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42 - Beetle by Richard Marsh · Beetle

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: The Beadle by Richard Marsh, chapter forty two, The Quarry Doubles.
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  Speaker 1: I turned towards the booking office on the main departure platform.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: As I went the chief platform, Inspector George Bellingham, with
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  Speaker 1: whom I had some acquaintance, came out of his office.
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  Speaker 1: I stopped him, Mister Bellingham, will you be so good
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  Speaker 1: as to step with me to the booking office and
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  Speaker 1: instruct the clerk in charge to answer one or two
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  Speaker 1: questions which I wished to put to him. I will
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  Speaker 1: explain to you afterwards what is their exact import But
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  Speaker 1: you know me sufficiently to be able to believe me
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  Speaker 1: when I say that they refer to a matter in
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: which every moment is of the first importance. He turned
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  Speaker 1: and accompanied us into the interior of the booking case.
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  Speaker 1: To which of the clerks, mister Champnell, do you wish
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  Speaker 1: to put your questions to the one who issues third
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  Speaker 1: class tickets to Southampton? Bellingham beckoned to a man who
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: was counting a heap of money and apparently seeking to
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  Speaker 1: make it tally with the entries in a huge ledger
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  Speaker 1: which lay opened before him. He was a short, slightly
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  Speaker 1: built young fellow with a pleasant face and smiling eyes.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Stone, this gentleman wishes to ask you one or
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  Speaker 1: two questions. I am at his service. I put my questions.
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  Speaker 1: I want to know, mister Stone, if in the course
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  Speaker 1: of the day you have issued any tickets to a
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  Speaker 1: person dressed in Arab costume. His reply was prompt, I
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: have by the last train the seven twenty five, three singles,
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  Speaker 1: three singles, And my instinct had told me rightly, can
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: you describe the person? Mister Stone's eyes twinkled. I don't
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  Speaker 1: know that I can, except in a general way. He
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  Speaker 1: was uncommonly old and uncommonly ugly, and he had a
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  Speaker 1: pair of the most extraordinary eyes I ever saw. They
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  Speaker 1: gave me a sort of all overish feeling when I
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  Speaker 1: saw them glaring at me through the pigeon hole. But
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  Speaker 1: I can tell you one thing about him. He had
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  Speaker 1: a great bundle on his head, which he steadied with
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  Speaker 1: one hand, and as it bolts out in all directions,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: its presence didn't make him popular with other people who
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  Speaker 1: wanted tickets too. Undoubtedly this was our man, you were
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  Speaker 1: sure he asked for three tickets. Certain, he said, three
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  Speaker 1: tickets to Southampton. Laid down the exact fare nineteen and
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  Speaker 1: six and held up three fingers like that, three nasty
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  Speaker 1: looking fingers. They were with nails as long as talons.
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  Speaker 1: You didn't see who were his companions? I didn't, I
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  Speaker 1: didn't try to look. I gave him his tickets, and
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  Speaker 1: off he went, with the people grumbling at him because
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  Speaker 1: that bundle of his kept getting in their way. Bellingham
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: touched me on the arm. I can tell you all
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: about the Arab of whom mister Stone speaks. My attention
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: was called to him by his insisting on taking his
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  Speaker 1: bundle with him into the carriage. It was an enormous thing.
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  Speaker 1: He could hardly squeeze it through the door. It occupied
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  Speaker 1: the entire seat. But as there weren't as many passengers
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  Speaker 1: as usual, and he wouldn't or couldn't be made to
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  Speaker 1: understand that his precious bundle would be safe in the
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  Speaker 1: luggage van along with the rest of the luggage, and
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  Speaker 1: as he wasn't the sort of person you could argue
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  Speaker 1: with to any advantage, I had him put into an
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  Speaker 1: empty compartment bundle in all. Was he alone? Then? I
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  Speaker 1: thought so. At the time. He said nothing about having
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  Speaker 1: more than one ticket or any companions, but just before
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  Speaker 1: the train started, two other men, Englishmen got into his compartment,
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  Speaker 1: and as I came down the platform, the ticket inspector
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  Speaker 1: at the barrier informed me that these two men were
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  Speaker 1: with him because he held tickets for the three, which,
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  Speaker 1: as he was a foreigner and they seemed English, struck
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  Speaker 1: the inspector as odd could you describe the two men?
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  Speaker 1: I couldn't, not particularly, but the men who had charge
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  Speaker 1: of the barrier might. I was at the other end
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  Speaker 1: of the train when they got in. All I noticed
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  Speaker 1: was that one seemed to be a commonplace looking individual,
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  Speaker 1: and the other was dressed like a tramp, all rags
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  Speaker 1: and ten matters, a disreputable looking object. He appeared to be, that,
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  Speaker 1: I said to myself, was miss Marjorie Lindon, the lovely
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  Speaker 1: daughter of a famous house, the wife elect of a
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  Speaker 1: coming statesman. To Bellingham. I remarked aloud, I want you
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  Speaker 1: to strain a point, mister Bellingham, and to do me
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  Speaker 1: a service which I assure you you shall never have
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  Speaker 1: any cause to regret. I want you to wire instructions
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  Speaker 1: down the line to detain this Arab and his companions,
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  Speaker 1: and to keep them in custody until the receipt of
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  Speaker 1: further instructions. They are not wanted by the police as yet,
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  Speaker 1: but they will be as soon as I am able
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  Speaker 1: to give certain information to the authorities at Scotland Yard
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  Speaker 1: and want it very badly. But as you will perceive
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  Speaker 1: for yourself. Until I am able to give that information,
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  Speaker 1: every moment is important. Where's the station superintendent? He's gone
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  Speaker 1: at present. I'm in charge. Then will you do this
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  Speaker 1: for me? I repeat that you shall never have any
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  Speaker 1: reason to regret it. I will if you will accept
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  Speaker 1: all responsibility. I'll do that with the greatest pleasure. Bellingham
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  Speaker 1: looked at his watch. It's about twenty minutes to nine.
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  Speaker 1: The train's schedule for Basingstoke at nine six. If we
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  Speaker 1: wired to Basingstoke at once, they ought to be ready
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  Speaker 1: for them when they come good. The wire was sent.
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  Speaker 1: We were shown into Bellingham's office to await results. Lessingham
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  Speaker 1: paced agitatedly to and fro. He seemed to have reached
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  Speaker 1: the limits of his self control, and to be in
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: a condition in which movement of some sort was an
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  Speaker 1: absolute necessity. The Mercurial Sydney, on the contrary, leaned back
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  Speaker 1: in a chair, his legs stretched out in front of him,
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  Speaker 1: His hands thrust deep into his trouser pockets and stared
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  Speaker 1: at Lessingham as if he found relief to his feelings
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  Speaker 1: in watching his companion's restlessness. I, for my part, drew
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  Speaker 1: up as full of presses of the case as I
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  Speaker 1: deemed advisable, and as time permitted, which I despatched by
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  Speaker 1: one of the company's police to Scotland Yard. Then I
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  Speaker 1: turned to my associates. Now, gentlemen, it's past dinner time.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: We may have a journey in front of us. If
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: you take my advice, you'll have something to eat. Lessingham
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  Speaker 1: shook his head. I want nothing, nor, I echoed Sydney.
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  Speaker 1: I started up. You must pardon my saying nonsense, But
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  Speaker 1: surely you, of all men, mister Lessingham, should be aware
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  Speaker 1: that you will not improve the situation by rendering yourself
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  Speaker 1: incapable of seeing it through. Come and dine, I hailed
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  Speaker 1: them off with me, willy nilly to the refreshment room.
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  Speaker 1: I dined after a fashion. Mister Lessingham swallowed with difficulty
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  Speaker 1: a plate of soup. Sydney nibbled at a plate of
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  Speaker 1: the most unpromising looking chicken and ham. He proved indeed
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  Speaker 1: more intractable than Lessingham. And was not to be persuaded
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  Speaker 1: to tackle anything easier of digestion. I was just about
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  Speaker 1: to take cheese after chop when Bellingham came hastening in
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  Speaker 1: in his hand an open telegram. The birds have flown,
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  Speaker 1: he cried, flown? How in reply he gave me the telegram.
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  Speaker 1: I glanced at it. It ran persons described not in
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  Speaker 1: the train guard says they got out at Vauxhall. Have
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  Speaker 1: wired Vauxhall to advise you. That's a level headed chap,
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  Speaker 1: said Bellingham. The man who sent that telegram. His wiring
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  Speaker 1: to Vauxhall should save us a lot of time. We
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  Speaker 1: ought to hear from them directly. Hullo, what's this? I
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  Speaker 1: shouldn't be surprised if this is it. As he spoke,
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  Speaker 1: a porter entered. He handed an envelope to Bellingham. We
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  Speaker 1: all three kept our eyes fixed on the inspector's face
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  Speaker 1: as he opened it. When he perceived the contents, he
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  Speaker 1: gave an exclamation of surprise. This arab of yours and
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  Speaker 1: his two friends seem rather a curious lot, mister Trapnell.
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  Speaker 1: He passed the paper on to me. It took the
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  Speaker 1: form of a report Blessingham and Sydney. Regardless of forms
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  Speaker 1: and ceremonies leaned over my shoulder as I read it.
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  Speaker 1: Passengers by a seven thirty Southampton on a arrival of
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  Speaker 1: train complained of noises coming from a compartment in coach
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  Speaker 1: eighty nine sixty four. Stated that there had been shrieks
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  Speaker 1: and yells ever since the train left Waterloo, as if
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  Speaker 1: someone was being murdered. An Arab and two Englishmen got
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  Speaker 1: out of the compartment in question, apparently the party referred
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  Speaker 1: to and wired just a hand from Basingstoke. All three
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  Speaker 1: declared that there was nothing the matter, that they had
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  Speaker 1: been shouting for fun. Arab gave up three third singles
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  Speaker 1: for Southampton, saying in reply to questions that they had
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  Speaker 1: changed their minds and did not want to go any farther.
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  Speaker 1: As there were no signs of a struggle or of violence,
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  Speaker 1: nor apparently any definite cause for detention, they were allowed
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  Speaker 1: to pass. They took a four wheeler number zero nine
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  Speaker 1: four three five. The Arab and one man went inside
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  Speaker 1: and the other men on the box. They asked to
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  Speaker 1: be driven to Commercial Road, Limehouse. The cab has since returned.
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  Speaker 1: Driver says he put the three men down at their
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  Speaker 1: request in Commercial Road at the corner of Sutcliffe Street,
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  Speaker 1: near the East India Docks. They walked up Sutcliffe Street,
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  Speaker 1: the Englishman in front and the Arab behind took the
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  Speaker 1: first turning to the right, and after that he saw
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  Speaker 1: nothing of them. The driver further states that all the
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  Speaker 1: way the Englishman inside, who was so ragged and dirty
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  Speaker 1: that he was reluctant to carry him, kept up a
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  Speaker 1: sort of wailing noise which so attracted his attention that
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  Speaker 1: he twice got off his box to see what was
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  Speaker 1: the matter, and each time he said it was nothing.
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  Speaker 1: The cabman is of opinion that both the Englishmen were
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  Speaker 1: of weak intellect. We were of the same impression here.
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  Speaker 1: They said nothing except at the seeming instigation of the Arab,
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  Speaker 1: but when spoken to, stared and gaped like lunatics. It
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  Speaker 1: may be mentioned that the Arab had with him an
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  Speaker 1: enormous bundle, which he persisted, in spite of all remonstrances,
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  Speaker 1: on taking with him inside the cab. As soon as
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  Speaker 1: I had mastered the contents of the report and perceived
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  Speaker 1: what I believed to be unknown to the writer himself,
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  Speaker 1: it's hideous inner meaning, I turned to Bellingham with your permission,
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  Speaker 1: mister Bellingham, I will keep this communication. It will be
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  Speaker 1: safe in my hands. You will be able to get
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  Speaker 1: a copy, and it may be necessary that I should
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  Speaker 1: have the original to show to the police. If any
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  Speaker 1: inquiries are made for me from Scotland Yard, tell them
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  Speaker 1: I have gone to Commercial Road, and that I will
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: report my movements from Limehouse police station. In another minute,
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  Speaker 1: we were once more traversing the streets of London three
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  Speaker 1: in a handsome cab end of Chapter forty two,