Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 18, 2025
Just tell the housekeeper we are coming in, Neale." The Earl nodded to Mrs. Carswell as she received him and the two partners in the adjacent hall. "This lady will remember my calling on Mr. Horbury one evening a few weeks ago," he said. "She saw me with him in that room." "Certainly!" assented Mrs. Carswell, readily enough. "I remember your lordship calling on Mr. Horbury very well.
I don't know," said Hollis, "that he or I ever spoke to each other of John Horbury from the time we left school. John Horbury was not, as it were, a very particular chum of ours. We knew him as we knew a hundred other boys. As I have already told you, the two names, Horbury, Scarnham, in the newspapers yesterday, immediately recalled John Horbury, our schoolmate, to me.
"I suppose neither of you ever saw or heard aught of Mr. Horbury on Saturday night after he'd gone out?" he inquired. The two women glanced at each other in silence. "Did you?" repeated Polke. "Come, now!" "Well, Mr. Polke," said the elder woman, "we didn't. But, of course, we know what's going on couldn't very well not know, now could we, Mr. Polke?
He was evidently about to be off; in fact, the luggage was all ready, and so was a cab which he'd ordered, and in which he was presumably going to Ellersdeane." "And another thing," said Horbury, turning from one to the other, "I heard this morning that you'd left the Bank, Neale. What are you going to do? What has happened?"
"Deposited them with Horbury, you know, some weeks ago when we went abroad," replied Lord Ellersdeane. "Safe keeping, you know said he'd lock 'em up." Gabriel turned slowly to Joseph. But Joseph shook his head and Neale, glancing from one partner to the other, felt himself turning sick with apprehension.
"But there's the fact on a superficial examination. And Horbury! Of all men in the world, Horbury!" "I can't believe it, Mr. Chestermarke!" exclaimed Neale. "Surely, sir, there's some mistake!" Joseph brushed crumbs of biscuit off his beard and wagged his head. "No mistake!" he said softly. "None! The thing is what's best to do? Because he'd have laid his plans.
"But at any rate some good's come of it," observed the Earl, pointing to his casket. "This has been found. And in the housekeeper's bedroom. Hidden! And she's gone. What do you think of it, gentlemen?" Gabriel spread his hands and shook his head. But Joseph answered readily. "I should think," he replied, "that's she's gone to meet Horbury."
Horbury's pipe, and as this gentleman saw him smoking it at two o'clock on Saturday, and as Creasy picked it up underneath Ellersdeane Tower on Sunday evening," said Starmidge, "there seems no doubt that Mr. Horbury went that way, and dropped it where it was found. But I can't think he was carrying Lord Ellersdeane's jewels home!" "Why?" asked Neale. "Is it likely?" suggested Starmidge.
Horbury, knowing Lord Ellersdeane had got home on Saturday, thought he'd hand back those jewels as soon as possible, and set off in the evening with that intention possibly to be robbed and murdered on the way. Sounds horrible but honestly I can't think of any other theory."
"I don't believe that Horbury's done what those two accuse him of," affirmed the Earl. "Not for one moment! I can't account for those missing securities they talk about, but I'll stake my honour that Horbury hasn't got 'em! Nor my wife's jewels either. You heard and saw how astounded that girl was. By the by who is she!" "Mr. Horbury's niece Miss Fosdyke from London," replied Neale.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking