‘One does, you know, with one’s butler. He comes along and says, “Anything I can get you sir?” and you say, “Yes,” or “No,” or whatever the occasion calls for.’
‘It was a rather longer conversation than that, Mr. Haile. And it was overheard.’
‘Indeed? Hpw very interesting! May I ask what your eavesdropper made of it?’
‘Oh, yes-I was going to tell you. Marsham began by inquiring what you were going to do about keeping on the staff. You proceeded to let him know you were in possession of some damaging facts about himself. He had been fleecing your cousin, and Sir Herbert was about to discharge him without a character. After asserting that he had merely been taking a commission on wine and cigars, which had been his custom under a previous employer, Marsham denied that he was being dismissed and said that it was quite the other way about-he was anxious to leave, and Sir Herbert was using the threat of prosecution in order to compel him to stay. There then follow some very curious passages which I will read out to you from this transcript.’
He proceeded to do so in his best official voice, and having read, he summarized.
‘Up to this point you appear to have had, as it were, the upper hand-Marsham has put himself on the wrong side of the law, and you are letting him know it. But now he puts what he calls a hypothetical case. He says “Everyone has some private affairs which he would not like to have intruded upon. Let us take the question of last Saturday night, or of any other night, sir. There are always a number of persons in a house any one of whom could be about his private business at an hour or in a place which might be considered compromising. By the police for instance. Their profession induces a very suspicious habit of mind. If I may say so, sir, it would be most unwise to import them into the matter under discussion.” ’
He paused for long enough to mark the end of the quotation, and then continued weightily.
‘On this you immediately take up the attitude that he is attempting to blackmail you. He comes out with what he calls a vulgar proverb about letting sleeping dogs lie, and you ask how long they are going to lie and whether they don’t come back to be fed again, and again, and again. Marsham comes out with a piece about the subject being a painful one and the less said about it the better, and suggests that if you accept his notice and give him and his wife a testimonial, it will be satisfactory to all concerned. Upon which you burst out laughing, tell him he’s a thundering hypocrite, and agree that there are things which are better forgotten. Well, Mr. Haile?’
Eric Haile had maintained his smile of amusement. He laughed right out now.
‘My dear sir-what a lot of cooked-up nonsense! I don’t know who your informant was, but-well, there used to be a game called Russian Scandal. Something was whispered from one to another, and you have no idea what it would come out like by the time even a few people had had the handling of it. All this rubbish is a case in point. I saw Marsham, I told him I knew he had been peculating, and he came back with the suggestion that he knew things about me which perhaps I would not care to have repeated. Well, so he did-and as I don’t choose to be suspected of murder I’m going to tell you what they were. We’re all human, and the last time I stayed here Marsham happened to run into me in circumstances which would have compromised a lady. I’m sure you won’t expect me to take you any further into my confidence than that.’
Lamb consulted the paper which he still held, and read from it.
‘ “Let us take the question of last Saturday night-” ’
Haile finished the sentence-‘ “or of any other night,” Chief Inspector. It wasn’t Saturday night he was hinting at so far as I was concerned, and whether your eavesdropper thought it was or not is neither here nor there. And you know perfectly well that all this hearsay stuff isn’t evidence and you can’t use it. Marsham is a magnificent butler and a magnificent rogue. He gave me a good laugh, and I didn’t want to be hard on him. Hang it all man, even your eavesdropper admits I burst out laughing. Do you really suppose I’d have done that if I had thought he was hinting that I’d had a hand in my cousin’s death?’ He got up, still smiling, still genial. ‘I have a great deal of business to see to, so you must excuse me now. If you have any more posers for me, I’ll do my best to answer them later on.’
Lamb sat where he was.
‘Just a minute, Mr. Haile. There is something I would like to ask you now.’
‘I am all attention.’
‘You were ready for bed at eleven o’clock, but at a quarter past twelve or so you were downstairs at the study door listening to a conversation between Mr. Waring and Mr. Grey.’
‘What about it?’ Haile’s tone had a shade of impatience.
‘You came in very pat, didn’t you? I should like to know what brought you down to the study.’
‘Do you always go off to sleep as soon as you put out the light? I don’t. I think I said as much in my statement. I didn’t go to sleep. I thought I heard something in the shrubbery- went and looked out of the window for a bit. Then I thought I could do with a nightcap. My cousin might have gone to bed, or he might not-anyhow the whisky would be there. So I went down. Simplicity itself!’
‘I think you said in your statement that you weren’t satisfied about the noise you had heard and came down to investigate.’
Haile laughed.
‘It was a bit of this and a bit of that, I expect. Perhaps I didn’t want to confess to the nightcap! You may have it any way you like. And if that is really all-’
‘For the present, Mr. Haile.’
CHAPTER XLIII
The opening door disclosed Frederick with a basketful of logs to replenish the wood-box. He stepped back with a murmured apology. Haile waved him on.
‘That’s all right-you can go in. You don’t mind, Chief Inspector?… All right, Frederick -carry on.’
Never was anyone more easily at home-he might have been the master of Vineyards for twenty years. He passed out of sight down the passage.
Frederick, having disposed of his logs, picked up the empty basket and turned to go.
Miss Silver leaned towards the Chief Inspector and said something in a low voice at which he first frowned and then nodded, turning finally to say,
‘Just a moment, Frederick -shut that door and come here. Miss Silver wants to ask you something.’
Encouraged by the fact that it was not the police who now wished to question him, Frederick approached, the big open basket dangling from his hand.
‘Yes, miss?’
She brought a bright attentive look to bear upon him.
‘It is just this, Frederick. You say you came out of your room after you had seen Professor Richardson go away at a quarter past eleven-’
‘Yes, miss.’
‘Marsham had not come upstairs to his room?’
‘Oh, no, miss.’
‘You would have heard him?’
‘Oh, yes, miss.’
‘How did you know that you would not meet him on the stairs?’
‘I listened very carefully, miss. I reckoned I’d hear him if he was anywhere about. I reckoned he’d be through the other side of the house. He’d always do the back premises first. I reckoned I’d hear the baize door if he come through and have time to slip into one of the rooms.’
Miss Silver’s hands were folded upon her knitting. She said kindly but firmly,
‘And did you hear the baize door?’
‘N-no, miss-’ But his voice wavered.
‘I think you did hear something-or see something.’
‘N-no, miss-only-’
Frank Abbott had looked up. Lamb, who had appeared to give a very scant attention to the first questions and answers, now turned in his chair, frowning and aware.
Miss Silver continued without any change of manner.
‘Only what, Frederick?’
‘There wasn’t nothing, miss-only I thought I’d get along to the baize door and just have a look to see the coast was clear. I mean, I wouldn’t want Mr. Marsham to catch me getting out of a window.’