The Red House Mystery A. A. Milne (most life changing books TXT) 📖

“One last question,” he said. “Was Mark fond of swimming?”

“No, he hated it. I don’t believe he could swim. Tony, are you mad, or am I? Or is this a new game?”

Antony squeezed his arm.

“Dear old Bill,” he said. “It’s a game. What a game! And the answer is Cartwright in Wimpole Street.”

They walked in silence for half a mile or so along the road to Woodham. Bill tried two or three times to get his friend to talk, but Antony had only grunted in reply. He was just going to make another attempt, when Antony came to a sudden stop and turned to him anxiously.

“I wonder if you’d do something for me,” he said, looking at him with some doubt.

“What sort of thing?”

“Well, it’s really dashed important. It’s just the one thing I want now.”

Bill was suddenly enthusiastic again.

“I say, have you really found it all out?”

Antony nodded.

“At least, I’m very nearly there, Bill. There’s just this one thing I want now. It means your going back to Stanton. Well, we haven’t come far; it won’t take you long. Do you mind?”

“My dear Holmes, I am at your service.”

Antony gave him a smile and was silent for a little, thinking.

“Is there another inn at Stanton⁠—fairly close to the station?”

“The Plough and Horses⁠—just at the corner where the road goes up to the station⁠—is that the one you mean?”

“That would be the one. I suppose you could do with a drink, couldn’t you?”

“Rather!” said Bill, with a grin.

“Good. Then have one at the Plough and Horses. Have two, if you like, and talk to the landlord, or landlady, or whoever serves you. I want you to find out if anybody stayed there on Monday night.”

“Robert?” said Bill eagerly.

“I didn’t say Robert,” said Antony, smiling. “I just want you to find out if they had a visitor who slept there on Monday night. A stranger. If so, then any particulars you can get of him, without letting the landlord know that you are interested⁠—”

“Leave it to me,” broke in Bill. “I know just what you want.”

“Don’t assume that it was Robert⁠—or anybody else. Let them describe the man to you. Don’t influence them unconsciously by suggesting that he was short or tall, or anything of that sort. Just get them talking. If it’s the landlord, you’d better stand him a drink or two.”

“Right you are,” said Bill confidently. “Where do I meet you again?”

“Probably at The George. If you get there before me, you can order dinner for eight o’clock. Anyhow we’ll meet at eight, if not before.”

“Good.” He nodded to Antony and strode off back to Stanton again.

Antony stood watching him with a little smile at his enthusiasm. Then he looked round slowly, as if in search of something. Suddenly he saw what he wanted. Twenty yards farther on a lane wandered off to the left, and there was a gate a little way up on the right-hand side of it. Antony walked to the gate, filling his pipe as he went. Then he lit his pipe, sat on the gate, and took his head in his hands.

“Now then,” he said to himself, “let’s begin at the beginning.”

It was nearly eight o’clock when William Beverley, the famous sleuthhound, arrived, tired and dusty, at The George, to find Antony, cool and clean, standing bareheaded at the door, waiting for him.

“Is dinner ready?” were Bill’s first words.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll just have a wash. Lord, I’m tired.”

“I never ought to have asked you,” said Antony penitently.

“That’s all right. I shan’t be a moment.” Halfway up the stairs he turned round and asked, “Am I in your room?”

“Yes. Do you know the way?”

“Yes. Start carving, will you? And order lots of beer.” He disappeared round the top of the staircase. Antony went slowly in.

When the first edge of his appetite had worn off, and he was able to spare a little time between the mouthfuls, Bill gave an account of his adventures. The landlord of the Plough and Horses had been sticky, decidedly sticky⁠—Bill had been unable at first to get anything out of him. But Bill had been tactful; lorblessyou, how tactful he had been.

“He kept on about the inquest, and what a queer affair it had been, and so on, and how there’d been an inquest in his wife’s family once, which he seemed rather proud about, and I kept saying, ‘Pretty busy, I suppose, just now, what?’ and then he’d say, ‘Middlin’,’ and go on again about Susan⁠—that was the one that had the inquest⁠—he talked about it as if it were a disease⁠—and then I’d try again, and say, ‘Slack times, I expect, just now, eh?’ and he’d say ‘Middlin’ again, and then it was time to offer him another drink, and I didn’t seem to be getting much nearer. But I got him at last. I asked him if he knew John Borden⁠—he was the man who said he’d seen Mark at the station. Well, he knew all about Borden, and after he’d told me all about Borden’s wife’s family, and how one of them had been burnt to death⁠—after you with the beer; thanks⁠—well, then I said carelessly that it must be very hard to remember anybody whom you had just seen once, so as to identify him afterwards, and he agreed that it would be ‘middlin’ hard,’ and then⁠—”

“Give me three guesses,” interrupted Antony. “You asked him if he remembered everybody who came to his inn?”

“That’s it. Bright, wasn’t it?”

“Brilliant. And what was the result?”

“The result was a woman.”

“A woman?” said Antony eagerly.

“A woman,” said Bill impressively. “Of course I thought it was going to be Robert⁠—so did you, didn’t you?⁠—but it wasn’t. It was a woman. Came quite late on Monday night in a car⁠—driving herself⁠—went off early next morning.”

“Did he describe her?”

“Yes. She was middlin’. Middlin’ tall, middlin’ age, middlin’ colour, and so on. Doesn’t help much, does it? But still⁠—a woman. Does that upset your theory?”

Antony shook his head.

“No, Bill, not at all,” he