xpectingwaswaitingforherattheofficesoftheAberdeenShippingCompany.Now,ifyouarewellupinyourLondon,youwillknowthattheofficeofthecompanyisinFresnoStreet,whichbranchesoutofUpperSwandamLane,whereyoufoundmeto-night.Mrs.St.Clairhadherlunch,startedfortheCity,didsomeshopping,proceededtothecompany’soffice,gotherpacket,andfoundherselfatexactly4:35walkingthroughSwandamLaneonherwaybacktothestation.Haveyoufollowedmesofar?”
“Itisveryclear.”
“Ifyouremember,Mondaywasanexceedinglyhotday,andMrs.St.Clairwalkedslowly,glancingaboutinthehopeofseeingacab,asshedidnotliketheneighbourhoodinwhichshefoundherself.WhileshewaswalkinginthiswaydownSwandamLane,shesuddenlyheardanejaculationorcry,andwasstruckcoldtoseeherhusbandlookingdownatherand,asitseemedtoher,beckoningtoherfromasecond-floorwindow.Thewindowwasopen,andshedistinctlysawhisface,whichshedescribesasbeingterriblyagitated.Hewavedhishandsfranticallytoher,andthenvanishedfromthewindowsosuddenlythatitseemedtoherthathehadbeenpluckedbackbysomeirresistibleforcefrombehind.Onesingularpointwhichstruckherquickfeminineeyewasthatalthoughheworesomedarkcoat,suchashehadstartedtotownin,hehadonneithercollarnornecktie.
“Convincedthatsomethingwasamisswithhim,sherusheddownthesteps—forthehousewasnoneotherthantheopiumdeninwhichyoufoundmeto-night—andrunningthroughthefrontroomsheattemptedtoascendthestairswhichledtothefirstfloor.Atthefootofthestairs,however,shemetthisLascarscoundrelofwhomIhavespoken,whothrustherbackand,aidedbyaDane,whoactsasassistantthere,pushedheroutintothestreet.Filledwiththemostmaddeningdoubtsandfears,sherusheddownthelaneand,byraregood-fortune,metinFresnoStreetanumberofconstableswithaninspector,allontheirwaytotheirbeat.Theinspectorandtwomenaccompaniedherback,andinspiteofthecontinuedresistanceoftheproprietor,theymadetheirwaytotheroominwhichMr.St.Clairhadlastbeenseen.Therewasnosignofhimthere.Infact,inthewholeofthatfloortherewasnoonetobefoundsaveacrippledwretchofhideousaspect,who,itseems,madehishomethere.BothheandtheLascarstoutlysworethatnooneelsehadbeeninthefrontroomduringtheafternoon.Sodeterminedwastheirdenialthattheinspectorwasstaggered,andhadalmostcometobelievethatMrs.St.Clairhadbeendeludedwhen,withacry,shesprangatasmalldealboxwhichlayuponthetableandtorethelidfromit.Outtherefellacascadeofchildren’sbricks.Itwasthetoywhichhehadpromisedtobringhome.
“Thisdiscovery,andtheevidentconfusionwhichthecrippleshowed,madetheinspectorrealisethatthematterwasserious.Theroomswerecarefullyexamined,andresultsallpointedtoanabominablecrime.Thefrontroomwasplainlyfurnishedasasitting-roomandledintoasmallbedroom,whichlookedoutuponthebackofoneofthewharves.Betweenthewharfandthebedroomwindowisanarrowstrip,whichisdryatlowtidebutiscoveredathightidewithatleastfourandahalffeetofwater.Thebedroomwindowwasabroadoneandopenedfrombelow.Onexaminationtracesofbloodweretobeseenuponthewindowsill,andseveralscattereddropswerevisibleuponthewoodenfloorofthebedroom.ThrustawaybehindacurtaininthefrontroomwerealltheclothesofMr.NevilleSt.Clair,withtheexceptionofhiscoat.Hisboots,hissocks,hishat,andhiswatch—allwerethere.Therewerenosignsofviolenceuponanyofthesegarments,andtherewerenoothertracesofMr.NevilleSt.Clair.Outofthewindowhemustapparentlyhavegonefornootherexitcouldbediscovered,andtheominousbloodstainsuponthesillgavelittlepromisethathecouldsavehimselfbyswimming,forthetidewasatitsveryhighestatthemomentofthetragedy.
“Andnowastothevillainswhoseemedtobeimmediatelyimplicatedinthematter.TheLascarwasknowntobeamanofthevilestantecedents,butas,byMrs.St.Clair’sstory,hewasknowntohavebeenatthefootofthestairwithinaveryfewsecondsofherhusband’sappearanceatthewindow,hecouldhardlyhavebeenmorethananaccessorytothecrime.Hisdefencewasoneofabsoluteignorance,andheprotestedthathehadnoknowledgeastothedoingsofHughBoone,hislodger,andthathecouldnotaccountinanywayforthepresenceofthemissinggentleman’sclothes.
“SomuchfortheLascarmanager.Nowforthesinistercripplewholivesuponthesecondflooroftheopiumden,andwhowascertainlythelasthumanbeingwhoseeyesresteduponNevilleSt.Clair.HisnameisHughBoone,andhishideousfaceisonewhichisfamiliartoevery