The Herapath PropertyFletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
General
The Herapath Property
Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Detective and mystery stories
Then he took off the Trilby hat, which he had resumed after the coffin
had passed, and he rubbed his head as men do when they are exceedingly
bewildered or puzzled. After which he unobtrusively followed the
procession, hovered about its fringes around the grave until the last
rites were over, and eventually edged himself up to Selwood as the
gathering was dispersing. He quietly touched Selwood's sleeve.
"Mr. Selwood!" he whispered. "Just a word. I know a lot of these
gentlemen--the M.P.'s and so on--but there are some I don't know. Will
you oblige me, now?--I want to get a full list. Who are the two elderly
gentlemen with Mr. Barthorpe Herapath--relatives, eh?"
"No--old personal friends," answered Selwood, good-naturedly turning
aside with the little reporter. "One is Mr. Tertius--Mr. J. C.
Tertius--a very old friend of the late Mr. Herapath's; the other is Mr.
Benjamin Halfpenny, the solicitor, also an old friend."
"Oh, I know of his firm," said Triffitt, busily scribbling. "Halfpenny
and Farthing, of course--odd combination, isn't it? And that burly
gentleman behind them, now--who's he?"
"That's Professor Cox-Raythwaite, the famous scientist," answered
Selwood. "He's also an old friend. The gentleman he's speaking to is Sir
Cornelius Debenham, chairman of the World Alliance Association, with
which Mr. Herapath was connected, you know."
"I know--I know," answered Triffitt, still busy. "Those two behind him,
now--middle-aged parties?"
"One's Mr. Frankton, the manager, and the other's Mr. Charlwood, the
cashier, at the estate office," replied Selwood.
"They'll go down in staff and employees," said Triffitt. "Um--I've got a
good list. By the by, who's the gentleman across there--just going up to
the grave--the gentleman who looks like an actor? Is he an actor?"
"That? Oh!" answered Selwood. "No--that's Mr. Frank Burchill, who used
to be Mr. Herapath's secretary--my predecessor."
"Oh!" responded Triffitt. He had caught sight of Carver a few yards off,
and he hurried his notebook into his pocket, and bustled off. "Much
obliged to you, Mr. Selwood," he said with a grin. "Even we with all our
experience, don't know everybody, you know--many thanks." He hastened
over to Carver who was also busy pencilling, and drew him away into the
shelter of a particularly large and ugly monument. "I say!" he
whispered. "Here's something! Shove that book away now--I've got all the
names--and attend to me a minute. Don't look too obtrusively--but do you
see that chap--looks like an actor--who is just coming away from the
graveside--tall, well-dressed chap?"
Carver looked across. His face lighted up.
"I know that man," he said. "I've seen him at the club--he's been in
once or twice, though he's not a member. He does theatre stuff for the
_Magnet_. His name's Burchill."
Triffitt dropped his friend's arm.
"Oh!" he said. "So you know him--by sight, anyhow? And his name's
Burchill, eh? Very good. Let's get."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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