Grey Mask

CHAPTER IV

He interviewed Lattery, and could not determine whether he had to do with an unfaithful steward or a great stupid oaf who was scared to death by the sudden apparition of a gentleman whom he believed to be some thousands of miles away.

“Where had you been?”

“Seeing it was Thursday,” said Lattery in his slow perplexed voice.

“Where had you been?”

“Seeing it was Thursday, Mr. Charles-I beg your pardon, sir-seeing it was Thursday and the day I take my pay from the lawyer same as he arranged-and I put it to him fair and square, and so he’ll tell you. I put it to him, sir, wouldn’t it be convenient for to fix on Thursday for me to take the evening off like? And the lawyer he says to me-and one of his clerks was in the room and could tell you the same-he says to me as how there wasn’t any objection.”

“Thursday’s your evening off?”

“Yes, Mr. Charles-I beg your pardon-sir.”

“You always go out on Thursday?”

“Yes, sir.”

Lattery’s face had regained its florid colour, but his round eyes dwelt anxiously on Charles.

“Do you always leave the garden door open?” Charles shot the question at him suddenly.

“The garden door, sir?”

“The door from the little passage into the garden. Do you generally leave it open?”

“No, sir.”

“Why did you leave it open to-night?”

“Was it open, sir?”

“Don’t you know it was? Didn’t you come in that way?”

“I come in through the front door,” said Lattery, staring.

They were in the study, which opened out of the hall. Charles crossed to the door, flung it open wide, and looked across.

“If you came in through the front door, who bolted it and put up the chain?”

“Please, sir, I did.”

Charles felt a little ridiculous. He banged the door and came back to his seat.

“When I reached this house an hour ago,” he said, “the door on the alley-way was open. I came in by it. The garden door was open, and I came into the house by that. I went upstairs, and there was a light in my mother’s sitting room.”

“Someone must have left it on, sir.”

“The people who left it on were still in the room,” said Charles drily. “They were men-three of them. And they got away down the stair just before me. Are you going to tell me you didn’t see anything?”

“I take my oath I didn’t see anything.”

“Or hear anything?”

Lattery hesitated.

“I sort of thought I heard a door bang-yes, I certainly thought I heard a door, for it come into my mind that the missus was early.”