The Count's Chauffeur by William Le Queux || Part 01 ( A Move on The Forty)

The Count's Chauffeur by William Le Queux || Part 01 ( A Move on The Forty)

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the count chauffeur by william lecu chapter 1 a move on the 40. in paris in rome in florence in berlin in vienna in fact over half the face of europe from the pyrenees to the russian frontier i am now known as the count chauffeur an englishman as my name george hewart denotes i am of cosmopolitan birth and education my early youth having been spent on the continent where my father was agent for a london firm when i was 14 my father having prospered came to london and established himself as an agent in wood street city representing a great firm of silk manufacturers in lyon at 20 i tried city life but an office with a high stool a dusty ledger and sandwiched lunches had no attraction for me i had always had a turn for mechanics but was never allowed to adopt engineering as a profession my father's one idea being that i should follow in his footsteps a delusive hope entertained by many a fond parent six months of office life sufficed me one day i went home to teddington and refused to return again to wood street this resulted in an open quarrel between my father and myself with the result that a week later i was on my way to canada in a year i was back again and after some months of semi-starvation in london i managed to obtain a job in a motor factory i was then entirely in my element during two years i learned the mechanism of the various petrol driven cars until i became classed as an expert driver and engineer at the place i was employed there was manufactured one of the best and most expensive makes of english car and being at length placed on the testing staff it was my duty to take out each new chassis for its trial run before being delivered to a customer upon my certificate each chassis was declared in perfect running order and was then handed over to the body makers indicated by the purchaser being an expert driver my firm sent me to drive in the tourist trophy races in the isle of man and i likewise did the ardan circuit and came in fourth in the brescia race for the florio cop my successes of course adding glory and advertisement to the car i drove racing however aroused within me as it does in every motorist an ardent desire to travel long distances the testing of those chassis in regents park in an occasional run with some wealthy customer out on the great north road or on the bath or brighton roads became too quiet alive for me i was now seized by a desire to tour and see europe true in my capacity of tester i met all classes of men in the seat beside me have sat cabinet ministers dukes indian rajas members of parliament and merchant princes customers or prospective purchasers all of whom chatted with me mostly displaying their ignorance of the first principles of mechanics it was all pleasant enough a merry life and good pay yet i hated london and the height of my ambition was a good car to drive abroad after some months of waiting the opportunity came and i seized it by appointment at the royal automobile club one gray december morning i met count bindo de ferraris a young italian aristocrat whose aspect however was the reverse of that of a southerner about 30 he was tall light and well-dressed in a dark brown lounge suit his complexion his chestnut here his erect rather soldierly bearing his clean shaven face and his open countenance gave him every appearance of an english gentleman indeed i at first took him for an englishman for he spoke english so perfectly when he had examined my testimonials and made a number of inquiries he asked you speak french yes was my reply a little italian and a little german italian he exclaimed in surprise excellent then while we sat alone with no one within hearing he told me the terms upon which he was willing to engage me to drive on the continent and added your salary will be doubled providing i find you entirely loyal to me that is to say you must know how to keep your mouth closed understand and he regarded me rather curiously i thought no i answered i don't quite understand well then there are matters private family matters of which you will probably become cognizant truth to tell i want help the help of a good careful driver who isn't afraid and who is always discreet i may as well tell you that before i wrote to you i made certain secret inquiries regarding you and i feel confident that you can serve me very much to our mutual advantage this puzzled me and my curiosity was further aroused when he added to be plain there is a certain young lady in a very high society in the case i need not tell you more need i you will be discreet eh i smiled and promised what did it all mean i wondered my employer was mysterious but in due course i should as he prophesied obtain knowledge of this secret a secret love affair no doubt the count's private affairs did not after all concern me my duty was to drive on the continent and for what he was to pay me i was to serve him loyally and see that his tire and petrol bills were not too exorbitant he went to the writing table and wrote out a short agreement which he copied and we both signed it a rather curiously worded agreement by which i was to serve him for three years and during that time our interests were to be mutual that last phrase caused me to wonder but i scribbled my name and refrained from comment for the payment was already double that which i was receiving from the firm my car is outside he remarked as he folded his copy of the agreement and placed it in his pocket did you notice it i had not so we went out into piccadilly together and there standing at the curb i saw a car that caused my heart to bound with delight a magnificent six-cylinder horsepower napier of the very latest model the car was open with side entrance a dark green body with coronae and cipher on the panels upholstered in red with glass removable screen to the splashboard a splendid workmanlike card just suitable for long tours and fast runs of all the cars and of all the makes that was the only one which it was my ambition to drive i walked around it in admiration and saw that every accessory was the best and very latest that money could buy even to the newly invented gas generator which had only a few weeks ago been placed on the market i lifted the long bonnet looked around the engine and saw those six cylinders in a row the latest invention of a celebrated inventor splendid i ejaculated there's nothing yet to beat this car by jove we can get a move on a good road yes smiled account my man mario could make her travel but he's a fool and has left me in a fit of temper he was an italian and we italians are alas hot-headed and he laughed again would you like to try her i ascended with the light and while he returned inside the club to get his fur coat i started the engine and got in at the steering wheel a few moments later he seated himself beside me and we glided down piccadilly on our way to regents park the ground where day after day it had been my habit to go testing the car ran perfectly the engine sounding a splendid rhythm through the regent street traffic into broad portland place and on into the park where i was afforded some scope to see what she could do the count declared that he was in no hurry therefore we went up through hampstead highgate station and then on the great north road through east end whetstone barnett and hatfield to hitchen 35 miles of road which was as well known to me as the strand the morning was dry and cold the roads in excellent condition bar a few patches of new metal between cutting coat and chapel foot and the sharp east wind compelled us to goggle fortunately i had on my leather line freeze coat and was therefore fully equipped the north road between london and hitchen is really of little use for trying the speed of a car for there are so many corners it is mostly narrow and it abounds in police traps that 20 miles of flat straight road with perfect surface from lincoln to new holland opposite hull is one of the best places in england to see what a car is worth nevertheless the run to hitchens satisfied me perfectly that the car was not a roundabout as so many are but a car well within the meaning of the act and what is your opinion ever you were asked to count as we sat down to cold beef and pickles in the long old-fashioned upstairs room of the sun inn at hitchen couldn't be better i declared the breaks could do with relining but that's about all when do we start for the continent the day after tomorrow i'm staying just now at the cecil we'll run the car down to folk stone shipper across and then go by paris and i to monte carlo first afterwards we'll decide upon our itinerary ever been to monte i replied in the negative the prospect of going on the rivieras sounded delightful after our late luncheon we ran back from hitchen to london but not arriving before lighting up time we had to turn on the headlights beyond barnett we drove straight to the fine garage on the embankment beneath the cecil and after i had put things square and received orders for 10 o'clock next day i was preparing to go to my lodgings in bloomsbury to look through my kit in preparation for the journey when my employers suddenly exclaimed come up to the smoking room a moment i want to write a letter for you to take the boodles in st james street for me if you will i followed him upstairs to the great blue tile smoking room overlooking the embankment and as we entered two well-dressed men englishmen of aristocratic bearing rose from a table and shook him warmly by the hand i noticed their quick apprehensive look as they glanced me as though an inquiry but my employer exclaimed this is my new chauffeur ewert an expert you are these are my friends sir charles blyth indicating the elder man and mr henderson these gentlemen will perhaps be with us sometimes so you had better know them the pair looked me up and down and smiled pleasantly sir charles was narrow-faced about 50 with a dark beard turning gray his companion was under 30 a fair-haired rather fappishly dressed young fellow in a fashionable suit than a light fancy vest then as the count went to the table to write sir charles inquired where we had been and whether i had driven much on the continent when account handed me the letter i saw that he exchanged a meaning glance with sir charles but what it was intended to convey i could not guess i only know that for a few seconds i felt some vague distress to my new friends and yet they treated me more as an equal than as a mere chauffeur the count's friends were certainly a merry easy going pair yet somehow i instinctively held him in suspicion whether it was on account of the covert glance which sure charles shot across at my employer or whether there was something unusual about their manner i cannot tell i am only aware that when i left the hotel i went on my way in wonder next day at 10 punctually i ran the car from the strand into the courtyard of the hotel and pulled up at the restaurant entrance so as to be out of the way of the continuous cab traffic the count however did not make his appearance until nearly half an hour later and when he did arrive he superintended the despatch by cab of a quantity of luggage which he told me he was sending forward by granvites to monte carlo after the four-wheeler had moved off the hall porter helped him on with his big fur coat and he getting up beside me told me to drive to piccadilly as we were crossing trafalgar square into paul maul he turned to me saying remember you were your promise yesterday if my actions i mean if you think i am a little peculiar sometimes don't trouble your head about it you are paid to drive and paid well i think my affairs don't concern you do they not in the least i answered nevertheless puzzled descended at the tobacconists in bond street and bought a couple of boxes of cigars and then made several calls at shops also visiting two jewelers to obtain he remarked a silver photograph frame of a certain size at gilling's the third shop he tried he remained inside some little time quite 20 minutes i should think as you know it is in the narrowest part of bond street and the traffic was congested owing to the road at the piccadilly inn being partially up as i sat in my place staring idly before me and reflecting that i should be so soon traveling due south over the broad well-kept french roads and out of the gloom and dreariness of the english winter i suddenly became conscious of a familiar face in the crowd of hurrying foot passengers i glanced up quickly as a man brushed past was i mistaken i probably had been but the thin keen bearded countenance was very much like that of sir charles blyth but no when i looked back after him i saw that his figure was much more bent in his appearance not half so smart and well groomed as the count's friend at one moment i felt absolutely positive that the man had really been watching me and was now endeavoring to escape recognition yet at the next i saw the absurdity of such a thought sir charles's face had i suppose been impressed upon my memory on the previous evening and the passerby merely bore some slight resemblance and so i dismissed it from my mind a few moments later a man in a frock coat probably the jeweler's manager opened the door looked up and down the street for a few moments shot an inquisitive glance at me and then disappeared within i found that the clock on the splashboard required winding and was in the act of doing this when my eyes fell upon a second person who was equally a mystery this time i felt convinced that i was not mistaken the fair mustache young man henderson went by but without recognizing me did either of the pair recognize the car if so what object had they and not acknowledging me my suspicions were again aroused i did not like either of the two men were they following my master with some evil intent in london and especially in certain cosmopolitan circles one cannot be too cautious regarding one's acquaintances they had been slightly too overdressed and too familiar with the count to suit me and i had resolved that if i had ever to drive either of them i would land them in some out of the world hole with a pretended breakdown the non-motorist is always at the mercy of the chauffeur and the so-called breakdowns are frequently due to the vengeance of the driver who gets his throttle stuck or some trouble which sounds equally serious but which is remedied in one two or three or four hours according to how long the chauffeur decides to detain his victim by the roadside i wondered as i sat ruminating whether these two men were really crooks and so deep rooted were my suspicions that i decided when the count returned to drop him a hint that we were being watched i'm not nervous by any means and moreover i always carry from my own protection a handy little revolver yet i admit that at that moment i felt a decidedly uncomfortable feeling creeping over me these men meant mischief i had detected it in their eyes on the previous night by some kind of mysterious intuition i became aware that we were in peril almost at that moment the shop door was opened by the manager and the count emerging crossed me and said go into the shop your then wait there till i return i'm just going around to get some money and seeing a boy passing he called to him saying just find his car for 10 minutes my boy and i'll give you half a crown never mind the police if they say anything tell them i'll be back in 10 minutes the lad eager to earn a trifle at once consented and descending i entered the shop the door of which was still being held open for me while the count hailed a handsome and drove away the shop is one of the finest in bonn street as you know at that moment there were however no other customers the manager polite me invited me to be seated saying his lordship will be only a short time and then standing with his hands behind his back he commenced to chat with me that's a very fine car of yours he said you ought to be able to travel pretty fast eh well we do as a matter of fact i replied then he went to the door and looking over the panes of frosted glass asked what horsepower it was and a number of other questions with which non-motorists always plagued the chauffeur then returning to me he remarked what a very nice gentleman his lordship was adding that he had been a customer on several occasions have you been long in his service he inquired oh yes i replied determined not to be thought a new hand quite a long time as you say he is a very charming man he's very wealthy according to the report i read something about him in the papers the other day a gift of some thousands to the hospital fund this rather surprised me i never remembered having seen the name of count bindo de ferraris in the papers presently i got up and wandering about the shop inspected some of the beautiful jewels in the fine showcases many of them ornaments of enormous value the manager a pleasant elderly man took me round and showed me some of the most beautiful jewelry i had ever seen then excusing himself he retired to the office beyond the shop and left me to chat with one of the assistants i looked at the clock and saw that nearly half an hour had elapsed since accounted left a constable had looked in and inquired about the car but i had assured him that in a few minutes we should be off and begged as a favor that it might be allowed to remain until my master's return another quarter of an hour elapsed when the door opened and there entered two respectably dressed men in dark overcoats one wearing a soft brown felt hat and the other a bowler they asked to see the manager and the assistant who had been chatting to me conducted them through the shop to the office beyond both men were of middle age and well set up and as they entered i saw that the third man much younger was with him he however did not come in but stood in the doorway idly glancing up and down bond street within the office i distinctly heard the manager utter an exclamation of surprise and then one of the men in a deep low voice seemed to enter into a long explanation the older the two strangers walked along the shop to the door and going outside spoke some words to the man who had accompanied them on re-entering he passed me giving me a sharp glance and then disappeared again into the office where for five minutes or so he remained closeted with a manager presently the last name came out and as he approached me i noticed an entire change in his manner he was pale almost to the lips will you step into my office for one moment he asked there's well a little matter upon which i want to speak to you this surprised me what could he mean nevertheless i consented and in a few moments i found myself in a large well-lit office with the manager and the two strangers the man in the brown felt hat was the first to speak we want to ask you a question or two he said do you recognize this and he produced a small square photograph of a man upon whose coat was a white ticket bearing a bold number i started when my eyes fell upon it my master i ejaculated the portrait was a police photograph the men were detectives the inspector for such he was turned to the jeweler's manager and regarded him with a significant look it's a good job we've arrested him with a stuff on him he remarked otherwise you'd never seen the color of it again he's worked the same dodge in rome and berlin and both times got clear away i suppose he became a small customer in order to inspire confidence eh well he came in this morning saying that he wished to give his wife a tiara for the anniversary of her wedding and asked that he might have two on approval as he was undecided which to choose and wished her to pick for herself he left his car in chauffeur here till his return and took away two worth five thousand pounds each i of course had not the slightest suspicion lord ixwell the name by which we know him is reputed everywhere to be one of the richest peers in the kingdom yes but you see detective sergeant rodwell here chance to see him come out of the shop and recognizing him as the jewel thief we wanted for months passed followed his cab down to charing cross station and there arrested him and took him to beau street i stood utterly dumbfounded at the sudden ending of what i had believed would be an ideal engagement what's your name inquired the inspector george ewert was my answer i only entered the count service yesterday and yet you told me that you had been a chauffeur for a long time exclaimed the jeweler's manager well said the elder the detectives we shall arrest you at any rate you must come round to bow street and i warn you that any statement you may make will be taken down and used as evidence against you arrest me i cried why i haven't done anything i'm perfectly innocent i had no idea that well you have more than an idea now haven't you laughed the detective but come along we have no time to lose and he asked the manager to order a four-wheeled cab i remonstrated in indignation but to no avail what about the car i asked anxiously as we went outside together and stepped into the cab the third police officer who had been on guard outside holding open the door while the constable had been worrying me about the car stood looking on diplock you can drive a motor car exclaimed the inspector turning to the detective at the cab door just bring that round to bow street as quick as you can the constable took in the situation at a glance he saw that i had been arrested and asked the detectives if they needed any assistance but the reply was negative and with the inspector at my side and the sergeant opposite we moved off towards piccadilly the jeweler's manager having been requested to attend at bow street police station in an hour in order to identify the stolen property by that time the charge would be made out and we should the inspector said be up before the magistrate for every man before the court rose as we drove along piccadilly my heart fell within me all my dreams of those splendid well-kept roads in the sunny south of touring to all the gayest places on the continent and seeing all that was to be seen had been shattered at a single blow and what a blow i had awakened to find myself under arrest as the accomplice of one of the most expert jewel thieves in europe my companions were not communicative why should they have been suddenly i became aware of the fact that we had driven a considerable distance in my agitated state of mind i had taken no notice of our route and my captors had it seemed endeavored to take my attention off the direction we had taken collecting my scattered senses however i recollected that we had crossed one of the bridges over the tams and looking out of the windows i found that we were in a long open road of private houses each with a short strip of railed off garden in front a south london thoroughfare evidently this isn't the way to bow street i exclaimed and wonder well not exactly the straight way grindy inspector a roundabout route let's call it i was puzzled the more so when i recognized a few minutes later that we had come down the camberwell new road and were passing camberwell green we continued up denmark hill until at the corner where champion hill branches off the inspector called to the cab man to stop and we all descended the detective sergeant paying the fare where were they taking me i wondered i asked but they only laughed and would vouch safe no reply together we walked up the quiet semi-rural champion hill until we reached green lane when at the sharp right angle to the road as we turned i saw before me an object which caused me to hold my breath in utter amazement the car was standing there right before me in the lonely suburban road and in it seated at the wheel a man whom i next second recognized as the count himself he was evidently awaiting me he was wearing a different motor coat the car bore a different number and as i approached i noticed that the coronae and cipher had been obliterated by a dab of pain come on ewart cried the count jumping down to allow me to take his place at the steering i turned to my captors and wonder yes away you go ewert the inspector said and good luck to you without another second's delay i sprang upon the car and well the count as he jumped up at my side shouted goodbye to my captors i started a way towards lordship lane in the open country of surrey where shall we go i inquired breathlessly utterly amazed at our extraordinary escape straight on through sydenham and then i'll tell you the sooner we're out of this the better we'll run along to winchester where i have a little house at kingsworthy just outside the city and where we can lie low comfortably for a bit but shall we be followed by those men i asked apprehensively followed by them no dear no he laughed of course you don't understand ewert they all three belong to us we've played a smartest game upon the jeweler haven't we they had to frighten you of course because it added a real good touch of truth to the scheme we ought to be able to slip away across the channel in a week's time at the latest they'll leave tonight in search of me and he laughed lightly to himself then they were not detectives i exclaimed utterly staggered by the marvelous ingenuity of the robbery no more than you are you it was his reply but don't bother your head about them now all you've got to look after is your driving let's get across to winchester as quickly as possible just here sharp to the right and the first to the left takes us under the guilford road then we can move end of chapter one

2022-03-21 09:05

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