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15 - Ashiel Mystery - A Detective Story by Mrs. Charles Bryce · Ashiel Mystery - A Detective Story

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  Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen of The AshEL Mystery. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to find out how you can volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Don W. Jenkins. The
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  Speaker 1: Ashyl Mystery by Missus Charles Bryce, chapter fifteen. Blanston, to
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  Speaker 1: whom he appealed, could give no useful information. Yes, some
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  Speaker 1: of the plate was old, but that was all at
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  Speaker 1: the bank in London. Missus Haviland, his Lordship's sister had
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  Speaker 1: liked it on the table when his lordship entertained in
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  Speaker 1: his London house, and it had not been carried backwards
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  Speaker 1: and forwards to Scotland since her ladyship's death. He knew
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  Speaker 1: of nothing resembling a bull in his Lordship's possession, unless
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  Speaker 1: it was the picture of cow that hung in the
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  Speaker 1: drawing room opposite the one of the dead stag. Gimblet
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  Speaker 1: had already exhausted the possibilities of that highly varnished oil painting,
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  Speaker 1: and he went forth from the house in a state
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  Speaker 1: of deep dejection. As he descended the drive, he heard
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  Speaker 1: his name called, and looking back, perceived the short, sturdy
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  Speaker 1: figure of lady Ruth hurrying down the road behind him.
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  Speaker 1: If you are going back to the cottage, mister Gimblet,
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  Speaker 1: she panted, let us walk together. I ran after you
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  Speaker 1: when I saw your hat go past the window, for
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  Speaker 1: I couldn't stand those frousty old papers of marks any longer.
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  Speaker 1: Gimblet waited till she came up, still talking, although considerably
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  Speaker 1: out of breath. We will go by the road, if
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  Speaker 1: you don't mind, she said. The look side is rather
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  Speaker 1: rough for me. I have been paying a visit of charity,
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  Speaker 1: and very hard work. It is paying visits in the
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  Speaker 1: country when you don't keep a conveyance of any kind.
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  Speaker 1: And I really can't afford even a donkey. You see,
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  Speaker 1: the judge's income died with him, poor dear, in spite
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  Speaker 1: of those foolish sayings about not being able to take
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  Speaker 1: your money with you to the better land, where I
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  Speaker 1: am sure one would want it just as much as
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  Speaker 1: anywhere else. For the better life you lead, the more
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  Speaker 1: expensive it is. No one could be generous or charitable
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  Speaker 1: or unselfish with nothing to give up or to give away.
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  Speaker 1: That's only common sense. And I always say that common
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  Speaker 1: sense is such a help. And called upon to face
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  Speaker 1: problems of a religious kind. My uncle was a bishop
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  Speaker 1: and a very learned theologian, I assure you, but he
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  Speaker 1: always held that it was impious to apply plain common
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  Speaker 1: sense to matters so far above us, and that is
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  Speaker 1: why he and my poor husband were never on speaking terms,
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  Speaker 1: not from any fault of the judges who had been
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  Speaker 1: trained to think about logic and all that kind of
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  Speaker 1: thing which is so useful to people at the bar.
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  Speaker 1: But it takes all sorts to make a world, and
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  Speaker 1: he often used to say to himself, and if every
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  Speaker 1: one is exactly alike, one would feel almost as as
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  Speaker 1: if the whole earth was empty and void, while as
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  Speaker 1: for virtues and good qualities, they would automatically cease to exist,
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  Speaker 1: so that a really good man would simply long to
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  Speaker 1: go to hell and have some opportunity to show his goodness.
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  Speaker 1: That always seemed very reasonable to me. But I am
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  Speaker 1: just telling you what my husband used to say, because
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  Speaker 1: I really don't know much about these things. And he
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  Speaker 1: was such a clever man, and what he said was
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  Speaker 1: always listened to with great interest and respect at the
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  Speaker 1: Old Bailey. If it hadn't been, of course, he would
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  Speaker 1: have cleared the court. But as I was telling you
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  Speaker 1: his money went with him, though I know he always
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  Speaker 1: meant to insure his life, which is such a boring
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  Speaker 1: thing to think of when a man has many calls
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  Speaker 1: on his purse. And so I live, as you see,
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  Speaker 1: in a very quiet way up here, and sometimes get
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  Speaker 1: down to the south for a month or six weeks
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  Speaker 1: in the winter, where I have many kind friends. But
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  Speaker 1: I find the hills rather trying to my legs as
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  Speaker 1: time goes on, and I don't very often walk as
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  Speaker 1: far as I have to day. Still, charity, as they say,
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  Speaker 1: covers a multitude of miles, and I really thought it
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  Speaker 1: my duty to come and see how poor Mark was
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  Speaker 1: bearing up all alone at Inverashield. I was afraid he
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  Speaker 1: would be terribly unhappy, poor boy, so soon after the
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  Speaker 1: funeral and Juliet Byrne having refused him and everything. Though
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  Speaker 1: of course he can't be pitied for inheriting in Verashiel.
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  Speaker 1: Such a lovely place, is it not, and quantities of
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  Speaker 1: property in the coal district, you know, besides he is
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  Speaker 1: really a very lucky young man. It is indeed a
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  Speaker 1: most beautiful country. Gimblet observed as Lady Ruth's breath gave
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  Speaker 1: out completely, and she stopped by the roadside to regain it.
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  Speaker 1: He was deep in thought and glad to escape the
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  Speaker 1: necessity of frequent speech. Yes, she said, as they moved
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  Speaker 1: slowly on. I had a delightful walk here and found
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  Speaker 1: him much more cheerful than I had feared. It is
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  Speaker 1: such a good thing he has all those papers to
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  Speaker 1: look over. It is everything at a time like this
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  Speaker 1: to have an occupation. It is so dreadful to think
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  Speaker 1: of dear day David with absolutely nothing to do in
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  Speaker 1: that horrid cell. I wonder if they allow him to smoke,
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  Speaker 1: or to keep a tame mouse, which I remember reading
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  Speaker 1: is such a comfort to prisoners. I do hope, mister Gimblet,
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  Speaker 1: that you will soon be able to get him out
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  Speaker 1: of it. Before Gimblet could reply, the silence was broken
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  Speaker 1: by the rumble of wheels, and a farmer's cart came
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  Speaker 1: up behind them, driven by a thin man in a
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  Speaker 1: black coat, who had evidently attended the funeral earlier in
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  Speaker 1: the day. The road at the point they had reached
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  Speaker 1: was beginning to ascend, and the stout pony between the
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  Speaker 1: shafts slowed resolutely to a walk. As he leaned against
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  Speaker 1: the collar the man lifted his hat as Lady Ruth
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  Speaker 1: wished him good day. I saw you at the funeral,
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  Speaker 1: Angus mc conaughhan, She said, A sad business, a terrible business,
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  Speaker 1: and she shook her head mournfully. The farmer stopped the
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  Speaker 1: willing pony. That it is, my leddy, he assented, it's
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  Speaker 1: a black day. Indeed, when the heat of a clan
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  Speaker 1: is struck doon by arrow, he's een bleed. It's a
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  Speaker 1: great pity that the lad would have forgot what he
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  Speaker 1: owed to his salt. But I'm thinkin they'll be hangin
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  Speaker 1: him afore the year's oot. Oh, Angus cried Lady Ruth
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  Speaker 1: in horrified tones. Don't talk in that dreadful way. I'm
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  Speaker 1: quite quite sure Sir David never had any part in
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  Speaker 1: the thing. It's all a mistake, an This gentleman here
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  Speaker 1: is going to find out who really fired the shot. Well,
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  Speaker 1: I hope you'll be wreached, my lady. Was all the
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  Speaker 1: farmer would commit himself to as he gathered up the reins.
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  Speaker 1: Then he hesitated, looking down on the hot flushed countenance
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  Speaker 1: of the lady in the road beneath him. If your
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  Speaker 1: ladyship will be takin a seat in the machine, he hazarded,
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  Speaker 1: it'll maybe save you the trail up the bray. Lady
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  Speaker 1: Ruth accepted the suggestion with great content. She was getting
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  Speaker 1: very tired and was finding the walk more exhausting than
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  Speaker 1: she had bargained for. She lost no time in climbing
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  Speaker 1: up beside Angus, and the fat pony was induced to
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  Speaker 1: continue its reluctant progress. Near the top of the hill,
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  Speaker 1: the road forked into two branches, that which led to
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  Speaker 1: the right, continuing parallel with the loch, whilst the other
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  Speaker 1: diverged over the hill towards Akhtrimutty, a town some fifteen
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  Speaker 1: miles distant. The stout pony unhesitatingly took the turning to
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  Speaker 1: the left. The farmer looked at Lady Ruth, inquiringly, will
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  Speaker 1: ye get done hear me? Lady, he asked, or will
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  Speaker 1: ye drive on as far as the sheep fold. It
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  Speaker 1: will be shorter for ye. They walk down fade there
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  Speaker 1: by the burn in the green way. I would like
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  Speaker 1: to do that, said Lady Ruth, if ye don't mind
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  Speaker 1: taking me so far, Perhaps she would give mister Gimblet
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  Speaker 1: a lift too. Now that we're on the top of
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  Speaker 1: the hill, the man readily consented, and Gimblet, who was
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  Speaker 1: following on foot, was called and informed of the proposed
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  Speaker 1: change of route. He scrambled into the back of the
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  Speaker 1: cart and they rattled along the upper road, the stout pony,
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  Speaker 1: no doubt wearing a very aggrieved expression under its blinkers.
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  Speaker 1: When another mile had been traversed, they were put down
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  Speaker 1: at a place where a rough track led down across
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  Speaker 1: the moor, by the side of an old stone sheepfold.
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  Speaker 1: The cart jogged off to the sound of a chorus
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  Speaker 1: of thanks, and Lady Ruth and Gimblet started down the
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  Speaker 1: heather grown path. They rounded the corners of the deserted
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  Speaker 1: fold and walked on into the golden mist of sunset,
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  Speaker 1: which spread in front of them, enveloping and dazzling. The
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  Speaker 1: clouds of the morning had rolled silently away to the horizon,
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  Speaker 1: The wind had dropped to a mere capful, and the
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  Speaker 1: midges were abroad in their hosts, rejoicing in the improvement
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  Speaker 1: in the weather. I don't believe it's going to rain
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  Speaker 1: after all, said Lady Ruth. The sun looks rather too red,
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  Speaker 1: perhaps to be quite safe, though it is supposed to be.
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  Speaker 1: The shepherd's delight I can only say that if he
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  Speaker 1: was delighted with the result of some of the red
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  Speaker 1: sunsets we get up here, he'd be easily pleased. And
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  Speaker 1: for my part, I'm never surprised at anything. These midges
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  Speaker 1: are past belief, aren't they they were, Gimblet agreed heartily.
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  Speaker 1: He gathered a handful of fern and tried to keep
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  Speaker 1: them at bay, but they were persevering and ubiquitous. Soon
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  Speaker 1: the path led them away from the open moor and
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  Speaker 1: into the wood of birches and young oak oaks which
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  Speaker 1: clung to the side of the hill. A little farther,
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  Speaker 1: and Gimblet heard the distant gurgling of a burn. Presently
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  Speaker 1: they were picking their way between the moss covered boulders
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  Speaker 1: on the edge of a rocky gully. Great tufts of
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  Speaker 1: ferns dotted the steep pitch of the bank below. The
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  Speaker 1: stream that clattered among the stones at the bottom shone
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  Speaker 1: very cool and shadowy under the alders, and a clearing
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  Speaker 1: on the other side revealed over the receding woods the
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  Speaker 1: broken hilltops of a blue horizon. The path wound gradually
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  Speaker 1: downward to the water side, and in a little while
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  Speaker 1: they crossed it by means of a row of stepping stones,
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  Speaker 1: over which Lady Ruth passed as boldly as her companion.
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  Speaker 1: Another hundred yards of shade, and they came out into
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  Speaker 1: a long, narrow glen, carpeted with short, springy turf, and
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  Speaker 1: bordered as by an avenue with trees knee deep in bracken.
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  Speaker 1: The rectangular shape and enclosed nature of the glade came
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  Speaker 1: as a surprise in the midst of the wild woodlands.
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  Speaker 1: The place had more the air of forming part of
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  Speaker 1: pleasure grounds near to the haunts of men, and the
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  Speaker 1: eye wandered instinctively in search of a house. The effect
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  Speaker 1: of artificiality was increased by a large piece of statuary
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  Speaker 1: representing a figure carved in stone and standing upon a high,
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  Speaker 1: oblong pediment, which stood a little distance down the glen.
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  Speaker 1: Gimblet did not repress his feeling of astonishment. What a
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  Speaker 1: strange place, he exclaimed, Who should have expected to find
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  Speaker 1: this lawn tucked away in the woods, Or is there
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  Speaker 1: a house somewhere at hand? No, Lady Ruth answered, there
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  Speaker 1: is nothing nearer than my cottage half a mile away,
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  Speaker 1: and this short grass and flat piece of ground are
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  Speaker 1: entirely natural. Nothing has been touched except here and there
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  Speaker 1: a tree cut out to keep the borders straight. The
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  Speaker 1: late lady Ashle, the wife of my unfortunate cousin, was
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  Speaker 1: very fond of this place. Although it is farther, she
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  Speaker 1: always walked round by it when she came to see
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  Speaker 1: me at the cottage. That absurd statue was put up
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  Speaker 1: last year as a sort of memorial to her, a
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  Speaker 1: most unsuitable one to my mind. She being a chilly
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  Speaker 1: sort of woman, poor dear, who always shivered. If she
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  Speaker 1: saw so much as a hen molting. I'm sure it
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  Speaker 1: would distress her terribly if she knew that poor creature
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  Speaker 1: over there had to stand in the glen in all weathers,
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  Speaker 1: year in and year out, with only a rag to
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  Speaker 1: cover her, and a stone rag at that, which is
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  Speaker 1: a cold material at the best. Yes, this is only
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  Speaker 1: the beginning of a track which runs for miles across
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  Speaker 1: the hills to the south. It is so green that
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  Speaker 1: you can always make it out from the heights, and
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  Speaker 1: there are all sorts of legends about it. It is
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  Speaker 1: supposed to be the road over which the clans drove
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  Speaker 1: back the cattle they captured in the old days, when
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  Speaker 1: they were always rating each other. They have a name
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  Speaker 1: for it in the Gaelic, which means the green way,
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  Speaker 1: the green way, Gimblet repeated mechanically. For a moment, his
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  Speaker 1: brain revolved in wild imaginings. Yes, repeated Lady Ruth. Sometimes
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  Speaker 1: they call it the way for short. It is a
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  Speaker 1: favorite place for picnics from Kreannan. My cousin used to
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  Speaker 1: allow them to come here, and the place is generally
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  Speaker 1: made hideous with egg shells and paper old bottles. One
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  Speaker 1: of the gardeners comes and tidies things up once a
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  Speaker 1: week in the summer. People are so absolutely without consciences.
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  Speaker 1: Is there a bowl here? Cried Gimblet. He was quivering
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  Speaker 1: with excitement. Goodness, gracious, I hope not, said Lady Ruth.
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  Speaker 1: Do you see any cattle? I can't bear those long
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  Speaker 1: horned highlanders? No, said Gimblet, I thought perhaps, But what
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  Speaker 1: is the statue? The design surely is rather a strange
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  Speaker 1: one for the place. Most extraordinary, assented Lady Ruth. He
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  Speaker 1: got it in Italy and had it sent the whole
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  Speaker 1: way by sea. It took all the king's horses and
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  Speaker 1: all the king's men to get it up here, I
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  Speaker 1: can tell you, And as I say nothing less apropos
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  Speaker 1: can one possibly imagine that poor thin female with such
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: very scanty clothing is hardly a cheerful object on a
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  Speaker 1: Scotch winter's day. And as for those little naked imps,
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: they would make anyone shiver even in August. They had
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  Speaker 1: drawn near the sculptured group. It consisted of the slightly
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  Speaker 1: draped figure of a girl bending over an open box
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  Speaker 1: or casket, from which a crowd of small creatures, apparently,
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  Speaker 1: as Lady Ruth had said, imps or fairies, were scrambling
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  Speaker 1: and leaping forth. Gimblet gazed at it intently, as if
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  Speaker 1: he had never seen a statue before. In a moment,
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  Speaker 1: his face cleared, and he turned to Lady Ruth with
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  Speaker 1: burning eyes. It is Pandora, he cried, curiosity, Pandora and
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  Speaker 1: her box. Is it not Pandora? Lady Ruth stared at him, amazed.
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  Speaker 1: I believe it is, she said that, or something of
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  Speaker 1: the sort. I'm not very well up in mythology, of
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  Speaker 1: course it is, cried Gimblet face curiosity. And here's the bull,
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  Speaker 1: or I'll eat my microscope, he added, advancing to the
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  Speaker 1: side of the group and laying a hand upon the pedestal.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: Lady Ruth followed his gaze with some concern. She was
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  Speaker 1: beginning to doubt his sanity. But there, sure enough, beneath
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  Speaker 1: his pointing finger she perceived a row of carved heads,
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  Speaker 1: the heads of bulls, garlanded in the Roman manner and
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  Speaker 1: forming a kind of cornice round the top of the
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  Speaker 1: great rectangular stone stand. Gimblet glanced to right and left,
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  Speaker 1: up the glen and down it. There was no one
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  Speaker 1: to be seen. The sun had fallen by this time.
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  Speaker 1: Beneath the rim of the hills, a grayness of twilight
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  Speaker 1: was spread over the whole scene, and under the trees,
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  Speaker 1: the dusk of night was already silently ousting the day.
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  Speaker 1: He turned once more to Lady Ruth. Lady Ruth, he said,
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  Speaker 1: can you keep a secret? My husband trusted me. She replied,
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  Speaker 1: he was judicious as well as judicial. I am sure
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  Speaker 1: I may follow his example, Gimblet said, after looking at
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  Speaker 1: her fixedly for a moment. So I will tell you
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: that I believe I am on the point of discovering
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: Lord Ashele's missing will, and not that alone somewhere concealed,
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  Speaker 1: probably within a few feet of where we are standing,
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: we may hope to find other and far more important documents,
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  Speaker 1: involving perhaps not only the welfare of one or two individuals,
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  Speaker 1: but that of kings and nations Apart from that, and
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: to speak of what most immediately concerned us at present.
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  Speaker 1: I am convinced that within this stone will be found
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  Speaker 1: the true clue to the author of the murder. You
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  Speaker 1: don't say so, gasped Lady Ruth, her round eyes rounder
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  Speaker 1: than ever. I found some directions in the handwriting of
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: the murdered man, went on gimblet, which I could not
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  Speaker 1: understand at first, but their meaning is plain enough. Now
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: take the bull by the horn, he said, Well, here
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: are the bulls, and I shall soon know which is
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: the horn. He walked round to the front of the
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: statue so that he faced the stooping figure of Pandora,
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: and laid his hand upon one of the curved and
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: projecting horns of the left hand bull. Nothing happened, and
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  Speaker 1: he tried the next. There were seven heads in all
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  Speaker 1: along the face of the great block, and he tested
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  Speaker 1: six of them without perceiving anything unusual. Was it possible
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: that he was mistaken, and that, after all the words
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: of the message did not refer to the statue. When
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: he grasped the first horn of the last head, the
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  Speaker 1: hand that did so was shaking with excitement and suspense.
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  Speaker 1: It seemed like the rest to possess no attribute other
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  Speaker 1: than mere decoration. And yet, and yet, surely he had
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  Speaker 1: missed some vital point. He would go over them again.
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  Speaker 1: There remained, however, the last horn. As he took hold
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  Speaker 1: of it with a premonitory dread of disappointment, he felt
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  Speaker 1: that it was loose in its socket, and that he
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: could buy an effort turn it completely over. With a
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: triumphant cry, he twisted it round, and at the same
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: moment Lady Ruth started back with an exclamation of alarm.
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: She was standing where he had left her, and was
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  Speaker 1: nearly knocked down by the great slab of stone, which,
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: as Gimblet turned the horn of the bull, swung sharply
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: out from the end of the pediment, till it hung
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  Speaker 1: like a door, invitingly open and disclosing a hollow chamber
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  Speaker 1: within the stone. Within the opening, on the floor at
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  Speaker 1: the far end stood a large tin despatch box. The
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  Speaker 1: door was a good eighteen inches wide, plenty of room
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  Speaker 1: for Gimblet to climb in. Swollen with exultation, though he
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  Speaker 1: might be. In less than three seconds, he had scrambled
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  Speaker 1: through the aperture and was stooping over the box. It
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: seemed to be locked, but a key lay on top
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  Speaker 1: of the lid. He lost no time in inserting it,
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  Speaker 1: and in a moment threw open the case and saw
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: that it was full of papers. Suddenly there was another
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: cry from Lady Ruth, as for no apparent cause, and
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: without the slightest warning, the stone door slammed itself back
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: into position, and he was left a prisoner in the
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: total darkness of the vault. He groped his way to
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: the doorway and pushed against it with all his strength.
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: He might as well have tried to move the side
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: of a mountain. But after an interval long enough for
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: him to have time to become seriously uneasy, the door
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: flew open again, and the agitated countenance of Lady Ruth
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: welcomed him to the outside world. Do get out, quick,
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: she cried. If it does it again while you're half
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: in and half out, you'll be cracked in two. As
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: neatly as a walnut, Gimblet hurried out, clutching the precious box.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: No sooner was he safely standing on the turf, than
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: the door shut again with a violence that gave Pandora
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: the appearance of shaking with convulsions of silent merriment. I
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: wasn't sure how it opened, said Lady Ruth. But I
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: tried all the horns and got it right at last.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: How lucky I was with you, Yes, indeed, said Gimblet,
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: I am very thankful you were. They twisted the horn
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: again and stood together to watch the recurring phenomenon of
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: the closing door. It must be worked by clockwork, the
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: detective said, and taking out his watch, he timed the
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: interval that elapsed between the opening and shutting. It stays
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: open for thirty seconds, he remarked. After two or three experiments,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: no doubt the mechanism is concealed in the thickness of
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: the stone. At all events, it seems to be in
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: good working order. Squatting on the grass, he opened the
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: tin box and examined the papers with which it was filled.
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: A glance showed him that they were what he expected,
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: and he replaced the box where he had found it.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: While Lady Ruth manipulated the horn of the bull. I
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: have no right to the papers, he explained to her
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: as they walked homeward in the gathering dusk. It would
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: be more satisfactory if a magistrate were present at the
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: official opening of the statue, and I will see what
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: can be done about that tomorrow. In the meantime, and
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: considering that we have been interfering with other people's property,
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: I shall be much obliged if you will keep our
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: discovery secret. And talking in low, earnest tones, he explained
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: to her more fully all that was likely to be
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: implied by the papers they had unearthed. End of chapter fifteen,
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: read by Don W. Jenkins, Rancho, San Diego, California, Shaggy
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Bark dot blogspot dot com.