第41章

He who shakes the tree of Vengeance but harvests apples of Sodom in whose fruit of ashes he becomes buried, for the wage of the sinner is death.

There was no doubt of Ragobah's guilt in any of our minds, so that action at our end of the line seemed entirely useless, and nothing was left us but to quietly await whatever developments Maitland should disclose.We were not kept long in suspense, for in less than a week his next letter arrived.I broke its seal in the presence of Gwen and my sister who, if possible, were even more excited than I myself.Is it to be wondered at? Here was the letter which was to tell us whether or not the murderer of John Darrow had been caught.We felt that if Ragobah had returned to India, according to his expressed intention, there could be no doubt upon this point.But had he so returned? I read as follows:

MY DEAR DOCTOR:

The Dalmatia arrived as expected on Thursday, and on her came Ragobah.I had him arrested as he stepped from the boat.When examined he did not seem in the least disconcerted at the charges I preferred against him.This did not surprise me, however, as I had expected that a man who could roll his naked body over the burning sands from Mabaj an to the Ganges, and who could rise from the Vaisyan to the Brahman caste, - albeit he fell again, - would not be likely to betray his cause by exhibiting either fear or excitement.He acknowledged his acquaintance with Mr.Darrow and the ill-feeling existing between them.When charged with his murder at Dorchester on the night of the 22d of April he coolly asked if I were aware when and how he had left India.Ihad not neglected to look this matter up and told him he had left on the same steamer which had brought him back - the Dalmatia -=20 which should have arrived at New York on the 21st of April, thus leaving him ample time to get to Boston before the night of the 22d.To this he replied with the utmost assurance.(I give you the exact gist of what he said.Since I was not able to immediately commit his language to writing, you will, of course, hardiy expect me to remember those peculiar Oriental idioms which an Indian, however great his command of English, never drops.What I say here is, of course, true of all conversations I put before you except such as I practically reported.) - But to return to our muttons.As I was saying, he replied with the utmost assurance:

"The Sahib is right.I did sail upon the Dalmatia, due at New York on the 21st of April.This steamer, as you are perhaps aware, is propelled by twin screws.On the trip in question she broke one of her propellers in mid-Atlantic and in consequence, arrived in New York on the 24th of April, three days late, without the transference of any of her passengers to other boats.If you will take the trouble to at once verify this statement at the steamship office, you will be able to relieve me of the annoyance of further detention."All this was said with a rare command of language and a cold, cynical politeness which cut like a knife.I at first thought it was merely a ruse to gain time, but the steamship officials substantiated every word uttered by Ragobah relative to their vessel.The Dalmatia had steamed into New York at eleven o'clock on the morning of the 24th day of April with a broken screw!

Imagine my amazement! The net of circumstantial evidence wound around Ragobah seemed to be such as to leave no possibility of escape, and yet, the very first effort made to draw it tighter about him had resulted in his walking, with the utmost ease, right through its meshes! There is no gainsaying such an alibi, and I am, therefore, forced to acknowledge that Rama Ragobah could not, by any possibility, have murdered John Darrow.That he may have planned the deed and that he may have intended to be present at its execution is quite possible, but we may at once dismiss the idea of his having personally committed the act.Youwill immediately appreciate that nearly all of the evidence which we secured against Ragobah was directed against him as the assassin, and is of little or no use to prove his complicity in an affair committed by another.In his hatred of Mr.Darrow we have, I believe, a sufficient motive for the act, but what evidence have we to support the theory that the murder was committed by anyone acting in his interests? I must confess my inability to detect, at present writing, the slightest evidence that Ragobah acted through an accomplice.So, here the matter rests.

I may state in closing that Ragobah has requested the "pleasure" (sic) of a private interview with me on Malabar Hill to-morrow night.As there is a bare possibility he may let fall something which may shed some light upon the accomplice hypothesis, I have agreed to meet him at the entrance to the little cave at nine o'clock.He has requested that I come (alone and I shall do so, but, lest you fear for my safety, let me assure you that I know very well the unscrupulous nature of the man with whom I am to deal and that I shall take good care not to afford him any opportunity to catch me unawares.You will hear from me again after I meet Ragobah.

Remember me kindly to Miss Darrow.The failure of my enterprise will, I know, be a bitter disappointment to her, and you must temper this acknowledgment of it with such a hope of ultimate success as you may enjoy.Tell her I shall never cease my efforts to solve this mystery so long as I am able to find a clue, however slight, to follow.At present I am all at sea, and it looks as if I should have to go clear back and start all over again.Ragobah, as a point of departure, has not proved a success.With my kind regards to you all, I remain, cordially yours, GEORGE MAITLAND.