The Complete Works of Arthur Morrison (Illustrated). Arthur Morrison

Mr. Crellan in the interests of right and justice.”

      “And who’s to protect me against the spite of those I shall offend if I tell you?”

      Mr. Crellan interposed.

      “Whatever you tell us, Mrs. Turton,” he said, “will be held in the strictest confidence, and the source of our information shall not be divulged. For that I give you my word of honour. And, I need scarcely add, I will see that you come to no harm by anything you may say.”

      “Then the will is lost. I may understand that?”

      Hewitt’s features were impassive and impenetrable. But in Mr. Crellan’s disturbed face the nurse saw a plain answer in the affirmative.

      “Yes,” she said, “I see that’s the trouble. Well, I know who took it.”

      “Then who was it?”

      “Miss Garth!”

      “Miss Garth! Nonsense! “cried Mr. Crellan, starting upright. “Nonsense! ”

      “It may be nonsense,” the nurse replied slowly, with a monotonous emphasis on each word. “It may be nonsense, but it’s a fact. I saw her take it.”

      Mr. Crellan simply gasped. Hewitt drew his chair a little nearer.

      “If you saw her take it,” he said gently, closely watching the woman’s face the while, “then, of course, there’s no doubt.”

      “I tell you I saw her take it,” the nurse repeated. “What was in it, and what her game was in taking it, I don’t know. But it was in that bureau, wasn’t it?”

      “Yes — probably.”

      “In the right hand top drawer?”

      “Yes.”

      “A white paper in a blue envelope?”

      “Yes.”

      “Then I saw her take it, as I said before. She unlocked that drawer before my eyes, took it out, and locked the drawer again.”

      Mr. Crellan turned blankly to Hewitt, but Hewitt kept his eyes on the nurse’s face.

      “When did this occur?” he asked, “and how?”

      “It was on Saturday night, rather late. Everybody was in bed but Miss Garth and myself, and she had been down to the dining-room for something. Mr. Holford was asleep, so as I wanted to re-fill the water-bottle, I took it up and went. As I was passing the door of this room that we are in now, I heard a noise, and looked in at the door, which was open. There was a candle on the table which had been left there earlier in the evening. Miss Garth was opening the top right hand drawer of that bureau “— Mrs. Turton stabbed her finger spitefully toward the piece of furniture, as though she owed it a personal grudge — “and I saw her take out a blue foolscap envelope, and as the flap was open, I could see the enclosed paper was white. She shut the drawer, locked it, and came out of the room with the envelope in her hand.”

      “And what did you do? ’

      “I hurried on, and she came away without seeing me, and went in the opposite direction — toward the small staircase.”

      “Perhaps,” Mr. Crellan ventured at a blurt, “perhaps she was walking in her sleep?”

      “That she wasn’t! “the nurse replied, “for she came back to Mr. Holford’s room almost as soon as I returned there, and asked some questions about the medicine — which was nothing new, for I must say she was very fond of interfering in things that were part of my business.”

      “That is quite certain, I suppose,” Hewitt remarked — “that she could not have been asleep?”

      “Quite certain. She talked for about a quarter of an hour, and wanted to kiss Mr. Holford, which might have wakened him, before she went to bed. In fact, I may say we had a disagreement.”

      Hewitt did not take his steady gaze from the nurse’s face for some seconds after she had finished speaking. Then he only said, “Thank you, Mrs. Turton. I need scarcely assure you, after what Mr. Crellan has said, that your confidence shall not be betrayed. I think that is all, unless you have more to tell us.”

      Mrs. Turton bowed and rose. “There is nothing more,” she said, and left the room.

      As soon as she had gone, “Is Mrs. Turton at all interested in the will,” Hewitt asked.

      “No, there is nothing for her. She is a newcomer, you see. Perhaps,” Mr. Crellan went on, struck by an idea, “she may be jealous, or something. She seems a spiteful woman — and really, I can’t believe her story for a moment.”

      “Why?”

      “Well, you see, it’s absurd. Why should Miss Garth go to all this secret trouble to do herself an injury — to make a beggar of herself? And besides, she’s not in the habit of telling barefaced lies. She distinctly assured us, you remember, that she had never been to the bureau for any purpose whatever.”

      “But the nurse has an honest character, hasn’t she?”

      “Yes, her character is excellent. Indeed, from all accounts, she is a very excellent woman, except for a desire to govern everybody, and a habit of spite if she i§ thwarted. But, of course, that sort of thing sometimes leads people rather far.”

      “So it does,” Hewitt replied. “But consider now. Is it not possible that Miss Garth, completely infatuated with Mr. Mellis, thinks she is doing a noble thing for him by destroying the will and giving up her whole claim to his uncle’s property? Devoted women do just such things, you know.”

      Mr. Crellan stared, bent his head to his hand, and considered. “So they do, so they do,” he said. “Insane foolery. Really, it’s the sort of thing I can imagine her doing — she’s honour and generosity itself. But then those lies,” he resumed, sitting up and slapping his leg; “I can’t believe she’d tell such tremendous lies as that for anybody. And with such a calm face, too — I’m sure she couldn’t.”

      “Well, that’s as it may be. You can scarcely set a limit to the lengths a woman will go on behalf of a man she loves. I suppose, by the bye, Miss Garth is not exactly what you would call a ‘ strong-minded ‘ woman?”

      “No, she’s not that. She’d never get on in the world by herself. She’s a good little soul, but nervous — very; and her month of anxiety, grief, and want of sleep seems to have broken her up.”

      “Mr. Mellis knows of the death, I suppose?”

      “I telegraphed to him at his chambers in London the first thing yesterday — Tuesday — morning, as soon as the telegraph office was open. He came here (as I’ve forgotten to tell you as yet) the first thing this morning — before I was over here myself, in fact. He had been staying not far off — at Ockham, I think — and the telegram had been sent on. He saw Miss Garth, but couldn’t stay, having to get back to London. I met him going away as I came, about eleven o’clock. Of course I said nothing about the fact that I couldn’t find the will, but he will probably be down again soon, and may ask questions.”

      “Yes,” Hewitt replied. “And speaking of that matter, you can no doubt talk with Miss Garth on very intimate and familiar terms?”

      “Oh yes — yes; I’ve told you what old friends we are.”

      “I wish you could manage, at some favourable opportunity to-day, to speak to her alone, and without referring to the will in any way, get to know, as circumspectly and delicately as you can, how she stands in regard to Mr. Mellis. Whether he is an accepted lover, or likely to be one, you know. Whatever answer you may get, you may judge, I expect, by her manner how things really are.”

      “Very good — I’ll seize the first chance. Meanwhile what to do?”

      “Nothing, I’m afraid, except perhaps to examine other pieces of furniture as closely as we have examined this bureau.”