"Oh, he's all right," said Heyton. "I mean, the doctor thinks he'll pull
round. Here, don't make more fuss than is necessary, Smith; keep the
house quiet and tell the servants to keep their mouths shut."
Smith looked at him with surprise; for Heyton's manner was scarcely that
of a son whose father had nearly been done to death. The Inspector was
in the hall and Heyton signed to him to follow into the library.
"This is dreadful news, my lord," said the Inspector.
"Rather!" assented Heyton. He was very pale, and his hair was dank with
sweat, and his tongue moved over his lips thickly, with a restless,
feverish movement. "Here, we'd better have a drink before we begin. I'm
terribly upset. Only natural, eh, Inspector?--Own father, you
know?--Bring in some soda and whisky," he ordered the footman who
answered the bell.
"Not for me, my lord, thank you," said the Inspector, respectfully.
Heyton poured out half a glassful of whisky, made a pretence of adding
soda, and swallowed the spirit.
"Absolutely upset," he said, wiping his lips on his handkerchief. "But
there! I half expected it. I was telling my father only last night--or
was it the night before?--about those damned gipsies on the common. I
warned him; yes, I warned him."
"Gipsies, my lord?" said the Inspector. "You suspect them?"
"Who else am I to suspect?" demanded Heyton, with a sideway glance of
his bloodshot eyes.
"That remains to be seen, my lord," said the Inspector quietly; "for
myself, I don't think the gipsies have had any hand in this. I should
like you to tell me everything you know about the affair, please, my
lord."
"Certainly, Inspector," responded Heyton, promptly. "But, you see, I
know precious little; in fact, I don't know anything. My man came
bursting into my room this morning, and told me they'd found my
father--well, as you know, lying in his dressing-room, badly knocked
about; and, of course, I went straight to his room, and--that's all I
know about it."
"Quite so, my lord. I should like to see the room at once."
"Come on, then," said Heyton. He was quite calm, and was quite proud of
being so calm. The Inspector might look at the room as long as he liked;
it wouldn't tell him anything of the truth.
They went up to the dressing-room, and the Inspector walked straight to
the safe and began to look, not at its contents, but along the edge of
the door. He nodded with a kind of satisfaction, and said: "I've wired for a detective; he's more at home at this kind of case than
I am."