But his interest In the
| case had been reused, and he determined
] at any rate, to examine the rooms and this
/ he did very infinitely. By the side of the lob
! by was bath room. and in this was lifted
a tip-up wash basin. which Hewitt inspected
| with particular attention. Then he called
the housekeeper. and made inquiries abou.
Rameaus clothes and linen. The house
! Keeper could give idea of how many
| overcoats OF how much linen he had had
! He had ali a negros love of display, and
was continually buying new clothes. which,
indeed. We're lying, hanging nttering ard
! checking UP the bed room In all directions
The housekeeper, however. on Hewitts III
| During after such garment in particular
! did remember Que heavy black ulster Eni.h
Rameau rarely worn-only in the coolest
weather
After the body was discovered" Hewitt
asked the hcusekeeper. was any stranger
observed about the place-whether carrying
anything or not?
mo. SIR" the housekeeper replied
fhere's been particular inquiries about
that Or course. after we knew wnat was
wrong and the body was gone, nobody vas
seen, or he'd have been stopped But the
| hall porter says he's certain no stranger
came or went for half an hour or more
| before that-the time when the housan,aid
| saw the body and tainted"
| At this moment clerk from the land
| lords office arrived and handed Meetings. a
paper Here you are said Meetings. TO
| Hewitt; they've found specimen of Gou-
| joins handwriting at last. If you'd like to
see it. / don't want it; I'm not a grapao-
! logist. and the case is clear enough :or
me anyway"
lis different sort of handwriting from
that on the paper. The red-ink note about
the avenger of the tortoise Is In a crude.
large. clumsy, untaught style of writing.
! This Is small. neat and well formed-except
that 1t is a trifie shaky, probably because
of the hand injury"
mats nothing, commended Meetings.,
handwriting clues are worse than useless
as rule. It's so easy to disguise and
initiate writing: and besides. IL Goujou Is
such good penman you seem to say
why. he could all the easier alter his style.
Say now yourself. can any adding uues-
ton of handwriting get over this thing
about avenging the tortose'-practically a
written COMPASSIONATE say nothing of the
chopper. and what he said to the house,
maid as he ieft?'
Well said Hewitt perhaps not: but
Wen see. Notwithstanding to the land
lords clerk-"possibly you will be good
enough 70 zen me one or two things. First.
what was Coupons character
Excellent. as far we know We never
had a complaint about him except for lit
Tie matters of MISUNDERSTANDING coal
Scuttles on the stair cases for people to
fall over. losing shovels and so on. He
was certainly a bit careless, but as far as
we could see. quite a decent little fellow
one would never have thought him capable
OF committing murder for the sake of a
tortoise though he was rather fond of the
ANIMAL
The tortoise Is dead now 1 understands
Yes"
Have you lift in this buildingY,
only for Goals and heavy parcels Gou-
Jon used to work II. sometimes going up
and down in 1t himself with Goals, and so
on; II goes into the basement"
And are the Goals kept under this build
ing?"
NO. The store for the whole row is un-
, ger the next two hOuses-the Easements
communicated"
DO you know Rameau's other name?''
| Cesar Rameau he signed In our agree
ment."
Did he ever mention his relations?"
NO That IS to say he did say some
thing one day when he was very drunk:
but, OF course. 1t was all rot Some one
told him not to make such a rcyw-he was
beastly tenant-and he said he was the
best man In the place, and his brother was
prime minister. and all sorts OF things
| Mere drunken rant! never heard OF his
! saving anything sensible about relations.
| we know nothing OF his connections: he
! came here on a bankers reference
Thanks I think that's all want
| to MEETINGS. the only Ink in this niace
! Is scented and violet. and the only naper
| Is United and scented. too. with mono
gram-characteristic of a negro with
| money. The paper that was pinned on
| Rameau's breast is In red ink on common
| ana rather grubby paper therefore II was
written somewhere else and brought here
| Inference. generalization"
| yes, yes. But are you an inch nearer
: with all these speculations? Can Won get
| nearer than am now without tnem?,
| We'll. perhaps not" Hewitt replfed "I
| don't profess at this moment to know the
| criminal; you do. I'll concede You that
| point for the present. But you don't ofrer