Free She Painted her Face by Dornford Yates Page B

and Virgil put In his oar.
    "You may be strangers," he said, "but that doesn't put you above the law of the land."
    "Nor, I trust said Herrick, "beyond the traditional courtesy of its Inhabitants. What is your rank in the police?"
    Virgil flushed.
    "I am not in the police," he said.
    "Then why," said Herrick, "did you presume to address me?"
    "My name is—"
    "I have no desire," said Herrick, "to hear your name." He returned to the police. "You were saying that the matter was serious."
    ready to burst, but the sergeant went straight to the point.
    "I will be plain," he said. "A lady has been abducted— a lady of high degree. She was kidnapped early this morning upon her father's estate— at Brief— some ten miles from here." He held up our map. "I think you will hardly deny that you know where that is."
    "I have known where Brief was," said Herrick, "for twenty-three years."
    The others stared. Then:
    "We are dealing with the present," said Virgil.
    Herrick raised his eyebrows.
    "Allow me to suggest," he said, "that you should keep to yourself such— err— discoveries as you may make."
    He turned again to the police. "Yes, gentlemen?"
    The sergeant cleared his throat.
    "In view, sir, of what has occurred, I must ask you to explain the markings upon this map."
    "With pleasure," said Herrick
    "And I sincerely advise you to tell the truth."
    "You will find," said Herrick, "that we have nothing to hide."
    He fingered his chin.
    "I stayed at Brief, as a child, in 1912. My mother and the Countess Rudolph were very close friends. Happening to be at Innsbruck a week ago, I felt a strong desire to visit the castle again. For various reasons I did not wish to leave cards. Much has happened, you know, in twenty-three years. My mother, the Count of Brief, and the Countess Rudolph have died, the Lady Caroline has been born, and, worst of all, I'm told that a vulgar blackguard, the son of an uncle of hers, has the run of the place."
    Silence succeeded these moving words, the police regarding the gravel with goggling eyes and Virgil, dark red in the face, surveying Herrick with the glare of a baited beast.
    Herrick continued agreeably.
    "We, therefore, came here from Innsbruck on Sunday last. On Monday we started out to try to discover some spot from which we could view the castle, without going into the grounds. We only found one, and that was too far away. Determined not to be beaten, we tried for the next three days— with the aid of that map. And all in vain. Last night we reviewed the position, and found it thus: that we must either trespass or else go empty away.
    "Now, I do not like trespassing; but neither, I frankly confess, do I like going empty away. And in the end we decided to rise very early in the morning, enter the park from the north, and have a good look at the castle before anybody was up. And so— we did."
    For a moment I thought that Virgil was going to faint. All the colour was out of his face, which looked peaked and thin, and he did not seem to be breathing, but might have been turned to stone. Then a shiver ran through him. and a hand went up to his mouth.
    But the police had no eyes for him. The two were staring at Herrick as though they would read his soul.
    "At what times," said the sergeant, "did you enter and leave the estate?"
    "We entered at four and we left about half-past six."
    There was an electric silence. Then:
    "I am bound to inform you," said the sergeant, "that what you have just admitted makes your position most grave. The outrage was committed this morning at six o'clock."
    "Perhaps," said Herrick. "It was not committed by us."
    The sergeant shrugged his shoulders.
    "I shall have to—"
    "I think it is clear," said Virgil, "that this gentleman is telling the truth."
    The two police stared upon him as though he were out of his mind.
    "I mean, if he were guilty, he would scarcely have made an admission which put the rope round his neck."
    As soon as he could speak:
    "But, sir!" cried the