The Hunt Ball Mystery

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The Hunt Ball Mystery

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hunt Ball Mystery, by Magnay,
William This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
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Title: The Hunt Ball Mystery
Author: Magnay, William
Release Date: November 10, 2003 [EBook #10029] [Date last updated:
January 29, 2005]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HUNT
BALL MYSTERY ***

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THE HUNT BALL MYSTERY

BY SIR WILLIAM MAGNAY, Bt.
Author of "A Prince of Lovers," "The Mystery of the Unicorn," etc.,
etc.
1918

Contents
Chap
I THE INTRUDER
II THE STAINED FLOWERS
III THE STREAK ON THE CUFF
IV THE MISSING GUEST
V THE LOCKED ROOM
VI THE MYSTERY OF CLEMENT HENSHAW
VII THE INCREDULITY OF GERVASE HENSHAW
VIII KELSON'S PERPLEXITY
IX THE CLOAK OF NIGHT
X AN ALARMING DISCOVERY
XI GIFFORD'S COMMISSION
XII HAD HENSHAW A CLUE?
XIII WHAT GIFFORD SAW IN THE WOOD
XIV GIFFORD'S PERPLEXITY

XV ANOTHER DISCOVERY
XVI AN EXPLANATION
XVII WHAT A GIRL SAW
XVIII THE LOST BROOCH
XIX IN THE CHURCHYARD
XX AN INVOLUNTARY EAVESDROPPER
XXI GIFFORD CONTINUES HIS STORY
XXII HOW GIFFORD ESCAPED
XXIII EDITH MORRISTON'S STORY
XXIV HOW THE STORY ENDED
XXV DEFIANCE
XXVI ISSUE JOINED
XXVII GIFFORD'S REWARD
CHAPTER I
THE INTRUDER
"I'm afraid it must have gone on in the van, sir."
"Gone on!" Hugh Gifford exclaimed angrily. "But you had no business
to send the train on till all the luggage was put out."
"The guard told me that all the luggage for Branchester was out," the
porter protested deprecatingly. "You see, sir, the train was nearly
twenty minutes late, and in his hurry to get off he must have
overlooked your suit-case."

"The very thing I wanted most," the owner returned. "I say, Kelson," he
went on, addressing a tall, soldierly man who strolled up, "a nice thing
has happened; the train has gone off with my evening clothes."
Kelson whistled. "Are you sure?"
"Quite." Gifford appealed to the porter, who regretfully confirmed the
statement.
"That's awkward to-night," Kelson commented with a short laugh of
annoyance. "Look here, we'd better interview the station-master, and
have your case wired for to the next stop. I am sorry, old fellow, I kept
you talking instead of letting you look after your rattle-traps, but I was
so glad to see you again after all this long time."
"Thanks, my dear Harry, you've nothing to blame yourself about. It was
my own fault being so casual. The nuisance is that if I don't get the
suit-case back in time I shan't be able to go with you to-night."
"No," his friend responded; "that would be a blow. And it's going to be
a ripping dance. Dick Morriston, who hunts the hounds, is doing the
thing top-hole. Now let's see what the worthy and obliging Prior can do
for us."
The station-master was prepared to do everything in his power, but that
did not extend to altering the times of the trains or shortening the
mileage they had to travel. He wired for the suit-case to be put out at
Medford, the next stop, some forty miles on, and sent back by the next
up-train. "But that," he explained, "is a slow one and is not due here till
9.47. However, I'll send it on directly it arrives, and you should get it
by ten o'clock or a few minutes after. You are staying at the _Lion_?"
"Yes."
"Not more than ten or twelve minutes' drive. I'll do my best and there
shall be no delay."
The two men thanked him and walked out to the station yard, where a

porter waited with the rest of Gifford's luggage.
"There is a gentleman here going to the _Lion_" he said with a rather
embarrassed air; "I told him your fly was engaged, sir; but he said
perhaps you would let him share it with you."
Kelson looked black. "I like the way some people have of taking things
for granted. Cheek, I call it. He had better wait or walk."
"The gentleman said he was in a hurry, sir," the porter observed
apologetically.
"No reason why he should squash us up in the fly," Kelson returned.
"I'll have a word with the gentleman. Where is he?"
"I think he is in the fly, sir."
"The devil he is! We'll have him out, Hugh. Infernally cool." And he
strode off towards the waiting fly.
"Better see what sort of chap he