The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories Read online

  It was twenty-four hours later. We had arrived in Douglas, interviewed the lawyers, and were now at Maughold House facing Mrs. Skillicorn, our late uncle's housekeeper, a somewhat formidable woman who nevertheless relented a little before Fenella's eagerness.

  "Queer ways he had," she said. "Liked to set everyone puzzling and contriving."

  "But the clues," cried Fenella. "The clues?"

  Deliberately, as she did everything, Mrs. Skillicorn left the room. She returned after an absence of some minutes and held out a folded piece of paper.

  We unfolded it eagerly. It contained a doggerel rhyme in my uncle's crabbed handwriting.

  Four points of the compass so there be

  S and W, N and E.

  East winds are bad for man and beast.

  Go south and west and

  North not east.

  "Oh!" said Fenella blankly.

  "Oh!" said I, with much the same intonation.

  Mrs. Skillicorn smiled on us with gloomy relish.

  "Not much sense to it, is there?" she said helpfully.

  "It - I don't see how to begin," said Fenella, piteously.

  "Beginning," I said, with a cheerfulness I did not feel, "is always the difficulty. Once we get going -"

  Mrs. Skillicorn smiled more grimly than ever. She was a depressing woman.

  "Can't you help us?" asked Fenella coaxingly.

  "I know nothing about the silly business. Didn't confide in me, your uncle didn't. I told him to put his money in the bank, and no nonsense. I never knew what he was up to."

  "He never went out with any chests - or anything of that kind?"

  "That he didn't."

  "You don't know when he hid the stuff - whether it was lately or long ago?"

  Mrs. Skillicorn shook her head.

  "Well," I said, trying to rally. "There are two possibilities. Either the treasure is hidden here, in the actual grounds, or else it may be hidden anywhere on the island. It depends on the bulk, of course."

  A sudden brain wave occurred to Fenella.

  "You haven't noticed anything missing?" she said. "Among my uncle's things, I mean."

  "Why, now, it's odd your saying that -"

  "You have, then?"

  "As I say, it's odd your saying that. Snuffboxes - there's at least four of them I can't lay my hand on anywhere."

  "Four of them!" cried Fenella. "That must be it! We're on the track. Let's go out in the garden and look about."

  "There's nothing there," said Mrs. Skillicorn. "I'd know if there were. Your uncle couldn't have buried anything in the garden without my knowing about it."

  "Points of the compass are mentioned," I said. "The first thing we need is a map of the island."

  "There's one on that desk," said Mrs. Skillicorn.

  Fenella unfolded it eagerly. Something fluttered out as she did so. I caught it.

  "Hullo," I said. "This looks like a further clue." We both went over it eagerly.

  It appeared to be a rude kind of map. There was a cross on it and a circle and a pointing arrow, and directions were roughly indicated, but it was hardly illuminating. We studied it in silence.

  "It's not very illuminating, is it?" said Fenella.

  "Naturally it wants puzzling over," I said. "We can't expect it to leap to the eye."

  Mrs. Skillicorn interrupted with a suggestion of supper, to which we agreed thankfully.

  "And could we have some coffee?" said Fenella. "Lots of it - very black."

  Mrs. Skillicorn provided us with an excellent meal, and at its conclusion a large jug of coffee made its appearance.

  "And now," said Fenella, "we must get down to it."

  "The first thing," I said, "is direction. This seems to point clearly to the northeast of the island."

  "It seems so. Let's look at the map."

  We studied the map attentively.

  "It all depends on how you take the thing," said Fenella. "Does the cross represent the treasure? Or is it something like a church? There really ought to be rules!"

  "That would make it too easy."

  "I suppose it would. Why are there little lines on one side of the circle and not the other?"

  "I don't know."

  "Are there any more maps anywhere?"

  We were sitting in the library. There were several excellent maps. There were also various guidebooks descriptive of the island. There was a book on folklore. There was a book on the history of the island. We read them all.

  And at last we formed a possible theory.

  "It does seem to fit," said Fenella at last. "I mean the two together is a likely conjunction which doesn't seem to occur anywhere else."

  "It's worth trying, anyhow," I said. "I don't think we can do anything more tonight. Tomorrow, first thing, we'll hire a car and go off and try our luck."

  "It's tomorrow now," said Fenella. "Half past two! Just fancy!!"

  Early morning saw us on the road. We had hired a car for a week, arranging to drive it ourselves. Fenella's spirits rose as we sped along the excellent road, mile after mile.

  "If only it wasn't for the other two, what fun this would be," she said. "This is where the Derby was originally run, wasn't it? Before it was changed to Epsom. How queer that is to think off"

  I drew her attention to a farmhouse.

  "That must be where there is said to be a secret passage running under the sea to that island."

  "What fun! I love secret passages, don't you? Oh! Juan, we're getting quite near now. I'm terribly excited. If we should be right!"

  Five minutes later we abandoned the car.

  "Everything's in the right position," said Fenella tremulously.

  We walked on.

  "Six of them - that's right. Now between these two. Have you got the compass?"

  Five minutes later, we were standing facing each other, an incredulous joy on our faces - and on my outstretched palm lay an antique snuffbox.

  We had been successful!

  On our return to Maughold House, Mrs. Skillicorn met us with the information that two gentlemen had arrived. One had departed again, but the other was in the library.

  A tall, fair man with a florid face rose smilingly from an armchair as we entered the room.

  "Mr. Faraker and Miss Mylecharane? Delighted to meet you. I am your distant cousin, Dr. Fayll. Amusing game, all this, isn't it?"

  His manner was urbane and pleasant, but I took an immediate dislike to him. I felt that in some way the man was dangerous. His pleasant manner was, somehow, too pleasant, and his eyes never met yours fairly.

  "I'm afraid we've got bad news for you," I said. "Miss Mylecharane and myself have already discovered the first 'treasure.'"

  He took it very well.

  "Too bad - too bad. Posts from here must be odd. Barford and I started at once."

  We did not dare to confess the perfidy of Uncle Myles.

  "Anyway, we shall all start fair for the second round," said Fenella.

  "Splendid. What about getting down to the clues right away? Your excellent Mrs. - er - Skillicorn holds them, I believe?"

  "That wouldn't be fair to Mr. Corjeag," said Fenella, quickly. "We must wait for him."

  "True, true - I had forgotten. We must get in touch with him as quickly as possible. I will see to that - you two must be tired out and want to rest."

  Thereupon he took his departure. Ewan Corjeag must have been unexpectedly difficult to find, for it was not till nearly eleven o'clock that night that Dr. Fayll rang up. He suggested that he and Ewan should come over to Maughold House at ten o'clock the following morning, when Mrs. Skillicorn could hand us out the clues.

  "That will do splendidly," said Fenella. "Ten o'clock tomorrow."

  We retired to bed tired but happy.

  The following morning we were aroused by Mrs. Skillicorn, completely shaken out of her usual pessimistic calm.

  "Whatever do you think?" she panted. "The house has been broken into."

  "Burglars?" I exclaimed i
ncredulously. "Has anything been taken?"

  "Not a thing - and that's the odd part of it! No doubt they were after the silver - but the door being locked on the outside they couldn't get any further."

  Fenella and I accompanied her to the scene of the outrage, which happened to be in her own sitting room. The window there had undeniably been forced, yet nothing seemed to have been taken. It was all rather curious.

  "I don't see what they can have been looking for," said Fenella.

  "It's not as though there were a 'treasure chest' hidden in the house," I agreed facetiously. Suddenly an idea flashed into my mind. I turned to Mrs. Skillicorn.

  "The clues - the clues you were to give us this morning?"

  "Why to be sure - they're in that top drawer." She went across to it. "Why - I do declare - there's nothing here! They're gone!"

  "Not burglars," I said. "Our esteemed relations!"

  And I remembered Uncle Myles's warning on the subject of unscrupulous dealing. Clearly he had known what he was talking about. A dirty trick!

  "Hush," said Fenella suddenly, holding up a finger. "what was that?"

  The sound she had caught came plainly to our ears. It was a groan and it came from outside. We went to the window and leaned out. There was shrubbery growing against this side of the house and we could see nothing; but the groan came again, and we could see that the bushes seemed to have been disturbed and trampled.

  We hurried down and out round the house. The first thing we found was a fallen ladder, showing how the thieves had reached the window. A few steps further brought us to where a man was lying.

  He was a youngish man, dark, and he was evidently badly injured, for his head was lying in a pool of blood. I knelt down beside him.

  "We must get a doctor at once. I'm afraid he's dying."

  The gardener was sent off hurriedly. I slipped my hand into his breast pocket and brought out a pocket book. On it were the initials E.C.

  "Ewan Corjeag," said Fenella.

  The man's eyes opened. He said faintly: "Fell from ladder..." then lost consciousness again.

  Close by his head was a large jagged stone stained with blood.

  "It's clear enough," I said. "The ladder slipped and he fell, striking his head on this stone. I'm afraid it's done for him, poor fellow."

  "So you think that was it?" said Fenella, in an odd tone of voice.

  But at that moment the doctor arrived. He held out little hope of recovery. Ewan Corjeag was moved into the house and a nurse was sent for to take charge of him. Nothing could be done, and he would die a couple of hours later.

  We had been sent for and were standing by his bed. His eyes opened and flickered.

  "We are your cousins Juan and Fenella," I said. "Is there anything we can do?"

  He made a faint negative motion of the head. A whisper came from his lips. I bent to catch it.

  "Do you want the clue? I'm done. Don't let Fayll do you down."

  "Yes," said Fenella. "Tell me."

  Something like a grin came over his face.

  "D'ye ken -" he began.

  Then suddenly his head fell over sideways and he died.

  "I don't like it," said Fenella suddenly.

  "What don't you like?"

  "Listen, Juan. Ewan stole those clues - he admits falling from the ladder. Then where are they? We've seen all the contents of his pockets. There were three sealed envelopes, so Mrs. Skillicorn says. Those sealed envelopes aren't there."

  "What do you think, then?"

  "I think there was someone else there, someone who jerked away the ladder so that Ewan fell. And that stone - he never fell on it - it was brought from some distance away - I've found the mark. He was deliberately bashed on the head with it."

  "But Fenella - that's murder!"

  "Yes," said Fenella, very white. "It's murder. Remember, Dr. Fayll never turned up at ten o'clock this morning. Where is he?"

  "You think he's the murderer?"

  "Yes. You know - this treasure - it's a lot of money, Juan."

  "And we've no idea where to look for him," I said.

  "A pity Corjeag couldn't have finished what he was going to say."

  "There's one thing that might help. This was in his hand."

  She handed me a torn snapshot.

  "Suppose it's a clue. The murderer snatched it away and never noticed he'd left a corner of it behind. If we were to find the other half -"

  "To do that," I said, "we must find the second treasure. Let's look at this thing."

  "Hmm," I said, "there's nothing much to go by. That seems a kind of tower in the middle of the circle, but it would be very hard to identify."

  Fenella nodded.

  "Dr. Fayll has the important half. He knows where to look. We've got to find that man, Juan, and watch him. Of course, we won't let him see we suspect."

  "I wonder whereabouts in the island he is this minute. If we only knew -"

  My mind went back to the dying man. Suddenly I sat up excitedly.

  "Fenella," I said, "Corjeag wasn't Scotch?"

  "No, of course not."

  "Well, then, don't you see? What he meant, I mean?"

  "No?"

  I scribbled something on a piece of paper and tossed it to her.

  "What's this?"

  "The name of a firm that might help us."

  "Bellman and True. Who are they? Lawyers?"

  "No - they're more in our line - private detectives."

  And I proceeded to explain.

  "Dr. Fayll to see you," said Mrs. Skillicorn.

  We looked at each other. Twenty-four hours had elapsed. We had returned from our quest successful for the second time. Not wishing to draw attention to ourselves, we had journeyed in the Snaefell - a charabanc.

  "I wonder if he knows we saw him in the distance?" murmured Fenella.

  "It's extraordinary. If it hadn't been for the hint that photograph gave us - "

  "Hush - and do be careful, Juan. He must be simply furious at our having outwitted him in spite of everything."

  No trace of it appeared in the doctor's manner, however. He entered the room his urbane and charming self, and I felt my faith in Fenella's theory dwindling.

  "What a shocking tragedy!" he said. "Poor Corjeag. I suppose he was - well - trying to steal a march on us. Retribution was swirl. Well, well - we scarcely knew him, poor fellow. You must have wondered why I didn't turn up this morning as arranged. I got a fake message - Corjeag's doing, I suppose - it sent me off on a wild-goose chase right across the island. And now you two have romped home again. How do you do it?"

  There was a note of really eager inquiry in his voice which did not escape me.

  "Cousin Ewan was fortunately able to speak just before he died," said Fenella.

  I was watching the man, and I could swear I saw alarm leap into his eyes at her words.

  "Eh - eh? What's that?" he said.

  "He was just able to give us a clue as to the whereabouts of the treasure," explained Fenella.

  "Oh! I see - I see. I've been clean out of things - though, curiously enough, I myself was in that part of the island. You may have seen me strolling round."

  "We were so busy," said Fenella apologetically.

  "Of course, of course. You must have run across the thing more or less by accident. Lucky young people, aren't you? Well, what's the next program? Will Mrs. Skillicorn oblige us with the new clues?"

  But it seemed that this third set of clues had been deposited with the lawyer, and we all three repaired to the lawyer's office, where the sealed envelopes were handed over to us.

  The contents were simple. A map with a certain area marked off on it, and a paper of directions attached.

  In '85, this place made history.

  11 paces from the landmark to

  The east, then an equal ten

  Places north. Stand there

  Looking east. Two trees are in the

  Line of vision. One of them

  Was sacred in
this island. Draw

  A circle five feet from

  The Spanish chestnut and,

  With head bent, walk round. Look well. You'll find.

  "Looks as though we are going to tread on each other's toes a bit today," commented the doctor.

  True to my policy of apparent friendliness, I offered him a lift in our car, which he accepted. We had lunch at Port Erin, and then started on our search.

  I had debated in my own mind the reason of my uncle's depositing this particular set of clues with his lawyer. Had he foreseen the possibility of a theft? And had he determined that not more than one set of clues should fall into the thief's possession?

  The treasure hunt this afternoon was not without its humor. The area of search was limited and we were continually in sight of each other. We eyed each other suspiciously, each trying to determine whether the other was further on or had had a brain wave.

  "This is all part of Uncle Myles's plan," said Fenella.

  "He wanted us to watch each other and go through all the agonies of thinking the other person was getting there."

  "Come," I said. "Let's get down to it scientifically. We've got one definite clue to start on. 'In '85 this place made history.' Look up the reference books we've got with us and see if we can't hunt that down. Once we get that -"

  "He's looking in that hedge," interrupted Fenella. "Oh! I can't bear it. If he's got it -"

  "Attend to me," I said firmly. "There's really only one way to go about it the proper way."

  "There are so few trees on the island that it would be much simpler just to look for a chestnut tree!" said Fenella.

  I pass over the next hour. We grew hot and despondent - and all the time we were tortured with fear that Fayll might be succeeding whilst we failed.

  "I remember once reading in a detective story," I said, "how a fellow stuck a paper of writing in a bath of acid - and all sorts of other words came out."

  "Do you think - but we haven't got a bath of acid!"

  "I don't think Uncle Myles could expect expert chemical knowledge. But there's common or garden heat -"

  We slipped round the corner of a hedge and in a minute or two I had kindled a few twigs. I held the paper as close to the blaze as I dared. Almost at once I was rewarded by seeing characters begin to appear at the foot of the sheet. There were just two words.