the red house mystery-第26节

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mentioned　it　after　his　brother's　announcement　of　a　personal　call　at　the　Red　
House；　this　perfect　frankness　had　a　good　deal　of　wisdom　behind　it。　

〃It　couldn't　have　been　yesterday；　Mr。　Gillingham。　Yesterday　…〃　she　
shuddered；　and　shook　her　head。　

〃I　thought　perhaps　he　had　been　down　here　in　the　morning。〃　

〃Oh；　no！　There　is　such　a　thing；　Mr。　Gillingham；　as　being　too　devoted　
a　lover。　Not　in　the　morning；　no。　We　both　agreed　that　dear　Angela　
Oh；　no。　No；　the　day　before　yesterday；　when　he　happened　to　drop　in　
about　tea…time。〃　

It　occurred　to　Antony　that　Mrs。　Norbury　had　come　a　long　way　from　
her　opening　statement　that　Mark　and　Miss　Norbury　were　practically　
engaged。　She　was　now　admitting　that　dear　Angela　was　not　to　be　rushed；　
that　dear　Angela　had；　indeed；　no　heart　for　the　match　at　all。　

〃The　day　before　yesterday。　As　it　happened；　dear　Angela　was　out。　Not　
that　it　mattered。　He　was　driving　to　Middleston。　He　hardly　had　time　for　
a　cup　of　tea；　so　that　even　if　she　had　been　in　…〃　

Antony　nodded　absently。　This　was　something　new。　Why　did　Mark　
go　to　Middleston　the　day　before　yesterday？　But；　after　all；　why　shouldn't　
he？　A　hundred　reasons　unconnected　with　the　death　of　Robert　might　have　
taken　him　there。　

He　got　up　to　go。　He　wanted　to　be　alone　…　alone；　at　least；　with　Bill。　
Mrs。　Norbury　had　given　him　many　things　to　think　over；　but　the　great　
outstanding　fact　which　had　emerged　was　this：　that　Cayley　had　reason　to　
hate　Mark；　…　Mrs。　Norbury　had　given　him　that　reason。　To　hate？　Well；　to　
be　jealous；　anyhow。　But　that　was　enough。　

〃You　see；〃　he　said　to　Bill；　as　they　walked　back；　〃we　know　that　Cayley　

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is　perjuring　himself　and　risking　himself　over　this　business；　and　that　must　
be　for　one　of　two　reasons。　Either　to　save　Mark　or　to　endanger　him。　
That　is　to　say；　he　is　either　whole…heartedly　for　him　or　whole…heartedly　
against　him。　Well；　now　we　know　that　he　is　against　him；　definitely　
against　him。〃　

〃But；　I　say；　you　know；〃　protested　Bill；　〃one　doesn't　necessarily　try　to　
ruin　one's　rival　in　love。〃　

〃Doesn't　one？〃　said　Antony；　turning　to　him　with　a　smile。　

Bill　blushed。　

〃Well；　of　course；　one　never　knows；　but　I　mean　…〃　

〃You　mightn't　try　to　ruin　him；　Bill；　but　you　wouldn't　perjure　yourself　
in　order　to　get　him　out　of　a　trouble　of　his　own　making。〃　

〃Lord！　no。〃　

〃So　that　of　the　two　alternatives　the　other　is　the　more　likely。〃　

They　had　come　to　the　gate　into　the　last　field　which　divided　them　from　
the　road；　and　having　gone　through　it；　they　turned　round　and　leant　against　it；　
resting　for　a　moment；　and　looking　down　at　the　house　which　they　had　left。　

〃Jolly　little　place；　isn't　it？〃　said　Bill。　

〃Very。　But　rather　mysterious。〃　

〃In　what　way？〃　

〃Well；　where's　the　front　door？〃　

〃The　front　door？　Why；　you've　just　come　out　of　it。〃　

〃But　isn't　there　a　drive；　or　a　road　or　anything？〃　

Bill　laughed。　

〃No；　that's　the　beauty　of　it　to　some　people。　And　that's　why　it's　so　
cheap；　and　why　the　Norburys　can　afford　it；　I　expect。　They're　not　too　well　
off。〃　

〃But　what　about　luggage　and　tradesmen　and　that　kind　of　thing？〃　

〃Oh；　there's　a　cart…track；　but　motor…cars　can't　come　any　nearer　than　the　
road〃　he　turned　round　and　pointed　〃up　there。　So　the　week…end　
millionaire　people　don't　take　it。　At　least；　they'd　have　to　build　a　road　and　a　
garage　and　all　the　rest　of　it；　if　they　did。〃　

〃I　see；〃　said　Antony　carelessly；　and　they　turned　round　and　continued　
their　walk　up　to　the　road。　But　later　on　he　remembered　this　casual　

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conversation　at　the　gate；　and　saw　the　importance　of　it。


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CHAPTER　XVI　

Getting　Ready　for　the　Night　

What　was　it　which　Cayley　was　going　to　hide　in　that　pond　that　night？　
Antony　thought　that　he　knew　now。　It　was　Mark's　body。　

》From　the　beginning　he　had　seen　this　answer　coming　and　had　drawn　
back　from　it。　For；　if　Mark　had　been　killed；　it　seemed　such　a　cold…blooded　
killing。　Was　Cayley　equal　to　it？　Bill　would　have　said　〃No；〃　but　that　
was　because　he　had　had　breakfast　with　Cayley；　and　lunch　with　him；　and　
dinner　with　him；　had　ragged　him　and　played　games　with　him。　Bill　would　
have　said　〃No；〃　because　Bill　wouldn't　have　killed　anybody　in　cold　blood　
himself；　and　because　he　took　it　for　granted　that　other　people　behaved　
pretty　much　as　he　did。　But　Antony　had　no　such　illusions。　Murders　were　
done；　murder　had　actually　been　done　here；　for　there　was　Robert's　dead　
body。　Why　not　another　murder？　

Had　Mark　been　in　the　office　at　all　that　afternoon？　The　only　evidence　
（other　than　Cayley's；　which　obviously　did　not　count）　was　Elsie's。　Elsie　
was　quite　certain　that　she　had　heard　his　voice。　But　then　Bill　had　said　that　
it　was　a　very　characteristic　voice　…　an　easy　voice；　therefore；　to　imitate。　If　
Bill　could　imitate　it　so　successfully；　why　not　Cayley？　

But　perhaps　it　had　not　been　such　a　cold…blooded　killing；　after　all。　
Suppose　Cayley　had　had　a　quarrel　with　his　cousin　that　afternoon　over　the　
girl　whom　they　were　both　wooing。　Suppose　Cayley　had　killed　Mark；　
either　purposely；　in　sudden　passion；　or　accidentally；　meaning　only　to　
knock　him　down。　Suppose　that　this　had　happened　in　the　passage；　say　
about　two　o'clock；　either　because　Cayley　had　deliberately　led　him　there；　or　
because　Mark　had　casually　suggested　a　visit　to　it。　（One　could　imagine　
Mark　continually　gloating　over　that　secret　passage。）　Suppose　Cayley　there；　
with　the　body　at　his　feet；　feeling　already　the　rope　round　his　neck；　his　mind　
darting　this　way　and　that　in　frantic　search　for　a　way　of　escape；　and　
suppose　that　suddenly　and　irrelevantly　he　remembers　that　Robert　is　
coming　to　the　house　at　three　o'clock　that　afternoon　…　automatically　he　
looks　at　his　watch　…in　half　an　hour's　time。。。。　In　half　an　hour's　time。　He　
must　think　of　something　quickly；　quickly。　Shall　he　bury　the　body　in　the　

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passage　and　let　it　be　thought　that　Mark　ran　away；　frightened　at　the　mere　
thought　of　his　brother's　arrival？　But　there　was　the　evidence　of　the　
breakfast　table。　Mark　had　seemed　annoyed　at　this　resurrection　of　the　
black　sheep；　but　certainly　not　frightened。　No；　that　was　much　too　thin　a　
story。　But　suppose　Mark　had　actually　seen　his　brother　and　had　a　quarrel　
with　him；　suppose　it　could　be　made　to　look　as　if　Robert　had　killed　Mark　…

Antony　pictured　to　himself　Cayley　in　the　passage；　standing　over　the　
dead　body　of　his　cousin；　and　working　it　out。　How　could　Robert　be　made　
to　seem　the　murderer；　if　Robert　were　alive　to　deny　it？　But　suppose　
Robert　were　dead；　too？　

He　looks　at　his　watch　again。　（Only　twenty…five　minutes　now。）　
Suppose　Robert　were　dead；　too？　Robert　dead　in　the　office；　and　Mark　
dead　in　the　passage　how　does　that　help？　Madness！　But　if　the　bodies　
were　brought　together　somehow　and　Robert's　death　looked　like　suicide？。。。。　
Was　it　possible？　

Madness　again。　Too　difficult。　（Only　twenty　minutes　now。）　Too　
difficult　to　arrange　in　twenty　minutes。　Can't　arrange　a　suicide。　Too　
difficult。。。。　Only　nineteen　minutes。。。。　

And　then　the　sudden　inspiration！　Robert　dead　in　the　office；　Mark's　
body　hidden　in　the　passage　…　impossible　to　make　Robert　seem　the　
murderer；　but　how　easy　to　make　Mark！　Robert　dead　and　Mark　missing；　
why；　it　jumped　to　the　eye　at　once。　Mark　had　killed　Robert　…　accidentally；　
yes；　that　would　be　more　likely　…　and　then　had　run　away。　Sudden　panic。。。。　
（He　looks　at　his　watch　again。　Fifteen　minutes；　but　plenty　of　time　now。　
The　thing　arranges　itself。）　

Was　that　the　solution；　Antony　wondered。　It　seemed　to　fit　in　with　the　
facts　as　they　knew　them；　but　then；　so　did　that　other　theory　which　he　had　
suggested　to　Bill　in　the　morning。　

〃Which　one？〃　said　Bill。　

They　had　come　back　from　Jallands　through　the　park　and　were　sitting　
in　the　copse　above　the　pond；　from　which　the　Inspector　and　his　fishermen　
had　now　withdrawn。　Bill　had　listened　with　open　mouth　to　Antony's　
theory；　and　save　for　an　occasional　〃By　Jove！〃　had　listened　in　silence。　
〃Smart　man；　Cayley；〃　had　been　his　only　comment　at　the　end。　

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〃Which　other　theory？〃　

〃That　Mark　had　killed　Robert　accidentally　and　had　gone　to　Cayley　for　
help；　and　that　Cayley；　having　hidden　him　in　the　passage；　locked　the　office　
door　from　the　outside　and　hammered　on　it。〃　

〃Yes；　but　you　were　so　dashed　mysterious　about　that。　I　asked　you　
what　the　point　of　it　was；　and　you　wouldn't　say　anything。〃　He　thought　for　
a　little；　and　then　went　on；　〃I　suppose　you　meant　that　Cayley　deliberately　
betrayed　Mark；　and　tried　to　make　him　look　like　a　murderer？〃　

〃I　wanted　to　warn　you　that　we　should　probably　find　Mark　in　the　
passage；　alive　or　dead。〃　

〃And　now　you　don't　think　so？〃　

〃Now　I　think　that　his　dead　body　is　there。〃　

〃Meaning　that　Cayley　went　down　and　killed　him　afterwards　after　you　
had　come；　after　the　police　had　come？〃　

〃Well；　that's　what　I　shrink　from；　Bill。　It's　so　horribly　cold…blooded。　
Cayley　may　be　capable　of　it；　but　I　hate　to　think　of　it。〃　

〃But；　dash　it　all；　your　other　way　is　cold…blooded　enough。　According　
to　you；　he　goes　up　to　the　office　and　deliberately　shoots　a　man　with　whom　
he　has　no　quarrel；　whom　he　hasn't　seen　for　fifteen