The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation | Page 9

standing in a certain pine forest in

Sweden in which James had a valuable share; there was a balance-sheet
of a Moscow trading concern in which he had invested money; there
were odds and ends of a similar nature--all financial. From these papers
Allerdyke could only select one which he did not understand, which
conveyed no meaning to him. This was a telegram, dispatched from
London on April 21st, at eleven o'clock in the morning. He spread it
out on the table and slowly read it:--
"To James Allerdyke, Hotel Grand Monarch, St. Petersburg.
"Your wire received. If Princess will confide goods to your care to
personally bring over here have no doubt matter can be speedily and
satisfactorily arranged. Have important client now in town until middle
May who seems to be best man to approach and is likely to be a
generous buyer.
"FRANKLIN FULLAWAY, Waldorf Hotel, London."
Here was another surprise: Allerdyke had never in his life heard James
mention the name--Franklin Fullaway. Yet here Mr. Franklin Fullaway,
whoever he might be, was wiring to James as only a business
acquaintance of some standing would wire. And here again was the
mention of a Princess--presumably, nay, evidently, the Princess to
whom reference was made in the diary. And there was mention, too, of
goods--probably valuable goods--to be confided to James's care for
conveyance to England, to London, for sale to some prospective
purchaser. If James had brought them, where were they? So far as
Allerdyke had ascertained, James had no luggage beyond his big
suitcase and the handbag which now stood on the table before his own
eyes--he was a man for travelling light, James, and never encumbered
himself with more than indispensable necessities. Where, then--
A tap at the door of the sitting-room prefaced the entry of the two
medical men.
"We heard from the manager that you were in this room Mr.
Allerdyke," said Dr. Orwin. "Well, we made a further examination of
your relative, and we still incline to the opinion expressed already.

Now, if you approve it, I will arrange at once for communicating with
the Coroner, removing the body, and having an autopsy performed. As
Dr. Lydenberg has business in the town which will keep him here a few
days, he will join me, and it will be more satisfactory to you, no doubt,
if another doctor is called--I should advise the professional police
surgeon. If you will leave it to me--"
"I'll leave everything of that sort to you, doctor," said Allerdyke. "I'm
much obliged to both of you, gentlemen. You understand what I'm
anxious about?--I want to be certain--certain, mind you!--of the cause
of my cousin's death. Now you speak of removing him? Then I'll just
go and take a look at him before that's done."
He presently locked up his rooms, leaving the hand-bag there, also
locked, and went alone to the room in which James lay dead. Most
folks who knew Marshall Allerdyke considered him a hard,
unsentimental man, but there were tears in his eyes as he stooped over
his cousin's body and laid his hand on the cold forehead. Once more he
broke into familiar, muttered speech.
"If there's been aught wrong, lad," he said. "Aught foul or underhand,
I'll right thee!--by God, I will!"
Then he stooped lower and kissed the dead man's cheek, and pressed
the still hands. It was with an effort that he turned away and regained
his self-command--and it was in that moment that his eyes, slightly
blurred as they were, caught sight of an object which lay half-concealed
by a corner of the hearth-rug--a glittering, shining object, which threw
back the gleam of the still burning electric light. He strode across the
room and picked it up--the gold buckle of a woman's shoe, studded
with real, if tiny, diamonds.
CHAPTER IV
MR. FRANKLIN FULLAWAY
Allerdyke carried his find away to his own room and carefully
examined it. The buckle was of real gold; the stones set in it were real

diamonds, small though they were. He deduced two ideas from these
facts--one, that the owner was a woman who loved pretty and
expensive things; the other, that she must have a certain natural
carelessness about her not to have noticed that the buckle was loose on
her shoe. But as he put the buckle safely away in his own travelling bag,
he began to speculate on matters of deeper import--how did it come to
be lying there in James Allerdyke's room? How long had it been lying
there? Had its owner been into that room recently? Had she, in fact,
been in the room since James Allerdyke took possession of it on his
arrival at the hotel?
He realized the possibility of various answers to these questions. The
buckle might have been dropped