Adventure, December 1914 — page 111: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Man With Nine Lives glances can not alter facts, Mr. Foster.” ‘You would have noticed, Mr. Adair, that the wording of the will is rather odd; it was not drawn up by a lawyer, though a sound enough legal document. The tes- tator says that he leaves everything to the person known to him as Martin Adair—as if he had reason to doubt that your name was Adair.” “TI did notice that; I’m not altogether unobservant.”’ ‘So you see whether your name is or is not Adair makes no difference; you still inherit!” “Exactly. That is what I gathered.” “Another odd point is that when Mr. Creed brought this box to me he hinted that within three months he’d either fetch it back again or—be dead.”’ “That almost suggests that he must have had the prophetic eye.” “But he can hardly have anticipated that inside three months he would be murdered!”’ ‘“‘Have you anything to show that? He might have had private reasons of his own on which such an anticipation might have been based.”’ “What makes it still curious is the in- structions which the box contained. In this paper which I have in my mind he tells me that in case of its being necessary to hold a coroner’s inquest on his body, the package containing his will is not to be opened till the Coroner has given his ver- dict. Now, there again is something which suggests that he hardly expected to die in the ordinary course of nature.”’ Adair walked across the room and back again before he answered. His restlessness throughout the interview was marked; he - seemed unable to keep still. As he moved to and fro his ill-fitting clothes—too small in all directions for a man of his inches— made of him a figure which was both sin- ister and grotesque. ‘“‘Mr. Foster, I don’t see to what your questions are pointing. Jerningham Creed was a money-lender of the most nefarious type. He had dealings in all directions, with sums of all magnitudes. Such a man was sure to have enemies—beyond a doubt he was aware of this. Is it not conceivable that he had reason to believe that he was going in almost daily fear of his life?”’ “From whom? Did you ever hear him threatened?” 109 ‘Not I; and that’s what I’m driving at. Are you hinting, in even the remotest way, that I had anything to do with the death of Mr. Jerningham Creed?” “Tam not! But I can not help thinking that you suspect some one who had. In view of the fact that he has made of you a rich man, I put it to you if you are of opinion that it is—we will say wise—to keep your ideas upon the subject to yourself.”’ Adair came up to the table when the lawyer ceased speaking; the two men looked each other steadily in the eyes. Then Adair seated himself on the side of the table, and laughed—he alone knew what at—and presently said: “Foster, you and I are going to be friends. Now that I’m a rich man I can afford a friend like you, and I shall want one. I have all sorts of schemes in my head in which a lawyer who is at the same time honest and smart will be absolutely indis- pensable, if those schemes are to be carried to a successful conclusion. One of these days I may want to talk to you about all sorts of things. At present I don’t. That is the final answer to everything you have in your mind, so change the subject, please. I hear that the old firm is still being carried on by Messrs. Issachar and Daniel.” Getting off the table, Adair smiled at the man on the other side of it; the lawyer smiled back at him. “So I understand. They did a good deal of Mr. Creed’s business, didn’t they?” ‘“‘They did all the dirtiest part of it. A nice pair they are! I’m told they are pro- posing, in the absence of any will, to carry on the business in the interests of—I don’t quite know whom.” Adair was walking about the room again. “Foster, I’m going round to Mitre Court. I’m going to pay them a visit and explain how matters stand. Would you mind coming with me? I’m proposing to treat Messrs. Issachar and Daniel to a little surprise.” CHAPTER II SWEEPING THEM OUT "THE chambers of the late Jerningham Creed were on the second floor of a building which stood badly in need of reno- vation. They were probably the most ill- kept apartments in that building. In the MICLOOOK C©