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“I have the tickets,” said he, leading the way up the platform. “This isour train. I have engaged a carriage, for I am particularly anxious toimpress one or two things upon you while we travel down.”
And yet all that he had to impress upon me might have been said in asentence, for it was that I was to remember that I was there as aprotection to himself, and that I was not on any consideration to leavehim for an instant. This he repeated again and again as our journey drewto a close, with an insistence which showed that his nerves werethoroughly shaken.
“Yes,” he said at last, in answer to my looks rather than to my words,“I _am_ nervous, Dr. Hamilton. I have always been a timid man, and mytimidity depends upon my frail physical health. But my soul is firm, andI can bring myself up to face a danger which a less nervous man mightshrink from. What I am doing now is done from no compulsion, butentirely from a sense of duty, and yet it is, beyond doubt, a desperaterisk. If things should go wrong, I will have some claims to the title ofmartyr.”
This eternal reading of riddles was too much for me. I felt that I mustput a term to it.
“I think it would be very much better, sir, if you were to trust meentirely,” said I. “It is impossible for me to act effectively, when Ido not know what are the objects which we have in view, or even where weare going.”
“Oh, as to where we are going, there need be no mystery about that,”said he; “we are going to Delamere Court, the residence of Sir ThomasRossiter, with whose work you are so conversant. As to the exact objectof our visit, I do not know that at this stage of the proceedingsanything would be gained, Dr. Hamilton, by my taking you into mycomplete confidence. I may tell you that we are acting—I say ‘we,’because my sister, Lady Rossiter, takes the same view as myself—with theone object of preventing anything in the nature of a family scandal.That being so, you can understand that I am loth to give anyexplanations which are not absolutely necessary. It would be a differentmatter, Dr. Hamilton, if I were asking your advice. As matters stand, itis only your active help which I need, and I will indicate to you fromtime to time how you can best give it.”
There was nothing more to be said, and a poor man can put up with a gooddeal for twenty pounds a day, but I felt none the less that LordLinchmere was acting rather scurvily towards me. He wished to convert meinto a passive tool, like the blackthorn in his hand. With his sensitivedisposition I could imagine, however, that scandal would be abhorrent tohim, and I realized that he would not take me into his confidence untilno other course was open to him. I must trust to my own eyes and ears tosolve the mystery, but I had every confidence that I should not trust tothem in vain.
Delamere Court lies a good five miles from Pangbourne Station, and wedrove for that distance in an open fly. Lord Linchmere sat in deepthought during the time, and he never opened his mouth until we wereclose to our destination. When he did speak it was to give me a piece ofinformation which surprised me.
“Perhaps you are not aware,” said he, “that I am a medical man likeyourself?”
“No, sir, I did not know it.”
“Yes, I qualified in my younger days, when there were several livesbetween me and the peerage. I have not had occasion to practise, but Ihave found it a useful education, all the same. I never regretted theyears which I devoted to medical study. These are the gates of DelamereCourt.”
We had come to two high pillars crowned with heraldic monsters whichflanked the opening of a winding avenue. Over the laurel bushes andrhododendrons I could see a long, many-gabled mansion, girdled with ivy,and toned to the warm, cheery, mellow glow of old brick-work. My eyeswere still fixed in admiration upon this delightful h
ouse when mycompanion plucked nervously at my sleeve.
“Here’s Sir Thomas,” he whispered. “Please talk beetle all you can.”
A tall, thin figure, curiously angular and bony, had emerged through agap in the hedge of laurels. In his hand he held a spud, and he woregauntleted gardener’s gloves. A broad-brimmed, grey hat cast his faceinto shadow, but it struck me as exceedingly austere, with anill-nourished beard and harsh, irregular features. The fly pulled up andLord Linchmere sprang out.
“My dear Thomas, how are you?” said he, heartily.
But the heartiness was by no means reciprocal. The owner of the groundsglared at me over his brother-in-law’s shoulder, and I caught brokenscraps of sentences—“well-known wishes ... hatred of strangers ...unjustifiable intrusion ... perfectly inexcusable.” Then there was amuttered explanation, and the two of them came over together to the sideof the fly.
“Let me present you to Sir Thomas Rossiter, Dr. Hamilton,” said LordLinchmere. “You will find that you have a strong community of tastes.”
I bowed. Sir Thomas stood very stiffly, looking at me severely fromunder the broad brim of his hat.
“Lord Linchmere tells me that you know something about beetles,” saidhe. “What do you know about beetles?”
“I know what I have learned from your work upon the coleoptera, SirThomas,” I answered.
“Give me the names of the better-known species of the British scarabæi,”said he.
I had not expected an examination, but fortunately I was ready for one.My answers seemed to please him, for his stern features relaxed.
“You appear to have read my book with some profit, sir,” said he. “It isa rare thing for me to meet any one who takes an intelligent interest insuch matters. People can find time for such trivialities as sport orsociety, and yet the beetles are overlooked. I can assure you that thegreater part of the idiots in this part of the country are unaware thatI have ever written a book at all—I, the first man who ever describedthe true function of the elytra. I am glad to see you, sir, and I haveno doubt that I can show you some specimens which will interest you.” Hestepped into the fly and drove up with us to the house, expounding to meas we went some recent researches which he had made into the anatomy ofthe lady-bird.
I have said that Sir Thomas Rossiter wore a large hat drawn down overhis brows. As he entered the hall he uncovered himself, and I was atonce aware of a singular characteristic which the hat had concealed. Hisforehead, which was naturally high, and higher still on account ofreceding hair, was in a continual state of movement. Some nervousweakness kept the muscles in a constant spasm, which sometimes produceda mere twitching and sometimes a curious rotary movement unlike anythingwhich I had ever seen before. It was strikingly visible as he turnedtowards us after entering the study, and seemed the more singular fromthe contrast with the hard, steady grey eyes which looked out fromunderneath those palpitating brows.
“I am sorry,” said he, “that Lady Rossiter is not here to help me towelcome you. By the way, Charles, did Evelyn say anything about the dateof her return?”
“She wished to stay in town for a few more days,” said Lord Linchmere.“You know how ladies’ social duties accumulate if they have been forsome time in the country. My sister has many old friends in London atpresent.”
“Well, she is her own mistress, and I should not wish to alter herplans, but I shall be glad when I see her again. It is very lonely herewithout her company.”
“I was afraid that you might find it so, and that was partly why I randown. My young friend, Dr. Hamilton, is so much interested in thesubject which you have made your own, that I thought you would not mindhis accompanying me.”
“I lead a retired life, Dr. Hamilton, and my aversion to strangers growsupon me,” said our host. “I have sometimes thought that my nerves arenot so good as they were. My travels in search of beetles in my youngerdays took me into many malarious and unhealthy places. But a brothercoleopterist like yourself is always a welcome guest, and I shall bedelighted if you will look over my collection, which I think that I maywithout exaggeration describe as the best in Europe.”
