The Flat at Doughty Court

Chapter one: The Flat at Doughty Court

The Flat in Doughty Court 

by Helen Lerewth

Based on the characters from the 'Four Just Men' series by Edgar Wallace (1875-1932): being a suggestion for an ending to Edgar Wallace's novel The Three Just Men (1924)

Dear Reader ... 

Edgar Wallace (1875-1932), writer of thrillers, detective fiction, humorous short stories and adventure, was one of the most popular English writers of the 1920s. He published the first of his stories about the 'Four Just Men' in 1906, and the book was such a best seller that he carried on writing about them. Two of these stories, the original book The Four Just Men and a novella called 'The Poisoners' were stories without an ending for which the reader had to supply the end of the story. His final full-length novel about the Four Just Men, called The Three Just Men (1924) has a final chapter, but the story is not complete. Why did Wallace tell us at the start of the story that the Three Just Men would be brought to the verge of dissolution - when nothing of the sort happened? The Flat at Doughty Court is an attempt to complete the novel and explain what happened after Leon rescued Mirabelle and drove away with her, leaving Raymond and George to walk home. 

In the final lines of The Three Just Men, Poiccart says, in a hushed voice:

'You don't believe that Leon is in love, do you?' 

Manfred considered for a moment. 

'Such things happen, even to just men,' he said, and Poiccart shook his head sadly. 

'I have never contemplated such an unhappy contingency,' he said, and Manfred was laughing to himself all the way back to town.

So, what happened next? This story is a very modest attempt to fill in the gap.

Helen Lerewth. September 2013 

helenlerewth@gmail.com

Rights 

Copyright on the characters from The Three Just Men rests with the estate of Edgar Wallace (1875-1932). Rights to the plot of this continuation (2013) and new characters are held by Helen Lerewth.

Chapter 1: The Flat in Doughty Court

The big Spanz car sped away from Dr Oberzohn's ruined fortress at New Cross, with Leon at the wheel, roaring through the dimly-lit streets of London towards Doughty Court. Mirabelle lay in the passenger seat at Leon's side, her eyes closed in utter exhaustion. It was barely ten minutes since that wonderful moment when Leon had burst into the snake room with Elijah Washington on his heels, to rescue her from Oberzohn's horrors. 'Thank heaven you're safe,' he cried, throwing himself at her feet to untie the straps with which Oberzohn had fastened her to the chair, and she - overcome with joy and relief - had all but fallen off the chair into Leon's arms. 

'These snakes aren't looking too good,' Elijah Washington remarked, looking round at the still forms on the floor, and kneeling down to survey them; 'there's a few of those fellers will need a doctor.' 

Mirabelle and Leon paid him no heed, all their attention being given to assuring each other that they were safe and well. Then they heard voices above; a deep voice called to Leon from outside the door; and with an exclamation of 'Oberzohn! I have something to give him,' Leon had set her gently back on to the chair and raced away. Mirabelle was left half laughing, half crying, as Elijah explained to her in all seriousness that she had never been in any real danger from these snakes: 'provided you kept still, young lady, they'd take no more notice of you than if you were a rock.' 

'It didn't feel like that,' Mirabelle gasped. Already Leon was back, his left hand in his pocket, his eyes full of laughter, cheerily replying to Elijah's observations about the snakes: 'Dr Oberzohn makes you a gift of them. He's a little cut up at the moment.'