June 9, 2025 • 60 mins
Dive into seven captivating mystery stories featuring master detective Martin Hewitt, as narrated by his trusty, yet unnamed, sidekick. Authored by Arthur Morrison, these tales showcase his extraordinary imagination through diverse scenarios, motivations, crimes, and characters. Whether hes hot on the trails of a Russian spy or a household pet, or investigating the theft of national security documents versus the destruction of a counterfeit work of art, Hewitts adventures are as varied as they are thrilling.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter one of Martin Hewitt Investigator by Arthur Morrison. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Recording by Kirsten Webber, Chapter one, the
(00:21):
Lenton Croft Robberies. Those who retain any memory of the
great law cases of fifteen or twenty years back will
remember at least the title of that extraordinary case Bartley
versus Bartley and Others, which occupied the Probate Court for
some weeks on end, and caused an amount of public
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interests rarely accorded to any but the cases considered in
the other division of the same court. The case itself
was noted for the large quantity of remarkable and unusual
evidence presented by the plaintiff side, evidence that took the
other party completely by surprise and overthrew their case like
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a house of cards. The affair will perhaps be more
readily recalled as the occasion of the sudden rise to
eminence in their profession of mess Crellan, Hunt and Crellan,
solicitors for the plaintiff, a result due entirely to the
wonderful ability shown in this case of building up, apparently
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out of nothing, a smashing weight of irresistible evidence that
the firm has since maintained, indeed enhanced the position it
than won for itself. Need scarcely be said here. Its
name is familiar to everybody, but there are not many
of the outside public who know that the credit of
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the whole performance was primarily due to a young clerk
in the employ of Messyr Crellin, who had been given
charge of this seemingly desperate task of collecting evidence in
the case. This mister Martin Hewitt, had, however, full credit
and reward for his exploit from his firm and from
their client, and more than one other firm of lawyers
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engaged in contentious work made good offers to entice Hewitt
to change his employers. Instead of this, however, he determined
to work independently for the future, having conceived the idea
of making a regular business of doing on behalf of
such clients as might retain him similar work to that
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he had just done with such conspicuous success for Monsieur Crellin,
Hunt and Crellon. This was the beginning of the private
detective business of Martin Hewitt and his action at that
time has been completely justified by the brilliant professional success
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he has achieved. His business has always been conducted in
the most private manner, and he has always declared find
the help of professional assistants, preferring to carry out himself
such of the many investigations offered him as he could manage.
He has always maintained that he has never lost by
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this policy, since the chance of his refusing a case
begets competition for his services, and his fees rise by
a natural process. At the same time, no man could
know better how to employ casual assistance at the right time.
Some curiosity has been expressed as to mister Martin Hewitt's system,
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and as he himself has always consistently maintained that he
has no system beyond a judicious use of ordinary faculties,
I intend setting forth in detail a few of the
more interesting of his cases, in order that the public
may judge for itself if I am right in estimating
mister Hewitt's ordinary faculties as faculties very extraordinary. Indeed, he
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is not a man who has made many friendships, this
probably for professional reasons, notwithstanding his genial and companionable manners.
I myself first made his acquaintance as a result of
an accident resulting in a fire at the old house
in which Hewett's office was situated, and in an upper
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floor of which I occupied bachelor chambers. I was able
to help in saving a quantity of extremely important papers
relating to his business, and while repairs were being made,
allowed him to lock them in an old wall safe
in one of my rooms, which the fire had scarcely damaged.
The acquaintance, thus begun, has lasted many years, and has
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become a rather close friendship. I have even accompanied Hewitt
on some of his expeditions, and in a humble way,
helped him such of the cases. However, as I personally
saw nothing of I have put into narrative form from
the particulars given me. I consider you, Brett, he said,
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addressing me, the most remarkable journalist alive. Not because you're
particularly clever, you know, because between ourselves I hope you'll
admit you're not. But because you have known something of
me and my doings for some years and have never
yet been guilty of giving away any of my little
business secrets that you may have become acquainted with. I'm
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afraid you are not so enterprising a journalist as some Brett.
But now, since you ask, you shall write something if
you think it worth while. This he said, as he
said most things, with a cheery, chaffing good nature that
would have been perhaps surprising to a stranger who thought
of him only as a grim and mysterious discoverer of
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secrets and crimes. Indeed, the man had always as little
of the aspect of the conventional detective as may be imagined.
Nobody could appear more cordial or less observant in manner,
although there was to be seen a certain sharpness of
the eye, which might, after all only be the twinkle
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of good humor. I did think it worth while to
write something of Martin Hewitt's investigations, and a description of
one of his adventures follows. At the head of the
first flight of a dingy staircase leading up from an
ever open portal in a street by the strand stood
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a door, the dusty ground glass upper panel of which
carried in its center the single word Hewett, while at
its right hand lower corner in smaller letters, Clerk's office
appeared on a morning when the clerks in the ground
floor offices had barely hung up their hats. A short,
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well dressed young man wearing spectacles hastened to open the
dusty door, ran into the arms of another man, who
suddenly issued from it. I beg pardon, the first said,
Is this Hewett's Detective Agency office? Yes, I believe you
will find it, so, the other replied. He was a stoutish,
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clean shaven man, of middle height and of a cheerful,
round countenance. You'd better speak to the clerk in the
little outer office. The visitor was met by a sharp
lad with inky fingers, who presented him with a pen
and a printed slip. The printed slip having been filled
with the visitor's name and present business, and conveyed through
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an inner door, the lad reappeared with an invitation to
the private office. There, behind a writing table sat the
stoutish man himself, who had only just advised an appeal
to the clerk. Good morning, mister Lloyd, mister Vernon Lloyd,
he said, affably, looking again at the slip. You will
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excuse my care to start even with my visitors. I
must you know you come from Sir James Norris. I see, yes,
I am his secretary. I have only to ask you
to go straight to Lentencroft at once if you can,
on very important business. Sir James would have wired, but
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had not your precise address. Can you go by the
next train? Eleven thirty is the first available from Paddington?
Quite possibly? Do you know anything of the business. It
is a case of robbery in the house, or rather
I fancy of several robberies. Jewelry has been stolen from
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rooms occupied by visitors to the croft. The first case
occurred some months ago, nearly a year ago. In fact
last night there was another. But I think you had
better get the details on the spot. Sir James has
told me to telegraph if you are coming, so that
he may meet you himself at the station, and I
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must hurry as his drive to the station will be
rather a long one. Then I take it you will go,
mister Hewitt. Twyford is the station? Yes, I shall come,
and by the eleven thirty. Are you going by that
train yourself? No? I have several things to attend to
now I am in town. Good morning. I shall wire
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at once. Mister Martin Hewitt locked the drawer of his
table and sent his clerk for a cab at Twyford station,
Sir James Norris was waiting with a dog cart. Sir
James was a tall Florid man of fifty or thereabout,
known away from home as something of a county historian
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and nearer his own parts, as a great supporter of
the hunt, and a gentleman much troubled with poachers. As
soon as he and Hewitt had found one another, the
baronet hurried the detective into his dog cart. We've something
over seven miles to drive, he said, and I can
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tell you all about this wretched business as we go.
That is why I came for you myself and alone.
Hewitt nodded. I have sent for you, as Lloyd probably
told you, because of a robbery at my place last evening.
It appears, as far as I can guess, to be
one of three by the same hand, or by the
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same gang, late yesterday afternoon. Pardon me, Sir James, Hewitt interrupted,
but I think I must ask you to be in
at the first robbery and tell me the whole tale
in proper order. It makes things clearer and sets them
in their proper shape. Very well. Eleven months ago or thereabout,
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I had a rather large party of visitors, and among
them Colonel Heath and Missus Heath, the lady being a
relative of my own late wife. Colonel Heath has not
been long retired, you know, used to be a political
resident in an Indian native state. Missus Heath had rather
a good stock of jewelry of one sort and another,
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and the most valuable piece being a bracelet set with
a particularly fine pearl, quite an exceptional pearl in fact,
that had been one of a heap of presents from
the Maharajah of his state when Heath left India. It
was a very noticeable bracelet, the gold setting being a
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mere featherweight piece of native filigree work, almost too fragile
to trust on the wrist, and the pearl being, as
I have said, of a size and quality not often
seen well. Heath and his wife arrived late one evening
and after lunch the following day, most of the men
being off by themselves shooting. I think my daughter, my sister,
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who is very often down here, and Missus Heath took
it into their heads to go walking, fern hunting and
so on. My sister was rather long dressing, and while
they waited, my daughter went into Missus Heath's room, where
Missus Heath turned over all her treasures to show her
as women. Do you know? When my sister was at
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last ready, they came straight away, leaving the things littered
about the room, rather than stay longer to pack them up.
The bracelet with other things, was on the dressing table.
Then one moment, as to the door, they locked it
as they came away. My daughter suggested turning the key,
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as we had one or two new servants about, and
the window that they left open. As I was going
to tell you, well, they went on their walk and
came back with Lloyd, whom they had met somewhere, carrying
their ferns for them. It was dusk and almost dinner time.
Missus Heath went straight to her room and the bracelet
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was gone. Was the room disturbed, not a bit. Everything
was precisely where it had been left, except the bracelet.
The door hadn't been tampered with, but of course the
window was open. As I have told you. You called
the police, of course, yes, and had a man from
Scotland Yard down in the morning. He seemed a pretty
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smart fellow and the first thing he noticed on the
dressing table with an inch or two of where the
bracelet had been was a match which had been lit
and thrown down. Now, nobody about the house had had
occasion to use a match in that room that day,
and if they had, certainly wouldn't have thrown it on
the cover of the dressing table, So that, presuming the
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thief to have used that match, the robbery must have
been committed when the room was getting dark, immediately before
missus Heath returned. In fact, the thief had evidently struck
the match, passed it hurriedly over the various trinkets lying about,
and taken the most valuable. Nothing else was moved, nothing
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at all. Then the thief must have escaped by the window,
although it was not quite clear how the walking party
approached the house with a full view of the window
but saw nothing. Although the robbery must have been actually
taking place a moment or two before they turned up.
There was no water pipe within any practicable distance of
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the window, but a ladder usually kept in the stable
yard was found lying along the edge of the lawn.
The gardener explained, however, that he had put the ladder
thereafter using it himself early in the afternoon. Of course,
it might easily have been used again after that, and
put back just what the Scotland yard man said. He
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was pretty sharp too on the gardener, but very soon
decided that he knew nothing of it. No stranger had
been seen in the neighborhood, nor had passed the lodge gates. Besides,
as the detective said, it scarcely seemed the work of
a stranger. A stranger could scarcely have known enough to
go straight to the room where a lady only arrived
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the day before, had left a valuable jewel, and away
again without being seen. So all the people about the
house were suspected. In turn, the servants offered in a
body to have their boxes searched, and this was done.
Everything was turned over from the butler's to the new
kitchen maid's. I don't know that I should have carried
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things quite so far had I been the loser myself,
but it was my guest, and I was in such
a horrible position. Well, there's a little more to be
said about that. Unfortunately, nothing came of it all, and
the things as great a mystery now as ever. I
believe the Scotland yard man got as far as suspecting
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me before he gave it up altogether. But give it
up he did. In the end. I think that's all
I know about the first robbery. Is it clear? Oh yes,
I shall probably want to ask a few questions when
I have seen the place, but they can wait. What next, well,
Sir James pursued. The next was a very trumpery affair
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that I should have forgotten all about, probably if it
hadn't been for one circumstance. Even now I can hardly
think it could have been the work of the same hand.
Four months or thereabout after missus Heath's disaster in February
of this year. In fact, missus Armitage, a young widow
who had been a schoolfellow of my daughter's, stayed with
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us for a week or so. Girls don't trouble about
the London season, you know, so they were glad to
have their old friend here for a little in the
dull time. Missus Armitage is a very active young lady,
and was scarcely in the house half an hour before
she arranged a drive in a pony cart with Ava,
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my daughter, to look up old people in the village
that she used to know before she was married. So
they set off in the afternoon and made such a
round of it that they were late for dinner. Missus
Armitage had a small, plain gold brooch, not at all valuable,
you know, two or three pounds, I suppose, which she
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used to pin up a cloak or anything of that sort.
Before she went out. She stuck this in the pin
cushion on her dressing table and left a ring, rather
a good one, I believe, lying close by. This asked Hewett.
Was not in the room that Missus Heath had occupied.
I take it no, this was in another part of
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the building. Well, the brooch went taken, evidently by some
one in a deuce of a hurry, for when Missus
Armitage got back to her room there was the pincushion
with a little tear in it, where the brooch had
simply been snatched off. But the curious thing was that
the ring worth a dozen of the brooch was left
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where it had been put. Missus Armitage didn't remember whether
or not she had locked the door herself, although she
found it locked when she returned. But my niece, who
was indoors all the time, went and tried it once
because she remembered that a gas fitter was at work
on the landing nearby, and found it safely locked. The
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gas fitter, whom we didn't know at the time, but
who since seems to be quite an honest fellow, was
ready to swear that nobody but my niece had been
to the door while he was inside of it, which
was almost all the time. As to the window, the
sash line had broken that very morning, and missus Armitage
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had propped open the bottom half about eight or ten
inns with a brush, and when she returned the brush,
sash and all were exactly as she had left them. Now,
I scarcely need to tell you what an awkward job
it must have been for anybody to get noiselessly in
at that unsupported window, and how unlikely he would have
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been to replace it with the brush exactly as he
had found it. Just so, I suppose the brooch was
really gone. I mean, there was no chance of missus
Armitage having mislaid it, Oh, none at all. There was
a most careful search then as to getting in at
the window. Would it have been easy? Well, yes, Sir
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James replied, yes, perhaps it would. It was a first
floor window, and it looks over the roof and skylight
of the billiard room. I built the billiard room myself,
built it out from a smoking room just at the corner.
It would be easy enough to get at the window
from billiard room roof. But then he added that couldn't
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have been the way. Somebody or other was in the
billiard room the whole time, and nobody could have got
over the roof, which is nearly all skylight, without having
been seen or heard. I was there myself for an
hour or two, taking a little practice. Well was anything done.
Strict inquiry was made among the servants, of course, but
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nothing came of it. It was such a small matter
that missus Armitage wouldn't hear of my calling in the
police or anything of that sort. Although I felt pretty
certain that there must be a dishonest servant about somewhere.
A servant might take a plain broach, you know, who
would feel afraid of a valuable ring, the loss of
which would be made a greater matter of well. Yes,
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perhaps so in the case of an inexperienced thief, who
would also likely snatch up whatever she took in a hurry.
But I'm doubtful what made you connect these two robberies together?
Nothing whatever. For some months they seemed quite of a
different sort. But scarcely. More than a month ago I
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met missus Armitage at Brighton and we talked, among other things,
of the previous robbery, that of Missus Heath's bracelet. I
described the circumstances pretty minutely, and when I mentioned the
match found on the table, she said, how strange why
my thief left a match on the dressing table when
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he took my poor little brooch. Hewitt nodded, yes, he said,
a spent match, of course, Yes, of course, a spent match.
She noticed it lying close to the pincushion, but threw
it away without mentioning the circumstances. Still, it seemed rather
curious to me that a match should be lit and dropped,
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in each case on the dressing cover and inn from
where the article was taken. I mentioned it to Lloyd
when I got back, and he agreed that it seemed significant, scarcely,
said Hewett, shaking his head. Scarcely so far to be
called significant, although worth following up. Everybody uses matches in
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the dark, you know. While at any rate, the coincidence
appealed to me so far that it struck me it
might be worth while to describe the brooch to the
police in order that they could trace it if it
had been pawned. They had tried that, of course, over
the bracelet, without any result. But I fancied the shot
might be worth making and might possibly lead us on
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the track of more serious robbery. Quite so it was
the right thing to do. Well well, they found it.
A woman had pawned it in London at a shop
in Chelsea, but that was some time before, and the
pawnbroker had clean forgotten all about the woman's appearance. The
name and address she gave were false, So that was
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the end of that business. Had any of the servants
left you between the time of the brooch's loss and
the date of the pawn ticket? No? Were all your
servants at home on the day the brooch was pawned?
Oh yes, I made that inquiry myself. Very good. What
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next yesterday? And this is what made me send for you.
My late wife's sister came here last Tuesday and we
gave her the room from which missus Heath lost her bracelet.
She had with her a very old fashioned brooch containing
a miniature of her father, and set in front with
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three very fine brilliants and a few smaller stones. Here
we are, though at the croft. I'll tell you the
rest indoors. Hewitt laid his hand on the baronet's arm.
Don't pull up, sir James, he said, drive a little farther.
I should like to have a general idea of the
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whole case before we go. In very good, Sir James.
Norris straightened the horse's head and again went on. Late
yesterday afternoon, as my sister in law was changing her dress,
she left her room for a moment to speak to
my daughter in her room, almost adjoining. She was gone
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no more than three minutes, or five at most, but
on her return the brooch, which had been left on
the table had gone. Now, the window was shut fast
and had not been tampered with. Of course, the door
was open, but so was my daughter's and anybody walking
near must have been heard. But the strangest circumstance, and
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one that almost makes me wonder whether I have been
awake to day or not, was that there lay a
used match on the very spot, as nearly as possible,
where the brooch had been, and it was broad daylight.
Hewett rubbed his nose and looked thoughtfully before him hum curious, certainly,
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he said anything else, nothing more than you shall see
for yourself. I have had the room locked and watched
till you could examine it. My sister in law had
heard of your name and suggested that you should be
called in, So of course I did exactly as she wanted.
That she should have lost that brooch. Of all things
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in my house is most unfortunate. You see, there was
some small difference about the thing between my late wife
and her sister when their mother died and left it.
It's almost worse than the Heath's bracelet business. And altogether
I'm not pleased with things. I can assure you see
what a position it is for me. Here are three
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ladies in the space of one year, robbed one after
another in this misty, serious fashion in my house, and
I can't find the thief. It's horrible. People will be
afraid to come near the place, and I can do nothing. Ah, well,
we'll see. Perhaps we had better turn back now by
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the bye. Were you thinking of having any alterations or
additions made to your house? No, what makes you ask?
I think you might at least consider the question of
painting or decorating. Sir James or say, putting up another
coach house or something, because I should like to be
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to the servants, the architect or the builder, if you
please come to look around. You haven't told any of
them about this business, not a word. Nobody knows but
my relatives and Lloyd. I took every precaution myself at once.
As to your little disguise, be the architect by all means,
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and do as you please. If you can only find
this thief and put an end to this horrible state
of affairs, you'll do me the greatest service I've ever
asked for. And as to your fee, I'll gladly make
it whatever is usual and three hundred in edition. Martin
Hewett bowed. You are very generous, Sir James, and you
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may be sure I'll do what I can. As a
professional man. Of course, a good fee always stimulates my interest.
Although this case of yours certainly seems interesting enough by
itself most extraordinary, don't you think so? Here are three persons,
all ladies, all in my house, two even in the
same room, each successively robbed of a piece of jewelry,
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each from a dressing table, and a used match left
behind in every case, all in the most difficult, one
would say, impossible circumstances for a thief, and yet there
is no clue. Well, we won't say that just yet,
Sir James. We must see and we must guard against
any undue predisposition to consider the robberies in a lump.
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Here we are at the lodge gate again. Is that
your gardener, the man who left the ladder by the
lawn on the first occasion you spoke of. Mister Hewitt
nodded in the direction of a man who was clipping
a box border. Yes, will you ask him anything? No, No,
at any rate, not now remember the building alterations. I
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think if there is no objection, I will look first
at the room that the lady Missus Hewett looked up
inquiringly my sister in law, missus missus Kasanov. Oh, yes,
you shall come to her room at once, thank you,
And I think Missus Kasanov had better be there. They alighted,
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and a boy from the lodge led the horse and
dog cart away. Missus aus Kasanov was a thin and faded,
but quick and energetic lady of middle age. She bent
her head very slightly on learning Martin Hewett's name, and
said I must thank you, mister Hewitt, for your very
prompt attention. I need scarcely say that any help you
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can afford in tracing the thief who has my property,
whoever it may be, will make me most grateful. My
room is quite ready for you to examine. The room
was on the second floor, the top floor at that
part of the building. Some slight confusion of small articles
of dress was observable in parts of the room. This,
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I take it, inquired Hewitt, is exactly as it was
at the time the brooch was missed, precisely, missus Kazanov answered,
I have used another room and put myself to some
other inconveniences to avoid any disturbance. Hewitt stood before the
dressing table. Then this is the used match, he observed,
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exactly where it was found. Yes, where was the brooch,
I should say, almost on the very same spot, certainly
no more than a very few inches away. Hewitt examined
the match closely. It is burned a very little, he remarked.
It would appear to have gone out at once. Could
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you hear it struck? I heard nothing whatever, absolutely nothing.
If you will step into Miss Norris's room now for
a moment, hewittt suggested, we will try an experiment. Tell
me if you hear matches struck and how many? Where
is the match stand? The match stand proved to be empty,
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but matches were found in Miss Norris's room, and the
test was made. Each striking could be heard distinctly, even
with one of the doors pushed too. Both your own
door and Miss Norris's were open. I understand the window
shut and fastened inside as it is now, and nothing
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but the brooch was disturbed. Yes, that was so, thank you,
missus Casanov. I don't think I need trouble you any further,
just at present, I think, Sir James Hewett added, turning
to the baronet, who was standing by the door, I
think we will see the other room and take a
walk outside the house, if you please. I suppose by
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the bye that there is no getting at the matches
left behind on the first and second occasions. No, Sir
James answered, certainly not here. Scotland Yard may have kept them.
The room that Missus Armitage had occupied presented no particular feature.
A few feet below the window, the roof of the
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billiard room was visible, consisting largely of a skylight Hewett
glanced casually about the walls, ascertained that the furniture and
hangings had not been materially changed since the second robbery,
and expressed his desire to see the windows from the
outside before leaving the room. However, he wished to know
the names of any persons who were known to have
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been about the house on the occasion of all three robberies.
Just carry your mind back, Sir James, he said, begin
with yourself. For instance, where were you at these times
when Missus Heath lost her bracelet? I was in Tagley
Wood all the afternoon when Missus Armitage was robbed. I
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believe I was somewhere about the place most of the
time she was out. Yesterday I was down at the farm.
Sir James's face broadened. I don't know whether you call
those suspicious movements, he added, and laughed. Not at all,
not at all. I only asked you so that, remembering
your own movements, you might better recall those of the
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rest of the household. Was anybody to your knowledge, anybody
mind in the house on all three occasions? Well, you
know it's quite impossible to answer for all the servants.
You'll only get that by direct questioning, I can't possibly
remember things of that sort. As to the family and visitors,
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why you don't suspect any of them, do you? I
don't suspect a soul, sir, James Hewett answered, beaming genially,
not a soul, you see, I can't suspect people till
I know something about where they were. It's quite possible
there will be independent evidence enough as it is, but
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you must help me if you can. The visitors, Now,
was there any visitor here each time, or even on
the first and last occasion? Only? No, not one. And
my own sister, perhaps you will be pleased to know,
was only there at the time of the first robbery
(34:10):
just so. And your daughter, as I have gathered, was
clearly absent from the spot each time, indeed was in
company with the party robbed your niece. Now, why hang
it all, mister Hewett, I can't talk of my niece
as a suspected criminal. The poor girls under my protection,
(34:31):
and I really can't allow. Hewett raised his hand and
shook his head deprecatingly. My dear sir, haven't I said
that I don't suspect a soul? Do let me know
how the people were distributed as nearly as possible. Let
me see, it was your niece, I think, who found
that missus Armitage's door was locked, this door, in fact,
(34:54):
on the day she lost her roach. Yes, it was
just so at the time when missus Armitage herself had
forgotten whether she locked it or not. And yesterday was
she out then? No? I think not. Indeed, she goes
out very little. Her health is usually bad. She was
(35:17):
indoors too at the time of the heath robbery. Since
you ask, but come now, I don't like this. It's
ridiculous to suppose that she knows anything of it. I
don't suppose it. As I have said, I am only
asking for information. This is all your resident family, I
take it. And you know nothing of anybody else's movements
(35:40):
except perhaps mister Lloyd's. Lloyd well, you know yourself that
he was out with the ladies when the first robbery
took place. As to the others, I don't remember. Yesterday
he was probably in his room writing. I think that
acquits him. Eh. Sir James looked quizzically into the broad
(36:02):
face of the affable detective, who smiled and replied, Oh,
of course, nobody can be in two places at once,
else what would become of the Alibi as an institution.
But as I have said, I am only setting my
facts in order. Now, you see, we get down to
the servants, unless some stranger is the party wanted. Shall
(36:25):
we go outside? Now? Luntoncroft was a large, desultory sort
of house, nowhere more than three floors high, and mostly
only two. It had been added to bit by bit
till it zigzagged about its sight, as Sir James Norris
expressed it like a game of dominoes. Hewitt scrutinized its
(36:47):
external features carefully as they strolled around, and stopped some
little while before the windows of the two bedrooms he
had just seen from the inside. Presently, they approached the
stable and coach house, where a groom was washing the
wheels of the dog cart. Do you mind my smoking,
(37:07):
Hewitt asked Sir James. Perhaps you will take a cigar yourself.
They are not so bad. I think I will ask
your man for a light. Sir James felt for his
own match box, but Hewitt had gone and was lighting
his cigar with a match from a box handed him
by the groom. A smart little terrier was trotting about
(37:29):
by the coach house, and Hewitt stooped to rub its head.
Then he made some observation about the dog, which enlisted
the groom's interest, and was soon absorbed in a chat
with the man. Sir James waiting a little off, tapped
the stones rather impatiently with his foot, and presently moved away.
(37:50):
For a full quarter of an hour he wit chatted
with the groom, and when at last he came away
and overtook Sir James, that gentleman was about rheinn entering
the house. I beg your pardon, Sir James, Hewitt said,
for leaving you in that unceremonious fashion to talk to
your groom. But a dog, Sir James, A good dog
(38:14):
will draw me anywhere, oh, replied Sir James shortly. There
is one other thing, Hewitt went on, disregarding the other's curtainess,
that I should like to know. There are two windows
directly below that of the room occupied yesterday by missus Casaneau,
one on each floor. What rooms do they like? That?
(38:39):
On the ground floor is the morning room. The other
is mister Lloyd's, my secretary, a sort of study or
sitting room. Now you will see at once, Sir James
Hewitt pursued, with an affable determination to win the baronet
back to good humor. You will see at once that
if a ladder had been used in missus heath case,
(39:01):
and anybody was looking from either of these rooms, they
would have seen it. Of course, the Scotland yard man
questioned everybody as to that, but nobody seemed to have
been in either of the rooms when the thing occurred.
At any rate, nobody saw anything. Still, I think I
should like to look out of those windows myself. It
(39:23):
will at least give me an idea of what was
in view and what was not if anybody had been there.
Sir James Norris led the way to the morning room.
As they reached the door, a young lady, carrying a
book and walking very languidly, came out. Hewitt stepped aside
to let her pass, and afterwards said interrogatively, Miss Norris,
(39:46):
your daughter, Sir James, no, my niece. Do you want
to ask her anything? Dora, my dear, Sir James added,
following her in the corridor. This is mister Hewett, who
is investigating these wretched robberies for me. I think he
would like to hear if you remember anything happening at
any of the three times. The lady bowed slightly and said,
(40:10):
in a plaintive drawl, I uncle, really I don't remember anything,
nothing at all. You found Missus Armitage's door locked, I believe,
asked Hewett, when you tried it on the afternoon when
she lost her brooch. Oh, yes, I believe it was locked,
Yes it was. Had the key been left in it?
(40:35):
The key? Oh no, I think not. No. Do you
remember anything out of the common happening, anything whatever, no
matter how trivial, on the day Missus Heath lost her bracelet. No, really,
I don't. I can't remember at all, nor yesterday. No, nothing,
(40:57):
I don't remember anything. Thank you, said Hewett hastily. Thank you.
Now the morning room, Sir James. In the morning room,
Hewett stayed but a few seconds, doing little more than
casually glance out of the windows in the room above.
He took a little longer time. It was a comfortable room,
but with rather effeminate indications about its contents little pieces
(41:21):
of drape's silk work. Near the window was a cage
containing a gray parrot, and the writing table was decorated
with two vases of flowers. Lloyd makes himself pretty comfortable, eh,
Sir James observed, But it isn't like anybody would be
here while he was out at the time that the
bracelet went No, replied Hewitt meditatively, No, I suppose not.
(41:48):
He stared thoughtfully out of the window, and then, still
deep in thought, rattled at the wires of the cage
with a quill toothpick and played a moment with the parrot. Then,
looking up at the window again, he said, that is
mister Lloyd, isn't it coming back in a fly? Yes?
I think so. Is there anything else you would care
(42:10):
to see here? No, thank you, Hewitt replied, I don't
think there is. They went down to the smoking room
and Sir James went away to speak to his secretary.
When he returned, Hewitt said, quietly, I think, Sir James,
I think that I shall be able to give you your
(42:31):
thief presently. What have you a clue? Who do you think?
I began to believe you were hopelessly stumped. Well, yes,
I have a rather good clue, although I can't tell
you much about it yet, but it is so good
a clue that I should like to know now whether
(42:52):
you are determined to prosecute when you have the criminal,
why bless me, of course, Sir James replied with Sir,
it doesn't rest with me. You know, the property belongs
to my friends, and even if they were disposed to
let the thing slide, I shouldn't allow it. I couldn't
after they had been robbed in my house. Of course.
(43:13):
Of course, then if I can, I should like to
send a message to Twyford by somebody perfectly trustworthy, not
a servant. Could anybody go? Well, there's Lloyd, although he's
only just back from his journey. But if it's important,
he'll go. It is important. The fact is we must
(43:35):
have a policeman or two here this evening, and I'd
like mister Lloyd to fetch them without telling anybody else.
Sir James rang, and in response to his message, mister
Lloyd appeared. While Sir James gave his secretary his instructions,
he had strolled to the door of the smoking room
and intercepted the latter as he came out. I'm sorry
(43:58):
to give you this trouble, missus Lloyd, he said, but
I must stay here myself for a little and somebody
who can be trusted, must go. Will you just bring
back a police constable with you, or rather two two
would be better. That is all that is wanted. You
won't let the servants know, will you? Of course there
(44:21):
will be a female searcher at the Twyford Police station. Ah,
of course, well you needn't bring her. You know that
sort of thing is done at the station. And chatting
thus confidentially, Martin Hewitt saw him off. When Hewitt returned
to the smoking room, Sir James said, suddenly, why bless
(44:44):
my soul, mister Hewitt, we haven't fed you. I'm awfully sorry.
We came in rather late for lunch, you know, and
this business has bothered me, so I clean forget everything else.
There's no dinner till seven, so you'd better let me
give you something now. I'm really sorry. Come along, thank you,
Sir James. Hewett replied, I won't take much, A few
(45:05):
biscuits perhaps, or something of that sort. And by the bye,
if you don't mind, I rather think I should like
to take it alone. The fact is I want to
go over this case thoroughly by myself. Can you put
me in a room, any room you like? Where will
you go? The dining room's rather large, but there's my
(45:25):
study that's pretty snug. Or perhaps I can go into
mister Lloyd's room for an hour or so. I don't
think he'll mind, and it's pretty comfortable. Certainly, if you'd like,
I'll tell them to send you whatever they've got, Thank
you very much. Perhaps they'll also send me a lump
(45:46):
of sugar and a walnut. It's it's a little fad
of mine. Uh what a lump of sugar and a walnut.
Sir James stopped for a moment with his hand on
the bell rope. Oh, certainly, if you'd like it, certainly,
he added, and stared after this detective with curious tastes
(46:08):
as he left the room. When the vehicle bringing back
the Secretary and the policeman drew up on the drive,
Martin Hewitt left the room on the first floor and
proceeded downstairs. On the landing, he met Sir James Norris
and missus Kazanov, who stared with astonishment on perceiving that
the detective carried in his hand the parrot cage. I
(46:32):
think our business is about brought to a head now,
Hewitt remarked on the stairs. Here are the police officers
from Twyford. The men were standing in the hall with
mister Lloyd, who, on catching sight of the cage in
Hewitt's hand, paled suddenly. This is the person who will
be charged, I think, Hewitt pursued, addressing the officers and
(46:56):
indicating Lloyd with his finger. What Lloyd, gasped Sir James
aghast No, not Lloyd, nonsense. He doesn't seem to think
it nonsense himself, does he? Hewett placidly observed. Lloyd had
sank on a chair, and gray of face, was staring
(47:17):
blindly at the man he had run against at the
office door that morning. His lips moved in spasms, but
there was no sound. The wilted flower fell from his
buttonhole to the floor, but he did not move. This
is his accomplice. Hewitt went on, placing the parrot and
cage on the hall table, though I doubt whether there
(47:40):
will be any use in charging him. They Polly the
parrot put his head aside and chuckled. Hullo Polly, it
quite gurgled, Come along. Sir James Norris was hopelessly bewildered
Lloyd Lloyd, He said under his breath, Lloyd and that
(48:03):
this was his little messenger, his useful mercury Pewart explained,
tapping the cage complacently. In fact, the actual lifter hould
him up. The last remark referred to the wretched Lloyd,
who had fallen forward with something between a sob and
a loud sigh. The policeman took him by the arms
(48:24):
and propped him in his chair. System, said Hewett, with
a shrug of the shoulders. An hour or two after
in Sir James's study, I can't say I have a system.
I call it nothing but common sense and a sharp
pair of eyes. Nobody using these could help taking the
(48:46):
right road. In this case. I began at the match
just as the Scotland yard man did, but I had
the advantage of taking a line through three cases. To
begin with, it was plain that the match, being left
there in daylight in Missus Casaneav's room, could not have
been used to light the tabletop in the full glare
(49:07):
of the window. Therefore, it had been used for some
other purpose. What purpose I could not at the moment guess.
Habitual thieves, you know, often have curious superstitions, and some
will never take anything without leaving something behind a pebble
or a piece of coal or something like that in
(49:29):
the premises they have been robbing. It seemed at first
extremely likely that this was a case of that kind.
The match had clearly been brought in, because when I
asked for matches there were none in the stand, not
even an empty box, and the room had not been disturbed. Also,
the match had probably not been struck there nothing having
(49:52):
been heard, although of course a mistake in this matter
was just possible. This match, then, it was fair to
as soon, had been lit somewhere else and blown out immediately.
I remarked at the time that it was very little burned. Plainly,
it could not have been treated thus for nothing, and
(50:12):
the only possible object would have been to prevent it
igniting accidentally. Following on this, it became obvious that the
match was used for whatever purpose, not as a match,
but merely as a convenient splinter of wood. So far,
so good. But on examining the match very closely, I observed,
(50:33):
as you can see for yourself, certain rather sharp indentations
in the wood. They are very small, you see, and
scarcely visible except upon narrow inspection, But there they are,
and their positions are regular. See there are two on
each side, each opposite the corresponding mark of the other pair.
(50:54):
The match, in fact, would seem to have been gripped
in some fairly sharp instrument, holding it at two points
above and two below, an instrument as it may strike
you at once, not unlike the beak of a bird.
Now Here was an idea. What living creature but a
bird could possibly have entered Missus Heath's window without a ladder,
(51:16):
supposing no ladder two have been used, or could have
got into Missus Armitage's window without lifting the sash higher
than the eight or ten inches it was already open,
plainly nothing. Further, it is significant that only one article
was stolen at a time, although others were about. A
human being could have carried any reasonable number, but a
(51:39):
bird could only take one at a time. But why
should a bird carry a match in its beak? Certainly
it must have been trained to do that for a purpose,
and a little consideration made that purpose pretty clear. A noisy,
chattering bird would probably betray itself at once. Therefore it
(51:59):
must be trained aimed to keep quiet both while going
for and coming away with its plunder. What readier, or
more probably effectual way than while teaching it to carry
without dropping. To teach it also to keep quiet while carrying.
The one thing would practically cover the other. I thought
(52:21):
at once, of course, of a jackdaw or a magpie.
These birds thievish reputations made the guests natural. But the
marks on the match were much too wide a part
to have been made by the beak of either. I
conjectured therefore, that it must be a raven, So that
when we arrived near the coach house, I seized the
opportunity of a little chat with your groom on the
(52:43):
subject of dogs and pets in general, and ascertained that
there was no tame raven in the place. I also, incidentally,
by getting a light from the coach house box matches,
ascertained that the match found was of the sort generally
used about the establishment, the large thick red topped English match.
(53:05):
But I further found that mister Lloyd had a parrot,
which was a most intelligent pet, and had been trained
into comparative quietness for a parrot. Also, I learned that
more than once the groom had met mister Lloyd carrying
his parrot under his coat, it having as its owner explained,
learned the trick of opening its cage door and escaping.
(53:28):
I said nothing, of course, to you, of all of this,
because I had as yet nothing but a train of
argument and no results. I got to Lloyd's room as
soon as possible. My chief object in going there was
achieved when I played with the parrot and induced it
to bite a quill toothpick. When you left me in
the smoking room, I compared the quill and the match
(53:50):
very carefully, and found that the marks corresponded exactly. After this,
I felt very little doubt. Indeed, the fact of Lloyd
having met the lady's waf walking before dark on the
day of the first robbery proved nothing, because since it
was clear that the match had not been used to
procure a light, the robbery might as easily have taken
(54:11):
place in daylight as not must have so taken place.
In fact, if my conjectures were right, that they were right,
I felt no doubt. There could be no other explanation.
When missus Heath left her window open and her door shut,
anybody climbing upon the open sash of Lloyd's high window
could have put the bird upon the sill above the
(54:34):
match placed in the bird's beak for the purpose I
have indicated and struck first. In case by accident it
should be ignited by rubbing against something and startled the bird.
This match would of course be dropped just where the
object to be removed was taken up. As you know,
in every case the match was found almost upon the
(54:56):
spot where the missing article had been left, scarcely a
likely triple coincidence. Had the match been used by a
human thief, this would have been done as soon after
the ladies had left as possible, and there would have
been plenty of time for Lloyd to hurry out and
meet them before dark, especially plenty of time to meet
(55:17):
them coming back as they must have been, since they
were carrying their ferns. The match was an article well
chosen for its purpose, as being a not altogether unlikely
thing to find on a dressing table, and if noticed,
likely to lead to the wrong conclusions adopted by the
official detectives. In Missus Armitage's case, the taking of an
(55:41):
inferior brooch and the leaving of a more valuable ring
pointed clearly either to the operator being a fool or
unable to distinguish values, and certainly from other indications, the
thief seemed no fool. The door was locked and the
gas fitter, so to speak, on guard, and the window
was only eight or ten inches open and propped with
(56:03):
a brush. A human thief entering the window would have
disturbed this arrangement and would scarcely risk discovery by attempting
to replace it, especially a thief in so great a
hurry as to snatch the brooch up without unfastening the pin.
The bird could pass through the opening as it was,
and would have to tear the pin cushion to pull
(56:25):
the brooch off, probably holding the cushion down with its
claw the while Now, in yesterday's case we had an
alteration of conditions. The window was shut and fastened, but
the door was opened, but only left open for a
few minutes, during which time no sound was heard, either
of coming or going. Was it not possible then, that
(56:46):
the thief was already in the room in hiding while
missus Kasanov was there, and seized its first opportunity on
her temporary absence. The room was full of draperies, hangings
and what not, allowing a plenty of concealment for a bird,
and a bird could leave the place noiselessly and quickly.
That the whole scheme was strange, mattered, not at all.
(57:09):
Robberies presenting such unaccountable features must have been effected by
strange means of one sort or another. There was no improbability.
Consider how many hundreds of examples of infinitely higher degrees
of bird training are exhibited in the London streets every
week for coppers, so that on the whole I felt
(57:30):
pretty sure of my ground. But before taking any definitive steps,
I resolved to see if Polly could not be persuaded
to exhibit his accomplishments to an indulgent stranger. For that purpose,
I contrived to send Lloyd away again and have a
quiet hour alone with his bird. A piece of sugar,
(57:51):
as everybody knows, is a good parrot bribe, but a
walnut split in half is a better, especially if the
bird be used to it. So I got you to
furnish me with both. Polly was shy at first, but
I generally get along well with pets, and a little
perseverance soon led to a complete private performance for my benefit.
(58:14):
Polly would take the match mute as wax, jump on
the table, pick up the brightest thing he could see
in a great hurry, leave the match behind and scuttle
away round the room. At first he wouldn't give the
plunder to me. It was enough. I also took the liberty,
as you know, of a general look round and discovered
(58:35):
that little collection of brahmagem rings and trinkets that you
have just seen used in Polly's education, no doubt. When
we sent Lloyd away, it struck me that he might
as well be usefully employed as not. So I got
him to fetch the police, deluting him a little, I
fear by talking about the servants and a female searcher.
(58:57):
But there will be no trouble about evidence. He'll confess
of that. I'm sure I know the sort of man.
But I doubt if you'll get missus Casavon's brooch back.
You see, he has been to London today, and by
this time the swag is probably broken up. Sir James
listened to Hewitt's explanation with many expressions of assent and
(59:20):
some of surprise. When it was over, he smoked a
few whiffs and then said, but missus Armitage's brooch was
pawned and by a woman exactly I expect our friend
Lloyd was rather disgusted at his small luck. Probably gave
the brooch to some female connection in London, and she
(59:41):
realized on it such persons don't always trouble to give
a correct address. The two smoked in silence for a
few minutes, and then Hewitt continued, I don't expect our
friend has had an easy job altogether with that bird.
His successes, at most have only been three. I suspect
he had many failures, and not a few anxious moments
(01:00:05):
that we know nothing of. I should judge as much
merely from what the groom told me of frequently meeting
Lloyd with his parrot. But the plan was not a
bad one, not at all. Even if the bird had
been caught in the act, it would only have been
that mischievous parrot, you see, and his master would only
(01:00:27):
have been looking for him. End of Chapter one
Chapter one of Martin Hewitt Investigator by Arthur Morrison. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Recording by Kirsten Webber, Chapter one, the
(00:21):
Lenton Croft Robberies. Those who retain any memory of the
great law cases of fifteen or twenty years back will
remember at least the title of that extraordinary case Bartley
versus Bartley and Others, which occupied the Probate Court for
some weeks on end, and caused an amount of public
(00:44):
interests rarely accorded to any but the cases considered in
the other division of the same court. The case itself
was noted for the large quantity of remarkable and unusual
evidence presented by the plaintiff side, evidence that took the
other party completely by surprise and overthrew their case like
(01:04):
a house of cards. The affair will perhaps be more
readily recalled as the occasion of the sudden rise to
eminence in their profession of mess Crellan, Hunt and Crellan,
solicitors for the plaintiff, a result due entirely to the
wonderful ability shown in this case of building up, apparently
(01:26):
out of nothing, a smashing weight of irresistible evidence that
the firm has since maintained, indeed enhanced the position it
than won for itself. Need scarcely be said here. Its
name is familiar to everybody, but there are not many
of the outside public who know that the credit of
(01:47):
the whole performance was primarily due to a young clerk
in the employ of Messyr Crellin, who had been given
charge of this seemingly desperate task of collecting evidence in
the case. This mister Martin Hewitt, had, however, full credit
and reward for his exploit from his firm and from
their client, and more than one other firm of lawyers
(02:11):
engaged in contentious work made good offers to entice Hewitt
to change his employers. Instead of this, however, he determined
to work independently for the future, having conceived the idea
of making a regular business of doing on behalf of
such clients as might retain him similar work to that
(02:32):
he had just done with such conspicuous success for Monsieur Crellin,
Hunt and Crellon. This was the beginning of the private
detective business of Martin Hewitt and his action at that
time has been completely justified by the brilliant professional success
(02:52):
he has achieved. His business has always been conducted in
the most private manner, and he has always declared find
the help of professional assistants, preferring to carry out himself
such of the many investigations offered him as he could manage.
He has always maintained that he has never lost by
(03:12):
this policy, since the chance of his refusing a case
begets competition for his services, and his fees rise by
a natural process. At the same time, no man could
know better how to employ casual assistance at the right time.
Some curiosity has been expressed as to mister Martin Hewitt's system,
(03:35):
and as he himself has always consistently maintained that he
has no system beyond a judicious use of ordinary faculties,
I intend setting forth in detail a few of the
more interesting of his cases, in order that the public
may judge for itself if I am right in estimating
mister Hewitt's ordinary faculties as faculties very extraordinary. Indeed, he
(04:02):
is not a man who has made many friendships, this
probably for professional reasons, notwithstanding his genial and companionable manners.
I myself first made his acquaintance as a result of
an accident resulting in a fire at the old house
in which Hewett's office was situated, and in an upper
(04:23):
floor of which I occupied bachelor chambers. I was able
to help in saving a quantity of extremely important papers
relating to his business, and while repairs were being made,
allowed him to lock them in an old wall safe
in one of my rooms, which the fire had scarcely damaged.
The acquaintance, thus begun, has lasted many years, and has
(04:45):
become a rather close friendship. I have even accompanied Hewitt
on some of his expeditions, and in a humble way,
helped him such of the cases. However, as I personally
saw nothing of I have put into narrative form from
the particulars given me. I consider you, Brett, he said,
(05:08):
addressing me, the most remarkable journalist alive. Not because you're
particularly clever, you know, because between ourselves I hope you'll
admit you're not. But because you have known something of
me and my doings for some years and have never
yet been guilty of giving away any of my little
business secrets that you may have become acquainted with. I'm
(05:32):
afraid you are not so enterprising a journalist as some Brett.
But now, since you ask, you shall write something if
you think it worth while. This he said, as he
said most things, with a cheery, chaffing good nature that
would have been perhaps surprising to a stranger who thought
of him only as a grim and mysterious discoverer of
(05:54):
secrets and crimes. Indeed, the man had always as little
of the aspect of the conventional detective as may be imagined.
Nobody could appear more cordial or less observant in manner,
although there was to be seen a certain sharpness of
the eye, which might, after all only be the twinkle
(06:16):
of good humor. I did think it worth while to
write something of Martin Hewitt's investigations, and a description of
one of his adventures follows. At the head of the
first flight of a dingy staircase leading up from an
ever open portal in a street by the strand stood
(06:39):
a door, the dusty ground glass upper panel of which
carried in its center the single word Hewett, while at
its right hand lower corner in smaller letters, Clerk's office
appeared on a morning when the clerks in the ground
floor offices had barely hung up their hats. A short,
(07:00):
well dressed young man wearing spectacles hastened to open the
dusty door, ran into the arms of another man, who
suddenly issued from it. I beg pardon, the first said,
Is this Hewett's Detective Agency office? Yes, I believe you
will find it, so, the other replied. He was a stoutish,
(07:23):
clean shaven man, of middle height and of a cheerful,
round countenance. You'd better speak to the clerk in the
little outer office. The visitor was met by a sharp
lad with inky fingers, who presented him with a pen
and a printed slip. The printed slip having been filled
with the visitor's name and present business, and conveyed through
(07:46):
an inner door, the lad reappeared with an invitation to
the private office. There, behind a writing table sat the
stoutish man himself, who had only just advised an appeal
to the clerk. Good morning, mister Lloyd, mister Vernon Lloyd,
he said, affably, looking again at the slip. You will
(08:07):
excuse my care to start even with my visitors. I
must you know you come from Sir James Norris. I see, yes,
I am his secretary. I have only to ask you
to go straight to Lentencroft at once if you can,
on very important business. Sir James would have wired, but
(08:29):
had not your precise address. Can you go by the
next train? Eleven thirty is the first available from Paddington?
Quite possibly? Do you know anything of the business. It
is a case of robbery in the house, or rather
I fancy of several robberies. Jewelry has been stolen from
(08:52):
rooms occupied by visitors to the croft. The first case
occurred some months ago, nearly a year ago. In fact
last night there was another. But I think you had
better get the details on the spot. Sir James has
told me to telegraph if you are coming, so that
he may meet you himself at the station, and I
(09:13):
must hurry as his drive to the station will be
rather a long one. Then I take it you will go,
mister Hewitt. Twyford is the station? Yes, I shall come,
and by the eleven thirty. Are you going by that
train yourself? No? I have several things to attend to
now I am in town. Good morning. I shall wire
(09:36):
at once. Mister Martin Hewitt locked the drawer of his
table and sent his clerk for a cab at Twyford station,
Sir James Norris was waiting with a dog cart. Sir
James was a tall Florid man of fifty or thereabout,
known away from home as something of a county historian
(09:57):
and nearer his own parts, as a great supporter of
the hunt, and a gentleman much troubled with poachers. As
soon as he and Hewitt had found one another, the
baronet hurried the detective into his dog cart. We've something
over seven miles to drive, he said, and I can
(10:18):
tell you all about this wretched business as we go.
That is why I came for you myself and alone.
Hewitt nodded. I have sent for you, as Lloyd probably
told you, because of a robbery at my place last evening.
It appears, as far as I can guess, to be
one of three by the same hand, or by the
(10:40):
same gang, late yesterday afternoon. Pardon me, Sir James, Hewitt interrupted,
but I think I must ask you to be in
at the first robbery and tell me the whole tale
in proper order. It makes things clearer and sets them
in their proper shape. Very well. Eleven months ago or thereabout,
(11:02):
I had a rather large party of visitors, and among
them Colonel Heath and Missus Heath, the lady being a
relative of my own late wife. Colonel Heath has not
been long retired, you know, used to be a political
resident in an Indian native state. Missus Heath had rather
a good stock of jewelry of one sort and another,
(11:23):
and the most valuable piece being a bracelet set with
a particularly fine pearl, quite an exceptional pearl in fact,
that had been one of a heap of presents from
the Maharajah of his state when Heath left India. It
was a very noticeable bracelet, the gold setting being a
(11:43):
mere featherweight piece of native filigree work, almost too fragile
to trust on the wrist, and the pearl being, as
I have said, of a size and quality not often
seen well. Heath and his wife arrived late one evening
and after lunch the following day, most of the men
being off by themselves shooting. I think my daughter, my sister,
(12:07):
who is very often down here, and Missus Heath took
it into their heads to go walking, fern hunting and
so on. My sister was rather long dressing, and while
they waited, my daughter went into Missus Heath's room, where
Missus Heath turned over all her treasures to show her
as women. Do you know? When my sister was at
(12:28):
last ready, they came straight away, leaving the things littered
about the room, rather than stay longer to pack them up.
The bracelet with other things, was on the dressing table.
Then one moment, as to the door, they locked it
as they came away. My daughter suggested turning the key,
(12:48):
as we had one or two new servants about, and
the window that they left open. As I was going
to tell you, well, they went on their walk and
came back with Lloyd, whom they had met somewhere, carrying
their ferns for them. It was dusk and almost dinner time.
Missus Heath went straight to her room and the bracelet
(13:12):
was gone. Was the room disturbed, not a bit. Everything
was precisely where it had been left, except the bracelet.
The door hadn't been tampered with, but of course the
window was open. As I have told you. You called
the police, of course, yes, and had a man from
Scotland Yard down in the morning. He seemed a pretty
(13:34):
smart fellow and the first thing he noticed on the
dressing table with an inch or two of where the
bracelet had been was a match which had been lit
and thrown down. Now, nobody about the house had had
occasion to use a match in that room that day,
and if they had, certainly wouldn't have thrown it on
the cover of the dressing table, So that, presuming the
(13:56):
thief to have used that match, the robbery must have
been committed when the room was getting dark, immediately before
missus Heath returned. In fact, the thief had evidently struck
the match, passed it hurriedly over the various trinkets lying about,
and taken the most valuable. Nothing else was moved, nothing
(14:18):
at all. Then the thief must have escaped by the window,
although it was not quite clear how the walking party
approached the house with a full view of the window
but saw nothing. Although the robbery must have been actually
taking place a moment or two before they turned up.
There was no water pipe within any practicable distance of
(14:38):
the window, but a ladder usually kept in the stable
yard was found lying along the edge of the lawn.
The gardener explained, however, that he had put the ladder
thereafter using it himself early in the afternoon. Of course,
it might easily have been used again after that, and
put back just what the Scotland yard man said. He
(15:00):
was pretty sharp too on the gardener, but very soon
decided that he knew nothing of it. No stranger had
been seen in the neighborhood, nor had passed the lodge gates. Besides,
as the detective said, it scarcely seemed the work of
a stranger. A stranger could scarcely have known enough to
go straight to the room where a lady only arrived
(15:20):
the day before, had left a valuable jewel, and away
again without being seen. So all the people about the
house were suspected. In turn, the servants offered in a
body to have their boxes searched, and this was done.
Everything was turned over from the butler's to the new
kitchen maid's. I don't know that I should have carried
(15:43):
things quite so far had I been the loser myself,
but it was my guest, and I was in such
a horrible position. Well, there's a little more to be
said about that. Unfortunately, nothing came of it all, and
the things as great a mystery now as ever. I
believe the Scotland yard man got as far as suspecting
(16:03):
me before he gave it up altogether. But give it
up he did. In the end. I think that's all
I know about the first robbery. Is it clear? Oh yes,
I shall probably want to ask a few questions when
I have seen the place, but they can wait. What next, well,
Sir James pursued. The next was a very trumpery affair
(16:27):
that I should have forgotten all about, probably if it
hadn't been for one circumstance. Even now I can hardly
think it could have been the work of the same hand.
Four months or thereabout after missus Heath's disaster in February
of this year. In fact, missus Armitage, a young widow
who had been a schoolfellow of my daughter's, stayed with
(16:50):
us for a week or so. Girls don't trouble about
the London season, you know, so they were glad to
have their old friend here for a little in the
dull time. Missus Armitage is a very active young lady,
and was scarcely in the house half an hour before
she arranged a drive in a pony cart with Ava,
(17:10):
my daughter, to look up old people in the village
that she used to know before she was married. So
they set off in the afternoon and made such a
round of it that they were late for dinner. Missus
Armitage had a small, plain gold brooch, not at all valuable,
you know, two or three pounds, I suppose, which she
(17:30):
used to pin up a cloak or anything of that sort.
Before she went out. She stuck this in the pin
cushion on her dressing table and left a ring, rather
a good one, I believe, lying close by. This asked Hewett.
Was not in the room that Missus Heath had occupied.
I take it no, this was in another part of
(17:53):
the building. Well, the brooch went taken, evidently by some
one in a deuce of a hurry, for when Missus
Armitage got back to her room there was the pincushion
with a little tear in it, where the brooch had
simply been snatched off. But the curious thing was that
the ring worth a dozen of the brooch was left
(18:14):
where it had been put. Missus Armitage didn't remember whether
or not she had locked the door herself, although she
found it locked when she returned. But my niece, who
was indoors all the time, went and tried it once
because she remembered that a gas fitter was at work
on the landing nearby, and found it safely locked. The
(18:36):
gas fitter, whom we didn't know at the time, but
who since seems to be quite an honest fellow, was
ready to swear that nobody but my niece had been
to the door while he was inside of it, which
was almost all the time. As to the window, the
sash line had broken that very morning, and missus Armitage
(18:56):
had propped open the bottom half about eight or ten
inns with a brush, and when she returned the brush,
sash and all were exactly as she had left them. Now,
I scarcely need to tell you what an awkward job
it must have been for anybody to get noiselessly in
at that unsupported window, and how unlikely he would have
(19:18):
been to replace it with the brush exactly as he
had found it. Just so, I suppose the brooch was
really gone. I mean, there was no chance of missus
Armitage having mislaid it, Oh, none at all. There was
a most careful search then as to getting in at
the window. Would it have been easy? Well, yes, Sir
(19:43):
James replied, yes, perhaps it would. It was a first
floor window, and it looks over the roof and skylight
of the billiard room. I built the billiard room myself,
built it out from a smoking room just at the corner.
It would be easy enough to get at the window
from billiard room roof. But then he added that couldn't
(20:06):
have been the way. Somebody or other was in the
billiard room the whole time, and nobody could have got
over the roof, which is nearly all skylight, without having
been seen or heard. I was there myself for an
hour or two, taking a little practice. Well was anything done.
Strict inquiry was made among the servants, of course, but
(20:29):
nothing came of it. It was such a small matter
that missus Armitage wouldn't hear of my calling in the
police or anything of that sort. Although I felt pretty
certain that there must be a dishonest servant about somewhere.
A servant might take a plain broach, you know, who
would feel afraid of a valuable ring, the loss of
which would be made a greater matter of well. Yes,
(20:53):
perhaps so in the case of an inexperienced thief, who
would also likely snatch up whatever she took in a hurry.
But I'm doubtful what made you connect these two robberies together?
Nothing whatever. For some months they seemed quite of a
different sort. But scarcely. More than a month ago I
(21:15):
met missus Armitage at Brighton and we talked, among other things,
of the previous robbery, that of Missus Heath's bracelet. I
described the circumstances pretty minutely, and when I mentioned the
match found on the table, she said, how strange why
my thief left a match on the dressing table when
(21:35):
he took my poor little brooch. Hewitt nodded, yes, he said,
a spent match, of course, Yes, of course, a spent match.
She noticed it lying close to the pincushion, but threw
it away without mentioning the circumstances. Still, it seemed rather
curious to me that a match should be lit and dropped,
(21:56):
in each case on the dressing cover and inn from
where the article was taken. I mentioned it to Lloyd
when I got back, and he agreed that it seemed significant, scarcely,
said Hewett, shaking his head. Scarcely so far to be
called significant, although worth following up. Everybody uses matches in
(22:18):
the dark, you know. While at any rate, the coincidence
appealed to me so far that it struck me it
might be worth while to describe the brooch to the
police in order that they could trace it if it
had been pawned. They had tried that, of course, over
the bracelet, without any result. But I fancied the shot
might be worth making and might possibly lead us on
(22:39):
the track of more serious robbery. Quite so it was
the right thing to do. Well well, they found it.
A woman had pawned it in London at a shop
in Chelsea, but that was some time before, and the
pawnbroker had clean forgotten all about the woman's appearance. The
name and address she gave were false, So that was
(23:01):
the end of that business. Had any of the servants
left you between the time of the brooch's loss and
the date of the pawn ticket? No? Were all your
servants at home on the day the brooch was pawned?
Oh yes, I made that inquiry myself. Very good. What
(23:22):
next yesterday? And this is what made me send for you.
My late wife's sister came here last Tuesday and we
gave her the room from which missus Heath lost her bracelet.
She had with her a very old fashioned brooch containing
a miniature of her father, and set in front with
(23:44):
three very fine brilliants and a few smaller stones. Here
we are, though at the croft. I'll tell you the
rest indoors. Hewitt laid his hand on the baronet's arm.
Don't pull up, sir James, he said, drive a little farther.
I should like to have a general idea of the
(24:04):
whole case before we go. In very good, Sir James.
Norris straightened the horse's head and again went on. Late
yesterday afternoon, as my sister in law was changing her dress,
she left her room for a moment to speak to
my daughter in her room, almost adjoining. She was gone
(24:24):
no more than three minutes, or five at most, but
on her return the brooch, which had been left on
the table had gone. Now, the window was shut fast
and had not been tampered with. Of course, the door
was open, but so was my daughter's and anybody walking
near must have been heard. But the strangest circumstance, and
(24:46):
one that almost makes me wonder whether I have been
awake to day or not, was that there lay a
used match on the very spot, as nearly as possible,
where the brooch had been, and it was broad daylight.
Hewett rubbed his nose and looked thoughtfully before him hum curious, certainly,
(25:09):
he said anything else, nothing more than you shall see
for yourself. I have had the room locked and watched
till you could examine it. My sister in law had
heard of your name and suggested that you should be
called in, So of course I did exactly as she wanted.
That she should have lost that brooch. Of all things
(25:31):
in my house is most unfortunate. You see, there was
some small difference about the thing between my late wife
and her sister when their mother died and left it.
It's almost worse than the Heath's bracelet business. And altogether
I'm not pleased with things. I can assure you see
what a position it is for me. Here are three
(25:54):
ladies in the space of one year, robbed one after
another in this misty, serious fashion in my house, and
I can't find the thief. It's horrible. People will be
afraid to come near the place, and I can do nothing. Ah, well,
we'll see. Perhaps we had better turn back now by
(26:16):
the bye. Were you thinking of having any alterations or
additions made to your house? No, what makes you ask?
I think you might at least consider the question of
painting or decorating. Sir James or say, putting up another
coach house or something, because I should like to be
(26:38):
to the servants, the architect or the builder, if you
please come to look around. You haven't told any of
them about this business, not a word. Nobody knows but
my relatives and Lloyd. I took every precaution myself at once.
As to your little disguise, be the architect by all means,
(26:59):
and do as you please. If you can only find
this thief and put an end to this horrible state
of affairs, you'll do me the greatest service I've ever
asked for. And as to your fee, I'll gladly make
it whatever is usual and three hundred in edition. Martin
Hewett bowed. You are very generous, Sir James, and you
(27:21):
may be sure I'll do what I can. As a
professional man. Of course, a good fee always stimulates my interest.
Although this case of yours certainly seems interesting enough by
itself most extraordinary, don't you think so? Here are three persons,
all ladies, all in my house, two even in the
same room, each successively robbed of a piece of jewelry,
(27:44):
each from a dressing table, and a used match left
behind in every case, all in the most difficult, one
would say, impossible circumstances for a thief, and yet there
is no clue. Well, we won't say that just yet,
Sir James. We must see and we must guard against
any undue predisposition to consider the robberies in a lump.
(28:09):
Here we are at the lodge gate again. Is that
your gardener, the man who left the ladder by the
lawn on the first occasion you spoke of. Mister Hewitt
nodded in the direction of a man who was clipping
a box border. Yes, will you ask him anything? No, No,
at any rate, not now remember the building alterations. I
(28:32):
think if there is no objection, I will look first
at the room that the lady Missus Hewett looked up
inquiringly my sister in law, missus missus Kasanov. Oh, yes,
you shall come to her room at once, thank you,
And I think Missus Kasanov had better be there. They alighted,
(28:54):
and a boy from the lodge led the horse and
dog cart away. Missus aus Kasanov was a thin and faded,
but quick and energetic lady of middle age. She bent
her head very slightly on learning Martin Hewett's name, and
said I must thank you, mister Hewitt, for your very
prompt attention. I need scarcely say that any help you
(29:17):
can afford in tracing the thief who has my property,
whoever it may be, will make me most grateful. My
room is quite ready for you to examine. The room
was on the second floor, the top floor at that
part of the building. Some slight confusion of small articles
of dress was observable in parts of the room. This,
(29:40):
I take it, inquired Hewitt, is exactly as it was
at the time the brooch was missed, precisely, missus Kazanov answered,
I have used another room and put myself to some
other inconveniences to avoid any disturbance. Hewitt stood before the
dressing table. Then this is the used match, he observed,
(30:05):
exactly where it was found. Yes, where was the brooch,
I should say, almost on the very same spot, certainly
no more than a very few inches away. Hewitt examined
the match closely. It is burned a very little, he remarked.
It would appear to have gone out at once. Could
(30:28):
you hear it struck? I heard nothing whatever, absolutely nothing.
If you will step into Miss Norris's room now for
a moment, hewittt suggested, we will try an experiment. Tell
me if you hear matches struck and how many? Where
is the match stand? The match stand proved to be empty,
(30:49):
but matches were found in Miss Norris's room, and the
test was made. Each striking could be heard distinctly, even
with one of the doors pushed too. Both your own
door and Miss Norris's were open. I understand the window
shut and fastened inside as it is now, and nothing
(31:09):
but the brooch was disturbed. Yes, that was so, thank you,
missus Casanov. I don't think I need trouble you any further,
just at present, I think, Sir James Hewett added, turning
to the baronet, who was standing by the door, I
think we will see the other room and take a
walk outside the house, if you please. I suppose by
(31:33):
the bye that there is no getting at the matches
left behind on the first and second occasions. No, Sir
James answered, certainly not here. Scotland Yard may have kept them.
The room that Missus Armitage had occupied presented no particular feature.
A few feet below the window, the roof of the
(31:56):
billiard room was visible, consisting largely of a skylight Hewett
glanced casually about the walls, ascertained that the furniture and
hangings had not been materially changed since the second robbery,
and expressed his desire to see the windows from the
outside before leaving the room. However, he wished to know
the names of any persons who were known to have
(32:18):
been about the house on the occasion of all three robberies.
Just carry your mind back, Sir James, he said, begin
with yourself. For instance, where were you at these times
when Missus Heath lost her bracelet? I was in Tagley
Wood all the afternoon when Missus Armitage was robbed. I
(32:42):
believe I was somewhere about the place most of the
time she was out. Yesterday I was down at the farm.
Sir James's face broadened. I don't know whether you call
those suspicious movements, he added, and laughed. Not at all,
not at all. I only asked you so that, remembering
your own movements, you might better recall those of the
(33:04):
rest of the household. Was anybody to your knowledge, anybody
mind in the house on all three occasions? Well, you
know it's quite impossible to answer for all the servants.
You'll only get that by direct questioning, I can't possibly
remember things of that sort. As to the family and visitors,
(33:28):
why you don't suspect any of them, do you? I
don't suspect a soul, sir, James Hewett answered, beaming genially,
not a soul, you see, I can't suspect people till
I know something about where they were. It's quite possible
there will be independent evidence enough as it is, but
(33:49):
you must help me if you can. The visitors, Now,
was there any visitor here each time, or even on
the first and last occasion? Only? No, not one. And
my own sister, perhaps you will be pleased to know,
was only there at the time of the first robbery
(34:10):
just so. And your daughter, as I have gathered, was
clearly absent from the spot each time, indeed was in
company with the party robbed your niece. Now, why hang
it all, mister Hewett, I can't talk of my niece
as a suspected criminal. The poor girls under my protection,
(34:31):
and I really can't allow. Hewett raised his hand and
shook his head deprecatingly. My dear sir, haven't I said
that I don't suspect a soul? Do let me know
how the people were distributed as nearly as possible. Let
me see, it was your niece, I think, who found
that missus Armitage's door was locked, this door, in fact,
(34:54):
on the day she lost her roach. Yes, it was
just so at the time when missus Armitage herself had
forgotten whether she locked it or not. And yesterday was
she out then? No? I think not. Indeed, she goes
out very little. Her health is usually bad. She was
(35:17):
indoors too at the time of the heath robbery. Since
you ask, but come now, I don't like this. It's
ridiculous to suppose that she knows anything of it. I
don't suppose it. As I have said, I am only
asking for information. This is all your resident family, I
take it. And you know nothing of anybody else's movements
(35:40):
except perhaps mister Lloyd's. Lloyd well, you know yourself that
he was out with the ladies when the first robbery
took place. As to the others, I don't remember. Yesterday
he was probably in his room writing. I think that
acquits him. Eh. Sir James looked quizzically into the broad
(36:02):
face of the affable detective, who smiled and replied, Oh,
of course, nobody can be in two places at once,
else what would become of the Alibi as an institution.
But as I have said, I am only setting my
facts in order. Now, you see, we get down to
the servants, unless some stranger is the party wanted. Shall
(36:25):
we go outside? Now? Luntoncroft was a large, desultory sort
of house, nowhere more than three floors high, and mostly
only two. It had been added to bit by bit
till it zigzagged about its sight, as Sir James Norris
expressed it like a game of dominoes. Hewitt scrutinized its
(36:47):
external features carefully as they strolled around, and stopped some
little while before the windows of the two bedrooms he
had just seen from the inside. Presently, they approached the
stable and coach house, where a groom was washing the
wheels of the dog cart. Do you mind my smoking,
(37:07):
Hewitt asked Sir James. Perhaps you will take a cigar yourself.
They are not so bad. I think I will ask
your man for a light. Sir James felt for his
own match box, but Hewitt had gone and was lighting
his cigar with a match from a box handed him
by the groom. A smart little terrier was trotting about
(37:29):
by the coach house, and Hewitt stooped to rub its head.
Then he made some observation about the dog, which enlisted
the groom's interest, and was soon absorbed in a chat
with the man. Sir James waiting a little off, tapped
the stones rather impatiently with his foot, and presently moved away.
(37:50):
For a full quarter of an hour he wit chatted
with the groom, and when at last he came away
and overtook Sir James, that gentleman was about rheinn entering
the house. I beg your pardon, Sir James, Hewitt said,
for leaving you in that unceremonious fashion to talk to
your groom. But a dog, Sir James, A good dog
(38:14):
will draw me anywhere, oh, replied Sir James shortly. There
is one other thing, Hewitt went on, disregarding the other's curtainess,
that I should like to know. There are two windows
directly below that of the room occupied yesterday by missus Casaneau,
one on each floor. What rooms do they like? That?
(38:39):
On the ground floor is the morning room. The other
is mister Lloyd's, my secretary, a sort of study or
sitting room. Now you will see at once, Sir James
Hewitt pursued, with an affable determination to win the baronet
back to good humor. You will see at once that
if a ladder had been used in missus heath case,
(39:01):
and anybody was looking from either of these rooms, they
would have seen it. Of course, the Scotland yard man
questioned everybody as to that, but nobody seemed to have
been in either of the rooms when the thing occurred.
At any rate, nobody saw anything. Still, I think I
should like to look out of those windows myself. It
(39:23):
will at least give me an idea of what was
in view and what was not if anybody had been there.
Sir James Norris led the way to the morning room.
As they reached the door, a young lady, carrying a
book and walking very languidly, came out. Hewitt stepped aside
to let her pass, and afterwards said interrogatively, Miss Norris,
(39:46):
your daughter, Sir James, no, my niece. Do you want
to ask her anything? Dora, my dear, Sir James added,
following her in the corridor. This is mister Hewett, who
is investigating these wretched robberies for me. I think he
would like to hear if you remember anything happening at
any of the three times. The lady bowed slightly and said,
(40:10):
in a plaintive drawl, I uncle, really I don't remember anything,
nothing at all. You found Missus Armitage's door locked, I believe,
asked Hewett, when you tried it on the afternoon when
she lost her brooch. Oh, yes, I believe it was locked,
Yes it was. Had the key been left in it?
(40:35):
The key? Oh no, I think not. No. Do you
remember anything out of the common happening, anything whatever, no
matter how trivial, on the day Missus Heath lost her bracelet. No, really,
I don't. I can't remember at all, nor yesterday. No, nothing,
(40:57):
I don't remember anything. Thank you, said Hewett hastily. Thank you.
Now the morning room, Sir James. In the morning room,
Hewett stayed but a few seconds, doing little more than
casually glance out of the windows in the room above.
He took a little longer time. It was a comfortable room,
but with rather effeminate indications about its contents little pieces
(41:21):
of drape's silk work. Near the window was a cage
containing a gray parrot, and the writing table was decorated
with two vases of flowers. Lloyd makes himself pretty comfortable, eh,
Sir James observed, But it isn't like anybody would be
here while he was out at the time that the
bracelet went No, replied Hewitt meditatively, No, I suppose not.
(41:48):
He stared thoughtfully out of the window, and then, still
deep in thought, rattled at the wires of the cage
with a quill toothpick and played a moment with the parrot. Then,
looking up at the window again, he said, that is
mister Lloyd, isn't it coming back in a fly? Yes?
I think so. Is there anything else you would care
(42:10):
to see here? No, thank you, Hewitt replied, I don't
think there is. They went down to the smoking room
and Sir James went away to speak to his secretary.
When he returned, Hewitt said, quietly, I think, Sir James,
I think that I shall be able to give you your
(42:31):
thief presently. What have you a clue? Who do you think?
I began to believe you were hopelessly stumped. Well, yes,
I have a rather good clue, although I can't tell
you much about it yet, but it is so good
a clue that I should like to know now whether
(42:52):
you are determined to prosecute when you have the criminal,
why bless me, of course, Sir James replied with Sir,
it doesn't rest with me. You know, the property belongs
to my friends, and even if they were disposed to
let the thing slide, I shouldn't allow it. I couldn't
after they had been robbed in my house. Of course.
(43:13):
Of course, then if I can, I should like to
send a message to Twyford by somebody perfectly trustworthy, not
a servant. Could anybody go? Well, there's Lloyd, although he's
only just back from his journey. But if it's important,
he'll go. It is important. The fact is we must
(43:35):
have a policeman or two here this evening, and I'd
like mister Lloyd to fetch them without telling anybody else.
Sir James rang, and in response to his message, mister
Lloyd appeared. While Sir James gave his secretary his instructions,
he had strolled to the door of the smoking room
and intercepted the latter as he came out. I'm sorry
(43:58):
to give you this trouble, missus Lloyd, he said, but
I must stay here myself for a little and somebody
who can be trusted, must go. Will you just bring
back a police constable with you, or rather two two
would be better. That is all that is wanted. You
won't let the servants know, will you? Of course there
(44:21):
will be a female searcher at the Twyford Police station. Ah,
of course, well you needn't bring her. You know that
sort of thing is done at the station. And chatting
thus confidentially, Martin Hewitt saw him off. When Hewitt returned
to the smoking room, Sir James said, suddenly, why bless
(44:44):
my soul, mister Hewitt, we haven't fed you. I'm awfully sorry.
We came in rather late for lunch, you know, and
this business has bothered me, so I clean forget everything else.
There's no dinner till seven, so you'd better let me
give you something now. I'm really sorry. Come along, thank you,
Sir James. Hewett replied, I won't take much, A few
(45:05):
biscuits perhaps, or something of that sort. And by the bye,
if you don't mind, I rather think I should like
to take it alone. The fact is I want to
go over this case thoroughly by myself. Can you put
me in a room, any room you like? Where will
you go? The dining room's rather large, but there's my
(45:25):
study that's pretty snug. Or perhaps I can go into
mister Lloyd's room for an hour or so. I don't
think he'll mind, and it's pretty comfortable. Certainly, if you'd like,
I'll tell them to send you whatever they've got, Thank
you very much. Perhaps they'll also send me a lump
(45:46):
of sugar and a walnut. It's it's a little fad
of mine. Uh what a lump of sugar and a walnut.
Sir James stopped for a moment with his hand on
the bell rope. Oh, certainly, if you'd like it, certainly,
he added, and stared after this detective with curious tastes
(46:08):
as he left the room. When the vehicle bringing back
the Secretary and the policeman drew up on the drive,
Martin Hewitt left the room on the first floor and
proceeded downstairs. On the landing, he met Sir James Norris
and missus Kazanov, who stared with astonishment on perceiving that
the detective carried in his hand the parrot cage. I
(46:32):
think our business is about brought to a head now,
Hewitt remarked on the stairs. Here are the police officers
from Twyford. The men were standing in the hall with
mister Lloyd, who, on catching sight of the cage in
Hewitt's hand, paled suddenly. This is the person who will
be charged, I think, Hewitt pursued, addressing the officers and
(46:56):
indicating Lloyd with his finger. What Lloyd, gasped Sir James
aghast No, not Lloyd, nonsense. He doesn't seem to think
it nonsense himself, does he? Hewett placidly observed. Lloyd had
sank on a chair, and gray of face, was staring
(47:17):
blindly at the man he had run against at the
office door that morning. His lips moved in spasms, but
there was no sound. The wilted flower fell from his
buttonhole to the floor, but he did not move. This
is his accomplice. Hewitt went on, placing the parrot and
cage on the hall table, though I doubt whether there
(47:40):
will be any use in charging him. They Polly the
parrot put his head aside and chuckled. Hullo Polly, it
quite gurgled, Come along. Sir James Norris was hopelessly bewildered
Lloyd Lloyd, He said under his breath, Lloyd and that
(48:03):
this was his little messenger, his useful mercury Pewart explained,
tapping the cage complacently. In fact, the actual lifter hould
him up. The last remark referred to the wretched Lloyd,
who had fallen forward with something between a sob and
a loud sigh. The policeman took him by the arms
(48:24):
and propped him in his chair. System, said Hewett, with
a shrug of the shoulders. An hour or two after
in Sir James's study, I can't say I have a system.
I call it nothing but common sense and a sharp
pair of eyes. Nobody using these could help taking the
(48:46):
right road. In this case. I began at the match
just as the Scotland yard man did, but I had
the advantage of taking a line through three cases. To
begin with, it was plain that the match, being left
there in daylight in Missus Casaneav's room, could not have
been used to light the tabletop in the full glare
(49:07):
of the window. Therefore, it had been used for some
other purpose. What purpose I could not at the moment guess.
Habitual thieves, you know, often have curious superstitions, and some
will never take anything without leaving something behind a pebble
or a piece of coal or something like that in
(49:29):
the premises they have been robbing. It seemed at first
extremely likely that this was a case of that kind.
The match had clearly been brought in, because when I
asked for matches there were none in the stand, not
even an empty box, and the room had not been disturbed. Also,
the match had probably not been struck there nothing having
(49:52):
been heard, although of course a mistake in this matter
was just possible. This match, then, it was fair to
as soon, had been lit somewhere else and blown out immediately.
I remarked at the time that it was very little burned. Plainly,
it could not have been treated thus for nothing, and
(50:12):
the only possible object would have been to prevent it
igniting accidentally. Following on this, it became obvious that the
match was used for whatever purpose, not as a match,
but merely as a convenient splinter of wood. So far,
so good. But on examining the match very closely, I observed,
(50:33):
as you can see for yourself, certain rather sharp indentations
in the wood. They are very small, you see, and
scarcely visible except upon narrow inspection, But there they are,
and their positions are regular. See there are two on
each side, each opposite the corresponding mark of the other pair.
(50:54):
The match, in fact, would seem to have been gripped
in some fairly sharp instrument, holding it at two points
above and two below, an instrument as it may strike
you at once, not unlike the beak of a bird.
Now Here was an idea. What living creature but a
bird could possibly have entered Missus Heath's window without a ladder,
(51:16):
supposing no ladder two have been used, or could have
got into Missus Armitage's window without lifting the sash higher
than the eight or ten inches it was already open,
plainly nothing. Further, it is significant that only one article
was stolen at a time, although others were about. A
human being could have carried any reasonable number, but a
(51:39):
bird could only take one at a time. But why
should a bird carry a match in its beak? Certainly
it must have been trained to do that for a purpose,
and a little consideration made that purpose pretty clear. A noisy,
chattering bird would probably betray itself at once. Therefore it
(51:59):
must be trained aimed to keep quiet both while going
for and coming away with its plunder. What readier, or
more probably effectual way than while teaching it to carry
without dropping. To teach it also to keep quiet while carrying.
The one thing would practically cover the other. I thought
(52:21):
at once, of course, of a jackdaw or a magpie.
These birds thievish reputations made the guests natural. But the
marks on the match were much too wide a part
to have been made by the beak of either. I
conjectured therefore, that it must be a raven, So that
when we arrived near the coach house, I seized the
opportunity of a little chat with your groom on the
(52:43):
subject of dogs and pets in general, and ascertained that
there was no tame raven in the place. I also, incidentally,
by getting a light from the coach house box matches,
ascertained that the match found was of the sort generally
used about the establishment, the large thick red topped English match.
(53:05):
But I further found that mister Lloyd had a parrot,
which was a most intelligent pet, and had been trained
into comparative quietness for a parrot. Also, I learned that
more than once the groom had met mister Lloyd carrying
his parrot under his coat, it having as its owner explained,
learned the trick of opening its cage door and escaping.
(53:28):
I said nothing, of course, to you, of all of this,
because I had as yet nothing but a train of
argument and no results. I got to Lloyd's room as
soon as possible. My chief object in going there was
achieved when I played with the parrot and induced it
to bite a quill toothpick. When you left me in
the smoking room, I compared the quill and the match
(53:50):
very carefully, and found that the marks corresponded exactly. After this,
I felt very little doubt. Indeed, the fact of Lloyd
having met the lady's waf walking before dark on the
day of the first robbery proved nothing, because since it
was clear that the match had not been used to
procure a light, the robbery might as easily have taken
(54:11):
place in daylight as not must have so taken place.
In fact, if my conjectures were right, that they were right,
I felt no doubt. There could be no other explanation.
When missus Heath left her window open and her door shut,
anybody climbing upon the open sash of Lloyd's high window
could have put the bird upon the sill above the
(54:34):
match placed in the bird's beak for the purpose I
have indicated and struck first. In case by accident it
should be ignited by rubbing against something and startled the bird.
This match would of course be dropped just where the
object to be removed was taken up. As you know,
in every case the match was found almost upon the
(54:56):
spot where the missing article had been left, scarcely a
likely triple coincidence. Had the match been used by a
human thief, this would have been done as soon after
the ladies had left as possible, and there would have
been plenty of time for Lloyd to hurry out and
meet them before dark, especially plenty of time to meet
(55:17):
them coming back as they must have been, since they
were carrying their ferns. The match was an article well
chosen for its purpose, as being a not altogether unlikely
thing to find on a dressing table, and if noticed,
likely to lead to the wrong conclusions adopted by the
official detectives. In Missus Armitage's case, the taking of an
(55:41):
inferior brooch and the leaving of a more valuable ring
pointed clearly either to the operator being a fool or
unable to distinguish values, and certainly from other indications, the
thief seemed no fool. The door was locked and the
gas fitter, so to speak, on guard, and the window
was only eight or ten inches open and propped with
(56:03):
a brush. A human thief entering the window would have
disturbed this arrangement and would scarcely risk discovery by attempting
to replace it, especially a thief in so great a
hurry as to snatch the brooch up without unfastening the pin.
The bird could pass through the opening as it was,
and would have to tear the pin cushion to pull
(56:25):
the brooch off, probably holding the cushion down with its
claw the while Now, in yesterday's case we had an
alteration of conditions. The window was shut and fastened, but
the door was opened, but only left open for a
few minutes, during which time no sound was heard, either
of coming or going. Was it not possible then, that
(56:46):
the thief was already in the room in hiding while
missus Kasanov was there, and seized its first opportunity on
her temporary absence. The room was full of draperies, hangings
and what not, allowing a plenty of concealment for a bird,
and a bird could leave the place noiselessly and quickly.
That the whole scheme was strange, mattered, not at all.
(57:09):
Robberies presenting such unaccountable features must have been effected by
strange means of one sort or another. There was no improbability.
Consider how many hundreds of examples of infinitely higher degrees
of bird training are exhibited in the London streets every
week for coppers, so that on the whole I felt
(57:30):
pretty sure of my ground. But before taking any definitive steps,
I resolved to see if Polly could not be persuaded
to exhibit his accomplishments to an indulgent stranger. For that purpose,
I contrived to send Lloyd away again and have a
quiet hour alone with his bird. A piece of sugar,
(57:51):
as everybody knows, is a good parrot bribe, but a
walnut split in half is a better, especially if the
bird be used to it. So I got you to
furnish me with both. Polly was shy at first, but
I generally get along well with pets, and a little
perseverance soon led to a complete private performance for my benefit.
(58:14):
Polly would take the match mute as wax, jump on
the table, pick up the brightest thing he could see
in a great hurry, leave the match behind and scuttle
away round the room. At first he wouldn't give the
plunder to me. It was enough. I also took the liberty,
as you know, of a general look round and discovered
(58:35):
that little collection of brahmagem rings and trinkets that you
have just seen used in Polly's education, no doubt. When
we sent Lloyd away, it struck me that he might
as well be usefully employed as not. So I got
him to fetch the police, deluting him a little, I
fear by talking about the servants and a female searcher.
(58:57):
But there will be no trouble about evidence. He'll confess
of that. I'm sure I know the sort of man.
But I doubt if you'll get missus Casavon's brooch back.
You see, he has been to London today, and by
this time the swag is probably broken up. Sir James
listened to Hewitt's explanation with many expressions of assent and
(59:20):
some of surprise. When it was over, he smoked a
few whiffs and then said, but missus Armitage's brooch was
pawned and by a woman exactly I expect our friend
Lloyd was rather disgusted at his small luck. Probably gave
the brooch to some female connection in London, and she
(59:41):
realized on it such persons don't always trouble to give
a correct address. The two smoked in silence for a
few minutes, and then Hewitt continued, I don't expect our
friend has had an easy job altogether with that bird.
His successes, at most have only been three. I suspect
he had many failures, and not a few anxious moments
(01:00:05):
that we know nothing of. I should judge as much
merely from what the groom told me of frequently meeting
Lloyd with his parrot. But the plan was not a
bad one, not at all. Even if the bird had
been caught in the act, it would only have been
that mischievous parrot, you see, and his master would only
(01:00:27):
have been looking for him. End of Chapter one
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