The Loring Mystery

Jeffery Farnol

Description

Jasper Shrig is a sort of a nineteenth century Sherlock Holmes. Thrilling events follow each other with the starling rapidity of machine gun fire on a still night. The hero’s villainous Uncle is found with a dagger run through his throat. Shrig is almost strangled to death in a subterranean passage. A ghost walks. Young David, the hero, knocks out several Goliaths with his American trained fists, and beautiful girls are often in peril of their virtue.

Sujets

• Policier & Thriller
• Policier
• Thriller
• Historical
• Detective
• Mystery
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Rare Treasure Editions
• Date de parution: 16 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781773236353
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Loring Mystery

by Jeffery Farnol

First published in 1924

This edition published by Rare Treasures

Victoria, BC Canada with branch offices in the Czech Republic and Germany

[e-mail]

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except in the case of excerpts by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
The Loring Mystery

by Jeffery Farnol

CHAPTER I

MR. JASPER SHRIG DISCOURSES ON CAPITAL COVES AND 'THE ACT'

The clock of St. Clement Danes was chiming the hour of eleven as Mr. Gillespie, folding up the brief which had engaged his attention all the evening, yawned, drained the last of his toddy and rose to betake himself to bed; indeed he had just taken up his chamber candle and was in the act of extinguishing the candelabrum upon the table when he paused and stood staring beneath puckered brows as a sudden knocking sounded upon the outer door.

For maybe a full minute Mr. Gillespie stood, his lank figure stooped a little forward, eyes fixed, grim lips close-set, listening to this soft yet very persistent rapping; then he crossed the cosy room to a bureau in a corner and opening a drawer took thence a ponderous horse-pistol; thus armed he reached for the candle and approached the front door, his age-worn slippers flip-flapping resolutely over the uneven flooring.

"Hullo!" cried he loudly, "Who is there?"

Here a hoarse murmur from beyond the stout oak.

"Who is it?" he demanded, "You must speak up!"

At this, the voice waxed louder and hoarser; whereupon Mr. Gillespie, as if reassured, set his unwieldy weapon upon the floor and proceeded to draw bolts, loose chains, unbar and turn massive key; whereupon the heavy door swung open to discover a shortish, thick-set man who beamed and blinked upon Mr. Gillespie from the shadow of a hat extremely shaggy as to nap and wide as to brim.

"You keeps yourself werry partickler secure, Mr. Gillespie sir!" said he, touching hat-brim with the knob of a stout and remarkably knobby stick. "Ay, secure is the vord, sir, v'ich ain't to be vondered at con-sidering that you, like me, are a objec' o' windictiveness to the wicious and per-werted, sir——"

"Ha, Shrig—confound it all!" exclaimed Mr. Gillespie reproachfully, "What i' the name o' reason should bring you down on me at this time o' night?"

"Business, Mr. Gillespie sir,—and Capital business at that!"

"Capital business, Shrig——?"

"Vith a capital C, sir."

"Ha, d'ye mean—Murder?"

"As ever vas, sir."

"Why then, step in, man, step in and let me fasten the door ... though you might ha' chosen a better time——"

"V'ich, sir, I vould take the liberty to remark, the better the deed the better the hour, for this here is a murder as should inter-est you oncommon, sir!"

"Hum!" quoth Mr. Gillespie dubiously; and, having shot the last bolt, led the way into his small, comfortable parlour and motioned his visitor to be seated. Mr. Shrig forthwith drew the second elbow-chair to the hearth, in doing which he dropped his hat, which gave forth a metallic clang.

"Eh!" exclaimed Mr. Gillespie, starting, "You still wear your iron hat, it seems?"

"Steel, sir! Lined wi' steel—my own inwention, and though a bit 'eavyish p'r'aps, I've found it werry good agin' Windictiveness in the form o' bludgeons, brick-bats, and a' occasional chimbley-pot."

So saying, Mr. Shrig smoothed his headgear's shaggy nap with caressing elbow and, placing it carefully upon the floor beneath his chair together with his knobbed stick, sat down, booted legs wide-planted, a hand upon each knee, and beamed placidly round the room.

A powerfully built man was Mr. Shrig, yet an extremely genial-faced man, though of a sober habit of dress, who seemed to radiate an obtrusive mildness as he sat, albeit he possessed a very bright and roving eye.

"You keeps yourself as-tonishing snug, sir," said he, gently rubbing the knees of his cords, "snug an' likewise werry partick'ler cosy, sir!" Here his keen glance darted from the kettle purring softly on the hob and thence flashed to linger upon the empty toddy-glass upon the table; observing which Mr. Gillespie reached a bottle and another glass from the corner cupboard; quoth he:

"You are partial to lemon-peel, Shrig, I think?"

"Partial indeed, sir, and never more so than v'en you do the mixin'—for, sir, you can brew a toddy as is beat by none and ek'alled only by my pal Corporal Dick's Vun and Only, as I think you'll allow?"

"Ay, to be sure," nodded Mr. Gillespie, bending to his fragrant task, "Corporal Richard Roe hath a nice judgment in such matters. How is the Corporal?"

"Hearty, sir, hearty as ever!"

"Taste that!" said Mr. Gillespie, setting a steaming glass before his guest. Mr. Shrig raised the fragrant beverage to his lips, sipped it gravely and stared at the floor, sipped it again and glanced at the opposite wall, sipped it a third time and lifted eyes ecstatic to the ceiling:

"Ha!" said he, and the word was a sigh.

"How is it, Shrig?"

"Sir," he answered, viewing the glass in his hand with respectful avidity, "except for the Corporal's Vun and Only, I've sluiced my ivories vith nothing no vise to ek'al this here since last I occipied this werry same arm-chair."

"Ay, and when was that, Shrig?"

"Three veeks ago Toosday, sir, on the matter o' the 'eadless lady ... the mootilated female corp', sir, the young voman as vas diskivered vithout her tibby, her napper, or as you might say her 'ead, sir."

"Ay, to be sure!" nodded Mr. Gillespie, reaching for his own glass, "I remember the case ... you ran the murderer down, Shrig."

"Appre-'ended same arter a desprit' struggle, a' oncommon wicious cove, sir! And betwixt us, you and me, ve had him dooly scragged ... he's a-dangling a-top o' Shooter's 'ill at this werry minute, sir, all nicely tarred and ironed——"

"And the heartless ruffian deserved it!" said Mr. Gillespie, frowning at the fire, "Richly deserved it."

"Vich desarved it is the vord, sir!" nodded Mr. Shrig, "And to-night, you an' me a-sittin' 'ere so nice and sociable, 'tis a sweet an' comforting thought to know as 'twas you and me set 'im a-sving on a werry 'igh gibbet v'ere he von't do nobody no 'arm no more."

"Hum!" muttered Mr. Gillespie, "Ha! And what brings you here to-night at such an hour, Shrig?"

"First, sir, I'd like to ax a few questions, if so agreeable——?"

"Which I shall answer or not as I think fit. Well, Shrig?"

"Werry good, sir. First then, you are lawyer to Sir Nevil Loring, Baronet, of Loring Chase, Sussex, I think?"

"I am. But how do you know this?"

"Second; you know as this here Sir Nevil is not and never vas the rightful heir?"

Mr. Gillespie very nearly dropped his glass; therefore he set it down carefully and leaned forward to stare at Mr. Shrig, who blinked placidly at the fire.

"The great wonder is how you should chance to learn this!"

"Sir," continued Mr. Shrig, sipping his toddy with the greatest relish, "I like vise 'appen to know that Sir Nevil Loring had a twin brother, Humphrey by name, born 'arf an hour afore 'im and conseqvently the true heir. But this here Humphrey vas big and easy o' natur' and Nevil vas small and remarkable 'ard ... moreover they both loved the same young lady, and she, being no fool, chose Humphrey, vereupon Nevil took on most ferocious ... there vas even talk o' bloodshed—a dooel. But this vas years and years back. Howsomever, Humphrey married the lady, and to awoid further battle, murder or sudden death, took his share o' the fortun' an emigrated to the Southern States of America, leaving Nevil in possession o' the title and estates."

"Ha!" exclaimed Mr. Gillespie, his sharp eyes keener than ever, "What more, Shrig?"

"V'y, sir, I likevise 'appen to know as Humphrey, dying not long ago, an' none too much money, leaves a son David, aged twenty-four. Vich son David, finding out all this here family history, sells what property his father has left and takes ship to England werry determined to claim his right and dispossess his paternal uncle Sir Nevil Loring, Baronet, according to law. So there stands the case at present, Mr. Gillespie sir. Am I right in my fax, ay or no, sir?"

"God bless my soul!" ejaculated the lawyer, staring at his companion beneath shaggy eyebrows knit in frowning perplexity while he rasped at his bony chin with long, nervous fingers like one very much at a loss.

"Ah!" murmured Mr. Shrig, nodding benignantly at the fire again, "So my fax is right? Though, to be sure, I knowed they vas, sir."

Something in the speaker's placid assurance seemed to disconcert Mr. Gillespie so very much that he rose and took a turn up and down the room.

"Damme, Shrig!" he exclaimed at last, "How in the world d'ye know all this—this that hath been a secret buried these many years ... how?"

"First of all, sir," answered Mr. Shrig, folding his powerful hands and beaming down at them, "First of all by obserwation, sir, deduction ... addin' a bit here, substractin' a bit theer and by con-clusions drawed according. And secondly, sir, all along of a most ree-markable co-insidence."

"But what should turn your attention to Sir Nevil Loring of all people in this teeming world?"

Mr. Shrig sipped his glass and smiled dreamily at the fire again.

"V'y, Mr. Gillespie sir, since you ax me so p'inted and since you are a gent as I respex both as lawyer and man and us 'aving been associated in more than one Capital case, and nobody about to peep nor yet to pry ... I'll tell ye! Sir, I have took, in a quiet way, a' ama