THE THIRD OBLONG BOX ARRIVES
"I think," said Wilton Barnstable, when Cleggett had finished, "that I may be able to clear up a few points for you.
"The two men whom you saw me hazing up and down the bank of the blue silk pajamas, were Dopey Eddie and Izzy the Cat!""The wretches!" cried Lady Agatha.
"Wretches indeed," said Wilton Barnstable, Barton Ward, and Watson Bard, in unison, and with conviction.
"And the man in the baby blue silk pajamas, was--" the great detective paused, as if to make his revelation more effective.And while he paused, Miss Genevieve Pringle, with pursed lips and averted face, signified that the very idea of introducing a man in baby blue silk pajamas into the conversation was intensely displeasing to her.
"The man in pajamas was Reginald Maltravers," finished the great detective.
"Reginald Maltravers!" cried Lady Agatha.
She opened her mouth again as if to say something more, but words failed her, and she only stared at the detective, with parted lips and round eyes.
Cleggett went to her and touched her on the arm, and with the touch she gave a sob of emotion and found her tongue again.
"Reginald Maltravers," she said, "is not dead then! Not dead after all!"She endeavored to control herself, but for a moment or two shetrembled.It was evident that it was all she could do to keep from crying hysterically with relief.The nightmare that had haunted her for days had vanished almost too suddenly.Presently she began to be herself again.
"You are sure that he is not dead?" she said with a voice that still shook.
"Sure," said Wilton Barnstable.
And as if quietly satisfied with the sensation they had produced, the three detectives smiled at each other urbanely and contentedly.Barnstable continued:
"Reginald Maltravers came to my agency some days ago and requested a bodyguard.Dopey Eddie and Izzy the Cat had attacked him, no doubt intending to earn the money which Elmer had promised them.He beat them off.In fact, he caned them soundly.But they still continued to dog him.
"Mr.Ward here, who handled the case, soon reported to me that he believed Reginald Maltravers to be insane.""Insane he was," cried Lady Agatha."I have seen the light of insanity in his eye, gleaming through his accursed monocle." She spoke with vehemence.Now that she knew the man to be alive, her hatred of him had flared up again.
"Insane he was," agreed Wilton Barnstable."And shortly after that discovery was made, he disappeared.The next day after his disappearance, Dopey Eddie and Izzy the Cat were liberally supplied with money.
"Of course they got the money, Lady Agatha, through the clever trick they worked upon you.""A great many people have got money from me since I have been in America," said Lady Agatha.
"Ah! Yes?" The great detective went on with his masterly summing up."Of course they got the money from the trick they worked on Lady Agatha.But at the time I thought it possible that they had robbed Reginald Maltravers and then put him out of the way.They are well-knowngunmen.
"I took them into custody and determined to hold them until such time as Reginald Maltravers would be found, or his fate discovered.Eventually I brought them with me on my house boat.I was really holding them without due legal warrant, but I am forced to do that, sometimes.They complained of lack of exercise, so I gave them exercise in the manner which you saw the other morning, Mr.Cleggett.
"One of my agents, shortly after this, picked up the trail of Reginald Maltravers again.When I learned that he was alive my first impulse was to release Dopey Eddie and Izzy the Cat.But I learned that the two gunmen could, if they would, give me a tip as to certain of the activities of Logan Black, against whom I have been collecting evidence for nearly a year.So I kept them on my boat.
"Reginald Maltravers, most of the time that you were riding about the country, Lady Agatha, with the box that you thought contained him, was really following you.He would lose your trail and find it again, but he was always some hours behind you.Of course, he knew nothing of the oblong box.He thought that you were running away from him.And all the time that Reginald Maltravers was following you, agents of mine were following Reginald Maltravers.""Lady Agatha," interrupted Cleggett, "was also being pursued by Miss Pringle here."Wilton Barnstable carefully made a note in a little book which he drew from his waistcoat pocket.Barton Ward also made a note in a little book, Watson Bard started to make a note, and then paused; in fact, Watson Bard did not complete his note until he had gotten a peep into the notebook of Barton Ward.The notes made, the three detectives once more smiled craftily at each other, and Wilton Barnstable resumed:
"We knew, of course, that another lady was also following Lady Agatha.But, until the present moment, we had not identified her with Miss Pringle.And I should not be at all surprised, not at ALL surprised, if still another person had been following Miss Pringle.""With what object?" asked Miss Pringle, looking alarmed at the idea."The motive, my dear lady, I must for the present withhold," saidWilton Barnstable.And again the three detectives exchanged knowing glances.
