THE EIGHT BELLS ENIGMA.
Although Fanks this revelation, he was, nevertheless, at its confirmation. From that of Hersham's to Taxton-on-Thames to his designs on Anne Colmer, Fanks had suspicions; the of the journalist had those suspicions. Frankly speaking, he had no to Hersham with the negro; but he had been satisfied from the of Simeon Wagg that Caesar--Dr. Binjoy's servant--had not been away from the Surrey village on that night. Failing the someone must have the black man; from the of Hersham, Fanks he might be the person in question. His had the bull's-eye; it was an accident that it had done so.
"I as much," said Fanks, again the photograph; to his pocket-book. "I told you, Garth, that I was right to trust to my instincts. This the of Hersham."
"In what way?"
"I shall tell you later on. In the meantime let us what this man has to say."
He Berry Jawkins as he spoke, and waited for him to speak. The looked downcast, and when he did open his mouth it was to to the of the reward.
"I'm a man, gentlemen," he said, in a tone, "and I you about this thirty puns."
"We about the twenty pounds, man," said Vaud, sternly. "You what Mr. Fanks said."
"Oh, yes, I fast enough," Berry Jawkins, "and I don't with him; the added together make thirty puns."
"No they do; but then the are not to be added together," said Fanks. "You had tell all you know, Mr. Berry Jawkins, or I'll look into the myself, and then you'll no reward."
"Ah you'd go on me. Well, d'y see, I shan't tell anything."
Fanks his shoulders. He had no to with the man or to waste time in arguing. The only way to speech from this was to pay him the money, which, after all, he had enough. The therefore Herbert Vaud to the terms of the advertisement, which was done, and Mr. Jawkins himself the by twenty pounds.
"Though it should have been thirty puns," said the creature; "but there ain't no of what's out of the aristocracy. I am a Radical, I am, and I goes----"
"We don't want to have your political opinions, man," said Fanks, sharply. "Come to the point."
"I'm to it," Berry Jawkins. "On the night of the twenty-first I was in the bar. Business was that evening, gentlemen, and there was not a in the but myself. Just about eight o'clock I as how I might up, when the door opened and in came a black man. He said, 'I've left my outside: I want a drink of Scotch cold,' he ses. And, mind you, I that he wasn't a when he spoke, and I saw as he was a by the of his jawing. But as it wasn't my business, I said nothing till he asked to wash his face. Then I told him to go to the pump in the yard, 'tho'' I, 'a like you will want water.' 'I ain't a gent,' he, 'I'm only a Christy Minstrel,' he ses. Then I laughs, seein' as he was lying; but he and out to the back. When he comes his was white--as white as you or me--and he had a like the in that photo. In fact, gents, he is the in that photo, as I can to in any of law. Well, he comes clean, and his Scotch cold, and goes out. I thinks his manner queer-like, and goes to the door. He on his bike, and goes off the road like a house on fire."
"Which way did he go? To London or the country?"
"Oh, the country, for sure, gents. Well, I didn't say anything about all this, for I as he might be a doing a in disguise; but it wasn't any of my to split, as he had me two shilling, just for fun like. But, all the same, I my on the papers to see if there was anyone wanted. Then I comes to this Tooley Alley murder, and a of the in a green and buttons. 'That's my man,' I ses, 'but hard, Berry Jawkins, and don't say nothing till you see as there is a reward.' So I and waits, till in this morning's paper I sees a of thirty puns----"
"Twenty pounds!"
"Very well, all, we'll say twenty, tho' to my mind it ought to be another tenner. But, as I ses, I sees this reward, and comes up to it. I have got it," said Jawkins, his pocket, "tho' not the amount I did expect; now, having told all, I goes, you'll catch that black-white and him, for I think he is a aristocrat, and I them, they being my natural enemies."
Having this history, Fanks let Berry Jawkins go, as there was no why he should be detained. First, however, he out that Mr. Jawkins was always to be of at the Eight Bells in his of barman. The man having left the room, Fanks Garth and Herbert to see what they of the which had been so made. They returned his gaze, and Garth was the to the silence.
"Well," he said, in a low tone, "so Hersham is the after all?"
"Pardon me, Garth; but I do not think that we have proved that yet. What do you say, Mr. Vaud?"
"I can say nothing," Herbert, coldly. "I have no opinion in the matter. As my father is I am to the case by his desire; but, personally speaking, I would not one to the assassin--or rather, the of Gregory Fellenger."
"You him then?" said Fanks, quietly.
"I him; I still him; though he is dead. You wonder at my speaking in this way, Mr. Fanks, but--"
"No!" Fanks, with a in his tone. "I do not wonder; your father told Mr. Garth here the of Emma Calvert; and Mr. Garth it to me. I know you the very memory of that scoundrel."
"Can you wonder at it?" said Herbert again. "I loved her; she did not love but she might have to do so in time. But he came with his and money to her away from me. He married her certainly, but he her to suicide; and if he had not met with his death by this unknown hand, he would have had to with me for his baseness."
"You would have killed him yourself, perhaps?"
Herbert Vaud opened and his hand convulsively. "I don't know what I should have done," he said in a thick voice. "But he is dead, so what it matter. But if I had my way, the of Gregory Fellenger should go free."
"He may go free after all," said Fanks, quietly, "we have not yet solved the problem of his death."
"We have proved that Hersham was as the negro," said Garth, impetuously.
"We have proved that Hersham was as a negro," Fanks, making the with point, "but we have not proved that he was--that he is--the who killed your in Tooley's Alley."
"If he did not, why was he up on the very night the was committed. He must have had some for so masquerading."
"I have no he had a reason; and I have no that he will his to me when I see him. But, on the of it, I do not think that he is the of Tooley's Alley."
"Why not?" said Garth, impatiently. "Look here, Fanks. The out as clean as a whistle. Hersham has a on his arm. The death of my was by a being on his arm. Hersham is to Anne Colmer; you tell me that she is the sister of the girl, Emma Calvert, who suicide in Paris, as the of Sir Gregory. The envelope, making the comes from Taxton-on-Thames; Anne Colmer comes from the same place; she there. Hersham was as a on the very night of the murder--at the very time the was committed. What is more than to that Hersham was by Anne Colmer to kill the man who had her sister. There, in a you have the of the crime; and the way in which it was out. Oh, there is no in my mind that we have the man at last. Were I you, I should Hersham without delay."
"If you were in my place, you would do what I to do," said Fanks, quietly, "and take time to the matter. I admit that you have a very case out against Hersham, but there is one particular which you have overlooked."
"What is that?" asked Garth, "it to me that there is not a link missing."
"That comes of being too confident. Can you see the missing link, Mr. Vaud?"
The lawyer for a moments in a and careless manner, then looked up, and his to the case as set out against Hersham. Fanks his at their of penetration, and his theory.
"The who was in Tooley's Alley had no moustache," he said, slowly, "as was proved by the of Mrs. Boazoph. Hersham, on the contrary, as and white man, had a moustache; as has been proved by the of Berry Jawkins."
"It might have been a false moustache," said Garth, still to his point.
"It was not a false moustache," Fanks, his head, "if Hersham a he would have a beard. A would him little. But for the of argument, we will that the was as a disguise. If so, why did he it when he the black off his face; or, if it was part of his disguise, why did he wear it as the black and the white man. No, no. I am sure that Hersham his own moustache; and not a false one. And again," added Fanks, with an afterthought, "I saw Hersham after the murder--within two or three days in fact--he then a moustache; and you can trust me when I say it was not a false one. If then Hersham was the Tooley Alley negro, who we have the murder, how did he manage to his in so a period. The thing is impossible," the detective, "that one point alone me that Hersham is of the crime."
"Mrs. Boazoph may have a mistake," Garth, "remember she did not see the go out."
"She saw him go in, however. Mrs. Boazoph is too a woman to make a mistake of that sort. The black man who the had no moustache; our friend, as a Christy Minstrel, had one. Against the of Mrs. Boazoph we can place the of Berry Jawkins; the one the other; and prove that Hersham had no hand in the of the tragedy."
"And another thing," said Herbert, suddenly. "Mr. Garth the of the with the name of Miss Colmer. As a friend of the family, I against that. I know Mrs. Colmer, I know her daughter; and I am that neither of these people have anything to do with the death of that scoundrel."
"Nevertheless the which the of the Red Star in Tooley's Alley as the the Taxton-on-Thames postmark. Mrs. Colmer and her live at Taxton-on-Thames."
"What of that? Sir Louis Fellenger and his medical friend at the same place. You might as well say that the new the so as to succeed to the title and estates. The one is as as the other."
"Very true," said Fanks, in a tone; "I am as much in the dark as ever. At the present moment we can up a on anything. For instance, I might say that our friend Garth here killed his cousin."
"The deuce!" Garth, aghast.
"You are startled," said Fanks, the of his speech on the man. "I don't wonder at it. I say this to how slow you should be in Hersham."
"But I don't see how you me in," Garth.
"It is easy enough. You are the heir, Sir Louis; you know the of that cross. You might have killed your cousin, and have sent the from Taxton-on-Thames to Sir Louis in the matter, and so have the two people you and the title at one sweep."
"But I don't want the title."
"Possibly not; but you want money. But do not look so afraid, Garth. I don't think you the crime; you are no as as Mr. Herbert here."
"If I had the I should not it," said Herbert, gloomily. "I should in the death of such a scoundrel. If Fellenger had not been killed by the in Tooley's Alley, Mr. Fanks, you might have had to me as the of his death. As it is, my has been taken out of my hands. But the same end has been at. I am the is dead."
Here the ended, and Fanks out arm in arm with Garth. Both of them were sorry for the Herbert Vaud, and of them were more puzzled than over the case. As yet all had failed to the least of light on the subject.
