“Something I’d like to tell you.”
“My ears are open and receptive.”
“Could we go…” he glanced at Dame Beatrice—“could we—could it be in private?”
“Then why have you come out here?”
“Just to tell you I’d like a word. Oh, at your convenience, of course.”
“I’d like to have some idea of what it’s to be about. You must know how tied up and worried we all are at present. In other words, won’t it keep?”
“But, Henry, it’s about Jonah.”
“In that case, you may speak freely in front of Dame Beatrice. She is here to help us to find out exactly what happened.”
“What I’ve got to say she won’t like.”
“In that case,” said Dame Beatrice, “I assume that you are about to disclose some unsavoury matter relating to my godson. I assure you that I have not the slightest objection to hearing it. Besides, if your information has to do with Mr. Jones’s death…”
“James knew about Miss Yale’s key.”
“What key?” demanded Henry. “What are you talking about?”
“The key that hangs just inside her office door. You only have to slide your hand round to get it. It hangs on a board with her other keys. I saw James take it.”
“You’ll need a witness who will substantiate that statement, my boy,” said Henry coldly, “but you haven’t answered my question. What key do you mean, and why is it important?”
“It opens the stoke-hole, that’s why.”
“In that case,” said Henry, “your statement that you saw James take the key is an absolute lie, and I can prove that it is.”
“Oh, yes?”
“When did you see James take it?”
“Why, on the afternoon of the night that you and he snooped round. And we know you did snoop round, so it’s no good denying it.”
“I had forgotten at that time about Miss Yale’s key,” said Henry, frowning thoughtfully, “but your ridiculous and mean little story falls to the ground, anyway. If anybody took that key, it was the kidnappers.”
“It wasn’t them. They had Jackson’s key.”
“So they told me. Well, I think you had better come with me to Gassie and then we’ll send for James and you can accuse him to his face.”
“Not me. And I’ll tell you something else. It was the javelin from Gassie’s collection that killed Jonah, wasn’t it?”
“What makes you say that?”
“It’s all over College. That girl who found it spotted the inscription.”
“Oh, yes, I suppose she did. What about it?”
“It’s also known that James was allowed in Gassie’s room to make a new catalogue,” said Kirk significantly.
“I see what you mean. It’s also all over College that James once treated you as I should like to treat you now, you scandal-mongering, revengeful little clot,” said Henry. “Come along. We’re going to get this cleared up.”
“All what cleared up? Here, I’m only
“For what?”
“Well, questions.”
“Very well. We’ll all go along and see what questions Gassie would like to ask him.”
“Not me!” Before they realized what he was about to do, the youth was off across the field like a hare.
“Oh, well, time for him later,” said Henry. “I think, though, that it might be as well to have a word with Gassie about the little snake. Then, perhaps, we’d better tell Hamish what has been said.”
Gascoigne was perturbed by the story.
“A dangerous, spiteful boy,” he said at its conclusion; “but why should he select James for this tale? James had nothing against poor Davy, had he?”
“No. The fact is that James, at the beginning of his time here, had occasion to reprimand Kirk in a somewhat trenchant and forceful manner.”
“Oh? Why was that?”
“Kirk uttered an obscenity in front of a mixed class taking French.”
“I see. I will speak to Kirk and order him to recant. We cannot have these slanderous accusations being bandied around the College. I need hardly say that I have every confidence in James. Nobody who knows him would place a scrap of credence in this wretched boy’s story.”
