The Borough Treasurer By: Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935)
First Page: THE BOROUGH TREASURER BY J. S. FLETCHER AUTHOR OF THE MIDDLE TEMPLE MURDER, THE PARADISE MYSTERY, ETC. GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS NEW YORK Made in the United States of America COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC. Published July, 1921 Second Printing, November, 1921 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS I BLACKMAIL, 1 II CRIME AND SUCCESS, 11 III MURDER, 21 IV THE PINE WOOD, 31 V THE CORD, 41 VI THE MAYOR, 52 VII NIGHT WORK, 61 VIII RETAINED FOR THE DEFENCE, 71 IX ANTECEDENTS, 82 X THE HOLE IN THE THATCH, 91 XI CHRISTOPHER PETT, 101 XII PARENTAL ANXIETY, 111 XIII THE ANONYMOUS LETTER, 121 XIV THE SHEET OF FIGURES, 131 XV ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER, 141 XVI THE LONELY MOOR, 149 XVII THE MEDICAL OPINION, 159 XVIII THE SCRAP BOOK, 171 XIX A TALL MAN IN GREY CLOTHES, 181 XX AT BAY, 191 XXI THE INTERRUPTED FLIGHT, 203 XXII THE HAND IN THE DARKNESS, 211 XXIII COMFORTABLE CAPTIVITY, 221 XXIV STRICT BUSINESS LINES, 231 XXV NO FURTHER EVIDENCE, 242 XXVI THE VIRTUES OF SUSPICION, 251 XXVII MR. WRAYTHWAITE OF WRAYE, 260 XXVIII PAGES FROM THE PAST, 269 XXIX WITHOUT THOUGHT OF CONSEQUENCES, 277 XXX COTHERSTONE, 283 XXXI THE BARRISTER'S FEE, 302 THE BOROUGH TREASURER CHAPTER I BLACKMAIL Half way along the north side of the main street of Highmarket an ancient stone gateway, imposing enough to suggest that it was originally the entrance to some castellated mansion or manor house, gave access to a square yard, flanked about by equally ancient buildings. What those buildings had been used for in other days was not obvious to the casual and careless observer, but to the least observant their present use was obvious enough. Here were piles of timber from Norway; there were stacks of slate from Wales; here was marble from Aberdeen, and there cement from Portland: the old chambers of the grey buildings were filled to overflowing with all the things that go towards making a house ironwork, zinc, lead, tiles, great coils of piping, stores of domestic appliances. And on a shining brass plate, set into the wall, just within the gateway, were deeply engraven the words: Mallalieu and Cotherstone, Builders and Contractors . Whoever had walked into Mallalieu & Cotherstone's yard one October afternoon a few years ago would have seen Mallalieu and Cotherstone in person. The two partners had come out of their office and gone down the yard to inspect half a dozen new carts, just finished, and now drawn up in all the glory of fresh paint. Mallalieu had designed those carts himself, and he was now pointing out their advantages to Cotherstone, who was more concerned with the book keeping and letter writing side of the business than with its actual work. He was a big, fleshy man, Mallalieu, midway between fifty and sixty, of a large, solemn, well satisfied countenance, small, sly eyes, and an expression of steady watchfulness; his attire was always of the eminently respectable sort, his linen fresh and glossy; the thick gold chain across his ample front, and the silk hat which he invariably wore, gave him an unmistakable air of prosperity. He stood now, the silk hat cocked a little to one side, one hand under the tail of his broadcloth coat, a pudgy finger of the other pointing to some new feature of the mechanism of the new carts, and he looked the personification of self satisfaction and smug content... Continue reading book >>

The Borough Treasurer By: Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935)

First Page:

THE BOROUGH TREASURER

J. S. FLETCHER

AUTHOR OF

THE MIDDLE TEMPLE MURDER, THE PARADISE MYSTERY, ETC.

GROSSET & DUNLAP

PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

Made in the United States of America

Published July, 1921 Second Printing, November, 1921

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

I BLACKMAIL, 1

II CRIME AND SUCCESS, 11

III MURDER, 21

IV THE PINE WOOD, 31

V THE CORD, 41

VI THE MAYOR, 52

VII NIGHT WORK, 61

VIII RETAINED FOR THE DEFENCE, 71

IX ANTECEDENTS, 82

X THE HOLE IN THE THATCH, 91

XI CHRISTOPHER PETT, 101

XII PARENTAL ANXIETY, 111

XIII THE ANONYMOUS LETTER, 121

XIV THE SHEET OF FIGURES, 131

XV ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER, 141

XVI THE LONELY MOOR, 149

XVII THE MEDICAL OPINION, 159

XVIII THE SCRAP BOOK, 171

XIX A TALL MAN IN GREY CLOTHES, 181

XX AT BAY, 191

XXI THE INTERRUPTED FLIGHT, 203

XXII THE HAND IN THE DARKNESS, 211

XXIII COMFORTABLE CAPTIVITY, 221

XXIV STRICT BUSINESS LINES, 231

XXV NO FURTHER EVIDENCE, 242

XXVI THE VIRTUES OF SUSPICION, 251

XXVII MR. WRAYTHWAITE OF WRAYE, 260

XXVIII PAGES FROM THE PAST, 269

XXIX WITHOUT THOUGHT OF CONSEQUENCES, 277

XXX COTHERSTONE, 283

XXXI THE BARRISTER'S FEE, 302

THE BOROUGH TREASURER

CHAPTER I

BLACKMAIL

Half way along the north side of the main street of Highmarket an ancient stone gateway, imposing enough to suggest that it was originally the entrance to some castellated mansion or manor house, gave access to a square yard, flanked about by equally ancient buildings. What those buildings had been used for in other days was not obvious to the casual and careless observer, but to the least observant their present use was obvious enough. Here were piles of timber from Norway; there were stacks of slate from Wales; here was marble from Aberdeen, and there cement from Portland: the old chambers of the grey buildings were filled to overflowing with all the things that go towards making a house ironwork, zinc, lead, tiles, great coils of piping, stores of domestic appliances. And on a shining brass plate, set into the wall, just within the gateway, were deeply engraven the words: Mallalieu and Cotherstone, Builders and Contractors .

Whoever had walked into Mallalieu & Cotherstone's yard one October afternoon a few years ago would have seen Mallalieu and Cotherstone in person. The two partners had come out of their office and gone down the yard to inspect half a dozen new carts, just finished, and now drawn up in all the glory of fresh paint. Mallalieu had designed those carts himself, and he was now pointing out their advantages to Cotherstone, who was more concerned with the book keeping and letter writing side of the business than with its actual work. He was a big, fleshy man, Mallalieu, midway between fifty and sixty, of a large, solemn, well satisfied countenance, small, sly eyes, and an expression of steady watchfulness; his attire was always of the eminently respectable sort, his linen fresh and glossy; the thick gold chain across his ample front, and the silk hat which he invariably wore, gave him an unmistakable air of prosperity. He stood now, the silk hat cocked a little to one side, one hand under the tail of his broadcloth coat, a pudgy finger of the other pointing to some new feature of the mechanism of the new carts, and he looked the personification of self satisfaction and smug content... Continue reading book >>

Genres for this book
Literature
Mystery

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