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"The gentleman who was with you a little while ago came back with it. He asked me to be sure and bring it in at once." He avoided Gimblet's reproachful eye and stammered uneasily: "Put it down on that table and go," said the detective. He indicated a little table by the door, and Higgs hastily placed the letter on it and fled, with the uncomfortable sensation of having been sternly reproved.
Clearly it was wood, not stone, though so cleverly painted to imitate its surroundings that it was a thousand to one against anyone ever noticing it; and yes, there was a little circular depression in the middle of it. Gimblet's thumb pressed heavily against the place, and immediately there was a click, and a long narrow drawer flew out.
The noise of the wind, which had now freshened to the strength of half a gale, drowned any sound of his return, and he lost no time in getting to bed and to sleep. The puzzle must keep till to-morrow. It was one of Gimblet's rules to take proper rest when it was at all possible, for he knew that his work suffered if he came to it physically exhausted.
Beyond the tower ran the battlemented wall of the enclosed garden, its foundations draped in the thrifty vegetation of the rocks. At Gimblet's feet, on the other side of the path, brawled a burn, hurrying on its way to the loch, and he followed its course slowly down to the place where it mingled with the deep waters.
Juliet spoke with lofty indifference, but the dismay in Gimblet's tone as he answered disarmed her. "On no account," he cried, "the last thing! Besides, for that matter," he added truthfully, "we have met before." "Then you will have the pleasure of renewing your acquaintance," Juliet suggested mischievously. Gimblet had shown himself so genuinely aghast that her resentful suspicions had vanished.
In it lay a single sheet of paper, and Gimblet's fingers shook with excitement as he drew it forth. A moment's pause while he perused the writing upon it, and then the exultation on his face dwindled away. He could perceive no meaning in these apparently random sentences. "Remember that where there's a way there's a will. Face curiosity and take the bull by the horn."
It was clear she did not like Gimblet's terms; and after a few minutes had passed in a silence as awkward as it was suggestive he pushed back his chair and stood up. He hoped she would take the hint and bring an unprofitable and embarrassing interview to an end. But she did not appear to notice him, and still sat lost in her own thoughts. Suddenly the door opened and Higgs appeared.
If she were to be caught sight of again before leaving the house there was not a moment to lose. But Higgs did not reply, and on Gimblet's opening the pantry door he found it empty. Unknown to him, the moment the lady had departed Higgs had gone upstairs to the flat above to have a word with a friend. The detective seized his hat and ran downstairs, but he was too late.
My wife died six months before my grandfather, on the day her baby was born." Lord Ashiel paused, and sat gazing before him, over Gimblet's shoulder.
A group had already formed on the beach of those who were not the first to get away, and among these were the two figures that had attracted Gimblet's attention. They were two ladies, who stood watching the boats, which had landed their passengers and were now returning empty.
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