"Not a bit. What will you do now?"
"Take it to the man who does?"
"Who is that?"
"Why," said Chard, coolly, "the man to whom it is written--Captain Shackel. I'll make him read it to me." Then Chard went off.
Left alone, Johnson sighed. "If Finland is innocent," he thought, "I fear we shall never know who killed poor Tera."
[CHAPTER XIV]
AN AMAZING INCIDENT
Grimleigh hummed like a hive in the swarming season. Through Slade, via his tattling wife, the news of Finland's arrest was spread with the rapidity of influenza. As usual, rumour increased as a snowball does, and that evening half the town knew how Finland had met Tera by accident near Carwell's field, how he had quarrelled with her, strangled her, and fled with the pearls, to sell them in London and buy a schooner. The circumstantial account was given with a wealth of detail which did credit to the imagination of those who repeated it. But there were some who declined to believe that so popular and genial a man as Jack could be guilty of a cold-blooded crime. The man's whole life gave the lie to it.
Amongst those who refused credence to the accusation was Carwell. The old farmer was greatly agitated by the news of the arrest, and forthwith sought out Chard at Grimleigh police-office, shortly before the inspector departed for Poldew. For the last hour Chard, with the cypher-letter in his pocket, had been seeking Captain Jacob without success. The skipper was not on the schooner, or in the town; and Chard feared he would be forced to postpone the delivery of the letter until next morning. This would be inconvenient, as he was bound to be at Poldew when Finland was brought up--as he would be next day--before the magistrate. But the inspector was determined that no one should deliver the letter but himself, for he intended to force Shackel to translate it. Finally, Chard resolved to take Jack with him to Poldew on that night, and leave Slade behind, with instructions to find and bring on Captain Shackel the next morning. He had just arranged this with Slade when Carwell made his appearance, perturbed and angry.
"What's all this?" demanded the old man, anxiously. "I hear that my nephew has been arrested."