CHAPTER IV

MRS. KEBBY'S DISCOVERY

The pertinacity which Berwin displayed in insisting that Lucian should

explore the Silent House was truly remarkable. He appeared to be bent

upon banishing the idea which Denzil entertained that strangers were

hiding in the mansion.

From attic to basement, from front to back premises, he led the way, and

made Lucian examine every corner of the empty rooms. He showed him even

the unused kitchen, and bade him remark that the door leading into the

yard was locked and bolted, and, from the rusty condition of the

ironwork, could not have been opened for years. Also, he made him look

out of the window into the yard itself, with its tall black fence

dividing it from the other properties.

This exploration finished, and Lucian being convinced that himself and

his host were the only two living beings in the house, Berwin conducted

his half-frozen guest back to the warm sitting-room and poured out a

glass of wine.

"Here, Mr. Denzil," said he in good-natured tones, "drink this and draw

near the fire; you must be chilled to the bone after our Arctic

expedition."

Lucian willingly accepted both these attentions, and sipped his

wine--it was particularly fine claret--before the fire, while Berwin

coughed and shivered, and muttered to himself about the cold of the

season. When Lucian stood up to take his departure, he addressed him

directly:

"Well, sir," said he, with a sardonic smile, "are you convinced that the

struggling shadows on yonder blind were children of your heated fancy?"

"No," said Denzil stoutly, "I am not!"

"Yet you have seen that there is no one in the house!"

"Mr. Berwin," said Lucian, after a moment's thought, "you propose a

riddle which I cannot answer, and which I do not wish to answer. I

cannot explain what I saw to-night, but as surely as you were out of

this house, some people were in it. How this affects you, or what reason

you have for denying it, I do not ask. Keep your own secrets, and go

your own way. I wish you good-night, sir," and Lucian moved towards the

door.

Berwin, who was holding a full tumbler of rich, strong port, drank the

whole of it in one gulp. The strong liquor reddened his pallid face and

brightened his sunken eyes; it even strengthened his already sonorous

voice.

"At least you can inform my good neighbours that I am a peaceful man,

desirous of being left to lead my own life," he said urgently.

"No, sir! I will have nothing to do with your business. You are a

stranger to me, and our acquaintance is too slight to warrant my

discussing your affairs. Besides," added Lucian, with a shrug, "they do

not interest me."

"Yet they may interest the three kingdoms one day," said Berwin softly.

"Oh, if they deal with danger to society," said Denzil, thinking his

strange neighbour spoke of anarchistic schemes, "I would----"

"They deal with danger to myself," interrupted Berwin. "I am a hunted

man, and I hide here from those who wish me ill. I am dying, as you

see," he cried, striking his hollow chest, "but I may not die quickly

enough for those who desire my death."

"Who are they?" cried Lucian, rather startled by this outburst.

"People with whom you have no concern," replied the man sullenly.

"That is true enough, Mr. Berwin, so I'll say good-night!"

"Berwin! Berwin! Ha! ha! A very good name, Berwin, but not for me. Oh,

was there ever so unhappy a creature as I? False name, false friend, in

disgrace, in hiding! Curse everybody! Go! go! Mr. Denzil, and leave me

to die here like a rat in its hole!"

"You are ill!" said Lucian, amazed by the man's fury. "Shall I send a

doctor to see you?"

"Send no one," cried Berwin, commanding himself by a visible effort.

"Only go away and leave me to myself. 'Thou can'st not minister to a

mind diseased.' Go! go!"

"Good-night, then," said Denzil, seeing that nothing could be done. "I

hope you will be better in the morning."

Berwin shook his head, and with a silent tongue, which contrasted

strangely with his late outcry, ushered Denzil out of the house.

As the heavy door closed behind him Lucian descended the steps and

looked thoughtfully at the grim mansion, which was tenanted by so

mysterious a person. He could make nothing of Berwin--as he chose to

call himself--he could see no meaning in his wild words and mad

behaviour; but as he walked briskly back to his lodgings he came to the

conclusion that the man was nothing worse than a tragic drunkard,

haunted by terrors engendered by over-indulgence in stimulants. The

episode of the shadows on the blind he did not attempt to explain, for

the simple reason that he was unable to find any plausible explanation

to account therefor.

"And why should I trouble my head to do so?" mused Lucian as he went to

bed. "The man and his mysteries are nothing to me. Bah! I have been

infected by the vulgar curiosity of the Square. Henceforth I'll neither

see nor think of this drunken lunatic," and with such resolve he

dismissed all thoughts of his strange acquaintance from his mind, which,

under the circumstances, was perhaps the wisest thing he could do.

But later on certain events took place which forced him to alter his

determination. Fate, with her own ends to bring about is not to be

denied by her puppets; and of these Lucian was one, designed for an

important part in the drama which was to be played.

Mrs. Margery Kebby, who attended to the domestic economy of Berwin's

house, was a deaf old crone with a constant thirst, only to be assuaged

by strong drink; and a filching hand which was usually in every pocket

save her own. She had neither kith nor kin, nor friends, nor even

acquaintances; but, being something of a miser, scraped and screwed to

amass money she had no need for, and dwelt in a wretched little

apartment in a back slum, whence she daily issued to work little and

pilfer much.

Usually at nine o'clock she brought in her employer's breakfast from the

Nelson Hotel, which was outside the Square, and while he was enjoying it

in bed, after his fashion, she cleaned out and made tidy the

sitting-room. Berwin then dressed and went out for a walk, despite Miss

Greeb's contention that he took the air only at night, like an owl, and

during his absence Mrs. Kebby attended to the bedroom. She then went

about her own business, which was connected with the cleaning of various

other apartments, and only returned at midday and at night to lay the

table for Berwin's luncheon and dinner, or rather dinner and supper,

which were also sent in from the hotel.

For these services Berwin paid her well, and only enjoined her to keep a

quiet tongue about his private affairs, which Mrs. Kebby usually did

until excited by too copious drams of gin, when she talked freely and

unwisely to all the servants in the Square. It was to her observation

and invention that Berwin owed his bad reputation.

Well-known in every kitchen, Mrs. Kebby hobbled from one to the other,

gossiping about the various affairs of her various employers; and when

absolute knowledge failed she took to inventing details which did no

small credit to her imagination. Also, she could tell fortunes by

reading tea-leaves and shuffling cards, and was not above aiding the

maid servants in their small love affairs.

In short, Mrs. Kebby was a dangerous old witch, who, a century back,

would have been burnt at the stake; and the worst possible person for

Berwin to have in his house. Had he known of her lying and prating she

would not have remained an hour under his roof; but Mrs. Kebby was

cunning enough to steer clear of such a danger in the most dexterous

manner. She had a firm idea that Berwin had, in her own emphatic phrase,

"done something" for which he was wanted by the police, and was always

on the look out to learn the secret of his isolated life, in order to

betray him, or blackmail him, or get him in some way under her thumb. As

yet she had been unsuccessful.

Deeming her a weak, quiet old creature, Berwin, in spite of his

suspicious nature, entrusted Mrs. Kebby with the key of the front door,

so that she could enter for her morning's work without disturbing him.

The sitting-room door itself was not always locked, but Berwin usually

bolted the portal of his bedroom, and had invariably to rise and admit

Mrs. Kebby with his breakfast.

The same routine was observed each morning, and everything went

smoothly. Mrs. Kebby had heard of the blind shadows from several people,

and had poked and pryed about all over the house in the hope of arriving

at some knowledge of the substantial flesh and blood figures which cast

them. But in this quest, which was intended to put money into her own

pocket, she failed entirely; and during the whole six months of Berwin's

tenancy she never saw a living soul in No. 13 save her employer; nor

could she ever find any evidence to show that Berwin had received

visitors during her absence. The man was as great a mystery to Mrs.

Kebby as he was to the square, in spite of her superior opportunities of

learning the truth.

On Christmas Eve the old woman brought in a cold supper for Berwin, as

usual, making several journeys to and fro between hotel and house for

that purpose. She laid the table, made up the fire, and before taking

her leave asked Mr. Berwin if he wanted anything else.

"No, I think not," replied the man, who looked wretchedly ill. "You can

bring my breakfast to-morrow."

"At nine, sir?"

"At the usual time," answered Berwin impatiently. "Go away!"

Mrs. Kebby gave a final glance round to see that all was in order, and

shuffled out of the room as fast as her rheumatism would let her. As she

left the house eight o'clock chimed from the steeple of a near church,

and Mrs. Kebby, clinking her newly-received wages in her pocket, hurried

out of the square to do her Christmas marketing. As she went down the

street which led to it, Blinders, a burly, ruddy-faced policeman, who

knew her well, stopped to make an observation.

"Is that good gentleman of yours home, Mrs. Kebby?" he asked, in the

loud tones used to deaf people.

"Oh, he's home," grumbled Mrs. Kebby ungraciously, "sittin' afore the

fire like Solomon in all his glory. What d'ye want to know for?"

"I saw him an hour ago," explained Blinders, "and I thought he looked

ill."

"So he do, like a corpse. What of that? We've all got to come to it some

day. 'Ow d'ye know but what he won't be dead afore morning? Well, I

don't care. He's paid me up till to-night. I'm going to enj'y myself, I

am."

"Don't you get drunk, Mrs. Kebby, or I'll lock you up."

"Garn!" grunted the old beldame. "Wot's Christmas Eve for, if it ain't

for folk to enj'y theirselves? Y'are on duty early."

"I'm taking the place of a sick comrade, and I'll be on duty all night.

That's my Christmas."

"Well! well! Let every one enj'y hisself as he likes," muttered Mrs.

Kebby, and shuffled off to the nearest public house.

Here she began to celebrate the season, and afterwards went shopping;

then she celebrated the season again, and later carried home her

purchases to the miserable garret she occupied. In this den Mrs. Kebby,

with the aid of gin and water, celebrated the season until she drank

herself to sleep.

Next morning she woke in anything but an amiable mood, and had to

fortify herself with an early drink before she was fit to go about her

business.

It was almost nine when she reached the Nelson Hotel, and found the

covered tray with Mr. Berwin's breakfast waiting for her; so she hurried

with it to Geneva Square as speedily as possible, fearful of a scolding.

Having admitted herself into the house, Mrs. Kebby took up the tray with

both hands, and pushed open the sitting-room door with her foot. Here,

at the sight which met her eyes, she dropped the tray with a crash, and

let off a shrill yell.

The room was in disorder, the table was overturned, and amid the

wreckage of glass and china lay Mark Berwin, with outspread hands--stone

dead--stabbed to the heart.