Many Dimensions by Charles Williams (namjoon book recommendations txt) 📕

Chapter Eight

THE CONFERENCE

 

The room at the Foreign Office was large enough not to be crowded. Lord

Birlesmere sat in a chair dexterously arranged at the corner of a

table, thus allowing him to control without compelling him to preside.

Next to him sat Lord Arglay with Chloe by his side; opposite was Mr.

Sheldrake in a state of very bitter irritation. Reginald Montague was

in an equal state of nervousness next to Chloe. Mr. Doncaster was next

to Sheldrake, and a little apart were Professor Palliser and Sir Giles

Tumulty. At the bottom of the table were Mr. Bruce Cumberland and a

high police official. The Persian Embassy was not represented. It was

about 11 o’clock on Monday.

 

Lord Birlesmere leant a little forward. “Gentlemen,” he began, “you

know, I think, why we have troubled you and why you have consented to

come here. The very surprising demonstrations at Rich during the week-end are a matter which do not concern this particular Office, but—as

most of you at any rate know—those demonstrations are said to be

connected with a substance, reputedly a relic, in the existence and

preservation of which a foreign Power has declared itself to be

interested. I need not detain you now to explain to what extent that

Power’s representatives have taken official action. But I may say, in

passing, that I myself have reason to believe that certain agitations

and disturbances in the Near East during the last two months have the

same cause……”

 

“What cause?” Mr. Sheldrake interrupted irritably.

 

“A concern,” Lord Birlesmere flowed on, “with the existence and

disposal of this hypothetical relic. I am anxious to

discover, on behalf of the Government, of what nature this is, whether

it is one or many, to whom it now belongs, and in whose Possession it

now is, and how far the claims of any foreign Power can be justified. I

need not say that I and any other representatives of the authorities

here will treAt every communication made: as confidential, or that if

any of you wish to make a private statement we shall be pleased to give

you immediate opportunities.”

 

Nobody leapt at the opportunity.. Lord Birlesmere said across the

table: “I believe, Mr. Sheldrake, you claim that this supposed relic

belongs to you?”

 

“I know nothing whatever about relics,” Sheldrake answered. “I know

that only last Friday I bought from Mr. Montague a kind of stone which

he assured me could produce certain remarkable results. I tested his

claims and they seemed justified; and as a result of these tests I gave

him my cheque for seventy-three thousand guineas.”

 

“Did you understand,” Lord Birlesmere asked, “that this was the only

stone of its kind in existence?”

 

“No,” Sheldrake admitted rather reluctantly, “I understood there were

three or four.”

 

“And by a series of events this Stone came into the hands of Mr.

Doncaster and thence to the police, performing apparently some

remarkable cures on its way—yes,” Lord Birlesmere said, “we needn’t go

into that now. Except, Mr. Doncaster, that you think these cures may

really have been produced by the Stone? Or anyhow,” he added, seeing

that Oliver was prepared to discuss this for a long time, “you see

nothing against that hypothesis?”

 

“Well, nothing except-” Oliver began.

 

“Practically nothing at the moment,” Lord Birlesmere substituted.

“Quite. Well now, Mr. Montague, would you mind telling us where you got

the Stone?”

 

“My uncle gave it me,” Reginald said very quickly. “Sir Giles.” He met

Sir Giles’s eyes and shivered a little.

 

Lord Birlesmere, having reached the desired point by a more gentle

method than by mere attack, looked at Sir Giles with an engaging smile.

“I wonder whether you would mind telling us exactly what you know about

the Stone, Sir Giles,” he said.

 

“I don’t mind telling you,” Sir Giles said, “but I’m damned if I see

why I should. Why on earth should I tell this private detective agency

everything about my personal affairs, because an auriferous Yankee

loses his purse?”

 

Lord Arglay observed round the table a slight perplexity, except where

Mr. Sheldrake jerked upright and Reginald stared downwards. In an

undertone to Chloe he said: “I don’t really know why he should, do

you?” But Chloe was looking, rather inimically for her, at Sir Giles.

 

Lord Birlesmere glanced at Bruce Cumberland, who said: “Merely as a

friendly act, Sir Giles, you might be willing to assist the inquiry.”

 

“But in the first place,” Sir Giles answered, “I don’t see any friends

here—except perhaps the Professor, and secondly, I don’t know what I’ve

got to do with the inquiry. Whoever’s been curing the village idiots of

England it isn’t me. I’ve got something else to do than to cure old

women of paralytic delirium.”

 

“The properties of the Stone..,” Mr. Cumberland began again.

 

“The properties of the Stone,” Sir Giles interrupted, “are for

scientists to determine—not politicians, policemen, and prostitutes.”

 

Mr. Sheldrake jerked again, and kept his eyes away from Chloe with an

effort. So did everyone else, except Lord Arglay who smiled at her and

then looked at Lord Birlesmere. The Foreign Secretary, caught between

ignoring the word and thus appearing to allow it and protesting and

thus permitting the whole conversation to wander off on to a useless

path, said in a perfectly audible voice to Mr. Sheldrake: “Sir Giles,

like

other great men, is a little eccentric in his phrases sometimes, but

Sir Giles refused to be excused.

 

“Well, I suppose the Foreign Secretary is a politician,” he said, “and

a Scotland Yard Commissioner is a policeman. Eh? Very well then-!”

 

Bruce Cumberland leaned across towards the Chief Justice. “perhaps,” he

said in a hoarse whisper, “Miss Burnett would like to withdraw. I mean,

you see… “

 

Chloe’s hand touched Lord Arglay’s arm. “Don’t make me go,” she

breathed to him.

 

“Ah,” Lord Birlesmere said, delighted at the suggestion,

“now if in the unusual circumstances Miss Burnett would oblige me

personally by rendering the inquiry easier… We want,” he went on

rather vaguely, “to have no restraints imposed, though if the matter

were less urgent…”

 

“My dear Birlesmere,” Arglay said patiently, “neither Miss Burnett nor

I have the least objection to Sir Giles using any language he finds

congenial. We haven’t even a police-court acquittal against us, and any

apology seems to me to be chiefly due to the English language which is

being wildly misused. Pray consider our feelings unruffled.”

 

“Very good of you,” Lord Birlesmere, rather perplexed, murmured, and

returned to Sir Giles who was feeling in a waistcoat pocket and

snarling at the Chief Justice. “The point is, Sir Giles,” he said,

“that it is necessary for the Government to know, first, what

justification there is for foreign claims to the Stone; secondly, what

properties the Stone possesses; and thirdly, how many there are in

existence.”

 

“The answers,” Tumulty said, “are that no foreign claim to the Stone

has any validity, that Professor Palliser and I are at work on an

investigation of its qualities, and that I cannot tell You how many

stones exist for a reason I can show you.” He felt in his pocket again.

 

“The qualities,” Lord Birlesmere said, “are said to include rapid

transit through space and singular curative powers.”

 

“Transit through time and space,” Sir Giles corrected him. “Two hundred

miles or two hundred hours.” He pushed his chair a little away from the

table and set another—his own Stone on his knee. “Don’t crowd me,