May 16, 2025 • 24 mins
Dive into the mysterious world of the Domino Club, where a case of opium poisoning is anything but simple. Following the murder of Dr. Weathered, our protagonist is plunged into a twisted game with stakes running high - a stolen case book that threatens the entirety of London society. Guided by Zenobia Salome, the Leopardess, and a poison unknown even to renowned expert Sir Frank Tarleton, the narrative unfolds through the eyes of an unwilling participant in this deadly charade. Unravel the mystery as we delve into the darkest corners of the human heart, exposing the dreadful lengths one might go to protect their secrets. This gripping detective story, with its unique psychoanalytical perspective, will keep you on the edge of your seat, challenging even the most seasoned mystery enthusiasts.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter twenty of the Club of Masks. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
The Club of Masks by Alan Upward, Chapter twenty, The
(00:22):
finger Print. When Sir Frank Tarlton walked into the room
on his return from Paris, the first thing he did
was to put his gold repeater to his ear and
make it ring out its musical notes. It was the
sign of triumph. He told me everything just as I
have described it. Then he transfixed me with a question,
(00:45):
I expect you to be as candid with me as
Missus Neobard has been. Did you put this poison into
Weathered's cup along with the opium? It was no more
than I ought to have expected, no more than I
had deserved, but it gave me a greater shock than
I could have thought possible before God. I am innocent
(01:06):
of that. I swore my chief received my oaths without
any indication of belief or disbelief. I don't blame you
for anything else you did on behalf of Lady Violet,
he said gravely. Even if you hadn't been in love
with her. As a man, you could do no less
than you did to save her from such a scoundrel.
(01:27):
You were right to drug him and write to destroy
his case book, but you had no right to take
his life. I looked him in the face, I was
too proud to repeat my denial. That has been my
greatest anxiety in the whole business, Casselus. I liked you.
You knew it, and I think you should have confided
(01:49):
in me. It wasn't my secret, I pleaded. I suppose
that was the reason. Yes, I accept that it was
a mistake, though, because you had no chance of keeping
the secret, and that is partly why I think it
better for you to drop this kind of work and
go in for private practice. You lack the first essential
(02:11):
for a detective. My dear fellow, you can hold your tongue,
but you can't hold your face. I'm afraid I couldn't
hold it. Then it blushed in spite of me. I
am a light sleeper, Casalice, as you ought to know.
The telephone bell woke me some minutes before you came
into the house that first night. You moved as quietly
(02:32):
as a mouse as soon as you heard it. But
you see. I was listening before it rang the second time,
and I heard you come up to the front door
and open it. How silly all my precautions seemed now
My Chief rubbed it into me with a touch of
good humor. I gave you a hint that you might
as well make a clean breast of it at once,
(02:53):
but you didn't take it. When you came in to
me with Charles's message, your face showed me that you
had something more on your mind mind than having gone
out without letting me know. And you gave yourself away
when you told me that you had been taken to
the Domino Club by a Captain Smethwick. There is no
such name in the army list. Blunder after blunder, he
(03:15):
recounted them all. The theft of the case book had
pointed to the thief being a doctor. The omission of
Violet's name from the list I had copied supplied the
key to my motives, and my attack on Sarah Neobar
left no doubt that I was in love with the
girl she had denounced. My kind hearted chief had willingly
lent himself to my plans for meeting Violet at Tiverton,
(03:37):
though he had tried to let me see he was
not quite blind. He had followed the history of the
Zenobia costume easily enough, and Violet's refusal to give up
the name of her champion had told him more than
it had told poor dullwitted me. That is my best
reason for advising you to start in practice for yourself.
My boy, consider what your prospects are with me. I
(04:00):
I'm at the top of the tree now, and my
salary is a bear fifteen hundred pounds a year, and
if I make another five hundred by my private work,
it's as much as I make. That's not enough for
an earl's daughter to look forward to. You will make
double as a fashionable doctor. You have the most valuable
gift of all for the medical profession. You are a
(04:21):
good listener. The people who will come to you, the
patients who really bring in money, don't want to be cured.
They like to fancy they are ill, and they want
to talk about themselves. Let em do it and charge
em for it. With my influence and Lord Ledbury's, you
won't have long to wait. I could only shake my
(04:42):
head sorrowfully. You are very good, sir. You are kinder
to me than I deserve. But I have no right
to think that lady Violet will ever marry me. Sir
Frank gave me a queer look. Then I tell you this,
If you don't marry her, I will. Before I could
recover from the start given me by this threat, he
(05:04):
was consulting his watch again. Charles ought to be here
by this time, and I think he is. I shall
be glad if you will come with us, Coselis. We
are going to the Domino Club. I followed him thankfully
into the hall to meet Inspector Charles and a quietly
dressed Frenchman who was briefly introduced to me as Brigadier Samson.
(05:25):
I took the invitation to go with them as a
token that my chief had acquitted me in his own mind.
At least I was ignorant whether I ever had been
under suspicion in the inspectors, and I am so still.
We drove to the club in the taxi that had
brought the two police officers. We found it looking much
more cheerful than on the last occasion. The new proprietors
(05:45):
had evidently determined to make it a greater success than ever.
In spite of the little cloud that had fallen on it.
There were signs of renovation going on in the hall,
and new decorations had been put up in the ball room.
The door was opened to us by the waiters Gerard,
who looked as amiable as ever, but rather more subdued.
The respectful glance he gave to Captain Charles seemed to
(06:07):
tell of some intelligence between them. Gerard was closely followed
by another man, whose salute showed me that he was
one of the Inspector's staff in charge of the premises.
When Girard, who had left us in the ball room,
returned to say that Madame Bonnell was ready to receive us,
the French detective retained his seat. The other three of
us were conducted into a smartly furnished parlor, in which
(06:30):
we found Madame enthroned in all the dignity of her
new position. She had put on mourning for her late employer,
but it was the sword of mourning. A good modiste
knows how to make a softener of grief, rather than
a perpetuation of it. Madame Model showed no trace of
nervousness at our appearance. Like a good general. She had
gaged her enemy in advance. She had anticipated his attack,
(06:54):
and her plans of defense had been skillfully laid out.
She received us in the manner of a courteous business
woman who was only anxious to do whatever was asked
of her. I was conscious that my chief's keen eyes
were on the lookout for any sign of recognition between
Madame and me as I came into the room. Fortunately,
she scarcely noticed me, and I think her indifference must
(07:15):
have finally satisfied him that we were strangers to each other.
He came straight to the point, we have called on you, Madame,
in consequence of the advertisement from messieurs James Halliday and James.
She heard this with composure. What advertisement is that Charlton
ignored the affectation of ignorance. It may save time to
(07:38):
tell you that every person known to have been in
correspondence with doctor RUTHERID has been warned to take no
notice of that advertisement. It was evidently news to her
that the names of the correspondence were known to the police,
and she looked less confident Already, mister Stillman has been
informed that doctor Weathereg's executrix is the sole person entitled
(07:59):
to deal with the letters, and he has now consented
to allow a detective officer to sit in his outer
office and refer any persons who may answer the advertisement
to me. The same officer is opening all letters addressed
to the firm. By this time, Madame Bonnell must have
made up her mind that she had little chance of
making anything out of the letters, and that it was
(08:20):
better for her to sacrifice them, if you could do
so without damage to herself. What has all this to
do with me, she asked cautiously. Missus Weatherreed informs me
that she placed the letters in your possession, and I
am here to ask you for them. Madame Brnell did
some hard thinking, and did it quickly too. Missus Weathered
(08:41):
is a mad woman. She is not responsible for her actions,
and her word is not to be believed. I am
surprised that you should expect me to take such a
story seriously. If you believe I have the letters, look
for them. It was a gallant last stand. She must
have known that every inch of the premises been searched already.
(09:02):
Tarlton smiled at her. He was beginning to warm to
his work. If I am to take advantage of that permission, Madame,
I shall have to ask you to accompany me to
Newgate Street, where there is a female searcher. You probably
carry the letters about with you. A sudden spark, a
very ugly and dangerous spark, was kindled in a woman's
eyes at the mention of a female searcher. It went
(09:24):
out again instantly. Madame folded her arms. If you believe
what you say, it makes no difference. You say that
missus Weatheret gave me those letters, Why isn't she here
to ask for them back? I have a right to
keep them till she does. This was true, unfortunately, but
Madame had just been betrayed into revealing her weak point,
(09:46):
about which the representative of the Home Office had been
pretty confident before. He now turned to Inspector Charles. I
am afraid I must leave the matter to you, Inspector.
Captain Charles was quite ready. I must ask you to
consider yourself my prisoner. Madam. The charge is one of
conspiring with Arthur Stillman to obtain money from various persons
(10:08):
by threats. Whatever you may say will be taken down
and maybe used in evidence against you. She didn't wait
for the production of the official note book. Her hands
were at the bosom of her dress. That charge is false,
and you know it. It is you who are using
threats to obtain these letters to which you have no claim.
(10:29):
You are breaking the law, not high. She was right,
that was the amazing part of it, entirely right. But
she handed over the letters, and she contrived to look
rather anxious. Let me tell you that I only consented
to receive those letters from Missus Weatherread because I saw
she was a dangerous woman, and I wanted to prevent
her from doing mischief. I meant to return them to
(10:52):
the writers the moment I knew who they were. In
my position, I couldn't afford to do otherwise. I had
to think of the reputation of the club Against this.
There was nothing to be said. It was the second
line of defense. Of course, Tarleton was not the man
to waste time in assailing it. Missus Weatherbreed tells me
she gave you something else besides those letters. Madame Bournell
(11:16):
needed no preparation to meet this blow, which she had
clearly been expecting. She heaved a sigh, apparently one of relief. Ah,
I am glad she has confessed that it has been
a burden on my mind. I ought to have denounced her,
I suppose, but I saw she was out of her mind,
and I was sorry for her. I thought it would
(11:36):
be enough if I took the poison from her and
kept it in a safe place. This was neater than
even Tarleton had expected. I saw the positive respect in
his eyes. Then you have the poison, still, Madame untouched.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
But yes, I.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Placed it among my little aids to the toilette. You
will find it in the cupboard you locked up. You remember,
Perhaps you will oblige me by fetching it. Inspector Charles
will unlock the door for you. The Inspector's face fell
as he rose to escort her. Perhaps he thought that
Sir Frank was being deceived. They came back together, Charles
(12:13):
carrying the little bottle, which he silently handed to the specialist.
Charleton went through the form of wetting his forefinger, taking
up a few grains of the gray powder, and tasting it.
His face told nothing. The powder now in this bottle
is a harmless mixture of charcoal and common salt. The
poison that killed doctor Weatherhed was upper sign. Madame Marnelle
(12:36):
raised her hands in admirable despair. Miller tournis that wretched
woman was more mad than I thought. She mistook this
stuff for what did you.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Say, sir?
Speaker 1 (12:47):
The physician shook his head. You do her an injustice.
I have tested her story, and I feel no doubt
that she placed the real poison in your hands. I
have seen the person from whom she took it, and
from whose brother I obtained some of it myself. Again,
the first line of defense, a rather flimsy one, had
(13:07):
been broken through. The second line was instantly unveiled. I
have been rob then, that is what you mean. Some
wretches stolen the drug and fill up the bottle again
to deceive me. It looks like that, certainly. Could I
believe that this was Charlton speaking? His voice remained perfectly
steady as he went on. Unfortunately, one of the club's
(13:31):
servants named Gerard, has told the police a different tale.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
At once Madame Brunell turned very white, she began breathing
in spasms. His story is that you threw out hints
to him that doctor Wuthered was in danger of being poisoned,
as you pretended by enemies of his in the club.
At a later time, you bribed Gerard to say that
the doctor himself was afraid and had given him instructions
(13:59):
to watch over his drinks. What really happened was that
your continued hints made Gerard watchful, and on the fatal night,
he did see something dropped in the doctor's cup by
a dancer, whom he described correctly. We know that it
was a harmless dose of opium, a drug to which
weather it was immune, because he was taking it. Gerard
(14:20):
reported what he had seen to you, and you thereupon
told him that it was what you had feared, but
that you had an antidote. You put this antidote, as
you called it, into a fresh cup of coffee and
made him take it to the doctor. There is no
doubt in my mind that he died in consequence of
drinking it. Madame Mornelle's perfect composure was gone. That angry
(14:45):
spark had come back into her eyes to remain there.
She clenched her teeth, and her words came through them
like the click of castanettes.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Ger Warard is a bloody liar.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
The next instant she recollected herself. She had still a
third line of defense, a really good one this time.
Are you going to tell that story to the world. Ah,
I can tell stories too. I shall have a fine
tale to tell about his Royal Highness, the Crown Prince
of Slavonia.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Yes, yes, I shall tell how his Highness came to
dance with poisoners and prostitutes, and people whose minds were
fouler than any sink, and saw a murder committed under
his eyes by his partner in the dance?
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Is it not so?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
And I shall recite much from all those letters I
have read. I have a good memory, and I recite well.
Tarleton acknowledged the strength of this position. You are correct
in thinking that the British authorities have reason for not
taking proceedings against you. Therefore they propose to let you
return to your own country and give up my club,
(15:51):
abandon my good fortune at its height. I am not
a very great fool, Sir Frank Tarlton, my chief raised
his finger. Captain Charles sounded his whistle, and Brigadier Sampson
stepped through the door slowly. The woman recoiled on herself,
seemingly actually to grow smaller in the act. The Brigadier
(16:12):
gave her a careless nod. You have dyed your hair
leone marchon since I saw you last, but you haven't
changed your finger print, you know, and you are still
wanted for the murder. In the rule of Sanna, it
was not a woman. It was a wild cat that
sprang Sir Frank with tearing nails and spitting teeth. I
was just too late, But the French detective, who knew
(16:34):
the nature of the animal, was just in time, and
he wasn't hampered by any false sentiment. His methods were
not particularly pleasant to watch, but they were effective. I
think Charles rather envied him. The methods of the French
criminal court also seemed to be effective at all events.
When I read the newspaper report of the trial at
which Leoni Marchan was sentenced to imprisonment for life, it
(16:57):
contained no hint of any scandal about any royal pros.
Sir Frank Tarleton was none the worse for the little
shock he had experienced, and for which he rather blamed
himself afterwards. He had not to have waited to see
the arrest, he admitted to me, but he couldn't resist
the temptation to see the real woman come out. He
hadn't liked the sight it lay between Madame and you
(17:19):
from the first, as far as I could see, he
explained to me, as we were walking away together down
Tarifa Road. I never believed the waiter's story for a moment.
The idea that a man who knew his life to
be in danger would go on coming to the club
and trust to a foreign waiter to prevent him from
being poisoned was ridiculous in my eyes. It was clear
(17:40):
that the story had been put into his mouth by someone,
And when Madame told a similar story about Weathered having
asked her to pour out his drinks herself, it was
easy to see who was the inventor. It was a
case of cleverness overreaching itself. The theory that Weatherhed had
been poisoned by one of his patients whom he was
blackmailing was quite plausible in itself. As we know, it
(18:03):
was very nearly being the true theory. If she had
left it there and confined herself to saying what she
had said to missus wutherid that she knew he had
enemies in the club who would be glad of his death.
I might not have suspected her, But when she took
such pains to represent the whole place as a nest
of assassins, with herself and Gerard as guardian angels watching
(18:24):
over the threatened man. I began to smell her rat.
I had no suspicions of missus Wutherred. I don't see
how I could have had at that stage. Madame Bornell's
motives were just what would make a woman of her
stamp commit a crime. Sarah Nilbard put it in a
nutshell when she said she was a woman who would
do anything for money. The Domino Club was doing well,
(18:47):
and whether it wasn't necessary to it any longer. In fact,
he was beginning to be in the way. She spoke
the truth, probably in saying that she lived in fear
of a scene of some kind. At the same time,
I doubt she would ever have ventured to poison him
herself if the means hadn't been put into her hands.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Here is the real murderer. He took out the little
bottle which he had brought away with him. It was
square shaped and made of brown glass, the sort of
bottle in which smelling salts are sold. I look on
this case throughout as one of murder. By suggestion, Armstrong
did very wrong to leave this bottle in his sister's possession.
The very precaution she took to keep it safely as
(19:27):
she thought, showed that her mind was exercised by it.
I shouldn't have wondered at all if weather Ed, who
was a clever man in his way, actually did detect
some latent fancies in the little woman's head as to
how it might be used, and worked on them till
he convinced her that they were serious. Then no sooner
does he hear of the existence of the bottle than
(19:48):
it fascinates him. An unknown drug, one whose effects will
defy analysis. What a prize for a man who is
fast sinking into a hardened criminal. Remember that, if arms
Wrong had not happened to bring a sample of his
fine to me, you might now be under sentenced for
the murder. I shook as I recognize the truth of
(20:08):
what he said. Even Tarletan's skill might have failed to
demonstrate the presence of a strange drug unknown to the
whole medical world. This accursed bartle next has the same
effect on missus Wutherredd. She is a good woman, and
she has been a faithful wife and a forgiving one.
I believe every word of her story. I fully believed
(20:28):
that she took the bottle with no intention to do
anything but destroy it and its contents. But no sooner
is it in her keeping than she succumbs to its temptation.
She is fascinated by the idea of the invisible death
can deal all kinds of motives and excuses bring up
in her mind like specters conjured up by a magician.
So she becomes a murderess in intention, a murderess by proxy,
(20:52):
one might say. Even Madame Bonnell. I think it most
likely had no idea of killing Weathered before this bottle
came into her hands. She had committed one murder already,
and she seems to have had a narrow escape that time.
She was a prudent woman, too, a woman to weigh
risks carefully before taking them. I think it quite probable
(21:13):
that her only idea at first was to use this
bottle to extort money from Missus Wutherread, But very quickly
she was in its power. Then it was that she
began weaving the romance of Weatheridg's revengeful patience, a picture
only too well founded on fact. She may have hoped
to find an enemy of Weatheridge to do the job
for her. However, you saved her the trouble. She saw
(21:37):
her chance, and that night she had a double security.
From first to last, it is evident that she trusted
to the crown Prince's name to pull her through everything,
and in a way it did. What made you think
she had committed a crime in France, Sir, I didn't.
It was a mere shot in the dark. I asked
(21:57):
Charles to get her fingerprint without her knowing, and I
took it over to Paris on the bare chance that
she might be known to the French police. It is
fortunate that she was. We were in Eden Square by
this time, after coming along the King's Road. My chief
seemed to know where he was going, but he did
not tell me till we had gone round the pack
of the Palace and come out in Piccadilly. When we
(22:19):
crossed the road, my heart began to beat quicker. The
dear old man had made up his mind to pull
me through, and I suspect he did it as much
for Violet's sake as mine. He must have seen that
there was some obstacle between us, but he never asked
what it was. He only gave me one hint before
we reached the house. No man ever won a woman
(22:40):
yet by making the worst of himself, Cassalis, if you
haven't anything else to be proud of, be proud of
being loved, and show it. The earl, whom we found
at home, was more than half prepared to listen to us.
He had changed for the better too, since he had
taken Sir Frank's advice. He showed that he felt he
owed a debt to him and another to his daughter,
(23:02):
and was not unwilling to discharge both. It was my
advocate who did most of the talking. He surprised and
delighted me by telling my perspective father in law, that
I needn't throw up my post under him just yet,
not to he is on his feet comfortably, he put it.
In the end, the Earl said, well, I will see
(23:23):
what my daughter has to say, doctor Casalis, and he
rang the bell. When Violet came in, she saw why
she had been sent for. Before her father spoke, she
had her answer ready when he put her the question,
this young gentleman has come here to ask me for
your hand, Violet, what am I to say to him?
(23:43):
He hasn't asked me yet, She whispered, My dear chief
sprang to his feet. I think we had better leave
these young people together. My lord, we are together still
the end end of Chapter twenty recording by Todd and
(24:04):
of the Club of Masks by Allan Upward
Chapter twenty of the Club of Masks. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
The Club of Masks by Alan Upward, Chapter twenty, The
(00:22):
finger Print. When Sir Frank Tarlton walked into the room
on his return from Paris, the first thing he did
was to put his gold repeater to his ear and
make it ring out its musical notes. It was the
sign of triumph. He told me everything just as I
have described it. Then he transfixed me with a question,
(00:45):
I expect you to be as candid with me as
Missus Neobard has been. Did you put this poison into
Weathered's cup along with the opium? It was no more
than I ought to have expected, no more than I
had deserved, but it gave me a greater shock than
I could have thought possible before God. I am innocent
(01:06):
of that. I swore my chief received my oaths without
any indication of belief or disbelief. I don't blame you
for anything else you did on behalf of Lady Violet,
he said gravely. Even if you hadn't been in love
with her. As a man, you could do no less
than you did to save her from such a scoundrel.
(01:27):
You were right to drug him and write to destroy
his case book, but you had no right to take
his life. I looked him in the face, I was
too proud to repeat my denial. That has been my
greatest anxiety in the whole business, Casselus. I liked you.
You knew it, and I think you should have confided
(01:49):
in me. It wasn't my secret, I pleaded. I suppose
that was the reason. Yes, I accept that it was
a mistake, though, because you had no chance of keeping
the secret, and that is partly why I think it
better for you to drop this kind of work and
go in for private practice. You lack the first essential
(02:11):
for a detective. My dear fellow, you can hold your tongue,
but you can't hold your face. I'm afraid I couldn't
hold it. Then it blushed in spite of me. I
am a light sleeper, Casalice, as you ought to know.
The telephone bell woke me some minutes before you came
into the house that first night. You moved as quietly
(02:32):
as a mouse as soon as you heard it. But
you see. I was listening before it rang the second time,
and I heard you come up to the front door
and open it. How silly all my precautions seemed now
My Chief rubbed it into me with a touch of
good humor. I gave you a hint that you might
as well make a clean breast of it at once,
(02:53):
but you didn't take it. When you came in to
me with Charles's message, your face showed me that you
had something more on your mind mind than having gone
out without letting me know. And you gave yourself away
when you told me that you had been taken to
the Domino Club by a Captain Smethwick. There is no
such name in the army list. Blunder after blunder, he
(03:15):
recounted them all. The theft of the case book had
pointed to the thief being a doctor. The omission of
Violet's name from the list I had copied supplied the
key to my motives, and my attack on Sarah Neobar
left no doubt that I was in love with the
girl she had denounced. My kind hearted chief had willingly
lent himself to my plans for meeting Violet at Tiverton,
(03:37):
though he had tried to let me see he was
not quite blind. He had followed the history of the
Zenobia costume easily enough, and Violet's refusal to give up
the name of her champion had told him more than
it had told poor dullwitted me. That is my best
reason for advising you to start in practice for yourself.
My boy, consider what your prospects are with me. I
(04:00):
I'm at the top of the tree now, and my
salary is a bear fifteen hundred pounds a year, and
if I make another five hundred by my private work,
it's as much as I make. That's not enough for
an earl's daughter to look forward to. You will make
double as a fashionable doctor. You have the most valuable
gift of all for the medical profession. You are a
(04:21):
good listener. The people who will come to you, the
patients who really bring in money, don't want to be cured.
They like to fancy they are ill, and they want
to talk about themselves. Let em do it and charge
em for it. With my influence and Lord Ledbury's, you
won't have long to wait. I could only shake my
(04:42):
head sorrowfully. You are very good, sir. You are kinder
to me than I deserve. But I have no right
to think that lady Violet will ever marry me. Sir
Frank gave me a queer look. Then I tell you this,
If you don't marry her, I will. Before I could
recover from the start given me by this threat, he
(05:04):
was consulting his watch again. Charles ought to be here
by this time, and I think he is. I shall
be glad if you will come with us, Coselis. We
are going to the Domino Club. I followed him thankfully
into the hall to meet Inspector Charles and a quietly
dressed Frenchman who was briefly introduced to me as Brigadier Samson.
(05:25):
I took the invitation to go with them as a
token that my chief had acquitted me in his own mind.
At least I was ignorant whether I ever had been
under suspicion in the inspectors, and I am so still.
We drove to the club in the taxi that had
brought the two police officers. We found it looking much
more cheerful than on the last occasion. The new proprietors
(05:45):
had evidently determined to make it a greater success than ever.
In spite of the little cloud that had fallen on it.
There were signs of renovation going on in the hall,
and new decorations had been put up in the ball room.
The door was opened to us by the waiters Gerard,
who looked as amiable as ever, but rather more subdued.
The respectful glance he gave to Captain Charles seemed to
(06:07):
tell of some intelligence between them. Gerard was closely followed
by another man, whose salute showed me that he was
one of the Inspector's staff in charge of the premises.
When Girard, who had left us in the ball room,
returned to say that Madame Bonnell was ready to receive us,
the French detective retained his seat. The other three of
us were conducted into a smartly furnished parlor, in which
(06:30):
we found Madame enthroned in all the dignity of her
new position. She had put on mourning for her late employer,
but it was the sword of mourning. A good modiste
knows how to make a softener of grief, rather than
a perpetuation of it. Madame Model showed no trace of
nervousness at our appearance. Like a good general. She had
gaged her enemy in advance. She had anticipated his attack,
(06:54):
and her plans of defense had been skillfully laid out.
She received us in the manner of a courteous business
woman who was only anxious to do whatever was asked
of her. I was conscious that my chief's keen eyes
were on the lookout for any sign of recognition between
Madame and me as I came into the room. Fortunately,
she scarcely noticed me, and I think her indifference must
(07:15):
have finally satisfied him that we were strangers to each other.
He came straight to the point, we have called on you, Madame,
in consequence of the advertisement from messieurs James Halliday and James.
She heard this with composure. What advertisement is that Charlton
ignored the affectation of ignorance. It may save time to
(07:38):
tell you that every person known to have been in
correspondence with doctor RUTHERID has been warned to take no
notice of that advertisement. It was evidently news to her
that the names of the correspondence were known to the police,
and she looked less confident Already, mister Stillman has been
informed that doctor Weathereg's executrix is the sole person entitled
(07:59):
to deal with the letters, and he has now consented
to allow a detective officer to sit in his outer
office and refer any persons who may answer the advertisement
to me. The same officer is opening all letters addressed
to the firm. By this time, Madame Bonnell must have
made up her mind that she had little chance of
making anything out of the letters, and that it was
(08:20):
better for her to sacrifice them, if you could do
so without damage to herself. What has all this to
do with me, she asked cautiously. Missus Weatherreed informs me
that she placed the letters in your possession, and I
am here to ask you for them. Madame Brnell did
some hard thinking, and did it quickly too. Missus Weathered
(08:41):
is a mad woman. She is not responsible for her actions,
and her word is not to be believed. I am
surprised that you should expect me to take such a
story seriously. If you believe I have the letters, look
for them. It was a gallant last stand. She must
have known that every inch of the premises been searched already.
(09:02):
Tarlton smiled at her. He was beginning to warm to
his work. If I am to take advantage of that permission, Madame,
I shall have to ask you to accompany me to
Newgate Street, where there is a female searcher. You probably
carry the letters about with you. A sudden spark, a
very ugly and dangerous spark, was kindled in a woman's
eyes at the mention of a female searcher. It went
(09:24):
out again instantly. Madame folded her arms. If you believe
what you say, it makes no difference. You say that
missus Weatheret gave me those letters, Why isn't she here
to ask for them back? I have a right to
keep them till she does. This was true, unfortunately, but
Madame had just been betrayed into revealing her weak point,
(09:46):
about which the representative of the Home Office had been
pretty confident before. He now turned to Inspector Charles. I
am afraid I must leave the matter to you, Inspector.
Captain Charles was quite ready. I must ask you to
consider yourself my prisoner. Madam. The charge is one of
conspiring with Arthur Stillman to obtain money from various persons
(10:08):
by threats. Whatever you may say will be taken down
and maybe used in evidence against you. She didn't wait
for the production of the official note book. Her hands
were at the bosom of her dress. That charge is false,
and you know it. It is you who are using
threats to obtain these letters to which you have no claim.
(10:29):
You are breaking the law, not high. She was right,
that was the amazing part of it, entirely right. But
she handed over the letters, and she contrived to look
rather anxious. Let me tell you that I only consented
to receive those letters from Missus Weatherread because I saw
she was a dangerous woman, and I wanted to prevent
her from doing mischief. I meant to return them to
(10:52):
the writers the moment I knew who they were. In
my position, I couldn't afford to do otherwise. I had
to think of the reputation of the club Against this.
There was nothing to be said. It was the second
line of defense. Of course, Tarleton was not the man
to waste time in assailing it. Missus Weatherbreed tells me
she gave you something else besides those letters. Madame Bournell
(11:16):
needed no preparation to meet this blow, which she had
clearly been expecting. She heaved a sigh, apparently one of relief. Ah,
I am glad she has confessed that it has been
a burden on my mind. I ought to have denounced her,
I suppose, but I saw she was out of her mind,
and I was sorry for her. I thought it would
(11:36):
be enough if I took the poison from her and
kept it in a safe place. This was neater than
even Tarleton had expected. I saw the positive respect in
his eyes. Then you have the poison, still, Madame untouched.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
But yes, I.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Placed it among my little aids to the toilette. You
will find it in the cupboard you locked up. You remember,
Perhaps you will oblige me by fetching it. Inspector Charles
will unlock the door for you. The Inspector's face fell
as he rose to escort her. Perhaps he thought that
Sir Frank was being deceived. They came back together, Charles
(12:13):
carrying the little bottle, which he silently handed to the specialist.
Charleton went through the form of wetting his forefinger, taking
up a few grains of the gray powder, and tasting it.
His face told nothing. The powder now in this bottle
is a harmless mixture of charcoal and common salt. The
poison that killed doctor Weatherhed was upper sign. Madame Marnelle
(12:36):
raised her hands in admirable despair. Miller tournis that wretched
woman was more mad than I thought. She mistook this
stuff for what did you.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Say, sir?
Speaker 1 (12:47):
The physician shook his head. You do her an injustice.
I have tested her story, and I feel no doubt
that she placed the real poison in your hands. I
have seen the person from whom she took it, and
from whose brother I obtained some of it myself. Again,
the first line of defense, a rather flimsy one, had
(13:07):
been broken through. The second line was instantly unveiled. I
have been rob then, that is what you mean. Some
wretches stolen the drug and fill up the bottle again
to deceive me. It looks like that, certainly. Could I
believe that this was Charlton speaking? His voice remained perfectly
steady as he went on. Unfortunately, one of the club's
(13:31):
servants named Gerard, has told the police a different tale.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
At once Madame Brunell turned very white, she began breathing
in spasms. His story is that you threw out hints
to him that doctor Wuthered was in danger of being poisoned,
as you pretended by enemies of his in the club.
At a later time, you bribed Gerard to say that
the doctor himself was afraid and had given him instructions
(13:59):
to watch over his drinks. What really happened was that
your continued hints made Gerard watchful, and on the fatal night,
he did see something dropped in the doctor's cup by
a dancer, whom he described correctly. We know that it
was a harmless dose of opium, a drug to which
weather it was immune, because he was taking it. Gerard
(14:20):
reported what he had seen to you, and you thereupon
told him that it was what you had feared, but
that you had an antidote. You put this antidote, as
you called it, into a fresh cup of coffee and
made him take it to the doctor. There is no
doubt in my mind that he died in consequence of
drinking it. Madame Mornelle's perfect composure was gone. That angry
(14:45):
spark had come back into her eyes to remain there.
She clenched her teeth, and her words came through them
like the click of castanettes.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Ger Warard is a bloody liar.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
The next instant she recollected herself. She had still a
third line of defense, a really good one this time.
Are you going to tell that story to the world. Ah,
I can tell stories too. I shall have a fine
tale to tell about his Royal Highness, the Crown Prince
of Slavonia.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Yes, yes, I shall tell how his Highness came to
dance with poisoners and prostitutes, and people whose minds were
fouler than any sink, and saw a murder committed under
his eyes by his partner in the dance?
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Is it not so?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
And I shall recite much from all those letters I
have read. I have a good memory, and I recite well.
Tarleton acknowledged the strength of this position. You are correct
in thinking that the British authorities have reason for not
taking proceedings against you. Therefore they propose to let you
return to your own country and give up my club,
(15:51):
abandon my good fortune at its height. I am not
a very great fool, Sir Frank Tarlton, my chief raised
his finger. Captain Charles sounded his whistle, and Brigadier Sampson
stepped through the door slowly. The woman recoiled on herself,
seemingly actually to grow smaller in the act. The Brigadier
(16:12):
gave her a careless nod. You have dyed your hair
leone marchon since I saw you last, but you haven't
changed your finger print, you know, and you are still
wanted for the murder. In the rule of Sanna, it
was not a woman. It was a wild cat that
sprang Sir Frank with tearing nails and spitting teeth. I
was just too late, But the French detective, who knew
(16:34):
the nature of the animal, was just in time, and
he wasn't hampered by any false sentiment. His methods were
not particularly pleasant to watch, but they were effective. I
think Charles rather envied him. The methods of the French
criminal court also seemed to be effective at all events.
When I read the newspaper report of the trial at
which Leoni Marchan was sentenced to imprisonment for life, it
(16:57):
contained no hint of any scandal about any royal pros.
Sir Frank Tarleton was none the worse for the little
shock he had experienced, and for which he rather blamed
himself afterwards. He had not to have waited to see
the arrest, he admitted to me, but he couldn't resist
the temptation to see the real woman come out. He
hadn't liked the sight it lay between Madame and you
(17:19):
from the first, as far as I could see, he
explained to me, as we were walking away together down
Tarifa Road. I never believed the waiter's story for a moment.
The idea that a man who knew his life to
be in danger would go on coming to the club
and trust to a foreign waiter to prevent him from
being poisoned was ridiculous in my eyes. It was clear
(17:40):
that the story had been put into his mouth by someone,
And when Madame told a similar story about Weathered having
asked her to pour out his drinks herself, it was
easy to see who was the inventor. It was a
case of cleverness overreaching itself. The theory that Weatherhed had
been poisoned by one of his patients whom he was
blackmailing was quite plausible in itself. As we know, it
(18:03):
was very nearly being the true theory. If she had
left it there and confined herself to saying what she
had said to missus wutherid that she knew he had
enemies in the club who would be glad of his death.
I might not have suspected her, But when she took
such pains to represent the whole place as a nest
of assassins, with herself and Gerard as guardian angels watching
(18:24):
over the threatened man. I began to smell her rat.
I had no suspicions of missus Wutherred. I don't see
how I could have had at that stage. Madame Bornell's
motives were just what would make a woman of her
stamp commit a crime. Sarah Nilbard put it in a
nutshell when she said she was a woman who would
do anything for money. The Domino Club was doing well,
(18:47):
and whether it wasn't necessary to it any longer. In fact,
he was beginning to be in the way. She spoke
the truth, probably in saying that she lived in fear
of a scene of some kind. At the same time,
I doubt she would ever have ventured to poison him
herself if the means hadn't been put into her hands.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Here is the real murderer. He took out the little
bottle which he had brought away with him. It was
square shaped and made of brown glass, the sort of
bottle in which smelling salts are sold. I look on
this case throughout as one of murder. By suggestion, Armstrong
did very wrong to leave this bottle in his sister's possession.
The very precaution she took to keep it safely as
(19:27):
she thought, showed that her mind was exercised by it.
I shouldn't have wondered at all if weather Ed, who
was a clever man in his way, actually did detect
some latent fancies in the little woman's head as to
how it might be used, and worked on them till
he convinced her that they were serious. Then no sooner
does he hear of the existence of the bottle than
(19:48):
it fascinates him. An unknown drug, one whose effects will
defy analysis. What a prize for a man who is
fast sinking into a hardened criminal. Remember that, if arms
Wrong had not happened to bring a sample of his
fine to me, you might now be under sentenced for
the murder. I shook as I recognize the truth of
(20:08):
what he said. Even Tarletan's skill might have failed to
demonstrate the presence of a strange drug unknown to the
whole medical world. This accursed bartle next has the same
effect on missus Wutherredd. She is a good woman, and
she has been a faithful wife and a forgiving one.
I believe every word of her story. I fully believed
(20:28):
that she took the bottle with no intention to do
anything but destroy it and its contents. But no sooner
is it in her keeping than she succumbs to its temptation.
She is fascinated by the idea of the invisible death
can deal all kinds of motives and excuses bring up
in her mind like specters conjured up by a magician.
So she becomes a murderess in intention, a murderess by proxy,
(20:52):
one might say. Even Madame Bonnell. I think it most
likely had no idea of killing Weathered before this bottle
came into her hands. She had committed one murder already,
and she seems to have had a narrow escape that time.
She was a prudent woman, too, a woman to weigh
risks carefully before taking them. I think it quite probable
(21:13):
that her only idea at first was to use this
bottle to extort money from Missus Wutherread, But very quickly
she was in its power. Then it was that she
began weaving the romance of Weatheridg's revengeful patience, a picture
only too well founded on fact. She may have hoped
to find an enemy of Weatheridge to do the job
for her. However, you saved her the trouble. She saw
(21:37):
her chance, and that night she had a double security.
From first to last, it is evident that she trusted
to the crown Prince's name to pull her through everything,
and in a way it did. What made you think
she had committed a crime in France, Sir, I didn't.
It was a mere shot in the dark. I asked
(21:57):
Charles to get her fingerprint without her knowing, and I
took it over to Paris on the bare chance that
she might be known to the French police. It is
fortunate that she was. We were in Eden Square by
this time, after coming along the King's Road. My chief
seemed to know where he was going, but he did
not tell me till we had gone round the pack
of the Palace and come out in Piccadilly. When we
(22:19):
crossed the road, my heart began to beat quicker. The
dear old man had made up his mind to pull
me through, and I suspect he did it as much
for Violet's sake as mine. He must have seen that
there was some obstacle between us, but he never asked
what it was. He only gave me one hint before
we reached the house. No man ever won a woman
(22:40):
yet by making the worst of himself, Cassalis, if you
haven't anything else to be proud of, be proud of
being loved, and show it. The earl, whom we found
at home, was more than half prepared to listen to us.
He had changed for the better too, since he had
taken Sir Frank's advice. He showed that he felt he
owed a debt to him and another to his daughter,
(23:02):
and was not unwilling to discharge both. It was my
advocate who did most of the talking. He surprised and
delighted me by telling my perspective father in law, that
I needn't throw up my post under him just yet,
not to he is on his feet comfortably, he put it.
In the end, the Earl said, well, I will see
(23:23):
what my daughter has to say, doctor Casalis, and he
rang the bell. When Violet came in, she saw why
she had been sent for. Before her father spoke, she
had her answer ready when he put her the question,
this young gentleman has come here to ask me for
your hand, Violet, what am I to say to him?
(23:43):
He hasn't asked me yet, She whispered, My dear chief
sprang to his feet. I think we had better leave
these young people together. My lord, we are together still
the end end of Chapter twenty recording by Todd and
(24:04):
of the Club of Masks by Allan Upward
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