Chapter XI. Julius Tells a Story

by Agatha Christie

　　Dressed appropriately, Tuppence duly sallied forth for her"afternoon out." Albert was in temporary abeyance, but Tuppencewent herself to the stationer's to make quite sure that nothinghad come for her. Satisfied on this point, she made her way tothe Ritz. On inquiry she learnt that Tommy had not yet returned.It was the answer she had expected, but it was another nail inthe coffin of her hopes. She resolved to appeal to Mr. Carter,telling him when and where Tommy had started on his quest, andasking him to do something to trace him. The prospect of his aidrevived her mercurial spirits, and she next inquired for JuliusHersheimmer. The reply she got was to the effect that he hadreturned about half an hour ago, but had gone out immediately.Tuppence's spirits revived still more. It would be something tosee Julius. Perhaps he could devise some plan for finding outwhat had become of Tommy. She wrote her note to Mr. Carter inJulius's sitting-room, and was just addressing the envelope whenthe door burst open."What the hell----" began Julius, but checked himself abruptly."I beg your pardon, Miss Tuppence. Those fools down at theoffice would have it that Beresford wasn't here anylonger--hadn't been here since Wednesday. Is that so?"Tuppence nodded."You don't know where he is?" she asked faintly."I? How should I know? I haven't had one darned word from him,though I wired him yesterday morning.""I expect your wire's at the office unopened.""But where is he?""I don't know. I hoped you might.""I tell you I haven't had one darned word from him since weparted at the depot on Wednesday.""What depot?""Waterloo. Your London and South Western road.""Waterloo?" frowned Tuppence."Why, yes. Didn't he tell you?""I haven't seen him either," replied Tuppence impatiently. "Go onabout Waterloo. What were you doing there?""He gave me a call. Over the phone. Told me to get a move on,and hustle. Said he was trailing two crooks.""Oh!" said Tuppence, her eyes opening. "I see. Go on.""I hurried along right away. Beresford was there. He pointedout the crooks. The big one was mine, the guy you bluffed. Tommyshoved a ticket into my hand and told me to get aboard the cars.He was going to sleuth the other crook." Julius paused. "Ithought for sure you'd know all this.""Julius," said Tuppence firmly, "stop walking up and down. Itmakes me giddy. Sit down in that armchair, and tell me the wholestory with as few fancy turns of speech as possible."Mr. Hersheimmer obeyed."Sure," he said. "Where shall I begin?""Where you left off. At Waterloo.""Well," began Julius, "I got into one of your dear old-fashionedfirst-class British compartments. The train was just off. Firstthing I knew a guard came along and informed me mighty politelythat I wasn't in a smoking-carriage. I handed him out half adollar, and that settled that. I did a bit of prospecting alongthe corridor to the next coach. Whittington was there rightenough. When I saw the skunk, with his big sleek fat face, andthought of poor little Jane in his clutches, I felt real mad thatI hadn't got a gun with me. I'd have tickled him up some."We got to Bournemouth all right. Whittington took a cab andgave the name of an hotel. I did likewise, and we drove upwithin three minutes of each other. He hired a room, and I hiredone too. So far it was all plain sailing. He hadn't the remotestnotion that anyone was on to him. Well, he just sat around inthe hotel lounge, reading the papers and so on, till it was timefor dinner. He didn't hurry any over that either."I began to think that there was nothing doing, that he'd justcome on the trip for his health, but I remembered that he hadn'tchanged for dinner, though it was by way of being a slap-uphotel, so it seemed likely enough that he'd be going out on hisreal business afterwards."Sure enough, about nine o'clock, so he did. Took a car acrossthe town--mighty pretty place by the way, I guess I'll take Janethere for a spell when I find her--and then paid it off andstruck out along those pine-woods on the top of the cliff. I wasthere too, you understand. We walked, maybe, for half an hour.There's a lot of villas all the way along, but by degrees theyseemed to get more and more thinned out, and in the end we got toone that seemed the last of the bunch. Big house it was, with alot of piny grounds around it."It was a pretty black night, and the carriage drive up to thehouse was dark as pitch. I could hear him ahead, though Icouldn't see him. I had to walk carefully in case he might get onto it that he was being followed. I turned a curve and I wasjust in time to see him ring the bell and get admitted to thehouse. I just stopped where I was. It was beginning to rain, andI was soon pretty near soaked through. Also, it was almightycold."Whittington didn't come out again, and by and by I got kind ofrestive, and began to mouch around. All the ground floor windowswere shuttered tight, but upstairs, on the first floor (it was atwo-storied house) I noticed a window with a light burning andthe curtains not drawn."Now, just opposite to that window, there was a tree growing. Itwas about thirty foot away from the house, maybe, and I sort ofgot it into my head that, if I climbed up that tree, I'd verylikely be able to see into that room. Of course, I knew therewas no reason why Whittington should be in that room rather thanin any other--less reason, in fact, for the betting would be onhis being in one of the reception-rooms downstairs. But I guessI'd got the hump from standing so long in the rain, and anythingseemed better than going on doing nothing. So I started up."It wasn't so easy, by a long chalk! The rain had made theboughs mighty slippery, and it was all I could do to keep afoothold, but bit by bit I managed it, until at last there I waslevel with the window."But then I was disappointed. I was too far to the left. I couldonly see sideways into the room. A bit of curtain, and a yard ofwallpaper was all I could command. Well, that wasn't any mannerof good to me, but just as I was going to give it up, and climbdown ignominiously, some one inside moved and threw his shadow onmy little bit of wall--and, by gum, it was Whittington!"After that, my blood was up. I'd just got to get a look intothat room. It was up to me to figure out how. I noticed thatthere was a long branch running out from the tree in the rightdirection. If I could only swarm about half-way along it, theproposition would be solved. But it was mighty uncertain whetherit would bear my weight. I decided I'd just got to risk that, andI started. Very cautiously, inch by inch, I crawled along. Thebough creaked and swayed in a nasty fashion, and it didn't do tothink of the drop below, but at last I got safely to where Iwanted to be."The room was medium-sized, furnished in a kind of bare hygienicway. There was a table with a lamp on it in the middle of theroom, and sitting at that table, facing towards me, wasWhittington right enough. He was talking to a woman dressed as ahospital nurse. She was sitting with her back to me, so Icouldn't see her face. Although the blinds were up, the windowitself was shut, so I couldn't catch a word of what they said.Whittington seemed to be doing all the talking, and the nursejust listened. Now and then she nodded, and sometimes she'd shakeher head, as though she were answering questions. He seemed veryemphatic--once or twice he beat with his fist on the table. Therain had stopped now, and the sky was clearing in that sudden wayit does."Presently, he seemed to get to the end of what he was saying.He got up, and so did she. He looked towards the window andasked something--I guess it was whether it was raining. Anyway,she came right across and looked out. Just then the moon came outfrom behind the clouds. I was scared the woman would catch sightof me, for I was full in the moonlight. I tried to move back abit. The jerk I gave was too much for that rotten old branch.With an almighty crash, down it came, and Julius P. Hersheimmerwith it!""Oh, Julius," breathed Tuppence, "how exciting! Go on.""Well, luckily for me, I pitched down into a good soft bed ofearth--but it put me out of action for the time, sure enough. Thenext thing I knew, I was lying in bed with a hospital nurse (notWhittington's one) on one side of me, and a little black-beardedman with gold glasses, and medical man written all over him, onthe other. He rubbed his hands together, and raised his eyebrowsas I stared at him. 'Ah!' he said. 'So our young friend iscoming round again. Capital. Capital.'"I did the usual stunt. Said: 'What's happened?' And 'Where amI?' But I knew the answer to the last well enough. There's nomoss growing on my brain. 'I think that'll do for the present,sister,' said the little man, and the nurse left the room in asort of brisk well-trained way. But I caught her handing me out alook of deep curiosity as she passed through the door."That look of hers gave me an idea. 'Now then, doc,' I said, andtried to sit up in bed, but my right foot gave me a nasty twingeas I did so. 'A slight sprain,' explained the doctor. 'Nothingserious. You'll be about again in a couple of days.' ""I noticed you walked lame," interpolated Tuppence.Julius nodded, and continued:" 'How did it happen?' I asked again. He replied dryly. 'Youfell, with a considerable portion of one of my trees, into one ofmy newly planted flower-beds.'"I liked the man. He seemed to have a sense of humour. I feltsure that he, at least, was plumb straight. 'Sure, doc,' I said,'I'm sorry about the tree, and I guess the new bulbs will be onme. But perhaps you'd like to know what I was doing in yourgarden?' 'I think the facts do call for an explanation,' hereplied. 'Well, to begin with, I wasn't after the spoons.'"He smiled. 'My first theory. But I soon altered my mind. Bythe way, you are an American, are you not?' I told him my name.'And you?' 'I am Dr. Hall, and this, as you doubtless know, ismy private nursing home.'"I didn't know, but I wasn't going to put him wise. I was justthankful for the information. I liked the man, and I felt he wasstraight, but I wasn't going to give him the whole story. For onething he probably wouldn't have believed it."I made up my mind in a flash. 'Why, doctor,' I said, 'I guess Ifeel an almighty fool, but I owe it to you to let you know thatit wasn't the Bill Sikes business I was up to.' Then I went onand mumbled out something about a girl. I trotted out the sternguardian business, and a nervous breakdown, and finally explainedthat I had fancied I recognized her among the patients at thehome, hence my nocturnal adventures. "I guess it was just thekind of story he was expecting. 'Quite a romance,' he saidgenially, when I'd finished. 'Now, doc,' I went on, 'will you befrank with me? Have you here now, or have you had here at anytime, a young girl called Jane Finn?' He repeated the namethoughtfully. 'Jane Finn?' he said. 'No.'"I was chagrined, and I guess I showed it. 'You are sure?''Quite sure, Mr. Hersheimmer. It is an uncommon name, and Ishould not have been likely to forget it.'"Well, that was flat. It laid me out for a space. I'd kind ofhoped my search was at an end. 'That's that,' I said at last.'Now, there's another matter. When I was hugging that darnedbranch I thought I recognized an old friend of mine talking toone of your nurses.' I purposely didn't mention any namebecause, of course, Whittington might be calling himselfsomething quite different down here, but the doctor answered atonce. 'Mr. Whittington, perhaps?' 'That's the fellow,' Ireplied. 'What's he doing down here? Don't tell me his nervesare out of order?'"Dr. Hall laughed. 'No. He came down to see one of my nurses,Nurse Edith, who is a niece of his.' 'Why, fancy that!' Iexclaimed. 'Is he still here?' 'No, he went back to town almostimmediately.' 'What a pity!' I ejaculated. 'But perhaps I couldspeak to his niece--Nurse Edith, did you say her name was?'"But the doctor shook his head. 'I'm afraid that, too, isimpossible. Nurse Edith left with a patient to-night also.' 'Iseem to be real unlucky,' I remarked. 'Have you Mr.Whittington's address in town? I guess I'd like to look him upwhen I get back.' 'I don't know his address. I can write toNurse Edith for it if you like.' I thanked him. 'Don't say whoit is wants it. I'd like to give him a little surprise.'"That was about all I could do for the moment. Of course, if thegirl was really Whittington's niece, she might be too cute tofall into the trap, but it was worth trying. Next thing I didwas to write out a wire to Beresford saying where I was, and thatI was laid up with a sprained foot, and telling him to come downif he wasn't busy. I had to be guarded in what I said. However,I didn't hear from him, and my foot soon got all right. It wasonly ricked, not really sprained, so to-day I said good-bye tothe little doctor chap, asked him to send me word if he heardfrom Nurse Edith, and came right away back to town. Say, MissTuppence, you're looking mighty pale!""It's Tommy," said Tuppence. "What can have happened to him?""Buck up, I guess he's all right really. Why shouldn't he be?See here, it was a foreign-looking guy he went off after. Maybethey've gone abroad--to Poland, or something like that?"Tuppence shook her head."He couldn't without passports and things. Besides I've seenthat man, Boris Something, since. He dined with Mrs. Vandemeyerlast night.""Mrs. Who?""I forgot. Of course you don't know all that.""I'm listening," said Julius, and gave vent to his favouriteexpression. "Put me wise."Tuppence thereupon related the events of the last two days.Julius's astonishment and admiration were unbounded."Bully for you! Fancy you a menial. It just tickles me todeath!" Then he added seriously: "But say now, I don't like it,Miss Tuppence, I sure don't. You're just as plucky as they make'em, but I wish you'd keep right out of this. These crooks we'reup against would as soon croak a girl as a man any day.""Do you think I'm afraid?" said Tuppence indignantly, valiantlyrepressing memories of the steely glitter in Mrs. Vandemeyer'seyes."I said before you were darned plucky. But that doesn't alterfacts.""Oh, bother me!" said Tuppence impatiently. "Let's think aboutwhat can have happened to Tommy. I've written to Mr. Carterabout it," she added, and told him the gist of her letter.Julius nodded gravely."I guess that's good as far as it goes. But it's for us to getbusy and do something.""What can we do?" asked Tuppence, her spirits rising."I guess we'd better get on the track of Boris. You say he'sbeen to your place. Is he likely to come again?""He might. I really don't know.""I see. Well, I guess I'd better buy a car, a slap-up one, dressas a chauffeur and hang about outside. Then if Boris comes, youcould make some kind of signal, and I'd trail him. How's that?""Splendid, but he mightn't come for weeks.""We'll have to chance that. I'm glad you like the plan." Herose."Where are you going?""To buy the car, of course," replied Julius, surprised. "Whatmake do you like? I guess you'll do some riding in it beforewe've finished.""Oh," said Tuppence faintly, "I like Rolls-Royces, but----""Sure," agreed Julius. "What you say goes. I'll get one.""But you can't at once," cried Tuppence. "People wait agessometimes.""Little Julius doesn't," affirmed Mr. Hersheimmer. "Don't youworry any. I'll be round in the car in half an hour."Tuppence got up."You're awfully good, Julius. But I can't help feeling that it'srather a forlorn hope. I'm really pinning my faith to Mr.Carter.""Then I shouldn't.""Why?""Just an idea of mine.""Oh; but he must do something. There's no one else. By the way,I forgot to tell you of a queer thing that happened thismorning."And she narrated her encounter with Sir James Peel Edgerton.Julius was interested."What did the guy mean, do you think?" he asked."I don't quite know," said Tuppence meditatively. "But I thinkthat, in an ambiguous, legal, without prejudishish lawyer's way,he was trying to warn me.""Why should he?""I don't know," confessed Tuppence. "But he looked kind, andsimply awfully clever. I wouldn't mind going to him and tellinghim everything."Somewhat to her surprise, Julius negatived the idea sharply."See here," he said, "we don't want any lawyers mixed up in this.That guy couldn't help us any.""Well, I believe he could," reiterated Tuppence obstinately."Don't you think it. So long. I'll be back in half an hour."Thirty-five minutes had elapsed when Julius returned. He tookTuppence by the arm, and walked her to the window."There she is.""Oh!" said Tuppence with a note of reverence in her voice, as shegazed down at the enormous car."She's some pace-maker, I can tell you," said Juliuscomplacently."How did you get it?" gasped Tuppence."She was just being sent home to some bigwig.""Well?""I went round to his house," said Julius. "I said that Ireckoned a car like that was worth every penny of twenty thousanddollars. Then I told him that it was worth just about fiftythousand dollars to me if he'd get out.""Well?" said Tuppence, intoxicated."Well," returned Julius, "he got out, that's all."