The Judas Window

He sat down. While the arrow travelled among the jury, a long and rumbling throat-clearing preceded the rise of H.M. There are sounds and sounds; and this one indicated war. It struck several people, for Lollypop made a quietly fiendish sign of Warning, and for some reason held up the typewritten sheet over which she had been poring. Trouble blew into that room as palpably as a wind, but H.M.'s opening was mild enough.

'You've told us that on that Saturday night you were goin' next door to play chess with the deceased.'

'That's right.' (Fleming's truculent tone added, 'And what of it?')

'When did the deceased make an appointment with you?'

'About three o'clock in the afternoon.'

'Uh-huh. For what time that night?'

'He said to drop in about a quarter to seven, and we'd have a bit of cold dinner together, since everybody else in the house was out.'

'When Miss Jordan ran over and brought you, you've told us you were already on your way to keep that appointment?'

'Yes. I was a bit early. Better early than late.'

'Uh-huh. Now take a dekko - HURRUM- just glance at that arrow again. Look at those three feathers. I think I'm right in statin' that they're fixed edgeways to the arrow about an inch from the nock-end, and they're about two and a half inches long?'

'Yes. The size of the feather varies, but Hume preferred the biggest ones.'

'You notice that the middle feather is torn off pretty .clearly about half-way down. Was it like that when you found the body?'

Fleming looked at him suspiciously, on guard behind his red moustache.

'Yes, that's how it was.'

'You've heard the witness Dyer testify that all the feathers were intact and whole at the time the accused went into the study at 6.10?'

'I've heard it.'

'Sure. We all did. Consequently, the feather must 'a' been broken off between then and the discovery of the body?'

'Yes.'

'If the accused grabbed that arrow down off the wall and struck Hume, holdin' the arrow half-way down the shaft, how do you think the feather got torn off?'

'I don't know. In the struggle, probably. Hume made a grab at the arrow when he saw it coming -'

'He made a grab at the end of the arrow opposite the end that was threatenin' him?'

'He might have. Or it might have been torn off when the arrow was pulled off the wall, from those little staples.'

'That's another theory. The piece of feather was broken off either (1) in a struggle; or (2) when the arrow was pulled down. Uh-huh. In either case, where is it? Did you find it when you searched the room?'

'No, I did not; but a little piece of feather -'

'I'm suggestin' to you that this 'little piece of feather' was an inch and a quarter long by an inch broad. A whole lot bigger than half a crown. You'd have noticed half a crown on the floor, wouldn't you?'

'Yes, but this didn't happen to be half a crown.'

'I've said it was a lot bigger. And it was painted bright blue, wasn't it?'

‘I suppose so.'

'What was the colour of the carpet?'

'I can't say I can swear to that.'

'Then I'll tell you: it was light brown. You accept that? Yes. And you agree that there was very little furniture? Uh-huh. But you made an intensive search of that room, and you still didn't find the missin' piece?' Hitherto the witness had seemed rather pleased at his own wit, set to shine, and at intervals tickling up the corners of his moustache. Now he was impatient.

'How should I know? Maybe it got lodged somewhere; maybe it's still there. Why don't you ask the police- inspector?'

‘I’m goin' to. Now let's draw on your fund of information about archery. Take those three feathers at the end of the arrow. Have they got any kind o' useful purpose, -or are they only decorative?'

Fleming seemed surprised. 'Certainly they have a purpose. They're set at equal intervals, parallel to the line of flight; you can see that. The natural curve of the feathers gives that arrow a rotary motion in the air - zzzl - like that. Like a rifle-bullet.'

'Is one feather always a different colour from the rest, like this?'

'Yes, the guide feather; it shows you where to fit the arrow on the string.'

'When you buy these arrows,' pursued H.M., in a rumbling and dreamy tone, while the other stared at him, 'are the feathers already attached, or do you fasten on your own?'

'As a rule they're already attached. Naturally. But some people prefer to put on their own type of feathers.' 'Am I right in thinkin' the deceased did?'

'Yes. I don't know how you know it; but he used a different type. Most arrows have turkey-feathers. Hume preferred goose-feathers, and put them on himself: I suppose he liked the old grey-goose-feather tradition. These are goose-feathers. Old Shanks, the odd-jobs man, usually fastened them on.'

'And this little joker here: the guide-feather, you call it. Am I rightly instructed when I say he used a special type of dye, of his own invention, to colour the guide-feather?'

'Yes, he did. In his workshop -'

'His workshop I' said H.M., coming to life. 'His workshop! Just where was this workshop? Get the plan of the house and show us.'

There was a general ruffling and unrolling of plans among the jury. Several of us stirred in our seats, wondering what the old man might have up the sleeve of that disreputable gown. Randolph Fleming, with a hairy red finger on the plan, looked up and frowned.

'It's here. It's a little detached building in the back garden, about twenty yards from the house. I think it was intended to be a greenhouse once; but Hume didn't care, for that sort of thing. It's partly glass.'

H.M. nodded. 'What did the deceased keep there?'

'His archery equipment. Bows, strings, arrows, drawing-gloves; things like that. The odd-jobs man dyed the feathers there, too.'

'What else?'

'If you want the whole catalogue,' retorted the witness, 'I'll give it to you. Arm-guards, waist-belts for the arrows, worsted tassels to clean the points with, a grease-pot or two for the drawing-fingers of die glove - and a few tools, of course. Hume was a good man with his hands.'

'Nothing else?'

'Nothing that I remember.'

'You're sure of that, now?'

The witness snorted.

'So. Now, you've testified that that arrow couldn't 'a' been fired. I suggest to you that that statement wasn't what you meant at all. You'll agree that the arrow could have been projected?'

'I don't see what you mean. What's the difference?'

'What's the difference? Looky here I You see this inkwell? Well, if I threw it at you right now, it wouldn't be fired from a bow; but you'll thoroughly agree that it would be projected. Wouldn't it?'

'Yes.'

'Yes. And you could take that arrow and project it at me?'

'I could!' said the witness.

His tone implied: 'And, by God, I'd like to.' Both of them had powerful voices, which were growing steadily more audible. At this point Sir Walter Storm, the Attorney-General, rose with a clearing of the throat.

'My lord,' said Sir Walter, in tones whose richness and calm would have rebuked a bishop, 'I do not like to interrupt my learned friend. But I should only like to enquire whether my learned friend is suggesting that this arrow, which weighs perhaps three ounces, could have been thrown so as to penetrate eight inches into a human