The Seven ConundrumsOppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
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The Seven Conundrums
Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
Detective and mystery stories, English; English fiction -- 20th century
The next day several things happened. In the first place, the key of the
door leading to the little gallery facing the jewel chamber arrived,
wrapped in tissue paper and with an obliterated postmark. Secondly, I
took five wickets for fifteen against the team brought over from a
neighbouring country house, and Leonard, by indefensible slogging,
managed to knock up fifty-five before he was caught on the boundary.
These last two episodes seemed to obliterate all memory of the
professional character of our stay. The Duke, who had played a very
useful innings himself, and whose joy at winning the match was almost
like a schoolboy's, treated us as honoured guests and insisted upon all
three of us accepting his invitation to dine in the great hall that
evening. The third event of the day was the coming of the Princess Anne
of Chantilly, the last representative of a famous French family, a great
heiress, related to royalty, and one of the beauties of the world. The
three of us chanced to witness her arrival, and our host's secret was
manifest in the first few minutes. In her presence he seemed
rejuvenated. He watched her every movement. The slight austerity of his
tone and deportment vanished as though by magic. A new and more genial
side of him appeared. He paid his court almost openly. It did not need
the gossip of the place to tell us that he was her suitor.
I was ready for dinner early that evening and strolled up and down the
north gallery, waiting for Rose, who was naturally taking some pains
with her toilette. I made my way as though by accident to the notice
board containing the names of the watchmen selected from the
menservants of the establishment. There were eleven altogether, and the
watch for the next twenty-four hours had just been put in. For the first
time I saw there the name of Edwards. He was on duty, it seemed, from
three to six on the following morning. I felt a little shiver of
excitement as I strolled away, after a surreptitious glance at the
little gallery. The beginning of my task was close at hand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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