The bell was answered, and Ralph ordered the drinks. When the man had gone again, he sat hunched in the armchair, frowning to himself.
“Is it really—serious?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’m fairly up against it this time,” he said soberly.
The unusual ring of gravity in his voice told me that he spoke the truth. It took a good deal to make Ralph grave.
“In fact,” he continued, “I can’t see my way ahead … I’m damned if I can.”
“If I could help—” I suggested diffidently.
But he shook his head very decidedly. “Good of you, doctor. But I can’t let you in on this. I’ve got to play a lone hand.”
He was silent a minute and then repeated in a slightly different tone of voice: “Yes—I’ve got to play a lone hand. …”
IV
Dinner at Fernly
It was just a few minutes before half-past seven when I rang the front-door bell of Fernly Park. The door was opened with admirable promptitude by Parker, the butler.
The night was such a fine one that I had preferred to come on foot. I stepped into the big square hall and Parker relieved me of my overcoat. Just then Ackroyd’s secretary, a pleasant young fellow by the name of Raymond, passed through the hall on his way to Ackroyd’s study, his hands full of papers.
“Good evening, doctor. Coming to dine? Or is this a professional call?”
The last was in allusion to my black bag which I had laid down on the oak chest.
I explained that I expected a summons to a confinement case at any moment, and so had come out prepared for an emergency call. Raymond nodded, and went on his way, calling over his shoulder:
“Go into the drawing room. You know the way. The ladies will be down in a minute. I must just take these papers to Mr. Ackroyd, and I’ll tell him you’re here.”
On Raymond’s appearance Parker had withdrawn, so I was alone in the hall. I settled my tie, glanced in a large mirror which hung there, and crossed to the door directly facing me, which was, as I knew, the door of the drawing room.
I noticed, just as I was turning the handle, a sound from within—the shutting down of a window, I took it to be. I noticed it, I may say, quite mechanically, without attaching any importance to it at the time.
I opened the door and walked in. As I did so I almost collided with Miss Russell who was just coming out. We both apologized.
For the first time I found myself appraising the housekeeper and thinking what a handsome woman she must once have been—indeed, as far as that goes, still was. Her dark hair was unstreaked with grey, and when she had a colour, as she had at this minute, the stern quality of her looks was not so apparent.
Quite subconsciously I wondered whether she had been out, for she was breathing hard, as though she had been running.
“I’m afraid I’m a few minutes early,” I said.
“Oh! I don’t think so. It’s gone half-past seven, Dr. Sheppard.” She paused a minute before saying, “I—didn’t know you were expected to dinner tonight. Mr. Ackroyd didn’t mention it.”
I received a vague impression that my dining there displeased her in some way, but I couldn’t imagine why.
“How’s the knee?” I inquired.
“Much the same, thank you, doctor. I must be going now. Mrs. Ackroyd will be down in a moment. I—I only came in here to see if the flowers were all right.”
She passed quickly out of the room. I strolled to the window, wondering at her evident desire to justify her presence in the room. As I did so, I saw what, of course, I might have known all the time had I troubled to give my mind to it, namely, that the windows were long French ones opening on the terrace. The sound I had heard, therefore, could not have been that of a window being shut down.
Quite idly, and more to distract my mind from painful thoughts than for any other reason, I amused myself by trying to guess what could have caused the sound in question.
Coals on the fire? No, that was not the kind of noise at all. A drawer of a bureau pushed in? No, not that.
Then my eye was caught by what, I believe, is called a silver table, the lid of which lifts, and through the glass of which you can see the contents. I crossed over to it, studying the contents. There were one or two pieces of old silver, a baby shoe belonging to King Charles the First, some Chinese jade figures, and quite a number of African implements and curios. Wanting to examine one of the jade figures more closely, I lifted the lid. It slipped through my fingers and fell.
At once I recognized the sound I had heard. It was this same table lid being shut down gently and carefully. I repeated the action once or twice for my own satisfaction. Then I lifted the lid to scrutinize the contents more closely.
I was still bending over the open silver table when Flora Ackroyd came into the room.
Quite a lot of people do not like Flora Ackroyd, but nobody can help admiring her. And to her friends she can be very charming. The first thing that strikes you about her is her extraordinary fairness. She has the real Scandinavian pale gold hair. Her eyes are blue—blue as the waters of a Norwegian fjord, and her skin is cream and roses. She has square, boyish shoulders and slight hips. And to a jaded medical man it is very refreshing to come across such perfect health.
A simple straightforward English girl—I may be old-fashioned, but I think the genuine article takes a lot of beating.
Flora joined me by the silver table, and expressed heretical doubts as to King Charles I ever having worn the baby shoe.
“And anyway,” continued Miss Flora, “all this making a fuss about things because someone wore or
