Trent’s Last Case · Chapter 7 (2/2)

“Bunner has told me what he thinks,” he said when Trent referred to the American’s theory. “I don’t find myself convinced by it, because it doesn’t really explain some of the oddest facts. But I have lived long enough in the United States to know that such a stroke of revenge, done in a secret, melodramatic way, is not an unlikely thing. It is quite a characteristic feature of certain sections of the labour movement there. Americans have a taste and a talent for that sort of business. Do you know Huckleberry Finn?”

“Do I know my own name?” exclaimed Trent.

“Well, I think the most American thing in that great American epic is Tom Sawyer’s elaboration of an extremely difficult and romantic scheme, taking days to carry out, for securing the escape of the nigger Jim, which could have been managed quite easily in twenty minutes. You know how fond they are of lodges and brotherhoods. Every college club has its secret signs and handgrips. You’ve heard of the Know-Nothing movement in politics, I dare say, and the Ku Klux Klan. Then look at Brigham Young’s penny-dreadful tyranny in Utah, with real blood. The founders of the Mormon State were of the purest Yankee stock in America; and you know what they did. It’s all part of the same mental tendency. Americans make fun of it among themselves. For my part, I take it very seriously.”

“It can have a very hideous side to it, certainly,” said Trent, “when you get it in connection with crime⁠—or with vice⁠—or even mere luxury. But I have a sort of sneaking respect for the determination to make life interesting and lively in spite of civilization. To return to the matter in hand, however; has it struck you as a possibility that Manderson’s mind was affected to some extent by this menace that Bunner believes in? For instance, it was rather an extraordinary thing to send you posting off like that in the middle of the night.”

“About ten o’clock, to be exact,” replied Marlowe. “Though, mind you, if he’d actually roused me out of my bed at midnight I shouldn’t have been very much surprised. It all chimes in with what we’ve just been saying. Manderson had a strong streak of the national taste for dramatic proceedings. He was rather fond of his well-earned reputation for unexpected strokes and for going for his object with ruthless directness through every opposing consideration. He had decided suddenly that he wanted to have word from this man Harris⁠—”

“Who is Harris?” interjected Trent.

“Nobody knows. Even Bunner never heard of him, and can’t imagine what the business in hand was. All I know is that when I went up to London last week to attend to various things I booked a deck-cabin, at Manderson’s request, for a Mr. George Harris on the boat that sailed on Monday. It seems that Manderson suddenly found he wanted news from Harris which presumably was of a character too secret for the telegraph; and there was no train that served; so I was sent off as you know.”

Trent looked round to make sure that they were not overheard, then faced the other gravely, “There is one thing I may tell you,” he said quietly, “that I don’t think you know. Martin the butler caught a few words at the end of your conversation with Manderson in the orchard before you started with him in the car. He heard him say, ‘If Harris is there, every moment is of importance.’ Now, Mr. Marlowe, you know my business here. I am sent to make enquiries, and you mustn’t take offence. I want to ask you if, in the face of that sentence, you will repeat that you know nothing of what the business was.”

Marlowe shook his head. “I know nothing, indeed. I’m not easily offended, and your question is quite fair. What passed during that conversation I have already told the detective. Manderson plainly said to me that he could not tell me what it was all about. He simply wanted me to find Harris, tell him that he desired to know how matters stood, and bring back a letter or message from him. Harris, I was further told, might not turn up. If he did, ‘every moment was of importance.’ And now you know as much as I do.”

“That talk took place before he told his wife that you were taking him for a moonlight run. Why did he conceal your errand in that way, I wonder.”

The young man made a gesture of helplessness. “Why? I can guess no better than you.”

“Why,” muttered Trent as if to himself, gazing on the ground, “did he conceal it⁠—from Mrs. Manderson?” He looked up at Marlowe.

“And from Martin,” the other amended coolly. “He was told the same thing.”

With a sudden movement of his head Trent seemed to dismiss the subject. He drew from his breast-pocket a letter-case, and thence extracted two small leaves of clean, fresh paper.

“Just look at these two slips, Mr. Marlowe,” he said. “Did you ever see them before? Have you any idea where they come from?” he added as Marlowe took one in each hand and examined them curiously.

“They seem to have been cut with a knife or scissors from a small diary for this year from the October pages,” Marlowe observed, looking them over on both sides. “I see no writing of any kind on them. Nobody here has any such diary so far as I know. What about them?”

“There may be nothing in it,” Trent said dubiously. “Anyone in the house, of course, might have such a diary without your having seen it. But I didn’t much expect you would be able to identify the leaves⁠—in fact, I should have been surprised if you had.”

He stopped speaking as Mrs. Manderson came towards them. “My uncle thinks we should be going now,” she said.

“I think I will walk on with Mr. Bunner,” Mr. Cupples said as he joined them. “There are certain business matters that must be disposed of as soon as possible. Will you come on with these two gentlemen, Mabel? We will wait for you before we reach the place.”

Trent turned to her. “Mrs. Manderson will excuse me, I hope,” he said. “I really came up this morning in order to look about me here for some indications I thought I might possibly find. I had not thought of attending the⁠—the court just yet.”

She looked at him with eyes of perfect candour. “Of course, Mr. Trent. Please do exactly as you wish. We are all relying upon you. If you will wait a few moments, Mr. Marlowe, I shall be ready.”

She entered the house. Her uncle and the American had already strolled towards the gate.

Trent looked into the eyes of his companion. “That is a wonderful woman,” he said in a lowered voice.

“You say so without knowing her,” replied Marlowe in a similar tone. “She is more than that.”

Trent said nothing to this. He stared out over the fields towards the sea. In the silence a noise of hobnailed haste rose on the still air. A little distance down the road a boy appeared trotting towards them from the direction of the hotel. In his hand was the orange envelope, unmistakable afar off, of a telegram. Trent watched him with an indifferent eye as he met and passed the two others. Then he turned to Marlowe. “Apropos of nothing in particular,” he said, “were you at Oxford?”

“Yes,” said the young man. “Why do you ask?”

“I just wondered if I was right in my guess. It’s one of the things you can very often tell about a man, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so,” Marlowe said. “Well, each of us is marked in one way or another, perhaps. I should have said you were an artist, if I hadn’t known it.”

“Why? Does my hair want cutting?”

“Oh, no! It’s only that you look at things and people as I’ve seen artists do, with an eye that moves steadily from detail to detail⁠—rather looking them over than looking at them.”

The boy came up panting. “Telegram for you, sir,” he said to Trent. “Just come, sir.”

Trent tore open the envelope with an apology, and his eyes lighted up so visibly as he read the slip that Marlowe’s tired face softened in a smile.

“It must be good news,” he murmured half to himself.

Trent turned on him a glance in which nothing could be read. “Not exactly news,” he said. “It only tells me that another little guess of mine was a good one.”