Edgar Wallace

“ Peter Sweeney, who is a man of substance.”
He was silent after this for quite a minute.
“A mission in life, and a nice loud brassy band—the members of which are paid monthly salaries—by Peter.”
Poiccart turned his head and regarded his friend curiously.
“What is all this about?” he asked.
“The ‘Rational Faithers,’” the monotonous Gonsalez continued, “are the sort of people who for all time have been in the eternal minority. They are against things, against public-houses, against music-halls, against meat eating, and vaccination—and capital punishment,” he repeated softly.
Poiccart waited. ”

“ For one called the other Leon, and they spoke despairingly in stage whispers of “poor Manfred”.
They went out together, saying they would return soon after midnight, ordering a fire for their bedroom, for the night was wet and chilly.
Half an hour later the full story was being told to Falmouth over the telephone.
“It’s too good to be true,” was his comment, but gave orders. The hotel was well surrounded by midnight, but so skilfully that the casual passer-by would never have suspected it. ”

“ Does it not seem to you that the ‘Rational Faithers’ offer a solution with their querulous campaigns, their demonstrations, their brassy brass band, and their preposterous chants?”
Poiccart pulled steadily at his pipe.
“You’re a wonderful man, Leon,” he said.
Leon walked over to the cupboard, unlocked it, and drew out a big portfolio such as artists use to carry their drawings in. He untied the strings and turned over the loose pages. It was a collection that had cost the Four Just Men much time and a great deal of money. ”

“ The electrician stooped and picked up the scorched wire from the ground.
“What I mean is this,” he said. “Somebody has attached a wire carrying a high voltage—probably an electric-lighting wire—to this telephone line: and if anybody had happened to have been at——” He stopped suddenly, and his face went white. “Good God!” he whispered, “Sir Philip Ramon was electrocuted!”
For a while not one of the party spoke. Then Falmouth’s hand darted into his pocket and he drew out the little notebook which Billy Marks had stolen.
“That is the solution,” he cried ”

“ Poiccart was listening intently now.
“These people demonstrate—Peter is really well off, with heaps of slum property, and he has lured other wealthy ladies and gentlemen into the movement. They demonstrate on all occasions. They have chants—Peter calls them ‘chants,’ and it is a nice distinction, stamping them as it does with the stamp of semi-secularity—for these festive moments, chants for the confusion of vaccinators, and eaters of beasts, and such. ”

“ By Heaven! it’s as clear as daylight!”
Later, a strong force of police raided the house in Carnaby Street, but they found nothing—except a half-smoked cigarette bearing the name of a London tobacconist, and the counterfoil of a passage ticket to New York. ”