Somewhere in the quiet house heavy feet were banging and pounding, drawing nearer as though with a message. The door to the hall opened; the combination of dingy daylight and bright lamplight made an ineffectual mask of Sergeant Davis's face.
"Sir" he said, and breathed with his tongue between his teeth as though he had bitten it. "Sir, there's something wrong. There-"
"Is there, son?" rumbled H.M. quietly. "Take it easy, now."
"It's Colonel Charters, sir. The-the maid — I don't know — the maid tells me he got into the car — and drove away hell-for-leather over half an hour ago — with Mrs. Charters and certain things "
It was Evelyn who pounced on the desk and picked up the sheet scrawled in blue penciling with H.M.'s hand. I think, although I am not sure of it, that she read it aloud; but the words seem before my mind in print rather than in voice.
"'You're the murderer, Charters,' that writing seemed to echo; `and I'm letting you read this because you won't take a hint and because I want you to get away. They say poisoning is the meanest and lowest crime in the sight of the law; but, God help me, Charters, I can't do it to an old friend. Don't you see, they'll all be on to you to-morrow morning as soon as they've had a chance to look at that "counterfeit" money that only yourself has handled so far? I can't stop them. But I can give you an hour to get clear if you go now; and if you cut the 'phone wires and disable the cars you'll have more. Besides, you're not so bad, Charters. You wouldn't fasten the crime on living people, who could suffer, when it would have been easy. You only swore it was a dead man. Worse things have been done. Worse things will be done again. H.M.'
The rain had ceased. In the weird and changing lights, a faint flicker of sunlight came up over the sea and began to sweep the cobwebs out of the room. We could even hear the drag and murmur of the surf. H.M. sat with his hand shading his eyes; and even when we spoke to him he did not take it away.
"He's a clever man," said H.M. "I hope, and I believe, that he'll get away."