CONTENTS

I. THE I)ISAPPEARANCE OF ERNES'I' VENNER iI, GROPING IN *rt,tE DARN IiI, CttARLES aLCO'r'r, DE, CEASEI) iV. " 'rite YARD NEVER FOIGETS "' V, Tile DUEL

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2 4 THE V EN NE R t3 R 1M Venner or his sister had been up to something. ]:hey were total strangers to me, mind you, I'd never set eyes bn either of them beiore. They sent for me, I suppose, because I live only a few hundred yards from their place." " And you went at once?" suggested Dr. Priestley. Oldland sipped his whisky and soda. " Yes. i went at once," he replied. " Usual sort of message, over the telephone. Would Doctor Oldland come at once to 7 Clewer Street. No particulars, oi course. A doctor is lucky if he gets any idea beiorehand ot what is expected of him. Nine o'clock in the evening of Sunday, Scp, tember 3rd. I'd just finished dinner, and off I went, emergency bag and all. . " Clewer Street is a little by-way with perhaps a 'ozen shops in it. Each has a fiat above, and i rang the bell of number 7. They were expecting me all fight, for a woman opened the door at once." Oldland paused, and took another sip of his drink. " Christine Venner wouldn't like it if she heard me call her a woman," he continued thoughttully. " Queer, isn't it, that members of the emale sex below the age of forty or so resent the appellation? You may call a boy a man, and he'll be complimented. But you mustn't call a girl a woman. " However, I'm old-Iashioned enough to expect a girl to be girlish. And there's nothing girlish about Christine Venner. Somewhere on the borderland be- tween the twenties and thirties, i suppose. But any native charm she may possess is most effectively dis- guised. She's artificial, Priestley, inside and out. But I'm boring you with these cetails?" " Not in the least," replied Dr. Priestley. " The pro- fessional outlook upon mankind is always ntertaining." " Well, she isn't my patient, thank goodness. That's how sb. struck me, as she opened the door that evening.

vided for Faversham, and beer for Hanslet. And it was Faversham, not Dr. Priestley, who broached the subject on which the latter was so curiously interested. " I-Iave you heard any more ot that chap Venner whom we were talking about the other night?" he asked the Superintendent. " He hasn't turned up yet, Sir Alured," Hanslet re- plied. "I expect your theory was right, and he's cleared out for good. Ot course I've nothing to do with the matter. But I had a look at the file we've got at the Yard, just out ot curiosity. There's a record ig it of the inquiries our people have made." " Have they found out anything more than you told us the dther ev.ening?" asked Faversham idly. " Nothing very startling. They interviewed two people who might be expected to know something about him. One was the secretary at his office, and the other was Hinchliffe's solicitor. But neither of them could throw much light on Venner's disappearance. " They tried the once first, it's a poky little place, at the top room, with a girl in charge. Miss Edith Loveday, tt'e lnspector who saw her told me her name was. He said ow she could be content to work in such a dark hole with a name like that, he couldn't understand. " Quite a bright .girl, according to his account. Seemed to be genuinely fond ot Venner, and very much upset at what had happened. She said that Venner had never been the same since his uncle'. death. He had been pretty worried about the business before then. There was a bill for a biggish sum due at the end of this month, and he hadn't known how to meet it. It was natural eough that that should worry him. But, as soon as his uncle died his difiSculties were at an end. Ye lgi.as Lovedav declares that he seemed much worse after

THE VENNEI CRIME 43 who was ColeorH's client. And Coleforth wa ready enough to talk about Hinchliffe. He expressed the greatest admiration or him. A man who knew how to get on in the world, and didn't let sentiment or any damned nonsense like that stand in his way. Made a pretty pile for himself, and might hve lived to enjoy it if he hadn't got into the wrong hands." " What exactly did he mean by that ?" Dr. Priestley asked. " He dickz't explain. The Inspector says that he found it very diicult to keep him to the point. His lunch, or what lie had had with it had made him very talkative. He said Hinchliffe had a certain amount of capital and went into the money-lending business. According to Colcforth, Hinchliffe put off making a will. Said he didil't care what hppened to his money when he was gone. But, when he retired, rather more than a year ago, he did make a will, leaving everything Christine Venner. In commenting upon this, Coleforth used the phrase, 'And quite fight too, for she's a damned fine gift.' " Dr. Priestley recalled 01dland's description of her. But perhaps the solicitor's perception was not suffici- ently acute to distinguish the artificial from the real. But upon what had he based his judmaent? Did he know her personally? And yet his acquaintance with her brother was of very recent date. A point worth making a note of. Faversham looked up from. the contemplation of his patent leather shoes. " Hinchliffe made a will in favour of the sister?" he inquired. " But I thought you told us that Venner himself irfflerited his money." " So he did, Sir Alured. Hinchliffe made a second will, in May f this year, in which he left everything to Velmer. Coleforth was very indignant about it. He had never asked his advice. Hadn't even asked him to

to know how much ready cash he took with him. I'd rather like to have a confidential chat with that bank manager. ' ' " The Inspector tried that, Sir Alured, but he refused to give any information. He said he could only give evidence if properly subpoenaed as a witness before a competent court." " In which he was, I believe, perfectly correct," Dr. Priestley remarked. " The fact that Venner has appa- rently disappeared is no concern of his. He is still bound to respect his client's confidence. And no com't exists to investigate such disappearances. The law, as I understand it, is this. If nothing is heard of Venner for seven years, his heirs, whoever they may be, will be at liberty to apply for leave to presume his death at the end of that period. The court would then consider heir application, and the bank manager would then be among the witnesses called, no doubt." Faversham laughed. " His evidence would clinch the matter, I expect. I'm willing to bet that his evi- dence would be to the effect that Venner was still draw- ing regularly on his account. Unless he meets with an accident before then, of course. Bat that's an interest- ing point of yours, Priestley. Who are his heirs, I wonder ?" " That was one of the questions which the Inspector asked Coleforth," replied Hanslet. " He was bound to consider the possibility that something might have happened to Venner. But Coleforth said that he didn't know and didn't care. He.only hoped that he hadn't made a fool will, like his uncle had. For, if he died intestate, his estate would go to his sister, since he was not married."" " Mr. Coleforth appears to be more favourably dis- posed towards Miss Venner than towards her brother," Dr. Priestley remarked.

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47

Both these men were of considerably more than average intelligence. And yet their interpretation of the same facts was widely different. Faversham be- lieved that Venner's disappearance was permanent and premeditated. Oldland believed that it was due to tem- porary loss of mental balance. Which was right? This was the question that appealed to Dr. Priestley's inquisitive mind. And, as tie considered it, comfortabIy established in his own familiar study, he felt inclined to withhold his decision. There was aIways the pos- sibility that neither might be right. There were still two classes into which Venner's disappearance might fall. Did _ny of the scraps of evidence which he had heard point to either of these? Take first the possibility that Venner had fled to escape the consequences of crime. But no crime had been alleged against him. At one time there had been suspicions that he was responsible for his uncle's death. But Faversham's evidence had set that suspicion at rest. In a simple matter of fact, as this had been, no one would venture to dispute the decision of some eminent pathologist. Even 01dland, with whom the suspicion had originated, was perfectly satisfied with the verdict. The second category seemed to be ruled out, for lack of motive. But what of the first, that he was dead, through murder, suicide or accident? In considering this, it seemed to Dr. Priestley that the significant fact was the date of the disappearance. Two days after his uncle's estate had been finally closed, he had come into t_he possession of the money. Why, if he had intended suicide, had he waited until then? On the other hand, his state of.mind, as described by Oldland and Miss Loveday, might have led to a sudden resolve to kill himself. Accidental deatth seemed highly improbable. Venner might have fallen down a disused well, or m t with some

" I'll agree like a shot, if you' tcl me what's betfird yo sudden interest in her," Oldland replied. " My interest has been aouscd mainly by yo description of her. I thought perhaps that if you con- templated calling upon her, you would allow me to accompany you." " Oh, so that's it, is it l" Oldland exclaimed. "I might have guessed that the Mfair would hvc appealed o you. You waist to hear what she has got to sy about her brother's disappearance, I suppose ! Well, I've to pass the end of Clewer Street when i go out on my rounds. You can come with me, if you like, and we'll look in. But how are you going to explain youmclfP " I shall, no doubt, be able to find an excuse for my intrusion," Dr. Priestley replied. And a few minutes later Oldland's car drew up outside number 7 Clewcr Seet. Dr. Priestley noticed theft the tower door was open. They mounted the stairs and reached the upper door, upon wch was fixed an ornamental bra knocker. " Now for it!" muttered Oldland, rapping smartly. A drawling voice frown within answered him. " That you, Willy? You're early, aren't you! i shan't keep you a minute." 01dland glanced at Dr. Priestley in some dismay. " She'll be disappointed, I'm afraid," he whispered. " What do we do now ? ke a bolt for it while there's stiff time ?" But Dr. Priestley had no time to answer. Chstine Venner's minute was unexpcctediy sho. ey heard her footsteps, nd the door was suddenly flung open, revealing a startlingly dressed young woman, who sted at them in zement. Before she could recover herself, Oidland ske. " Don't you rememb me, Mi Venner?" he d. "I am Doctor 01dland, and this is my fend Doctor

5 8 THE VENNER CRIME to make notes upon a sheet of paper, He beveled them " Apparent relations between the persons concerned." The first note was as follows: " }lfilchliffe.--Emest Venner. Hinchliffe on his retirement from business, sMd not to be on too good terms with his nephew. This alleged to be his reason for refusing to settle at the fiat in Clewer Street, or, apparetly, elsewhere. Later, however, Hinchliffe alters his will in Vcmcr's favour. He apparently raises no objection to being tken to the fiat from Bindon-on-Sea." Dr. Priestley considered this for a moment, nd then continued. " Hinchliffe--Christine Venncr. t.tinchliffe entertains his niece in l,ondon, and nakes a will in her favour. Later he cancels this will. Why? " Hinchliffe--Coleforth. Lawyer and client seem at one time to have been on fairly intimate terms. But, when Hinchliffe makes his second will he does :ot consult Coleforth. Coleforth, by his own statement, never saw his client after that. " Ernest Venncr--Christine Venner. They shared a fiat together, apparently for some considerable time. Christine Venner reports her brother's disappearaxme to the police, but shows no signs of grief at the event. " Ernest Venner--Coleforth. Coleforth denies acquaintance with Venner previous to his uncle's death. Shows in conversation a marked prejudice against Venner. Denies knowledge of his disappearance when approached by the Inspector. " Christine Venner---Coleforth, Coleforth expresses tdmimtion for C. V, HOl:tes that Vermer with disappear permanently, and that C. V. will succeed to his money, May be on terms of intimacy with C. V. not yet con. firmed. C. V. goes to consult Coleforth immediately fter Hinchliffe's death." .As Dr. Priestley read these notes over, a point which had been at the back of his mind for some time took

THE YENNER CRIME 6 3 Mr. Venner desired to dispose of his business. He wrote to him, and several letters passed. Finally he wrote, a few days ago, making a definite offer, to which he re- ceived no reply. The nature of this offer he did not disclose to me. He merely asked me to call on Mr. Venner and request him to send his answer immediately." The only thread upon which this fable hung was Hanslet's report oi Miss Loveday's conversation with the Inspector. Venner, according to her, had referred vaguely to the possibility ot his giving up the business. But it was clear that Miss Loveday saw no reason to doubt the existence of Mr. McArdle and his oiler. " Mr. Venner told me nothing of this beiore he went away," she replied. And then, suddenly, she decided to exchange confidence for confidence. This Dr. Priestley seemed a fatherly sort of person, who could be trusted with the truth. " You see, it's like this," she continued abruptly, " I don't know where Mr. Venner is, or what he is doing. In fact, I'm terribly afraid that something must have happened to him. He left home last Wednes- day week, and since then I haven't heard a word fl'om him." Dr. Priestley gazed at her in mock consternation. " Bat this is most disconcerting!" ke exclaimed. "I really do not know what M:r. McArdle will say when he hears of it. But, wait a minute, now! it struck me that the name Venner was vaguely familiar to me, when I read my friend's letter. It was on the wireless, I recollect it distinctly now. ' Mr. Ernest Venner, wearing a dark suit and a bowler hat.' I canot recall the rest of the description at the moment. Surely that cannot have been your employer " "I am afraid it was," replied Miss Loveday. "' tte left here rather earlier than usual, last Wednesday week, telling me that he had to leave London. There was

TIE VNa CgIE 65 anxious to press the point at present. " You think it strange that you should have heard nothing from r. Venner during the last twelve days ' he asked. " Strange " she exclaimed. " It's extraorda. 1"hat's why I eel se hat omehing mut have hap- pened to him. Always, when he ha been away before, he has written to me every day, teeing me what orde he ha go, and that ort o thing." " You told me just now that you ancied he wa woed about something. Do you nk at can hve anyfling to do with hi silence" " I don't know. I have wondered about at myselL but I don't ee how it could have. He wasn't nearly so woed a he had been during the few daya before he went away. I could scarcely understand at, because eye,thing was all right by then." " Prior to that, he had had some cause for wor?" " Lots," shc replied emphatically. " You see, his business is importing fancy goods from abroad. Bead necklaces from Jab-lonec in Czechoslovia, for instance. d during the last year the import duties have made things very difficult. Things got so bad that at one time it looked like a smash. Kr. Vener had given a bill to a m of manuSacturers, which matures at the end this month, and he did not see how he could possibly meet it. , " He always talked to me quite freely about his ai, and I knew that he had a rich uncle, a Mr. Hinchliffe. i suggested that he should apply to him, but he wouldn't hr of it. He told me that his uncle had only recently made a will in his favour, ad that if he asked him for money he would alter it at once. Mr. Hinchliffe was one of those peopM who hated anybody who failed. " One day, when things looked desperate, Venner said to me, ' 0nly a miracle could save us, and that would be that something should happen to UnMe

THE VENNER CRIME 67

a few days' holiday," she replied. " Besides, Miss Venner said that he had taken no luggage with him. That's what made me wonder what's happened to him. It seemed very funny that if he meant to be away for more than a night he hadn't taken at least a suit-case with him." So this point had arisen at last. Dr. Priestley had wondered from the first whether Venner had taken a suit- case with him or not. But he had purposely refrained from asking the question, for lear of suggesting the answer. His difficulty was that it was impossible to verify the majority of the statements made to him. He felt like a man climbing a strange ladder in the dark, uncertain whether the next rung on which he put his foot would give way beneath him or not. " You see, Mr. Venner had told me that 1 might not see him again for a few days," iVIiss Loveday continued. " So I never thought of anything being the matter until Miss Venner ran; up on Thursday afternoon. I answered the 'phone, as I always do, and she said: ' This is Miss Venner, I want to speak to my brother.' She always speaks to me like that. She doesn't like me for some reason. I don't know why, I've hardly ever seen her. "I told her that Mr. Venner was not in the office. ' Where is he, then?' she asked. I told her what he had said to me about not being back for a few days. ' I think he has gone way on business for a few days,' I said. 'That's nonsense,' she answered, in a snappy sort of way. 'He left here yesterday evening, telling me he wouldn't be back fill late. He didn't even take a bag with him.' And then she rang off. "I couldn't make it out at all. I could only think that he had gne to dinner somewhere, and had been persuaded to stay the night. But even then, it was odd that he hadn't gone home or been to the office before then. I didn't hear any more that day. But on Friday

TI-IE VEN NER CRIME

body concealed all this time, seemed utterly incredible. Remained the two theories, p'opounded by Favers ham and Oldland respectively. " Do you think it pos- sible that Mr. Venner, after he left the flat, was attacked by a sudden loss of memory?" Dr. Priestley asked. Again she shook her head. " I've thought of that. One does see cases like that in the papers. But for one thing he'd only have to look in his note-case to find out who he was. And, for another, there was nothing the matter with his memory when he left here. He had been going through some of the past details of the business with me, and he remembered all sorts of things that I didn't. And he wouldn't suddenly have or- gotten all that, surely?" Dr. Priestley was bound to agree that such sudden loss of memory was unlikely. And he had no wish to broach Faversham's theory, for he had seen enz)ugh o Miss Loveday by now to guess what her objection would be. " Oh, he wouldn't have done that I" And this Dr. Priestley believed to be no objection at all. He held that it was impossible to forecast the effect upon any man of hitherto unexperienced circumstances, or to guess to what action they might impel him. "' There remains only one question for me to ask on behal of my friend Mr. McArdle," he said. " You tell me that Mr. Venner has no associate in the business. But surely he employed a solicitor, who would be em- powered to take charge of his affairs in any eventuality ?" "' Mr. Venner would never have anything to do with solicitors, '* she replied. " He was always afraid o their interfering, or professing to know more about the business than he.did himself. I believe that's one reason why he never made a will. He hated discussing his affairs with a stranger." Dr. Priestlev began to make preparations for his

THE VE N N E R CRIME 7

" I know, 1 know," said Oldland thoughtfully. " But I've noticed that you put as much hard thinking into your hobby as into your work. And it isn't always obvious to the ordinary mortal what you" re driving at. i don't want to seem inquisitive, but I would like to know what pleasure you get out of trying to follow up this Venner business?" " The pleasure a man of my temperament finds in any problems which appear difficult of solution," re- plied Dr. Priestley quietly. " Oh, I quite understand that!'" Oldland exclaimed, with a touch of impatience. " I remember, in the old days, a problem would always set you oft in full cry, like a pack of hounds on a hot scent. But why, of all the problems that this world presents, have you frozen on to this Venner business? i can see no possible attrac- tion, either in the Venners themselves, who are utterly commonplace, or in the man's disappearance. Either he will turn up again in due course, as I firmly believe, or you'll hear no more of him. And whichever hap. pens, I don't see that it matters a fig to anybody." Dr.. Priestley drew his chair nearer to the fire. The evening was cold, and the weather forecast predicted snow. In Dr. Priestley's study it was warm enough, but he poked the fire into a cheerful blaze. " i should not be surprised if Faveraham looked in this evening," he said. "i told him that you were coming, and he promised to come round later in the evening if he could. He likes to see a bright fire. Yon asked me why I am interested in this man Venner's disappearance? Well, to be perfectly candid with you, Oldland, I hardly yet know myself." He put down the poker, and leant back in his chair. "I might point out the fundamental difference in our outlooks," he continued. " To you Venner and his sister appeal, or do not appeal, as personalities. You

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he was, and was told t,hat he was Mr. William Cole- forth. Now this Mr. William Coleforth happens to have been Mr. Hinchliffe's solicitor." " Then su, rety our little romance is shattered," said Oldland. " Nor do I see quite why you should regard Coleforth as a sinister influence. It seems to me the most natural tiling in the world that her late uncle's solicitor should call on Miss Venner. Though I'm bound to admit that to call on Sunday morning, and bring flowers, are unusual features of a solicitor's visit. She'll have to pay for them. He'll work the flowers into his bill somehow, I'll be bound." " I might have taken the same view, had I not other information concerning Mr. Coleforth. I have the best of reasons for believing that he deliberately misled the police when he was interviewed on the subject of Venner's disappearance. He said then that ]ae knew nothing about it. And yet I am told, on very good authority, that he visited Venner's office, and questioned his secretary on that very subject the day before the police called upon him." " That certainly looks a bit fishy," Oldland said thoughtfully. " What's in your mind, Priesfley? That Christine Venner and this solicitor chap between them engineered Venner's disappearance in some way ?" '" I am endeavouring to keep my mind open until obtain further evidence. The point I wish to make at the moment is this. If Coleforth lied regarding his knowledge of fact, I cannot place any reliance upon his subsequent statements. Now let us pass to the third person concerned, Venner's secretary, Miss Loveday, a girl of more than average intelligence." Oldland lau.ghed. " That's high praise from you, Priesfley. Enter Miss Loveday. What's she got to say for hersell?" " She was good enough to give me several useful

TItE VENiWER CRIME

Priestley replied. " No doubt something has occurrgd to prevent him." " Shouldn't wonder. He's a busy man. I expect he's enjoying himseK, analysing the contents of some poor devil's inside. I think I'll be getting along. I have got to make a couple of visits to-night, before I iurn in." Dr. Priestley accompanied Oldland to the front door. A bitterly cold wind was blowing from the east, and few flakes of snow were falling. As he returned to the study, Dr. Priestley could not blame Faversham for staying at home, even if his dudes had allowed him leisure. His chat with Oldland had concentrated his mind afresh upon the Venner case. He took out the dossier, and absently turned over the scraps of paper which it contained. ie felt that somewhere among them must be hidden the clue which would lead to the solution of the problem. But where? There were so many points, all more or less irrelevant, which had not been satisfactorily settled. The notes which NIerefield had made of Hinchliffe's will caught his eye. Here, for instance, was one of those points. What was the reason which induced Hinchliffe to alter his will so drastically, assuming that a will in favour of Christine Venner had formerly existed? Merefield had noted the names and addresses of the witnesses. " Theodore Millington, The Mermaid Hotel, Bindon-on-Sea," and " Gladys Quentin, Io Cliffe Ter- race, Bindon-on-Sea." Hinchliffe had clearly been stay- ing at the Mermaid when he made his will. Perhaps a visit to Bindon-on-Sea, an easy journey by train from London, would not be unprofitable. And there was another point, so nebulous that it was difficult to put it into convincing words. On the previous Sunday, while Dr. Priestley was waiting in the neigh-

THE VENNER CRIME 9 sisted that I'd better make a will. Damn him l i see his little game now clear enough. So I left everything to the girl, Christine's her name. If my fool of a nephew can't make enough out of his own tuppeny halfpenny business, that's his own look-out.' There were a lot of swear words sandwiched in between, sir, but that was nothing out of the way for Mr. Hinchliffe. "I wondered what all this was leading to, but it took Mr. Hinchliffe a long time to get to the point. And then he told me that his lawyer was making love to his niece. I won't repeat the things he said about the gentleman, whose name I've forgotten. ' He's after my money, that's what it is!' he shouted, till I was afraid the whole hotel would hear him. ' Wily, the old scoundrel is old enough to be her grandfather, if she's fool enough to marry him, she can. I'll give her away at the wedding, if she wants me to. I'd enjoy the joke, by heaven, i would! But that old skunk shan't have my money, I'll see to that!' " It seems that this is what Mr. Venner had come to tell him. 'I wouldn't have believed him, except that he's too great a fool to make up a yarn like that for him- self. And he brought me a couple of letters he'd written to her. Stole them from her bag or wherever women keep their things, I suppose. Just the sort of dirty trick he would play. However, that's none of my business. He was all Uncle Denis this and Uncle Denis that. Couldn't I use my influence to prevent his dear Christine throwing herself away upon an old man with one foot in the grave? Influence! I knew some- thing a damned sight more effective than that.' " I got him up to bed at last, still cursing about his nephew and niece. I hoped that i shouldn't have to hear any more of it, but next day after lunch, he sent for me up to his room.. He seemed in a very good humour then. ' I've fixed it, Millington,' he cried. ' I've made

much wrong with him. He seemed to eat and drink much the same as before. " But whether he'd been ill or not, he certainly caught a pretty bad cold after he'd been here a fortnight or so. There was a lot of influenza about at the time, and I dare say he had a slight touch of that. He didn't seem to get any better, and one day--August 24th it was, I remember--he didn't come down to breakfast. went up to his room and found him in bed. But he swore there was nothing the matter with him, merely his cold that he couldn't throw off, and asked me to send out for some ammoniated quinine. " I didn't altogether like the look ot him, tor i could see that he had a bit ot a temperature. But 1 sent out tot the qinine and took it up to him. You'll hardly believe it, sir, but he insisted on mixing it with that rum and creme de nenthe cocktail of his. Said it didn't taste so bad thax way." " An extremely nasty mixture, 1 should imagine," said i)r. Priestley. " Did it do him any good? " Well, sir, it didn't seem to me it did. By lunch time he was looking pretty seedy and feeling it, too, though he wouldn't say so. Then I remembered what I had promised to M:r. Venner. Mr. Hinchliffe certainly wasn't well, and I could see that he wasn't going to do anything about it except take this quinine stuff. So ][ made up my mind, sent a wire to Mr. Venner, and then rang up Dr. Hardwicke, who said he'd come round later in the after- noon. " And then the rumpus began. I tell you, sir, I'm not likely to forget it. I would never have believed that a gentleman like Mr. Hinchliffe would have carried on so. The evening after Mr. Vener had been to see him was nothing to it. I went up to his room and told him that Dr. Hardwicke was coming round to see him, axKl that I was sure they would get on very well together."

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A faint smile flitted across Dr. Priestley's face. " And what did Mr. Hinchliffe say to that?" he asked. " Say !" exclaimed M:r. Millington. " I shouldn't like to repeat what he said, even if I could remember half of it. He sat up in bed, and let loose such a flow of |anguage as I've never imagined. He called me every name he could think of, and that was a good few, asked me why the hell I couldn't mind my own business, and finished up by saying that he wouldn't stop here another hour. And I was to get out at once, if I didn't want my something face bashed in. And when the something doctor came, I was to tell him to--well, sir, it doesn't matter now what he was to do. "I wasn:t sorry to get out of that room. I simply laren't tell him that I had wired to Mr. V enner. That was his funeral, not mine. i thought perhaps Mr. Hinchliffe would get over it, if I left him alone. But the next thing I heard was that he had rung for some shav- ing water, and asked for his bill. "I didn't quite know what to do. But I rang up Doctor Hardwicke, and told him that he needn't trouble, after all. I thought that if he saw Mr. HinchLiffe, and he carried on to him like he had to me, the doctor would ilave had him certified as a lunatic. And then. some time later, I heard Mr. Hinchliffe in the hall, bellow- ing like a bull to Miss Quentin about his bill. I kept out of the way, for fear there'd be another row if he saw me. And then, just in the nick of time, Mr. Velmer and a lady I took to be his sister turned up. " Mr. Hinchliffe met them ill the hall. I heard him ask them where the hell they'd come from, or something like that. They told him that they'd just run down to see him, as they hadn't seen him for so long. After a bit he said that since they had a car outside, they could take him away. It didn't matter where, as long

occasional mistakes, so that it cannot be said that the chance you speak of does not exist. But in this case, and Doctor Oldland will bear me out in this, the chance of a mistake is practically impossible. The symptoms of tetanus and of strychnine poisoning closely resemble one another. This is a matter of common knowledge. But in the course of post-mortem examination any possible doubt vanishes. Even a comparatively inexperienced pathologist could not fail to detect the signs of strychnine poisoning.. And Faversham is universally admitted to be at the head oi his profession." "" Well, putting it that way, it does seem Impossible," Hanslet agreed reluctantly. " But it does make you wonder, doesn't it? I don't worry much about Miss Vemaer having bought the stuff. She may have handed it over to her brother. It was in the house at one time, that's the point. And I'd very much like to know if it was used for the mice, or whether it was kept io: some other purpose, i can't help wishing that tha confounded verdict hadn't been given before we had a chance of proper investigation." Before Dr. Priestley could reply, Sir Alured Favers- ham was announced. "I say, Priestley, I'm awfully sorry I couldn't turn up the other evening," he said. "I was called into consultation unexpectedly, and had to spend practically the whole night in my laboratory. And in the bustle of it all I quite forgot to ring you up to tell you I couldn't come." "" There's no need to apologise," Dr. Priestley replied. " I know that you are always liable to be called away. But I thought at the time that the weather might have kept you at home. It was threatening to snow, you remember. ' ' "' Threatening to snow, was it?" said Faversham. " I'm afraid I didn't notice it. Too busy, I suppose. Anyhow, the weather wouldn't have kept me away

THE VENNER CRIME

temporary mental or nervous disturbance. What do you think yourself, Superintendent?" Hanslet hesitated. " I think it's more likely that he's suffering from a guilty conscience," he muttered darkly. "A fugitive from justice!" Faversham exclaimed. " The second category, by jove! The meeting is any- thing but unanimous. If yo don't mind my saying so, Mr. Hanslet, yours is the typical policeman's view. I a man disappears, therefore he has committed a crime, although it has not been discovered. ' The wicked flee when no man pursueth,' eh ? But what about our host ? I-Ie hasn't given his opinion yet, I notice." "I prefer to reserve my judgment," replied Dr. Priestley, thus appealed to. '" Cautious man l" Faversham exclaimed mockingly. "" But I might have guessed that was what you would say. It's a pity though. I hoped that you would pro- duce some startling theory that Vermer had been mur- dered for his money, and so place his disappearaIte in the first category. Then all would have been represented. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to matter to anybody what's happened to Venner. I vote we leave him to stew in his own juice. In any case, it's time I was going home. rye got a heavy day in front of me to-morrow." After his guests had gone, Dr. Priest]ey once more took out the Venner dossier. He had long ago made ui his mind that there was some close, though at present obscure, relatioi1 between Venner's disappearance and his uncle's death. Anything, therefore, which concerned I-Iinchliffe was worthy of addition to his r, otes. To the list of dates which he had already com;<sed he added these items. May Ist.--Miss Venner purchases two tins of !verbs Vermin Killer from Pepper, chemist, Clewer Street May 4th.--Ernest Venner visits his uncle at Bindon-

on-Sea, and discloses to him the relations eem Christine Vernier and Coleforth. Nay 5fl ..... Hi:mhlifle alters his will 'avou Ern Venner. August (date uncertain, but during ,t wk). Ernest Venner visits Nillingtm at tie Mermaid, gives lfi irtructions i case his u.ne houid be ig.

IIl

CHARLES ALCOTT, DECEASED

THAT year, a winter of unusual severi had been pre- clicted for the south of Endland. But undl well ater the lew Year, it seemed as though the prediction would be falsified. Vith the exception of a spell of frost at the end of November and the beginning of December, dunng which fell the few flakes of snow which Dr. Pnestley had seen on the night when Otdland had dined with him, the weather had been mild and open. The change came on January xTth. A bitter north- easterly wind sprang up, and the ternperature fell well below freezirg-point. Heavy clouds drifted aross the sky, and the country-folk declared that they could smell the snow coming. The more sophisticated spoke of wireless forecasts, and of snowstorms advancing across the North Sea from Scandinavia. They were not dis- appointed. The snow began to fall in earnest on the evening of January ISth, and by next morning the greater part of Southern England lay hidden under a white blanket. But, as so often happens, the thickness of this blanket was very uneven. A strong wind had persisted during the fall, piling up the snow in drifts. The actual am'unt of snow th_t fell was not more than a few nches, and, in the open, the fields were covered 4th nothing more than a light po-der. The greater part of the snow ha.d collected in depressions, and on the weather side of hedges. The result of this was that the roads, where

THE VENNER CRIME llI

job ahead of us here, George," remarked one of the party pessimistically. " Reckon we have," replied George curdy. '" We shan't do no good by looking at it, though. Bring along they shovels, and let's make a start. 'Tis the worst patch we've struck yet." They set to work deliberately, and began to excavate a track into the mouth of the cutting. They had not got very far when a woman's voice hailed them. " Morning, Mr. Stickland ! So you've set to work to clear us a path at last, then?" George looked up. "' Morning, Mrs. Waller," he replied. " Yes, we're going to see what we can do for you. You be going to work, then?" He stood, leaning on the handle of his shovel, regard- ing Mrs. Waller. She stood at the edge of the road, plump, elderly body, wrapped in many folds of enormous woollen scarf. Her business was to look after Markheys during Sir Alured's absence, and for this purpose she walked over daily from Weyford. " 'Tain't likely you'll be through by dinner-time, Mr. Sfickland," said Mrs. Waller. "' The road's blocked for nigh on half a mile, right past the gates. 'Tis no good trying to get though, the snow's too treacherous. I has to walk across the fields, and then through the gate on to the lawn. The front way's fair smothered." '" We shan't knock off this afternoon, Saturday though it be," George replied. " The boss says the road's got to be cleared even if it means a lot of overtime. We'll work on till dark, and if we don't get through by then, we'll make another start on monday morning." "' 'Tis lucky the family's away," said Mrs. Waller. "" There's no way to get to the house but by w.lking, and her ladyship's not too fond of that, what with her arthritis and all. I wotfldn't go so far as to say that the young ladies wouldn't think it fine fun. But how would

THE VENNER CRIME

isn't coming in here, and that's that. Why, 'tisn't as if anyone knew who it was, even. But if you must have somewhere to put it, you can use the potting-shed. That's the key, over there on the dresser." So it was that when the procession arrived, bearing the dead man between them, they were directed tc the potting-shed, which smelt faintly but pleasantly of earth and tarred twine. Here it was laid upon the bench, and Stickland and his men returned to their work. The sergeant took out his note-book, and began to jot down particulars. The body was that of a slightly built man of between thirty-five and forty. He had not shaved, apparently, for some little time before his death, for his chin was covered with a light stubble. He was wearing a shabby grey overcoat, beneath which was an equally shabby brown coat and waistcoat. A pair of grey flannel trousers, badly worn at the knees, a pair of old shoes, very much down at heel, and a greasy cap completed his outer garments. " Looks to me, sir, as if he was some poor fellow tramping the roads," observed the sergeant. " He's not an ordinary casual," the doctor replied. " Look at his hands. They're filthy, but they've been well kept at one time. And by the look of his face, you can see he's a cut above the average tramp. A clerk, or something like that, out of work and looking for a job." " Maybe you're fight, sir. Queer he should be on the by-road like this. It doesn't lead anywhere in particular. Only to the villages lying round about." Then, after a moment's pause, " It was the cold that killed him, sir?" "" No doubt about that. Look at his face and hands. You see those red patches? They are characteristic of death from cold. Of course, I can't be absolutely certain until I've got him to the mortuary and examined

THE VEN NER CR IME II

a few more notes in his book. it then dawned upon him that it might be a matter of some difficulty to establish the dead man's identity. The unfortunates who tramp the road do not, as a rule, carry visiting cards with them. However, he set to work to examine the pockets. The left-hand pocket of the trousers had a large hole in it, and was empty. The right-hand pocket had been patched, and contained seven pennies, a halfpenny, and a sixpence with a hole in it. In one oI the waistcoat pockets were two half-smoked cigarettes. But m the inner breast pocket of the coat were two dirty pieces of paper, with writing upon them. Sergeant Blewitt examined these with interest. They might possibly throw light upon who the man was, and where tie had come from. The first was a letter, so folded and creased as to be almost illegible, it was written on the commonest of paper, ill a scrawling, uneducated hand, and ran as follows.

" I)ERE SON, " This is to say i am well but in poor health the Dr says you will not have time in your job being so far away to come home for Xmas which i shall miss you it is a long time since i saw you Dere Son when the Whether is better i shall be alright my love dere son yr loving Dad Hy Alcott."

"' Well, that settles the chap's name, anyhow," muttered the sergeant. " If the father's name is Alcott, his must be too. There's an address of some kind -at the head of this letter, but I'm blest if I can read it." He took the letter to the door of .the potting-shed and at last contrived to decipher the address. " IO Silver Lane, Barnsley." He scratched his head at this

THE VENNE R CRIME I " That is so, sir," Blewitt rephed. "1 ound the man's name marked on the collar-band of his shirt, and a letter from his father in his pocket." " .lust so, just so!" said the coroner. " Wcll, under the circumstances, Sir Alured, I think we sSould be justified in stretching a point. It would be ridiculous to ask you to interrupt your most important duties for such a trifling thing as this. Most fortunately, i happen to be a Commissioner for Oaths. If you will be good enough to vrite out a statement to the effect that you have seen the dead man, and can identify him as Charles Alcott, deceased, I will administer the oath, and that will be sufficient. I will accept your sworfl statement as evidence to-morrow." This formality was carned out, and Faversham, having warmly thanked the coroner, left his house. Doctor Gainsford gave him a pressing invitation to lunch, but he excused himself. " Thanks very much, but I'd rather get myself a 'bite f bread and cheese somewhere," he said. " While I'm down here, I may as well walk over to Markheys and see that everything is in order." " But why walk ? '" exclaimed the doctor. " i should be only too pleased to drive you over." '" That's very good of. you, Gainsford, but I'd rather walk," Faversham replied firmly. '" It will do me good. ] find it almost impossible to get enough exercise in London. But there's one thing you might do for me, if you'll be so good." " I should be only too delighted to do anything in .my power for you, Sir Alured," replied the doctor effusively. The rule that prophets are without honour in their own country evidently did not apply to a man of Faversham's eminence, so far as his home town was concerned. " Well, i'll take you at your word," said Faversham. "] don't like the idea of that poor chap having a

THE VENNER CRIME Coleforth, and he, presumably, is now administering the business." " Expecting it to revert to the fair Christine, one sup- poses," Oldland remarked. " But I think you were right. Venner won't turn up now, after all this time. I wonder what has happened to him? I haven't so much faith in my- original theory a I had. If he'd lost his memory or anything like that. he'd have been identified by now." Before Dr. Priesfley could reply the door opened and the parlourmaid announced Sir Alured Faversham. " I've taken advantage of your invitation to drop in any evening I liked, Priesfley," he said. '" You can tell me to clear out if I'm in the way. Good-evening, Oldlmad. I thought it quite possible that I should ru into you." "I am very glad to see you, Faversham," Doctor Priestley replied. "" Mary, bring in the decanter of sherry, will you, please? You know where the cigars are kept, Faversham." "" Thanks very much," Faversham said, as he walked across to the cabinet and selected a cigar. " You're one of the most hospitat51e people I know. Beastly cold still, isn't it? By the way, I suppose that Oldland has told you that we met for a moment last Sunday morning?" "' No, I meant to tell him, but my tongue ran away with me, and I forgot," Oldland said. " I guessed what your business was at Weyford when I saw that para- graph in the paper this morning.'" "' Paragraph in the paper!" Faversham exclaimed sharply. " What are you talking about, Oldland?" " You're so used to being in the news, that a little thing like that would escape you. Besides your tastes are too highbrow to allow you to read the Daily Bugle. Mine aren't. I read the rag every morning, every page

THE VENNER CRIME " Oh, damn V enner !' Faversham exclaimed. " You and Priestley have Venner on the brain. I hoped we had all forgotten that not very enthralling incident long ago. Upon my word, Oldland, you're quite capable of sug- gesting that Alcott was really Venner in disguise. You want all your incidents nicely rounded off for you, like a book. But unfortunately, our experience tells us that things aren't like that. Ve rarely see the complete story, only one phase of it. The beginning or the end is always missing. I shall never know the circumstances which brought Alcott to Weyford, and you will never know what happened to Vermer." " There's a lot of truth in that," replied Oldland. ' But really, you know, I wasn't going to suggest that the vanished Venner had reappeared in the ofise of Alcott. What I meant to imply was that there seems to be some hidden realm of space, from which some people can appear and into which others can disappear. You were going down to identify the poor chap when we met at Waterloo, i suppose?'" Faversham nodded. " I would have told you all about it then, if I had had time. Yes, I went down and saw him in the mortuary, frozen stiff, and I recognised him. Has it ever struck you, Priestley, that recognition is queer thing "' Identification is always surrounded with difli. culties," Dr. Priestley replied. " Had you any difficulty in recognising this man Alcott? ' " Not the slightest, although beiore I saw him I dered if I should know him again. I'm always amazed when i hear people in the witness box swear to recog- nising somebody whom they only knew slightly, and that maybe a ciozen years ago. And as we all know, cases of mistaken identity occu every day." Faversham helped himself to a glass of sherry, and drew his chair nearer to the fire. " It's an uncom-

Y3 TI-IE VENNER CRIME

monly interesting subject," he continued. "' And it's one that all three of us must come up against fairly fre- quently. Take this case of Alcott, for example. The local sergeant, whom I've known ever since I went to live at Markheys, rang me up on Saturday afternoon. His first question was, did I know anybody of the name of Charles Alcott ? " Now, the name produced an immediate response in my brain. It had a familiar ring. Charles Alcott. Yes, I was perfectly familiar with the name. But I could not at once link it up with the individual to whom it belonged. Then the associations attached to the name began to appear. I had a mental picture of my labora- tory.. Then, ant not till then, I remembered that Charles Alcott was the name of a laboratory assistant who had left me seven years ago. You understand that I'm try- Lug to explain my mental processes?" "' Your explanation of them is most lucid," Dr. Priestley replied. " Did you, at the same time ac- quire an impression o Alcott's appearance ? '' " No, most certainly I did not. I'm coming to that part of it. The next thing, Blewitt---that's the sergeant ---asked me, was, would I come down and identify him? 1 said I would, but after I had rung off, I half- regretted my promise. Should I recognise the man again when I saw him ? With sufficient certainty, that is, to sweax to his identity? "I don't mind telling you, Priestley, I got quite worried over it. The position, when i examined it, was this. Alcott had been with me for about three years. So far as I could remember, there had never been any- thing very striking about his appearance, t had seen him every day of the week. He had been a perfectly amiliar spectacle to me. If anyone had changed places with him, I should have spotted it at once. And yet--

THE VENNER CRIME Faversham seems a bit cut up about that poor fellow Alcott, doesn't he?" "' Because, I think, he feels that he is indirectly to Name. If he had been living at Markheys the man would not have died. It is utterly illogical, of course, but we are often inclined to blame ourselves for events entirely beyond our control. I have a distant recollection of the man, though I could not describe him. I have been in the habit of visiting Faversham's laboratory for many years, at infrequent intervals." '" Faversham's anaIysis of the processes of indentifi- cation was pretty shrewd. I think he's right. It isn't always easy to recognise people, by any means. Do you think you would have recognised Alcott, if you had been asked to?" Dr. Priestley shook his head. "I think it very doubtful," he replied. "I can only have seen him half a dozen times, and I never knew his name. To me he was merely Faversham's assistant. Following the process of thought which Faversham described to us, I should probably have been able to say where I had seen him. Faversham, of course, could identify the body with certainty." "' He wouldn't have sworn to him, if he hadn't been absolutely sure. He's a cautious chap, is Faversham. You know, I never really meant to suggest for a moment that the body was that of Venner. It couldn't have been, of course. I was only trying to pull Faversham's leg." " Faversham has no taste for a problem which does not directly concern him. But why, apart from his iden- tification of the body, could it not have been that of Venner ?" " Because of the circumstances. Venner cannot have been wandering about the country all this time, unless my original theory is right, and he had lost his

THE VENNER CR IE inected. Besides it was all faded like that when i found it." " Very curious," sid Dr. Pfiesfley. He stared in- tently at the letter for a long time, then laid it aside. "' I think you re quite right to keep these documents," he said. " They rnight possibly have a sentimental value to a relative of Alcott. A notice of his death appeared in some of the papers, I believe. Have you had any communications on the subject?" " None xvhatever, sir. It looks as if the poor chap hadn't a friend or relation in the world. Ve know that his father has been dead for a year, and Sir Alured didn't think that he had any other relations, sir.'" " So he told me. And it seems most probable, or he would certainly have applied to them for help. Have you discovered where he slept the night before his death ?" " Why, no, sir, we haven't. He was probably lodging somewhere about. Spent the last of his money on a bed and a bite of something to eat, I expect. Doctor Gainsford thought that he hadn't had anything to eat since the morning." " Have you any reason to suppose that the man was tramping from place to place?" Dr. Priesfiey asked. " Is it not quite possible that he was living somewhere in the vicinity, and walked to Markheys with the inten- tion of returning when he had seen Sir Alured? In that case, he may have had belongings other than those found on his body." " Well, to tell you the truth, sir, I never thought of that," Blewitt replied, in a tone of some bewilder- ment. Then, gaining confidence, he continued. " But it's not very likely, sir. For in that case'he must have been lodging with somebody. And we should have been sure to have heard, if he had been. There vas a full account in last week's Weyord Standard, a couple of

I50 THE VENNElt CRIME

columns of it. I'll give you m copy of the paper, if you like, sir. Sir Alured might like to see it." He produced the paper, and Dr. Priestley thanked him in suitable terms. "I am sure Sir Alured will be interested to see this," he said. " ]But I hardly see the force of your objection. Alcott must, in any case, have been lodging with somebody on the night before his death. How is it that that person has not communi- cated with you?" " They mightn't so much as have known his name, sir. It's like this. If a man's on the road, and doesn't vant to go into the casual ward, there's always folk to be found who'll take him in for the night for a shilling or so, and no questions asked. Likely as not, it's no more tlian a chair in the kitchen, and a cup of te and a slice of bread in the morning. A person like that wouldn't have asked Alcott his name. But if he had been lodging regular anywhere, it would be different, sir. ' ' " Yes, I see 'what you mean," said Dr. Priestley, who had been glancing through the report in the news- paper. " The time at which Alcott must have lain or sat down by the roadside seems fairly definitely estab- 1Maed. He is not likely to have done so before dark, or he would probably have been noticed by passers- by." " That's so, sir, though there aren't many that use that road, now Sir Alured and his family are away. But Mrs. Waller, who goes to Niarkheys every day to work, passed along the road between half-past three and four, and he wasn't there then." " I see. And what time did it begin to snow?" " Round about seven o'clock, sir. Maybe a bit later. nearer half-past. It was snowing pretty hard by then, I know. I can show you the spot where the body was

TIIE VENNER CRI]fE I53

oi the house. They found themselves in a wide ha/I, with a staircase leading to a gallery above, and rooms leading off it. These they inspected in turn, Mrs. Waller drawing the curtains and revealing the furniture covered wth dust-sheets. And at length they came to a locked door. " That leads into the wing that Sir Alured had built when he came here, sir," Mrs. Waller explained. " There's a garage there, where Sir Alured keeps the car, and a workshop. And there's a room that he calls his abbortory, or some name like that, sir. It's where he does his experiments, so her ladyship told me. I can't show you in there, sir, for Sir A.lured has got the key. It's the only thing he left locked when he went away, sir. He told me it was because there were poisons and ,!angerous things like that in the abbortory, and it ouldn't be safe for anybody to get to them. Excuse me, sir, but I think I hear somebody knocking at the back door." She bustled off, and Dr. Priestley followed her more leisurely. He wasin time to overhear her conversa- t.ion with her visitor. A man's voice first. " Good- afternoon: Mrs. Waller, I thought I'd catch you here about this time. I've come to read the electric meter. Bit late, I know, but with the weather we've had I didn't fancy tiding out here before. No harm done, though. There can't have been much current used, since Sir Alured has been away all the quarter." " There's been none used, bar a light in the kitchen of a dark afternoon," Mrs. Waller replied. '" And maybe I've turned one on in tile passages now and then, just to see my way about, like. But I'm main careful of the light. 'Tis too expensive to go wasting of it. You know where the meter is. In the cupboard under the back stairs." Dr. Priesfley had noticed, as he approached the house,

FHE VENER CIIIE 5

enfly made a rapid calculation. " It's twenty-seven pounds twelve at nineperce a unit, and that's wha Sir Alured pays," he replied. " I've never used as much as that!" exclaimed 1Vlrs. Waller mclignantly. " Your blessed old meter's gone wrong, that's what it i.. And whenever they goes wrong, it's to the company's benefit, I've noticed." " There's nothing wrong with the meter, that I can see. The account will go in to Sir Alured, and if he complains, we'll have it tested. That's all I can do about it. Good-day to you, Mrs. Waller." Mrs. Waller muttered something, and bustled back to find Dr. Priesfley. "" "Twas the man to read the electric light, sir," she explained. "" And he says that I must have burnt twenty-seven pounds worth in the last three months. It's ridiculous, sir, that's what it is. 1 don't know, I'm sure, what Sir Alured will say when he hears of it. I wish he'd had the light cut off, same as he did the telephone, when he went away. I could have got along well enough with a pound or two of candles." " i shouldn't let that worry you, Mrs. Wailer," plied Dr. Priestley soothingly. " Some defect has developed in the meter, no doubt. All measuring instru- ments are liable to go out of order for no apparent reason. But I am afraid that between us we have wasted your time. It must be unusual for you to have two visitors in the same afternoon.'" " Yes, sir, 'fis a bit lonely sometimes," Mrs. Waller replied. " 'Tisn't often that a soul comes near the place all the time I'm here, and that's from round about ten in the morning fill maybe four in the afternoon, six days a week. I'll be glad when the family comes back. There's plenty of life about the house then. what with they and the servants." " Do you work here when the family is at home, Mrs. Waller?" Dr. Priesfley asked.

5(3 THF VENBIER CII IE

" Oh, yes, sir. There's a cook and two girls in the house, but I come along and help with the rough work, and Waller, he gives a hand in the garden in the sum- mer. There's plenty of work to be done when they are all at home. sir." Dr. Priestley, after pressing a small gratuity into Mrs. Waller's hand, walked back to Weyford, and caught a train to London. That evening, alone in his study, he allowed his thoughts to wander in the direction of Charles Alcott, deceased. So there wa a mystery, after all! A mystery which Faversham, accepting the obvious explanation, had not perceived. And the mystery lay in the two pieces oI paper found in the dead man's pocket. The ordinary person would see no particular signi- ficance in them. But Dr. Priestley was by no means an ordinary person, and to him these pieces oI paper suggested a whole series of puzzling questions. He had only to shut his eyes to recall them vividly to his memory. The curious shape ot the scrap bearing Faversham's name and address, for instance. Torn into the form oi a rough circle, about three inches in diameter. And torn into this shape after the address had been written, too. It had not escaped Dr. Priestley's keen eyes that the s of the " Harts '" had been torn off. Who, having written a name and address on a piece oi paper, would go to the trouble of tearing that paper into circula shape ? And then, the quality of the paper, the fact that it was soiled on the written side only, the apparent age of the writing. The quality, taken by itself, was of no particular significance. But the comparative cleanliness of the paper was suggestive. It could not have been carried about for long in Alcott's pocket. Not for nearly

THE VENNER CRME

Once Dr. Priestley was convinced that there was a mystery surrounding Alcott's death, his insatiable curiosity gave him no rest. Since the disappearance of Ernest Venner, no human problem had come his way. Even Superintendent Hanslet had failed him. The cases upon which he had been engaged recently were all of the simplest type offering no problem that he was not fully competent to solve. The Venner ",tffair had been disappointing. There had been none of the developments which Dr. Priestley had so confidently anticipated. He had reluctantly come to the conclusion that Faversham was right. Venner had quietly and successfully effaced himself, to begin life elsewhere in different surroundings and under a different name. This new distraction was therefore welcome. Here the mystery lay not in Alcott's death, but in what had hap- pened immediately preceding it. Where had Alcott been during the seven years since he had left Favers- ham's service ? Faversham had a vague recollection that he had gone back to the Barnsley district. This, then, must be the starting point of any inquiries. So Dr. Pfiestley, without revealing his intentions to anybody, even his secretary, took train to Barnsley. He inquired his way to the alms-houses, and asked to see the matron, to whom he introduced himself. "I am hoping that you will be able to tell me something about Henry Alcott," he said. " I understand that he was in your charge before he died?" " Henry Alcott!" she replied with a smile. " Did you know him, Dr. Priestley ? '" "'I did not know him. But at one time I was

THE VEN NE R CRIME slightly acquainted with his son Charles,. who died recently." "' Oh, yes, I heard about that. The police came here making inquiries, not very I0ng ago. It's very odd that old Henry's son should have turned up again, after all these years. He always believed that he had been drowned long ago.'" " Indeed!" sid Dr. Priesfley politely. "' Cn you tell me whether Henry Alcott had any other children ? She shook her head. " I'm pretty sure he hadn't. He was a queer old man, who never talked much about hi own affairs, but I managed to get on the right side of him, and he told me quite a lot about himseK. He often told me that he had had only one child, a boy, and that his mother had died when he was born. The boy, whose name was Charles, ran away to sea when he was fifteen. Old Henry neve saw him again, but he had a letter to say that his ship had been torpedoed during the war, and sunk with all hands." " There must have been some mistake," Dr. Priestley replied thoughtfully. "I knew Charles Alcott seven years ago, when he was employed as a laboratory assis- tant by Sir Alured Faversham. And a letter from his father was iound in his pocket after his death. Was Henry Alcott a man who could be trusted to tell the truth " Well, not always. He would tell the most extra- ordina stories sometimes if he thought he could get anything by it. He used to write all sorts of letters to people beiore he came here, but we soon put a stop to that. Begging letters and that sort oi thing, you know. But I think he believed what he told me about that son of his. I know for a fact that he never heard from him all the time he was here." Dr. Priestley frowned. The expression " I know a fact," always irritated him. However. he let it pass.

THE VENBER CRIME 3

A case of the sea giving up its dead with a vengeaIce! I couldm't believe it when tile police told me about it. Not that old Henry wasn't as culming as a basket of monkeys. But what exactly do you want to know aboat him?" " All you can tell me, Mr. Robbins," Dr. Priesttey replied. " All I can tell yolk! Well, that won't fill a volume. Henry- Alcott was born here, and lived here all his life. At one time or another, when he was younger, he worked at one of the collieries. Some years ago he managed to get illjured---ere were some queer yarns about that. Anyhow, he wangled _a pension, a few shillings week. " He lived in one of a row of cottages called Silver Lane. The place was a slam, there's no denying that. But it was ust one of those cases where nothing could be done. Silver Lane belonged to all estate, of which I am the solicitor. The estate couldn't sell, and there waan't enough money to pull dowi1 the existing houses and build new ones. Old Henry_ was the curse of my life in those days. He was for ever writing letters, saying this oI that wanted repairing. He made the estate spend a lot more on his confounded hovel than they ever got from him in rent. But as he was always careful to pay his rent, we couldn't tlma him out, owing to the pro- vision of the Act." " He was sufficiently well educated to write fetters?'" Dr. Priestley remarked. " Oh, yes. Letters of a sort, that is. Not exactly the kind of thing you would expect to get from a Pro- lessor of English literature, you understand. But letter- wridng was old Henry's hobby. He had nothing, or he gave everybody to understand that he had nothing, btt that pension I spoke of just now. That didn't seem enough for Henry.. So he used to amuse himself by

TH VENNER CRII I

you the sort of trouble we were always having with Henry." Dr. Priesfley examined tile letter with interest, lira paper was exactly the same as he had seen at Weyford, as was the handwriting. Btlt the ink used, though ol>- viously of a poor quality, had scarcely faded at all. The heading and signature were similar, even to certain peculiarities vhich Dr. Priesfley remembered well. The contents of the letter were as follows.

" Dere Sir, " This is to say the chimny pot as blew do as i always said and the kitckin smoke something fierce make me corf terrible bad dere Sir a pore mal like i can't afford reppairs to others property and this ist write and please see to it at once yors truly Hy. Alcott."

Dr. Priestley handed the letter back. "In every respect it is remarkably like the document found in Charles Alcott's pocket," tie said. " By the way, t_here is one thing not mentioned in that cutting I showed you just now. Faversham, whom I know personally, be- lieved that when Charles Alcott left him seven years ago he had secured employment in this district." "' That strikes me as quite possible. But iI he did, he didn't take up his quarters with his father in Silver Lane. Whether they met or not, I can't say. If they did, old Henry kept it devilishly quiet. And I don't suppose that Charles, if he was getting on in the world, would be desperately anxious to claim an old reprobate as his father. ]But the contents of Henry's letter, which are given in the cutting you showed me, seem to suggest that Charles wasn't in the neighbourhood when it was written. That reference to his job being so far away, I mean. Knowing Henry as I did, I should suspect that

THE VENNER CRIME

Dr. Priestley fancied that he knew how that mood could be induced---could take an intelligent interest in a purely abstract problem. Yes, Oldland was the man. And the first thing Dr. Priestley did when he reached home was to send him a pressing invitation to dinner that night. Dr. Priestley took particular pains over the ordering oi the meal. He knew Oldland's tastes fairly accur- ately. And the whisky decanter was ready at his elbow when they adjourned to the study after dinner. There Dr. Priestley handed his guest the cutting from the Wey[ord Standard, and then he recounted the con- versations he had had at Weyford and Barnsley. Oldland listened in silence, glass in hand. '" Well, honestly, Priestley," he said, his host having come to th end of his recital. " I don't see anything to get vastly excited about. These two documents you speak of stick in your gizzard, I can see that. Ycu think there's some- thing fishy about them. Well, perhaps there is. You've seen them, and I haven't. But what then?" " The police found nothing whatever in Alcott's pos- session but a few coins and these two documents," Dr. Priestley replied. " Does it not strike you as curious that the only papers found should be open to sus- picion?" ' Well, yes, perhaps it does. l'm wondering ff Alcott iaked that letter from his father, what use he could have made of it. Do you think he meant to show it to Faversham ior any reason?" Dr. Pnestley shook his head. "'I hardly think so. Nor do I find it easy to explain how .Mcott obtained possession oi an envelope sent through the post to Faversham. I think it is quite possible that both en- velope and letter were deliberately placed in Alcott'. pocket, unknown to him." " But, man alive, what on earth for?" Oldland ex- claimed. "' You mean, I suppose, that they were put

THE VENIIER CRIME 173 eh? Well, it's not impossible. Are you going to sug- gest this to Fversham?" "' I think not. It is hrdly my business, and he might think me unduly inquisitive. He will get the electricity bill, with the number o5 units consumed. That should be suicient for him to institute inquiries." " But how does all ths affect Alcott?" Oldland asked. "' That I hardly know. I have been unable to learn anything of Alcott during the past seven years. He may have obtained possession o5 something o5 value to other people. For example, as a laboratory attendut, he may have secured particulars of some chemical process. A secret formula or the preparation of some commercial rticle, it you like." '" By jove!" Oldland exclaimed. "'I seem to re* member Fversham telling me that he hd a private laboratory of his own at Markheys. He described to rue ome experiments which he had been carrying out there, arlier in the year. ' " Mrs. Waller informed me that there was a labora tory at Markheys, ' Dr. Priesfley replied. It seemed that at last Oldland was beginning to realise the possi. bility which had already suggested itself to him. " Welt, then, suppose that somebody has been using this laboratory on the quiet for their own purposes? And suppose that this person knew that Alcott had this formula you speak of, and wanted to get hold of it? The envelope is explained. It may have been found kicking about the laboratory.. The letter from Alcott's father I confess I don't understand. I think you mus be wrong about it having been faked. The letter is probably genuine, and Alcott carried it about for senti. mental rea,ons. The envelope was sent to him, of course, to bring him to Markheys." Dr. Pfiesfley smiled at Oldland's enthusiasm. "A verv pretty, web of conjecture," he said. " No, I do

Venner?" he asked abruptly, rom behind a cloud smoke. " Venner?" J arrold replied. " One moment. Ernest Venner. Yes, I remember. Lived in South Kensington, somewhere. Uncle died in suspicious circumstances. I can't recall his name at the moment. We began to make inquiries, but the coroner brought in a verdict of natural causes, and we leit it at that. That's the man you mean. isn't it?" " That's the man," said Hanslet. " His unde's nam was Hinchliffe. Remember what happened next?' " Yes, I remember that part, because 1 was on th iob. It was repot.ted to us that Venner had disappeared. I interviewed his sister, Christine Venner, and two other people. The girl at his office, and an old solicitor chap, who gave me the impression oi being a bit fond of litting the elbow. We had a description circulated, I re- member." " Nothing's been heard of the chap since, has it?" " Nothing whatever. Reports were to be sent in to me, but I've never had any. And it's getting on or three months now since he disappeared." Hanslet took out a note-book. " I made a t:ew notes of that case, ' he said. " I've always had an idea, some- how, that there was more in it than met the eye. Ven her disappeared on Novembe sth. And since then' I've heard a lot ot: chat about it, but nothing in the least bit helpful. I've been offered at least three long-winded explanations to acount for his disappearance. What' your idea " Well, we know that Venner came into a lot oi mone) a day or two before he va.nished," .larrold replied. " That's the clue, I've always thought..qince you ask me, I'm ready to bet that Venner ust cleared out. money and " H'm, that's Faversham's theo .ry," I-Ianslet grunted

THE VENNER ClIME

agrees, I'll get him to use a little persuasion with that bank manager you saw. Tile one who refused you in- formation about Velmer's accolmt." " The manager of the Farringdon Street branch of the London and Kensington? He's a bit of a tough nut to crack.' ' " Never mind. He'll have to cough up a few particu- lars about his client. You see what I'm after, don't you? Venner's been missing now lot three months, as you say. /2 he's still alive, what has he been doing for money all this time? Has he been drawing on his account? If so, Faversham is right. He's merely lying low for reasons of his own, and it's none of our business. But if he hasn't, if the bank has heard nothing of him since November, things begin to look a bit queer, don't they?" Hanslet and Jar told spent some little time longer, dis cussing plans of campaign. The pair returned to Scot- land Yard, where Hanslet interviewed the Assistant Commissioner, to whom he imparted his suspicions. The Assistm Commissioner was sceptical. "' It's an ingenious theory, Hanslet,'" he said. " Smart ol you to think of looking at that poison book, very. And there are certainly coincidences in dates. But that girl is deucedly clever if she contrived to poison her brother and disl,ose of his body, single-handed." " We might find the body, sir, if we had a hint where to look for it," Hanslet replied darkly, " H'm, yes, if there is a body. But your scheme for tackling the bank isn't a bad one. As you say, it'll give us an idea of what's happened to this chap Venner. And now we can put up some sort of case. I tell you what I'll do, I'll get in touch with the head once of the bank. I'll tell them, as vaguely as I can, that we have reason to suspect that Venner's disappearance was due to foul play. Under the circumstances, we should be very

THE VENNER CRIME

stop you. I'm hoping we may manage to pick up one of those notes I've just given you the numbers of." Hanslet's hopes were realised much earlier than he had any right to expect. The tracing of notes is usually a very lengthy business. But, as it happened, a ten- pound note, identifiable by its number as one of those issued to Venner, had been returned to the Bank of England in a damaged condition. The Bank, upon receiving the list of numbers from the police, informed Scotland Yard of this, and the note was handed over to Hanslet, with such particulars as were available. Hanslet spent a day in making investigations, and that evening, having made an appointment for the pulpose, he called upon Dr. Pziestley. As he made his way to Westbourne Terrace, the Superintendent sincerely hoped that he would find Priestley alone. Latterly, he had always seemed to have either Sir Alured Faversham or Doctor Oldland with him. The latter Hanslet did lot so much mind. He certainly had a way of making irrelevant remarks, and he seemed quite unable to take anything seriously. But then, after all, very little attention need be paid to him. But Faversham was a very different matter, and, secretly, Hanslet was a little bit afraid of him. A man of his position, on intimate terms with high officials in the Home Offace, must be treated with alI due deference. And Faversham, confound him, had a distinctl} domineering way with him. He was rather too apt to smile at the opinions of a mere policeman, and to force his own down other people's throats. And that was distinctly irritating, especially to Hamlet, who could not venture to contradict. It was therefore much to his relief that he found Dr. Priestley alone. " I suppose you've forgotten aN

T]KE VE N N ER C R I M E

you've heard me speak of before, has been working on that very line. Nobody can embark for America unless they have a passport, endorsed for the United States. A visa from ttte American Consulate i also necessary before they can disembark, at the passport office. " Now, Jarrold's inquiries have established ths. Ernest Venner, of 7 Clewer Street, South Kensington, was issued with a passport five years ago. It was endorsed for all European countries, but it has never been endorsed for America. Nor has anyone of that name applied for a visa at the American Consulate..A2ad I think we can be quite sure that Vermer didn't secure a passport under a false name. That's a very much more difficult thing than you might think. It requires the collusion of a responsible person, for one thing.'" Dr. Priestley glanced at the clock. Hewas not anxious to discuss the matter further with Hanslet until he had had time to consider this new development. The Super- intendent, who knew his ways, was quick to take the hint. "I only just dropped in to ve you my news, Professor," he said. " I'll be getting along now." " Do you contemplate any further steps?" Dr, Priestley asked, as Hanslet left the zoom. "' Not until I've something more to go on. Christine Venner is being watched, and if she tries to pass any of these notes on my list, or to change a dollar bill, why, then I've got her. Good-night, Professor." Dr. Priestley smiled as the from door closed behind the Superintendent. Hanslet's methods were always direct and practical. But the smile rapidly changed into a frown. To Dr. Priestley it seemed that the Venner case was growing more incomprehensible than ever. The most startling thing, though Hanslet, apparently, did not regard it as such, was that Charles Alcott's name should have cropped up. Dr. Priesttey was pre- oared to allow a very wide marin for coincidence. Bxt

19Z T II E V E N N E C R I IVt E

it certainly was a Inost extraordinary thing that this connection, slight as it was, should have been established between Venner and Alcott. Venler who had mysteri- ously disappeared, and Alcott who had as mysteriously appeared, after a silence of seven years. Dr. Priestley could make nothing or" i, until a chance remark of Faversham's occurred to him. In describing his identification of Alcott's body, he had said that any description which he could have given from memory might have applied to a thousand people, Venner among them. There must, then, have been some fleeting resemblance between the two. A very carious theory began to take shape in Dr. Priestley's brains. It was possible that Venner, some time before his disappearance, had become acquainted with Alcott, and had noticed the resemblance. Wishing to disappear, he had taken Alcott into his confidence. I-Ie had offered Alcott a sum ot twenty-five thousand pounds, to be paid in dollars, with which Alcott was to go to America and stay there. In return, Venner was to assume Alcott's name and personality. This scheme was put into operation as soon as Venner was in a position to draw the necessary sum from the bank. tie then drew twenty-five thousand for Alcott, and five thousand for himself, upon which to live for the present. He would not wish to give any clue to his whereabouts by cashing cheques until he had made himselt secure under his new identity. Taking the whole thirty thousand with him, he had, on the evening of November I5th, gone to some appointed rendezvous with Alcott, and handed over the dollars. The theory was quite plausible so far. Venner, as Alcott, had changed one of his ten-pound notes at Milsom and Green's, and, when called upon to sign had done so in his new name. But how to account for

THE VENNER CRIIE I95 even more convinced of if now. And if seemed quite likely that Alcott had been tlat surreptitious tenant. If so, Alcott's first visit to Markheys had not been paid on Ja:taary ISth, but long before. Alcott, wishing to appeal to his former employer, had sought his address in some book of reference. Dr. Priestley took Who's Who from the shelf and turned up the entry relating to Faversham. Yes, his address was given as "' Markheys, near Weyford, Hants." Alcott had undoubtedly seen that, perhaps in some public library. Alcott had gone to Markheys, and found the house shut up. And then, perhaps, the idea that it would form a home of refuge had occurred to him. As a former laboratory assistant, he would be sure to be dexterous in the use of tools. It would not be difficult for him to make the necessary key. If he had obtained access to the laboratory wing, he would be safe there by day as welt as by night, since Mrs. Wailer had no key to that part of the house. Perhaps Markheys had been the meeting-place of Venner and Alcott on the evening of November i5th! If so, what could be more natural than that it should be used for subsequent meetings? For those meetings at which Alcott threatened blackmail, and which cul- minated in his death. Where would Velmer be likely to find an envelope addressed to Faversham but in Favers- ham's own house ? A plausible theory, certainly, which, if correct, would explain a good deal. But not by any means every- thing. Dr. Pliestley, as he reviewed it, was uncomfort- ably aware that it was open to objection. It assumed that Alcott's death had not been due to misadventure. It was too much to believe that Venner had come upon his dead body at such a convenient moment for himself. Again, Alcott, if not really destitute, must certainly have had acquaintances, and it was strange that those

acquaintances had made no sign. Finally, what had become of Venner since January I8th? Was he still living under the assumed personality of Alcott? And, ii so, where ? Once again Dr. Priestley realised that these questions could not be answered by a process of pure deduction. if Venner were to be fonnd, he must be sought for with all the resources which the police had at their disposal. Hitherto, there had been no inducement for such a search. But now, perhaps, the necessary machinery would be ptt in motion. Hanslet, believing that Venner had been murdered, might be expected to institute an intensive search ior his body. But Dr. Priestley, believ- ing rather that he had contrived the death of Alcott, thought that ii found at all, he would be found alive. He decided to try the eftcot o his theory upon Oldland, who could be relied upon to criticise it in an intelligent spirit. Two days later, therefore, Oldland arrived at West- bourne Terrace shortly before dinner, and was shown into the study. As usual, a tray was laid there, bearing a decanter of sherry and some glasses. But to-night there ws an addition which made Oldland open his eyes in astonishment. A brand new cocktail shaker l Dr. Priestley, seeing Oldland's amazement, smiled. "A concession to the modern fashion Oldland," he said. " I have thought that it has been inhospitable of me to offer my guests nothing but .;herry before dinner. That I perfer it mysel is no reason why I should inflict my personal tastes pon others." "1 prefer sherry myself, though 1 must confe to indulgence in the cocktail habit now and then," Old- land replied. " I hope you haven't provided a cocktail solely on my account?" " Oh, not at all. I think it quite possible that I may acquire the habit myself, with perseverance." Dr.

T98 THE VENNER CRIME

" It rather depends on their ingredients " said 01d- land, eyeing his glass with great disfa,our. " I shouldn't like to hazard a guess what you've made this of. It's most devilishly strong, and intensely bitter, and there's a flavour of peppermint about it." "I will give you the recipe with pleasure," Dr. Priestley replied gently. " You take equa! parts of creme-de-menthe and rum. To this you add a table- spoonful of. ammoniated quinine, and a little ultramarine, to improve the colour." " Oh, Lord l" Oldland groaned. " You won't be offended if I don't drink the rest, will you.? i know where you got that recipe from now, barring the ultra- marine. It's that ghastly concoction that old Hinchliffe took when he was suffering from influenza. I shouldn't be surprised, now that I've tasted it, if it hastened his death." " l,elieve me, I did not inflict it upon you without a purpose," Dr. Priestley replied. " Put it away, and let me pour you out a glass of sherry. ' After dinner, Dr. Priestley returned to the subject of his practical joke. " My so-called cocktail was in the nature ot a demonstration," he said. " You will allow that I tasted it myself, at the same time that I inflicted it upon you. What was the first impres.ion that it made upon your palate?" Oldland shuddered. " I can recall it now, even afte the excrllent dinner which you've just given me. What struck ne first about it? Why, the horrible bitter taste. You don't expect to find ammoniated quinine in a cocktail, you know." " Ys, the bitterness of the quinine, and the alter- taste of peppermint. That was exactly my experience. Now, this is the point upon which I am anxious or your .r.inion. If a small quantity o yet another ingredient,

THE VENN E R CRIME WOI

ton, I know, but that was an entirely different pair of shoes. The I-IincMiffe business was absolutely straight- forward. He was definitely looking for evidence of strychnine. I had told him of my suspicions. An absolutely simple and reliable,test for strychnine exists, which Favershara must have apphed a thousand times. He applied this test in the case of Hinchliffe, and secured a negative result, in spite of repeated experiments. He told me so himself. Therefore I am completely satisfied that there were no traces of strychnine in Hinchliffe's body. "Which proves conclusively that he did not die of strychnine poisoning. I'm sorry, Priestley, but your most ingenious idea falls to the ound, and you might have spared me the taste of that filthy concoction." '" Then I must apologise for any inconvenience which I may have caused you," Dr. Priesfley replied. " Let us return to the subject of Venner's disappearance. I have acquired some further information on that point since we last discussed the matter." Oldland hstened with the greatest interest while his host repeated the conversation he had had with Super- intendent tIanstet. Then, as Dr. Priestley concluded by descnbing the simaature on the ten-pound note, he laughed mirthlessty. " It seems to me, Priesfley, that the whole thing is a hopeless tangle," he remarked. " How can you accouut for Charles Alcott being mixed up in the affair? Coincidence, eh? Or have you evolved, as usual, some masterly theory which explains all the circumstances?" "I have evolved a theory," Dr. Priesfley rephed slowly. " It is, however, open to at least one grave objection. But, nevertheless, I gould be glad of your opinion upon it." Again Oldland listened, but this time with an in- credulous smile. " Most ingenious, Priestley," was his comment. " But it won't do. you know. It seems to me

HE VEiNN ER CRIME 207 Venner, the letter was dsppoting. It revealed that Charles cott had not been bove a Hle mild decep- tion, ceinly. But man mght execute less forge out iag poteaHl murderer. The more Hnslet coaMdered e mater e more conviaced he becme t Chafes co hd noing to do Veer's spperce. There s aotag for t but to go to e fountain-head, ad Chsdae Veer for hmsel. His rst ttempt to do so me ffh severe check. CisHae Veer recMved hm poHely eaough. But, when she dscovered his busess, her maer mmed- ely becme stnt. I csn tell you nothing bout my brother, Supentendeat," e sd. . Coleforth, h tod me to wer no quesfion bou him except n his presence." So interview was aanged at Colefo's office. The aosphere was tmpropifious. Colefoh t at his desk, th Christine Veer on a char close beside and a window at her back. Hanslet was forced to te a chair opposite to em. d it was Colefo who opened e conversation. "I understand, Supe- tendent, that you sh to mteogate my chent," he said. " You are aware, of cose, that she cabot be competed to swer y queson to which she may take objection?'" '" I am awe of at," HanMet repE sy. at he put e quons which he had dy prepped. But Csfine Veer adhered to her oM state- mnt. Ernest Venner had come home from s oce on November I5th ther earlier than usual. He had gone out again showy aftevds, cag notMng but a aH attach6 se, which he was in e habit of ting th him to and om the oce. He d toId her at

THE VENN ER CRIME OC) "" Nothing whatever, from the moment he left the fl.t." '" _Amd you have not been able to form the slightest idea of what has become of him?'" " Not the remotest. He took nothing with him except his little attach6 case. Blt, though I have looked all through his clothes and things, I can't fred anything that suggests where he might have gone to.'" " Thank yogi, Miss Venner. I need not trouble yon any further.'" Hanslet rose and picked up his hat. Then, as if as an afterthought, he asked, "' Are you troubled with mice at Clewer Street, Miss Venner?'" " Mice!" she exclaimed. " Whatever makes you ask that, Superintendent? We were at one time, I remem- ber, but I don't think there are any there now." tIanslet, by his manoeuvre, had managed to get a full view of her face as he put this last question. Rather to his disappointment, her only expression had become one of intense surprise. He left the office, and went back to Scotland Yard ill no very good burnout. " It's no good, Jarrold," he said, having summoned be inspector to a consultation. " I couldn't get any- thing more out of that girl. She stuck to her origina] story, and wouldn't budge. There was just one thing. She told me that she went out on the evening of Vermer's disappearance, but Coleforth wouldn't let her teL1 me where she went to. And he knew all fight, t could see that." " She may have followed her brother," Jarrotd suggested. "I shouldn't wonder. I exect she knew welt enough where he was bound for, though she swears she didn't. And now, what the devil are we to do next? We can't take any decided steps until we find the body, and we haven't the slightest idea where to look for that.

crmnpl.itl:; them as he did so with tile nervous energy of hi:a fingrs, lie tore them across md across, then pressed the fragments into .... the dyin,, fire upon tl: lurth. They No m.tl ttm last vsti,e ot ash had di:appeared did !r. [urn away, ad g: stowly upstai to bed.

THE VENNER CRIME

V

THE DUEL

FoR the next few days Dr. Priestley was possessed by a demon of industry. He set to work upon a new scientific treatise, which demanded the most elaborate research, and he scarcely allowed either himself or his secretary time for meals and sleep. This period lasted tor a fortnight, and might have continued indefinitely, but for Oldland, who literally forced his way into Dr. Priesfley's study. " Look here, Priesfley !" he said, after a rapid glance at his old friend. " I don't know what you're playing at, these days, but it's got to stop. Merefield has been teng me that you're working yourself to death, and 1 can see with half an eye the effect it's having on you. Go a bit easier, like a good chap. We're none of us as young as we were, you know." Dr.-Priesfley frowned. His face was certainly lined and haggard, and he looked as if he had not been sleep- ing properly. " It is no part of Merefietd's duties to coI- suit you on the subiect of my health, Oldland,'" he said coldly. " Rot!" exclaimed Oldland. " You're lucky to have a secretary who's capable of looking after you properly. Nov look here. You've shut yourself away from every.- body for goodness knows how long, and I dcm't sup- pose you've been out of this stuffy room all that time. Too busy, you say. Yes, I know, but you'll break down, like anV fo who doesn't know how to take care

And when he poke, t was in a completely dipaote one. o, I do not a K exends to you." "' Then I would very much lke o he t," said Faversha I confess that I never believed soluien wod be found.'" "' You sha hear e solution that I have aved a,'" Dr. Pestley replied gravdy. "' For many reasons, do not expect you to aee that it is the correct one. But you shall judge or yourseK. " Veer' dippearance was e cond act m a drama which began some mont before. In the ly pa of last ye, his ancial position was desperate. He had Iiabfies which he coMd not meet, and ere was no prospect of his business airs improng. He dared not ask s uncle for aistance, knog that would be refused. Nor had he y expectafio om his uncle, [or at that time Mr. Hinchle had made a will, leaving s fortune to Chsgne Venr. " Venner, faced th bankptcy, rlved upon a ve desperate cose. His st step was m endeavour to peuade his cle to alter his 1 s own This was not so difficMt as might have appr at first sight. Mr. Hinchle was not an old man, d had no idea of saint money for his heirs. He did not fi- cipate at much of his fore would leR at death. It was therefore immaterial to h who nodal heir." Faversham nodded. "I don't know where yo gathered all this information, Pestley," he said. " But you may be Mght. My acquaintance with Hinchffe not begin until aKer his dea.'" " My infoation is from a source which i conder reliable. But to continue. Venner bme aw at his uncle's solicitor, . Colefoh, was desirous mang his ster. He conveyed is oaon r. HichIe, nsinuang that Coleforth's object F

T ll E VE N NE R CRIME 229 the body to a suitable spot in the road, iust outside the gates of Markheys. Possibly he employed a wheel- barrow for this purpose. The key of the potting-shed was available as we know. The body had no chance to thaw, owing to the intense cold. Shortly afterwards, the snow fell, and concealed the body until the men clearing the road found it on the following Saturday." " You seem to forget, Priestley, that t identified the body as that o Charles Alcott, a former laboratol-y assistant of mine." Faversham's voice was d O, and 'harsh.. "I do not forget," Dr. Priesttey replied. "I can only assume that yolx were the dctim of suggestion." " That's all nonsense, of course," said Faversham. He picked up his glass, and drank the contents at a gulp. " In fact, the whole of your theory strikes me as a not very plausible fairy tale. Have yol imparted it to anybody besides myself?" " 1 have not. You heard me refuse to speak of it to Oldtand iust now." " I'm glad of that. I shouldn't like anyone to have doubts oi your sanity." Faversham retapsect into silence, then continued ablalptly. " All damned non- sense, oi course. But that's an tmcomfortable idea of yours that somebody might have got into Markheys. I shan't be able to rest till I've been down to have a took over the place. I'H go down to-morrow, first thing." Dr. Priesttey nodded. "'I think it wotld be a wise precaution," he replied quietly. " Precaution !" Faversham exclaimed. '" It's only to set my mind at rest. Look here, Priestley, could you manage to come along later? We could disprove your precious theory, i shall know at once if anybody has been running about the laboratory. And I cai show you over the place at the same time. There's a very good train from Waterloo a 2.Io. I'll et the car out.

CRIME

" And how do you propose to eliminate them ?" asked Faversham. "I will show you. Let us take them m turn. Do not for a,moment suppose that I did you the injustice of believing you to have been mistaken over your post- mortem on Hinchliffe's body. If strychnine had been present, I knew that you would have detected it. yet I felt convinced that Hinchlife must have died of strychnine poisoning. " Then, your identification oi the body as that of Charles Alcott. You were the only person called upon to give evidence of identification, and your evidence, uder the circumstances, was naturally accepted. Now, supposing that in both cases your evidence had been false. That made the problem soluble. But it also pointed to you as the criminal. And that, viewing tlae knowledge which I had collected, was the only con- clusion to which I could arrive." '" Your lo#c is all ve fine, Priestley," Faversham replied sneeringly. " But you can't prove against me." " I could not prove ttat you murdered Venner. But the exhumation of Hinchliffe's body would prove that your evidence at the inquest was false. And that would lead to further inquiries." Faversham laughed mirthlessly. " That's why I had to kill Venner," he said. " It's not a bit of good beat- ing about the bush any longer. I killed him, and ee him right. The man was a murderer, by his own eom- fession. If I hadn't killed him, he would have hanged anyhow. Let me assure you that i feel not the slightest remorse. " What you said last night is correct as far as it goes. But Velme'r didn't work out an elaborate scheme for murdering his uncle. He wasn't t.hat sort of chap, he hadn't enough pluck or determination. All he wanted

THE V ENN:E R CRII[E 237 conscious look, like a man performing one action, while: all the time his mind was fixed upon another. " You were quite right, PriestIey, and it was devilish, smart of y.ou to guess what had happened. Venne hadn't enough guts to carry him through. He had com- mitted a crime, on the impulse o5 the moment. He had, more by good luck than good judgment, found the. only way in which that crime could be hidden. And. then, at the very moment he had reaped the benefit, his pluck, or his conscience, or whatever you hke to call it, ha,d given way. He simply couldn't carry on any longer. "I can see him now, sitting in that chair, the very picture of irresolution, twitching all over. And he told me that the first thing he was going to do next day was. to pay a call on Scotland Yard and make a clean breast of it. " Jolly for me, wasn't it? I saw at once what that would nean. The exhumation of Hinchliffe's body, and a fresh examination which could not fail to reveal the presence of strychnine. At the best, t should stand convicted of an unpardonable mistake, which would. put an end to my career. And at the worst well, I didn't care to contemplate that, "I ddn' let him see that I was in any way per- turbed, bu I began to reason with him. Not that I hed the least hope that it would be any good. I kn.e his type too well, I might have persuaded him to c,ge , him nfind for the moment, but sooner or later hs irre- solution would have returned. I knew that I could never feel safe for a moment until he was dead. " That's wly I started to argue wth him. I wanted time to think. I could kill him easily enough. There was no difficulty about that. There are means in this, laboratory of killing a dozen men lmost instantane-