"I Dare Say He Bluffed Them Out of a Good Share of the Swag"

HERE is a relatively rare H. C. Bailey story that doesn't feature Reggie Fortune . . .

"A Matter of Speculation."

By H. C. Bailey (1878-1961; Wikipedia HERE; the Mystery*File Blog HERE; ISFDb HERE; the GAD Wiki HERE).

First appearance:  Holly Leaves, December 1939, as "Victoria Pumphrey".

Reprinted in: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, February 1961 (today's text).

  Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, (Australia), April 1961.

  Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (U.K.), July 1961.

  Ellery Queen’s Anthology #15, 1968.

Short short story (7 pages).

Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 14.)

(Note: Faded, but legible, text.)

   "I had to set fire to the house to do it."

For Miss Pumphrey, "smoke'em out" isn't just a metaphor, it's a useful way of thwarting a case of fraud that probably would have succeeded except for a manservant's concern and unexpected interference from the Land Down Under . . .

Main characters:

~ The Hon. Victoria Pumphrey ("family skeletons a specialty"), Wilson Ellis ("There's been claimants to estates before, Ma'am, and from Australia, too"), Young Mr. Pollexfen ("he is not much turned sixty"), Oliver Madan ("He only groans"), Frank Madan ("I'll talk all you want"), and Price ("Vague?").

Typos: "keen dark eyees"; "Tht thanks".

References and resources:

- "came over with the Conquerer":

  "William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy (as William II) from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle to establish his throne, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading an army of Normans to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the precincts of Gray's Inn":

  "The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these inns. Located at the intersection of High Holborn and Gray's Inn Road in Central London, the Inn is a professional body and provides office and some residential accommodation for barristers." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "a naval officer who was killed at Jutland":

  "The battle unfolded in extensive manoeuvring and three main engagements from 31 May to 1 June 1916, off the North Sea coast of Denmark's Jutland Peninsula. It was the largest naval battle and only full-scale clash of battleships of the war, and the outcome ensured that the Royal Navy denied the German surface fleet access to the North Sea and the Atlantic for the remainder of the war, as Germany avoided all fleet-to-fleet contact thereafter. Jutland was also the last major naval battle, in any war, fought primarily by battleships." (Wikipedia HERE).

(Click on image to enlarge.)

- "in the Fen country"; "A windmill stood with unmoving sails":

  "The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system of drainage channels and man-made rivers (dykes and drains) and automated pumping stations. There have been unintended consequences to this reclamation, as the land level has continued to sink and the dykes have been built higher to protect it from flooding." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "in the gold rush":

  "During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of New South Wales (Victoria did not become a separate colony until 1 July 1851) had suppressed the news out of the fear that it would reduce the workforce and destabilise the economy.

  "The Australian gold rushes changed the convict colonies into more progressive cities with the influx of free immigrants." (Wikipedia HERE).

-  "the Tichborne claimant":

   "Roger Tichborne, heir to the family's title and fortunes, was presumed to have died in a shipwreck in 1854 at age 25. His mother clung to a belief that he might have survived, and after hearing rumours that he had made his way to Australia, she advertised extensively in Australian newspapers, offering a reward for information. In 1866, a Wagga Wagga butcher known as Thomas Castro came forward claiming to be Roger Tichborne. Although his manners and bearing were unrefined, he gathered support and travelled to England. He was instantly accepted by Lady Tichborne as her son, although other family members were dismissive and sought to expose him as an impostor." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the works of the late Mr. Euclid":

  "Euclid (lived around 300 B.C.) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the 'father of geometry', he is chiefly known for the Elements treatise, which established the foundations of geometry that largely dominated the field until the early 19th century." (Wikipedia HERE).

Euclid by Jusepe de Ribera

- "an uncanny goblins' wood":

  "A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his A Midsummer Night's Dream as a hobgoblin." (Wikipedia HERE; also see HERE).

(Click on image to enlarge.)

- "ancient paraffin lamps of china":

  "Qinhuai lantern production materials are mainly bamboo, trees, rattan, wheat straw, animal horns, metals, etc. The materials that constitute the light source are determined according to the level of development of productive forces in different historical periods, from the beginning of the Six Dynasties to the modern era, mainly using pine resin, animal and vegetable oil, lacquer, paraffin, kerosene and other fuels, with bamboo, grass, cotton core, etc. as the wick, and later electric light source were used. Its surface translucent materials include various colors of translucent paper, silk veil, painting yarn, cotton, synthetic satin, plastic film and special glass, etc., and some also add beautification patterns and carvings according to the needs of the performance object." (Wikipedia HERE; also see HERE).

- "Herefordshire":

  "Herefordshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town. . . . The county is situated in the historic Welsh Marches. The land use is mostly agricultural, and the county is known for its fruit and cider production, and for the Hereford cattle breed." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "since the war petered out":

  "The Australian military was rapidly demobilised after the Japanese surrender. At the end of the war the military had a strength of nearly 600,000 personnel, of whom 224,000 were serving in the Pacific and 20,000 in Britain and other places. Demobilisation planning had begun at the end of 1942 with the final scheme being approved by the Government in March 1945. General demobilisation started on 1 October 1945, and was completed in February 1947." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "the Light Horse":

  "Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. During the inter-war years, a number of regiments were raised as part of Australia's part-time military force. These units were gradually mechanised either before or during World War II, although only a small number undertook operational service during the war. A number of Australian light horse units are still in existence today." (Wikipedia HERE).

- "drifted back to Blighty":

  "'Blighty' is a British English slang term for Great Britain, or often specifically England. Though it was used throughout the 1800s in the Indian subcontinent to mean an English or British visitor, it was first used during the Boer War in the specific meaning of homeland for the English or British, and it was not until World War I that use of the term became widespread." (Wikipedia HERE).

- You might want to check out William Antony S. Sarjeant's "In Defense of Mr. Fortune," The Armchair Detective, Fall 1981 (Archive.org HERE; pages 302-312).

- More about our author on ONTOS:

  Reviews of Bailey's novels (HERE)

  Reviews of Mr. Fortune story collections (HERE)

  Story: "The Magic Stone" (HERE)

  Story: "The Missing Husband" (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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