chapter-3

I spent the night in the hills. It was cold, and I did not have a coat. My coat, Scudder's

notebook and my watch were with Mr Turnbull. I only had some money and some biscuits in

my pocket. I ate some of the biscuits and tried to keep warm. I was feeling better. I had been

very lucky so far. The milkman, the hotel owner, Sir Harry, the roadman, and even Marmaduke

had helped me. I felt like I might succeed. I was very hungry. I fell asleep thinking about

food. I woke up very cold early in the morning. I did not know where I was. I stood up and looked

down into the valley. I saw men a few hundred metres below. I put on my boots quickly. Marmaduke

had been quick to call the police. I started walking up the hill. The men behind me were

walking upwards, too. I ran for a kilometer until I reached the top of the hill. Then I stood

up and showed myself. One of the men noticed me and shouted. I pretended to go down the

other side of the hill, but instead I went back the way I had come. Twenty minutes later

I turned and looked. The men were now at the top of the hill. I kept walking and soon there

was a deep valley between me and the men. I was feeling good. I ate some more of the biscuits.

I did not know much about the place, but I kept moving. I was in front of the men for

a while, but soon they caught up. I started running as fast as I could. I was down in

the moor now. I could not see the men behind me. I crossed a big road and reached a field.

After a while a road appeared. I knew it would lead to a house, so I ran as fast as I could

in that direction. Finally, I saw a farmhouse in the distance. I looked back. No one was

behind me. I crossed the grass and looked through the window. I saw an old gentleman

watching me. I opened the door and went in. I was in a nice room filled with books. There

were glass cases filled with old objects. It was like a museum. Sitting at a desk in the

middle of the room was the old gentleman. There were books and papers on the desk. The

gentleman had a kind face and a bald head. He was wearing glasses. He looked like a smart

and knowledgeable man.

You are in a hurry, my friend, he said slowly. I looked out of the window. We could both see

the men walking through the grass. Ah, I see, he said. You are running away from the police,

are you? Well, we'll talk about that later. I don't want the police in my house. Go into

my study, and you will see two doors. Take the one on the left and close it behind you. You will

be safe there. He picked up his pen again and started writing. I did what he told me to do.

I was in a little dark room with a small window high up in the wall. The room smelled of chemicals,

but I did not feel safe. Something about the old gentleman made me uncomfortable. He had

not been surprised to see me in his house. And his eyes were very intelligent. They frightened me.

I stood there waiting, trying to forget my hunger.

Suddenly there was a click, and the door opened. I left the dark room and found the old gentleman

sitting in his study. They have gone, he said. I told the police that you had gone over the hill.

This is a lucky morning for you, Mr. Richard Hany.

As he spoke, his eyes half closed. Immediately I remembered Scudder talking about the most

dangerous man in the world, an old man with a young voice who would narrow his eyes like a snake.

I realized I was in the hands of my enemies. I thought about hitting the old man and running

away, but he smiled and pointed at the door behind me. I turned and saw two men holding guns.

The old man knew my name, but he had never seen me before, so I made another plan.

I don't know what you mean, I said. I'm not Richard Hany. My name's Ned Ainsley.

Yes, you have many names, he said, still smiling. I looked at him angrily.

So you're going to hand me over to the police. I wish I had never seen that car. Here's the money.

I put the four pounds on the table. Oh, no, I won't give you up. We have a private problem, you and me.

You know too much, Mr. Hany.

Oh, stop it, I cried. I have been unlucky since I left my ship in Edinburgh.

I took some money from a crashed car I found. What's wrong with that?

The police have been after me for two days, I'm tired of it. Do what you want, I don't care.

I've got no more energy. I could see the doubt in the old man's face.

Tell me what you've been doing in the last few days, he said.

I can't, sir, I said, trying to sound like a beggar. I've not eaten in two days.

Give me something to eat. Then I'll tell you everything.

The men brought me some food. As I ate, the old man said something to me in German.

I looked at him with a blank face. Then I told him my story. I was a sailor and had left my

ship in Edinburgh a week ago. I was traveling across Scotland to see my brother. I had found

a car in a river and taken some money from it. I had not seen the owner of the car.

But the police were after me.

They can have the money back, I cried. It has only brought me trouble.

You're a good liar, honey, the old man said. Stop calling me, honey, I cried angrily.

My name's Ainsley, and I don't know anyone called honey. I'm tired of your hannies and your guns.

I'm grateful for the food, but I want to go now.

The old man looked puzzled. He had never seen me, and I did not look like my photographs.

I used to be smart and well -dressed. Now I looked like a beggar.

I won't let you go. If you are Mr. Ainsley, you will soon prove it. But if you are not,

he rang a bell and a third man came in.

I want the car in five minutes, he said. There will be three for lunch.

Then he looked at me. It was frightening to look at his eyes.

They were cold and evil. They were like the eyes of a snake. I tried to look at him and smile.

You'll know me next time we meet, I said.

Carl, he said, to one of the men in German. Put this man in the backroom until I return.

The backroom was cold and dark and filled with boxes and sacks.

The men pushed me in and locked the door from the outside. I could hear their feet outside.

I sat down in the darkness, feeling upset.

The old man has gone to bring those two men who talked to me yesterday, I thought.

They have seen me as the roadman, and they will remember me.

I have no chance to escape. I wish the police found me. They would be nicer than these evil men.

The three men were coming back for lunch, so I had only two hours.

I thought about Scudder and his plan. I did not have his courage.

I only had anger, a lot of anger. I had to do something.

I tried opening the windows, but they were locked. I tried opening the boxes, but could not.

As I went around the room, I found a door in the wall. I pushed it open.

It was a cupboard with shelves. There were some strange things in it.

I found some matches and used them to see better. There were bottles of chemicals,

coils of copper wire and a lot of fuses. I found a wooden box and broke it to open it.

Inside the box there were grey bricks. I picked one up and smelled it. It was an explosive.

I could blow the house up with only one of these bricks. I did not know how to use them,

but I had to try. This was my only chance of saving myself and my country.

I put one of the explosive bricks near the door. Then I got a detonator and attached it to a fuse.

I fixed this to the brick. I hit behind some boxes under the window and lit the fusy.

I waited. There was silence. Five seconds later there was a big explosion.

The wall opposite me exploded into a bright yellow light and came down with great noise.

Something fell on my left shoulder. I passed out. A few seconds later I woke up.

It was hard to breathe. There was yellow smoke everywhere.

I stood up and saw a hole in the wall. I climbed out into the garden.

I felt ill, but I tried to walk. There was an old water mill on the other side of the garden.

I walked to it and fell into the water. The cool water felt good.

I climbed out of the water and, with great difficulty, crawled inside the mill.

I looked out of the window. The house was on fire. I could hear people screaming.

But the mill was not a good hiding place. It would be easy to find me here.

From another window I saw an old dove cot on the far side of the garden.

It would be a better hiding place for me. So I crawled out of the mill slowly.

I got to the dove coat and started climbing. It was the most difficult thing I ever did.

My shoulder and arm hurt badly and I felt ill. Finally I made it to the top. Then I passed out again.

When I woke up, my head was burning and the sun was in my face.

I lay there without moving. Then I heard voices. I looked through a hole in the wall and saw men

with guns. They were walking towards the mill. I saw the bald man and the fat man with the lisp.

They searched the mill for half an hour. Then they came out and stood under the dove coat and

talked. One of them tried to open the door, but it was locked. I thought they were coming up,

but they went back to the house. I lay on the rooftop all afternoon. I was very thirsty

and I could see and hear the water from the mill. I could see all of the more from the rooftop.

I saw two men drive away in a car and a man on a horse riding east. They were looking for me,

but I also saw something more interesting. The house was on a hill close to the top.

Behind the house I could see the top of the hill which was covered in big trees.

But the trees were strange. They formed a circle and inside the circle there was grass

like a football field. In a moment I knew what this was. It was a secret airfield. Anyone watching

a plane landing here would think it was flying over the hill. The place was on top of a hill so

no one from any direction could see a plane land. Then I realised that if the plane came now

the pilot would see me. So I lay down and did not move. I waited for night time.

It was almost dark when the plane came. I watched it land. I saw some lights for some time,

but then they disappeared. Luckily it was a dark night. I could not wait any longer because I was

too thirsty. At about nine o 'clock I climbed down. I crawled until I reached the trees around the

house. I had to get out of there, but I had to be very careful. Slowly I moved on my hands and

knees. Then I found a wire about 50 centimetres above the ground. It was an alarm system. I was

glad I had not stepped on the wire. A hundred metres away there was another wire. After that

it was the open moor. I kept walking and fifteen minutes later I found a water spring.

I drank litres of cold water. After that I did not stop until I was ten kilometres from that terrible

house. I sat down on a hilltop to make a plan. I was not feeling well. My body was hurting. I had

a terrible headache and felt very sick. I could not move my arm. My plan was to find Mr Turnbull's

house and get back my clothes and the notebook. Then I would take the train to the south. My goal

was to meet Sir Walter Bulluvant from the foreign office as soon as possible. It was a clear night,

so it was easy to find my way. I had to go south west to come to the stream where I had met the

roadman. It was probably thirty kilometres away. I had a terrible appearance. My clothes were torn

and my hands were black. I had no coat, waistcoat or hat. When the sun rose I stopped by a river

and washed myself. I was very hungry. I saw a small house and knocked on the door.

A woman opened the door. I told her I had had a bad fall and I was not well.

She was a nice old lady. She gave me some milk and let me sit by the fire.

Then she gave me her husband's old coat and a hat. I put them on and I looked just like a

Scotsman. I thanked her and left. I kept walking. Around midday it started to rain. I lay under a

rock and fell asleep. It was night time when I woke up. I felt terrible. My shoulder was hurting

badly. I ate the slice of cake the old woman had given me and started on my way. It was not a good

night. It rained all night and there were no stars. I got lost twice. I knew that I was not too far

from the roadman's house. I used the last of my energy to keep walking. Finally I reached Mr.

Turnbull's house early in the morning. I knocked on the door. Mr. Turnbull opened the door.

He was wearing an old black sweet and a tie. At first he did not recognize me.

Who are you and what are you doing here on a Sunday morning? He asked. I was feeling so

unwell that I could not answer. Then he recognized me and saw that I was ill.

Have you got my glasses? He asked. I took them out of my pocket and gave them to him.

You want your clothes? He said. Come in. You look terrible. Come. Sit down.

I had a high fever and was shaking. Mr. Turnbull helped me take off my clothes and put me to bed.

He was a good friend. His wife had died and his daughter had gotten married so he lived alone.

He took care of me for ten days until my fever was gone. My shoulder felt better too.

Every morning he left me milk, locked the door and went to work.

And every evening he sat by the fire. He did not ask me any questions. Sometimes he brought

me a newspaper. I did not find any news about the Portland Place murder. One day he gave me

my money back. There's a lot of money here, he said. You'd better count it.

I was feeling better now. I wanted to start on my way soon. It was the 12th of June.

I tried to give Mr. Turnbull some money but he refused to take it. I was able to make him take

five pounds for my stay. We said good -byes and I left. The train station was 20 kilometers away.

I walked all day. The train to the south left at midnight so I had a lot of time. I went to the

hillside and slept under a tree. I woke up too late and I had to run to catch the train.

When I finally got on the train and sat in my seat I felt very happy. I was on my way to

finish my job. I slept all night. The next day I changed train several times. At about eight

o 'clock in the evening I arrived at the little station at Artinswell. I started walking.

I walked along a road that went into a wood. Soon I was in a green valley. It was beautiful.

The trees were full of flowers. I came to a bridge over a clear stream. The place had calmed me down.

I started whistling the song Annie Laurie. A fisherman walked up from the water side.

As he got near he began to whistle the same song. He was a big man in old clothes and a wide hat.

He smiled. He had a kind and intelligent face.

The water is clear, isn't it? He said. Look at that big fish, but it's very difficult to catch him.

I can't see him. I said, look there, near the plants over there. Yes, I see him now. He looks like a black stone.

Yes, he said. He whistled. Annie Laurie again. Your name is Twizden, isn't it? He said his eyes on the water.

No, I said. I mean yes. I had forgotten the name I had given Sir Harry.

It's good that you know your own name, he said, as he smiled.

I looked at this intelligent kind man. At last I had someone I could trust.

He pointed to a house by the river, wait five minutes and then come to the back door.

And he walked away. I waited for five minutes. Then I went to the house.

The back door was open and a butler was waiting for me.

Come this way, sir, he said. He took me to a nice bedroom looking towards the river.

There were some clothes, shaving things, hair brushes and a pair of shoes.

There's a bathroom next door, he said. Dinner is in half an hour, sir.

He left. I sat down in a chair. It was also amazing, so Walter believed in me.

I looked in the mirror and saw a wild, tired looking man, with a two week beard and dust in his ears

and eyes, wearing his old clothes. I shaved, bathed and put on the clean clothes. I looked

in the mirror again and saw a different man, so Walter was waiting for me in the dining room.

I decided to tell him the truth about myself.

Thank you very much for everything, sir, I said. But I must tell you something. I'm not a murderer,

but the police are after me. If you want me to leave, I can leave now. He smiled.

That's all right. Let's eat now. We can talk after dinner.

I enjoyed dinner very much. It was an excellent meal and I had not eaten good food in a long time.

After dinner, we went to his study for coffee.

I've done what Harry asked me to do, he said. He said you would tell me something very important.

I'm ready, Mr. Haney. I noticed that he was using my real name. I told him the whole story,

starting from the night I came home to find Scudder at my door. I told him everything Scudder had

told me about Carolides. Then I told him about the murder, the milkman, Scotland, and of course

the notebook. You've got it here, he asked. He looked relieved when I took it from my pocket.

I did not tell him about what was inside the notebook. Then I told him about meeting Sir Harry.

He laughed out loud. My day as a roadman interested him. He asked me to describe the two men in the car.

He laughed again when I told him about Marmaduke Jopley. But when I described the old man in the

house, he stopped smiling. Old, bald, and narrowed his eyes like a snake. He sounds evil,

and you blew up his house. That was brave. It was the end of my story. He stood up slowly and looked

at me. Don't worry about the police, he said. They are not after you. Have they caught the murderer?

No, but they know it is not you. How? Because I got a letter from Scudder. I knew him a little.

He was a strange man, but he was honest. I had a letter from him on the 31st of May.

But he died on the 24th of May. The letter was written and posted on the 23rd.

His letters took a week to reach me, because they went to Spain and then to Newcastle. He was

very careful about these things. What did he say in the letter? That he was in danger. He said he

was living with a good friend. He said he was living near Portland Place. When I got the letter,

I went to Scotland Yard and talked to the police. We found out that you were the friend.

I was feeling very relieved. I was a free man once again.

Now let's look at the little notebook, said Sir Walter. We studied the notebook for an hour.

I explained the code and we read the notes together. When we had finished, he sat silent for some time.

I don't know what to say, he said at last. He is right about one thing, the meeting on the 15th.

It was a secret. How did it come out? But all this about war and the black stone?

It seems very strange. Scudder like to make things more dramatic. I wish I could trust him.

The black stone. It's like a cheap detective story. And all this about Carolidus.

I know that every country in Europe likes him. He will live longer than both of us.

No, Scudder is wrong there. But there's something bad going on. Scudder found out and got killed for it.

But all this about the Navy's war plans. I don't believe that part of the story, honey.

Just then the butler entered the room. There's a telephone call from London, Sir Walter.

So Walter went out. When he came back five minutes later his face was white.

I apologized to Scudder, he said. Carolidus was shot dead this evening at seven o 'clock.