The Chestermarke InstinctFletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
General
The Chestermarke Instinct
Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Detective and mystery stories
"Now, I had no objection to this. I had not told you of it, Neale, but I
had already determined to resign my position as manager at
Chestermarke's. I had grown tired of it. I was going to resign as soon
as I returned from my holiday. So I assented to Hollis's proposal, and
offered to accompany him to the Warren--I don't mind admitting that I
was a little--perhaps a good deal--eager to see how Gabriel would behave
when he discovered that his double dealing was found out--and known to
me. We therefore set off across Ellersdeane Hollow. I have been told
while lying here that some of you found the pipe which you, Betty, gave
me last Christmas, lying near the old tower--quite right. I lost it
there that night, as I was showing Hollis the view, in the moonlight,
from the top of the crags. I meant to pick it up as we returned, but
what happened put it completely out of my mind.
"Hollis and I crossed the moor and the high road and went into the
little lane, or carriage-drive, which leads to the Warren. Half-way down
it we met Joseph Chestermarke. He was coming away from the Warren--from
the garden. He, of course, wanted to know if we were going to see his
uncle. I told him that my companion, Mr. Frederick Hollis, a London
solicitor, had come specially from town to see Mr. Gabriel Chestermarke,
and that, being an old friend of mine, he had first come to see me.
Joseph therefore said that we were too late to find his uncle at home:
Gabriel, he went on, had been suffering terribly from insomnia, and, by
his doctor's advice, he was trying the effect of a long solitary walk
every night before going to bed, and he had just started out over the
moor at the back of his house. Turning to Hollis, he asked if he could
do anything--was his visit about banking business?
"Now I determined to settle at once the question as to Joseph's
participation in the affairs of the Conduit Street concern. Before
Hollis could reply, I spoke. I said, 'Mr. Hollis wishes to see your
uncle on the affairs of Lieutenant Lester and the Godwin Markham loans.'
I watched Joseph closely. The moonlight was full on his face. He
started--a little. And he gave me a swift, queer look which was gone as
quickly as it came--it meant 'So you know!' Then he answered in quite an
assured, off-hand manner, 'Oh, I know all about that, of course! I can
deal with it as well as my uncle could. Come back across the moor to my
house--we'll have a drink, and a cigar, and talk it over with Mr.
Hollis.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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