The Black Box | Page 8

she
had been seated, but her head was thrown back in an unnatural fashion.
There was a red mark just across her throat. The small table by her side
had been overturned, and the chocolate was running in a little stream
across the floor. The elevator boy was the first to speak.
"Holy shakes!" he exclaimed. "What's happened?"
"Can't you see?" Lenora shrieked. "She's fainted! And the
diamonds--the diamonds have gone!"

The fireman was already at the telephone. In less than a minute one of
the managers from the office came running in. Lenora was dashing
water into Ella's still, cold face.
"She's fainted!" she shrieked. "Fetch a doctor, some one. The diamonds
have gone!"
The young man was already at the telephone. His hand shook as he
took up the receiver. He turned to the elevator boy.
"Run across to number seventy-three--Doctor Morton's," he ordered.
"Don't you let any one come in, fireman. Don't either of you say a word
about this. Here, Exchange, urgent call. Give me the police-station--yes,
police-station!... Don't be a fool, girl," he added under his breath. "You
won't do any good throwing water on her like that. Let her alone for a
moment.... Yes! Manager, Leeland Hotel, speaking. A murder and
robbery have taken place in this hotel, suite number forty-three. I am
there now. Nothing shall be touched. Send round this moment."
The young man hung up the receiver. Lenora was filling the room with
her shrieks. He took her by the shoulder and pushed her back into a
chair.
"Shut up, you fool!" he exclaimed. "You can't do any good making a
noise like that."
"She said she saw the door handle turn," Lenora sobbed. "I went to
fetch Macdougal. He'd gone out. When I came back she was there--like
that!"
"What door handle?" the manager asked.
Lenora pointed. The young man crossed the room. The lock was still in
its place, the door refused to yield. As he turned around the doctor
arrived. He hurried at once to Ella's side.
"Hands still warm," he muttered, as he felt them.... "My God! It's the
double knot strangle!"

He bent over Ella for several moments. Then he rose to his feet. The
door from outside had been opened once more. A police inspector,
followed by a detective, had entered.
"This is your affair, gentlemen, not mine," the doctor said gravely.
"The young lady is dead. She has been cruelly strangled within the last
five or ten minutes."
The Inspector turned around.
"Lock the outside door," he ordered his man. "Has any one left the
room, Mr. Marsham?"
"No one," the manager declared.
"Who discovered her?"
"The maid."
Lenora rose to her feet. She seemed a little calmer but the healthy
colour had all gone from her cheeks and her lips were twitching.
"Her ladyship had just come in from the Opera," she said. "She was
sitting in her easy-chair. I was in the bedroom. She looked toward the
handle of that door. She thought it moved. She called me. I tried it and
found it fast locked. She sent for Mr. Macdougal."
"Macdougal," Mr. Marsham explained, "is a confidential servant of
Lord Ashleigh's. He was sent over here with Lady Ella."
The Inspector nodded.
"Go on."
"I found Mr. Macdougal's door locked. He must have gone out. When I
came back here, I found this!"
The Inspector made a careful examination of the room.

"Tell me," he enquired, "is this the young lady who owned the
wonderful Ashleigh diamonds?"
"They've gone!" Lenora shrieked. "They've been stolen! She was
wearing them when I left the room!"
The Inspector turned to the telephone.
"Mr. Marsham," he said, "I am afraid this will be a difficult affair. I am
going to take the liberty of calling in an expert. Hello. I want Number
One, New York City--Mr. Sanford Quest."
4.
There seemed to be nothing at all original in the methods pursued by
the great criminologist when confronted with this tableau of death and
robbery. His remarks to the Inspector were few and perfunctory. He
asked only a few languid questions of Macdougal and Lenora, who
were summoned to his presence.
"You had left the hotel, I understand, at the time when the crime
occurred?" he asked the latter.
Macdougal, grave and respectful, made his answers with difficulty. His
voice was choked with emotion.
"I brought my mistress home from the Opera, sir. I rode on the box
with Mrs. Delarey's chauffeur. After I had seen her safely in the hotel, I
went up to my room for two minutes and left the hotel by the back
entrance."
"Any one see you go?"
"The door-keeper, sir, and I passed a page upon the stairs."
"Wasn't it rather late for you to go out?"
"My days are a little dull