Randalls Round by Eleanor Scott Read Free Book Online

a great and precious treasure.’ ”
    “It’s queer, isn’t it, that when he went to the trouble of copying out the whole texts he should have done it wrong? Say, Mr. Molyneux, I can’t help sort of wondering–”
    Their eyes met.
    “The same thought occurred to me,” said the Vicar quietly. “I believe the misquotations are intentional. I believe it’s a clue to the place where he concealed the treasure – the stolen gold and jewelled plate of the chapel. You see,” he went on with growing excitement, “the first of the misquoted texts concerns church vessels, and implies, or so I take it, that the plate was not melted down in his chemical experiments, but that he ’laid up the treasure in the house.’ ”
    “That’s what I make of it,” said the American. “But the other one does me. Let’s see: ’Have regard unto My Name, for it shall be unto thee for a treasure of gold? Why, say, Vicar, that’s it – the clue to the hiding–place is in the man’s name!”
    “I believe you’re right!” cried the Vicar. “Some hint – perhaps a cipher–”
    “‘Dom: Hierime Lindalle.’ Hm. This needs some brain. Say, sir, what’s wrong with you coming up to the Manor to lunch and working it out? We might find another clue in the room.”
    The Vicar agreed, and the two men set out for the Manor. They found a distinctly good meal awaiting them, and, after a quiet smoke, went up together to the north room.
    “I guess Dom. Whats–his–name did these himself,” said Mr. Matthews, looking round the rough carvings. “These gentlemen are the twelve apostles I take it. I’m going by Peter here,” and he indicated the figure bearing a key.
    “Yes, and that’s St. John with the eagle; and St. Andrew with the bread. Why, of course, they’re rough copies of the apostles in the Langtre Psalter,” he continued with increasing enthusiasm. “They are quite unique in design and conception, and in the Psalter each has a text attached. So against St. James, who is drawn as you see with his head half severed, is the text ’And James the brother of John he killed with the sword.’ Each one can be identified in the same way. But the curiosity of the set is the representation of Judas: an extraordinary drawing, showing him falling out of the tree in which he is attempting to hang himself. You must see that.”
    And he began to make the circuit of the room.
    “Pity the light is so bad,” said Matthews. “I can only just see the figures. But I don’t see one such as you describe.”
    “Neither do I,” admitted the Vicar in some perplexity. “He has the Twelve, too.”
    “Perhaps Judas touched him a little too near,” suggested the American. “He may count his twelve after the Acts.”
    “Let’s see, said Mr Molyneux. “I ought to be able to identify them all from the Psalter.”
    He again went slowly round the room, murmuring the names of the apostles.
    “Philip, Thomas with his finger outstretched; and this, with the book and the lion, of course is Mark. Now that’s very odd,” he said, turning to the American. “I wonder why he included Mark?”
    “To make up the dozen, I guess,” said Mr. Matthews. “After all, he was an evangelist, if he wasn’t an apostle. Now, sir, before the light quite goes, let’s just copy down these texts he has in the band round the wall, and then we’ll see what we can make of ’em.”
    “The first,” said the Vicar, “is Psalms cxx, 6 – ’The sun shall not smite it by day, nor the moon by night.’”
    Mr. Matthews wrote rapidly.
    “Next, just a reference – Ecclesiasticus xxxi, 7. Then St. Matthew vi, 21 – ’Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.’ Then another reference to Ecclesiasticus xxii, 12. That’s all.”
    Matthews shut his notebook and slipped it into his pocket. Now we’ll go down to the library and have a go at the puzzle,” he said genially.
    “Of course,” said the Vicar as they descended the stairs, “that first text