The case of the Black Twenty-Two

The fact that it was an unusually sunny morning for an English summer day had not put Peter Daventry in the mood that it undoubtedly should have done. A riotous evening—during w...

When Peter entered the Galleries there were comparatively few people present. A knot of interested art-enthusiasts had gathered in front of a superb “Reynolds” dated 1765. It wa...

“Give that to the Inspector who has the case in hand, will you?” he said; “it’s just possible I may be able to help him.” He looked straight at the officer.

To say that Goodall and his companions were dumbfounded is no exaggeration. Events were crowding upon them this morning with a vengeance. The announcement of this second murder...

Sergeant Clegg assumed an air of profound sagacity, which did not altogether become him too well. At the moment he was a prey to conflicting emotions. A police-officer’s career...

The Sergeant felt hope surging in his breast. Up to this moment his investigations had yielded little, but this sudden discovery, he felt, had at last set him moving. This “M. L...

For the second time on that eventful morning Sergeant Clegg felt at loggerheads with circumstances. For the second time he felt that the Law had received a set-back—that he, its...

Peter Daventry glanced at the clock on Paddington platform. He saw with undisguised relief that he was a good quarter of an hour to the good. “Curse this beastly wrist-watch,” h...

He introduced them. Sergeant Clegg was visibly impressed. “Pleased to meet you, gentlemen,” he announced—“though it’s a sad business, to be sure, that has thrown us together.” H...

Mr. Bathurst bowed his acknowledgment. And at the same time felt that matters were progressing. Progressing, perhaps, a trifle _too_ quickly, and at a rate that, to a less alert...

Stewart met them at the French doors. “Inspector Goodall and Sergeant Clegg are here already. We shall have to postpone our visit to the Museum Room till later. Come in, will yo...

Anthony gave him a glance of approval. Then watched Clegg depart with heavy and important tread. “Tell Mr. Charles Stewart we should like to speak to him for a moment,” he calle...

“I did, sir. According to my information the man was between thirty and forty—his wife about the same. They had been at Blanchard’s Hotel about a week—I didn’t wait for any more...

The Colonel made this announcement with an air! “By Gad!” it seemed to say—“I’ll show these police fellers and detective Johnnies that they aren’t the only people that can use t...

Peter tossed it to him—rather ungraciously let it be said. “Read it yourself, though it seems to me to concern Miss Lennox herself and Miss Lennox only.” He pushed his hands int...

Anthony interrupted him a trifle impatiently. “Those little mud pellets and small stones told me an unmistakable story. It seemed to me a most important factor in the case—remem...

Anthony took out his pocket-knife and carefully extracted the bullet from its paper bed. “I think that Goodall will have little difficulty in fitting this to Stewart’s own revol...

Outside the library Anthony ran into Charles Stewart. “With your permission, Mr. Stewart,” he said, “I should like to run up to town this evening on an urgent matter. I’ve just...

Goodall caught eagerly at the idea. “Waring,” he said to his subordinate—“you can get along now. Report to me at the ‘Yard’ in the morning—I’m going along with Mr. Bathurst here.”

An observer of discernment would have formed the opinion that Mr. Bathurst had fallen a victim to the fascination of the history of the Stuarts. At least half a dozen volumes we...

Anthony listened. “Yes—that’s all right, old man. I got your message and of course I knew from that that everything was O. K. down at Assynton . . . What . . . When? . . . Monda...

The inquest that afternoon took its course as Inspector Goodall had foreshadowed. Formal identification of the body was taken by the Coroner, and almost immediately afterwards,...

“Goodall,” murmured Anthony, “I shall never be able to forget entirely the look on your face this afternoon when I asked you to fall in with my arrangements. It was an education...

The library door closed upon the three prisoners. Goodall’s mouth was set in lines that were grim and hard—the man-hunting game is no occupation for the squeamish. “Clegg and hi...

He laid the dirty padded mass on the library table, and started to pull the soft fleecy substance to pieces. From the first corner he extracted a magnificent specimen of a black...