Mr Shaw, as he was apparently known there, was dressed very different
from the occasion when we had met at Totnes. Then he had assumed the
appearance of a racing man, but in his guise of country gentleman he was
dressed in morning-coat of a rather old-fashioned cut, and
pepper-and-salt trousers, an attire which gave him a quiet and somewhat
distinguished appearance.
I sat before him, wondering at his remarkable dual personality--the man
hunted by the police, and the wealthy occupier of that fine country
mansion.
His small, shrewd eyes seemed to realise the trend of my thoughts as he
lounged back in his chair near the window, regarding me lazily.
"I promised, Mr Kemball, that I would see you again as soon as
opportunity offered," he said; "and feeling assured of the spirit of
good fellowship existing between us, I have this afternoon let you into
the secret of my double life. That evening at Exeter I had a very
narrow squeak of it--by Gad! one of the narrowest in all my life. An
enemy--one whom I had believed to be my friend--gave me completely away.
The police evidently expected to find me through you, for you were
watched constantly. Everywhere you went you were followed."
"You know that?"
"I do," he said. "The fact is I have a personal guardian who constantly
watches over me, and warns me of danger. You saw him on his cycle at
Lathbury. He watched you while I was absent in France shaking off those
bloodhounds of the law."
"And you have now shaken them off, I presume?"
"I think so. Scotland Yard has, happily, never yet associated Harvey
Shaw, Justice of the Peace for the County of Rutland, and one of the
visiting justices of Oakham Gaol, with Alfred Dawnay, alias Day, whom
they are so very eager to arrest," and he laughed grimly. "Mine is an
amusing situation, I assure you, to sit on the Bench and try prisoners,
well knowing that each police-officer who appears as witness would, if
he knew, be only too eager to execute the warrant outstanding."
And his broad, good-humoured face again expanded into a smile.
"Certainly. I quite see the grim humour of the situation," I said.
"And if you had not assisted me, Mr Kemball, I should, at this moment,
have been under detention in His Majesty's prison at Brixton," he said.
"By the way, I have to return the suit of clothes you so very kindly
lent to me. My man has them upstairs ready packed. I shall send them
to you by parcel-post. Gates was, I think, rather surprised to find
another man's clothes among my kit. But fortunately he's used to my
idiosyncrasies, and regards them as mere eccentricities on the part of
his master. But he is always discreet. He's been with me these ten
years."
"How long have you lived here, Mr--er--"
"Shaw here," he interrupted quickly.
"Mr Shaw. How long have you lived here? I thought the place belonged
to Lord Wyville?"