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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0f73dbe --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55378 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55378) diff --git a/old/55378-8.txt b/old/55378-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 36d1591..0000000 --- a/old/55378-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9512 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Miss Mephistopheles, by Fergus Hume - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Miss Mephistopheles - A Novel, (Sequel to Madame Midas.) - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: August 17, 2017 [EBook #55378] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS MEPHISTOPHELES *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by Web -Archive (Emory University) - - - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - 1. Page scan source: - https://archive.org/details/36180099.2240.emory.edu - (Emory University) - - - - - - -[Illustration: Front Cover] - - - - - - -MISS MEPHISTOPHELES. - -_A NOVEL_. - -(SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.) - - - -BY -FERGUS HUME, - -AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE -PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC. - - - -_IN ONE VOLUME_. - - - -LONDON: -F. V WHITE & CO., -31 SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND, W.C. ------ -1890. - -[_All Rights reserved_.] - - - - - - -CONTENTS - -CHAP. - -I. Faces in the Fire -II. Keith meets with an Adventure -III. Prince Carnival -IV. Lazarus -V. A Woman's Appeal -VI. The Annoyance of Hiram J. Fenton -VII. Mirth and Laughter -VIII. A Mysterious Affair -IX. An Unknown Benefactor -X. Naball makes a Discovery -XI. What Naball overheard -XII. Naball tells a Story -XIII. The Gossip of Clubs -XIV. A Struggle for Fame -XV. The Russell Street Crime -XVI. The Inquest -XVII. A Council of Three -XVIII. Circumstantial Evidence -XIX. A Lovers' Meeting -XX. The Rivals -XXI. A First Night at the Bon-Bon -XXII. Eugénie _v_. Naball -XXIII. The Cypher -XXIV. What Kitty knew -XXV. The Evidence of a Bank Note -XXVI. On The Track -XXVII. Meg proves Useful -XXVIII. Malton makes a Discovery -XXIX. Light at Last -XXX. Exit Kitty Marchurst - - - - - - -MISS MEPHISTOPHELES. - - - - -CHAPTER I. -FACES IN THE FIRE. - - -A wet Sunday--dreary, dismal, and infinitely sloppy. Even the bells -ringing the people into evening service seemed to feel the depressing -influence of the weather, and their brazen voices sounded hoarse and -grumbling, as if they rang under protest. Cold, too!--not a brisk -sharp frost--for here in Melbourne frost and snow are unknown; but a -persevering, insinuating, gnawing cold, just disagreeable enough to -make one shiver and shake with anxiety to get home to a bright fire -and dry clothes. Overhead a leaden-coloured sky, with great masses of -black clouds, from out whose sombre bosoms poured the steady rain, -splashing noisily on the shining roofs, and swelling the gutters in -the streets to miniature torrents. - -And then the wind,--a gusty, chilly wind,--that came along -unexpectedly, and drove the unwilling rain against the umbrellas of -struggling pedestrians, or else took a mean advantage of its power, -and turned their umbrellas inside out, with a shrill whistle of -triumph. The steady light streamed out from the painted church -windows, and the dull, blurred glare of the street lamps was reflected -in the wet pavements. Ugh! a night not fit for a dog to be out in, and -yet there were a good many people hurrying along to the church, in -answer to the clamorous voices of the bells. - -Some folk, however--wise in their generation--preferred staying at -home to sitting in church, with damp boots and a general sense of -stickiness about their clothes, and though possibly their souls -suffered from such an omission, their bodies were certainly more -comfortable. Among these godless people, who thus preferred comfort to -religion, were two young men occupying a room on a first floor, the -windows of which looked across to the church, now full of damp and -steaming worshippers. - -A room in a boarding-house--especially one where boarders only pay -twenty-five shillings a week--is not generally a very luxurious -apartment, and this special room was certainly no exception to the -rule. It was square, with a fairly lofty ceiling, and the walls were -covered with a dull red paper, which, being mellowed by time, had -assumed a somewhat rusty hue. - -It was rapidly growing dark outside, and there was no light in the -room, save that which came from a roaring coal fire blazing brightly -up the chimney, and illuminating the apartment in a curiously -fantastic manner. It sent out red shafts of light into dark corners, -as if to find out what was hidden there, and then being disappointed, -would sink back into a dull, sulky glow, only to fall into a chaotic -mass, and blaze merrily up once more. - -The apartment wherein the fire played these elfish tricks was -furnished comfortably, but the furniture had a somewhat dingy look. -The carpet was threadbare, except under the table, where there could -be traced some vestiges of its original pattern. A cottage piano was -pushed into a corner slanting ways, and beside it was a great untidy -pile of music. At one end of the room, a desk covered with papers, and -immediately above it a shelf containing a small array of well-worn -books. Near the desk stood an aggravatingly bright sideboard, whereon -were some glasses, a jug of water, and a half-empty bottle of whisky. -Four or five lounging chairs of wicker-work were scattered about, -covered with rugs of wallaby fur, whilst the walls and mantelpiece -were almost covered with photographs, mostly of women, but here and -there a male face, showing the well-known features of Beethoven, -Chopin, and other famous musicians. - -This somewhat incongruous apartment was a private sitting-room in an -East Melbourne boarding-house, and was at present in the occupation of -Ezra Lazarus, journalist. Ezra Lazarus himself was seated at the piano -playing snatches of music, while on the hearth-rug, smoking a pipe, -lay a man propped up on his elbow, with his head resting on his hand, -staring into the burning coals, and listening to his friend playing. - -Ezra Lazarus was a young man of medium height, with a slender figure, -a pale face, rather dreamy, dark eyes, and black hair and beard -carefully trimmed. He dressed neatly, and, in contrast to most of -his race, wore no jewellery. Why he had become a journalist no one -knew,--himself least of all,--as his tastes did not lie in the -direction of newspaper work, for having all the Hebraic love of music, -he was an accomplished pianist. As for the rest--staid in his -demeanour, soft-spoken in his language, and much given to solitary -wanderings. Yet he was no misanthrope, and those who knew him -intimately found him a most charming companion, full of quaint ideas -and bookish lore, but he was essentially a man of ideality, and shrank -from contact with the work-a-day world. For such a nature as this a -journalistic sphere was most unsuitable, and he felt it to be so, but -having drifted into such a position, he lacked the energy to extricate -himself from his uncongenial employment, and accepted his fate with -oriental apathy, recompensing himself in some measure by giving every -spare moment to the study of music. - -The man lying before the fire was the direct opposite of Ezra, both in -appearance and temperament. A tall, sinewy-figured young fellow of -six-and-twenty, with restless keen grey eyes under strongly-marked -eyebrows, and a sensitive mouth, almost hidden by a small fair -moustache. His nose was thin and straight, with delicately-cut -nostrils, and his head was well set on his broad shoulders, albeit he -had a trick of throwing it back which gave him a somewhat haughty -carriage. He had a fair complexion, with that reddish-brown hue which -comes from constantly living in the open air, and altogether looked -like a man addicted to sport rather than to study. - -This was Keith Stewart, who, having passed most of his life in -Gippsland, and in wandering about Australia generally, had a year -previously come down to Melbourne with the laudable intention of -devoting himself to literature. That he was poor might be surmised -from his shabby, well-brushed clothes, and his face constantly wore -that expression of watchfulness habitual to those who have to fight -the world in their youth and be on their guard against everyone. - -That two such dissimilar natures as these could find any reciprocity -appears strange, but curiously enough some undercurrent of sympathy -had drawn them together from the first time they met. Jew and Gentile, -musician and student, different nationalities, different trains of -thought, yet the mere fact that they could both live in an ideal world -of their own creation, heedless of the restless life which seethed -around, seemed to form a bond of concord between them, and their -mutual isolation drew them almost imperceptibly together. - -Keith had only been boarding in the house a week, consequently Ezra -knew nothing about his friend's life, beyond the fact that he was poor -and ambitious. As Stewart never volunteered any information about -himself, Ezra, with the delicacy of a sensitive nature, shrank from -forcing himself on his confidence. The inexhaustible subjects of books -and music, a walk by the banks of the Yarra, or an occasional visit to -the theatre, had been, so far, the limit of their social -companionship. Their inner selves were still unknown to each other. To -all, however, there comes a moment when the desire to unburden the -mind to a sympathetic nature is strong, and it was in such a moment -that Ezra Lazarus first learned the past life of Stewart. - -On this dreary Sunday night Ezra let his fingers wander over the -piano, vaguely following his thoughts, and the result was a queer -mingling of melodies--now a bizarre polonaise of Chopin, with its -fantastic blending of patriotic joy and despairing pain, then a rush -of stormy chords, preluding a Spanish dance, instinct with the amorous -languor and fierce passion of the south. Outside, the shrill wind -could be heard sweeping past, a sheet of rain would lash wildly -against the windows, and at intervals the musical thunder of the organ -sounded from the adjacent church. - -Keith smoked away steadily and listened drowsily to the pleasant -mingling of sounds, until Ezra began to play the Traviata music, with -its feverish brilliancy and undercurrent of sadness. Then he suddenly -started, clenched his hand, and taking his pipe from his mouth, heaved -an impatient sigh, upon hearing which, Lazarus stopped playing, and -turned slowly round. - -"A link of memory?" he said, in his soft voice, referring to the -music. - -Stewart replaced his pipe, blew a thick wreath of smoke, and sighed -again. - -"Yes," he replied, after a pause; "it recalls to me--a woman." - -Ezra laughed half sadly, half mockingly. - -"Always the Eternal feminine of George Sand." - -Keith sat up cross-legged in front of the fire and shrugged his -shoulders. - -"Don't be cynical old chap," he said, glancing round; "I'm sick of -hearing the incessant railing against women--good heavens! are we men -so pure ourselves, that we can afford to cast stones against the sex -to which our mothers and sisters belong." - -"I did not mean to be cynical," replied Ezra, clasping his hands round -one of his knees, "I only quoted Sand, because when a man is thinking, -it is generally--a woman. - -"Or a debt--or a crime--or a sorrow," interposed the other quickly; -"we can ring the changes on all of them." - -"Who is cynical now?" asked the Jew, with a smile. - -"Not I," denied Keith, emphatically, drawing hard at his pipe; "or if -I am, it is only that thin veneer of cynicism, under which we hide our -natural feelings now-a-days; but the music took me back to the time -when 'Plancus was consul'--exactly twelve months ago." - -"Bah! Plancus is consul still; don't be downhearted, my friend; you -are still in the pleasant city of Prague." - -"Pleasant? that is as it may be. I think it a very disagreeable city -without money. Bohemianism is charming in novels, but in real life it -is generally a hunt after what Murger calls that voracious animal, the -half-crown." - -"And after women!" - -"Ah, bah! Lais and Phryne; both charming, but slightly improper, not -to say expensive." - -"Take the other side of the shield," said the Jew gently. - -"Lucretia, and--and--by Jove, I can't recollect the name of any other -virtuous woman." - -"Who is the lady of the music?" - -"My affianced wife," retorted Stewart curtly. - -"Ah!" said Ezra thoughtfully, "then we have a feeling in common, I am -also engaged." - -Stewart laughed gaily. - -"And we both think our lady-loves perfect," he said lightly. -"'Dulcinea is the fairest woman in the world,'--poor Don Quixote." - -"Mine is to me," said Ezra emphatically. - -"Of course," answered Stewart, with a smile. "I can picture her, tall, -dark, and stately, an imperial daughter of Judah, with the beauty of -Bathsheba and the majesty of Esther." - -"Entirely wrong," replied Lazarus dryly, "she is neither tall, dark, -nor stately, but--" - -"The exact opposite--I take your meaning," said Keith composedly; -"well, my Dulcinea is like the sketch I have given--beautiful, clever, -poor, and--a governess." - -"And you haven't seen her for a year?" - -"No--a whole twelvemonth--she is up Sandhurst way trying to hammer -dates and the rule of three into the thick heads of five small brats, -and I--well I'm an unsuccessful literary man, doing what is vulgarly -known as 'a perish.'" - -"What made you take up writing?" asked Lazarus. - -"What made me take up writing?" repeated Stewart, staring vaguely into -the fire. "Lord knows--destiny, I suppose--I've had a queer sort of -life altogether. I was born of poor but honest parents, quite the -orthodox style of thing, isn't it?" - -"Are your parents alive?" - -"Dead!" laconically. - -There was a pause of a few moments, during which time Keith was -evidently deep in thought. - -"According to Sir Walter Scott," he observed at length, "every -Scotchman has a pedigree. I've got one as long as the tail of a kite, -only not so useful. I'd sell all my ancestors, as readily as Charles -Surface did his, for a few pounds. My people claim to be connected -with the royal Stewarts." - -"Your name is spelt differently." - -"It's spelt correctly," retorted Keith coolly, "in the good old -Scottish fashion; as for the other, it's the French method -acclimatised by Mary Stuart when she married the Dauphin of France." - -"Well, now I know your pedigree, what is the story of your life?" - -"My life?--oh! I'm like Canning's knife-grinder. 'Story, I've got none -to tell.' My father and mother found royal descent was not bread and -butter, so they sold the paternal acres and came out to Australia, -where I was born. The gold fever was raging then, but I suppose they -inherited the bad luck of the Stewarts, for they did not make a penny; -then they started a farm in Gippsland and ruined themselves. My father -died of a broken heart, and my mother soon followed, so I was left an -orphan with next to nothing. I wandered all over Australia, and did -anything that turned up. Suppressing the family pride, I took a -situation in a Sandhurst store, kept by a man called Proggins, and -there I met Eugénie Rainsford, who, as I told you, taught the juvenile -Progginses. I had a desultory sort of education from my father, and -having read a good deal, I determined to take to literature, inspired, -I suppose, by the poetic melancholy of the Australian bush. I wrote -poetry with the usual success; I then went on the stage, and found I -wasn't a heaven-born genius by any means, so I became a member of the -staff of a small country paper, wrote brilliant articles about the -weather and crops, varied by paste-and-scissors' work. Burned the -midnight oil, and wrote some articles, which were accepted in -Melbourne, so, with the usual prudence of genius, I threw up my billet -and came down here to set the Thames, or rather the Yarra, on fire. -Needless to remark, I didn't succeed or I shouldn't be here, so there -is my history in a nutshell." - -"And Miss Rainsford?" - -"Oh, I engaged myself to her before I left Sandhurst," said Keith, his -face growing tender, "bless her--the letters she has written me have -been my bulwark against despair--ah! what a poor devil a man is in -this world without a good woman's love to comfort him." - -"Are you doing anything now?" said Ezra thoughtfully. - -"Nothing. I'm leading a hand-to-mouth, here-to-day-gone-to-morrow -existence. I'm a vagabond on the face of the earth, a modern Cain, -Bonnie Prince Charlie in exile--the infernal luck of my royal -ancestors still sticks to me, but, ah, bah!" shrugging his shoulders, -"don't let's talk any more, old chap, we can resume the subject -to-morrow, meanwhile play me something. I'm in a poetic mood, and -would like to build castles in the air." - -Ezra laughed, and, turning to the piano, began to play one of -Henselt's morceaux, a pathetic, dreamy melody, which came stealing -softly through the room, and filled the soul of the young man with -vague yearnings. - -Staring idly into the heart of the burning coals, he saw amid the -bluish flames and red glimmer of the fire a vision of the dear dead -days of long ago--shadows appeared, the shadows of last year. - -A glowing sunset, bathing a wide plain in delicate crimson hues; a -white gate leading to a garden bright with flowers, and over the gate -the shadow of a beautiful woman stood talking to the shadow of a -man--himself. Mnenosyne--saddest of deities--waved her wand, and the -shadows talked. - -"And when will you come back, Keith?" asked the girl shadow. - -"When I am a great man," replied the other shadow proudly. "I am -riding forth like Poe's knight in search of El Dorado." - -"El Dorado is far away," returned the sweet voice of the girl; "it is -the Holy Grail of wealth, and can never be discovered." - -"I will find it," replied the man shadow hopefully. "Meanwhile, you -will wait and hope." - -"I will wait and hope," replied the girl, smiling sadly; and the -shadows parted. - -The rain beat steadily against the panes, the soft music stole through -the room, and Stewart, with idle gaze, stared into the burning heart -of the fire, as if he expected to find there the El Dorado of his -dreams. - - - - -CHAPTER II. -KEITH MEETS WITH AN ADVENTURE. - - -After a storm comes a calm; so next morning the sun was shining -brightly in the blue sky, and the earth had that clean, wholesome -appearance always to be seen after heavy rains. The high wind had -dried the streets, the drenched foliage of the trees in the Fitzroy -Gardens looked fresh and green, and there was a slight chilliness in -the atmosphere which was highly invigorating. Indeed, it was like a -spring morning, mildly inspiriting; whilst all around there seemed to -be a pleasant sense of new-born gladness quickening both animal and -vegetable life. - -After breakfast, Ezra, who was going to the office of _The Penny -Whistle_, the paper for which he worked, asked Keith to walk into town -with him, and, as the young man had nothing particular to do, he -gladly assented. They strolled slowly through the gardens, admiring -the glistening green of the trees, the white statues sharply -accentuated against their emerald back-ground, and the vivid dashes of -bright colour given by the few flowers then in bloom. - -Stewart appeared to have quite recovered from his megrims of the -previous night, and strolled gaily along, every now and then inhaling -a long breath of the keen air. Ezra, who was watching him closely, saw -from his actions his intense appreciation of his surroundings, and was -satisfied that the young man possessed in a high degree that poetical -instinct which has such an affinity with the joyousness or gloom of -Nature. - -"Ah! this is a morning when it is good to live," said Keith brightly. -"I always envied the satyrs and dryades of heathendom, with their -intense animal enjoyment of Nature--not sensuality, but exuberant -capability of enjoying a simple life." - -"Like that with which Hawthorn endowed Donatallo?" suggested Ezra. - -"Poor Donatallo!" said Stewart, with a sigh; "he is a delightful -illustration of the proverb, 'Where ignorance is bliss'--he was happy -till he loved--so was Undine till she obtained a soul." - -"You seem to have read a great deal?" observed Lazarus, looking at -him. - -"Oh, faith; my reading has been somewhat desultory," replied Stewart -carelessly. "All is fish that comes to my net, and the result is a -queer jumble of information; but let us leave this pleasant gossiping, -and come down to this matter-of-fact world. How do you think I can -better my position?" - -"I hardly know as yet," replied the Jew, thoughtfully caressing his -beard; "but if you want immediate work, I can put you in the way of -obtaining employment." - -"Literary work?" - -"Unfortunately no--a clerkship in a--a--well, an office." - -"Ugh! I hate the idea of being cribbed and confined in an office; it's -such an artificial existence. However, beggars can't be choosers, so -tell me all about it." - -"My father wants a clerk," said Ezra deliberately, "and if I -recommended you I think you could get the position." - -"Humph! And what is your father's occupation?" - -"Not a very aristocratic one,--a pawnbroker." - -Keith stopped short, and looked at his companion in surprise. - -"I can't imagine you being the son of a pawnbroker," he said in a -puzzled tone. - -"Why not?" asked Ezra serenely. "I must be the son of some one." - -"Yes; but a pawnbroker, it's so horribly un-poetical. Your father -ought to have been a man of letters--of vague speculations and -abstruse theories--a modern Rabbi Judah holding disputations about the -Talmud." - -Lazarus shrugged his shoulders, and walked slowly onward, followed by -his companion. - -"My dear lad, the days of Maimonides are past, and we are essentially -a money-making race. The curse which Jehovah pronounced on the Jews -was the same as that of Midas--they turn everything they touch into -gold." - -"A pleasant enough punishment." - -"Midas did not find it so; but to resume--my father, Jacob Lazarus, -has his shop in Russell Street, so I will speak to him to-day, and if -he is agreeable, I will take you with me to-morrow. I've no doubt -you'll get the billet, but the wages will be small." - -"At all events, they will keep body and soul together till I find my -El Dorado." - -"You refer to literary fame, I suppose. How did you first take to -writing?" - -"I think you asked me that question last night," said Keith, smiling, -"and I told you I couldn't explain. Like Pope, I lisped in numbers, -and the numbers came. I've no doubt they were sufficiently bad. I'm -sure I don't know why all authors begin with verse; perhaps it's -because rhymes are so easy--fountain suggests mountain, and dove is -invariably followed by love." - -"Have you had any articles accepted since your arrival in Melbourne?" - -"One or two, but generally speaking, no one acknowledges that a -possible Shakespeare or Dickens is embodied in me. I've sent plays to -managers, which have been declined on the plea that all plays come -from London. I have seen editors, and have been told there was no room -on the press--publishers have seen me, and pointed out that a colonial -novel means ruination--encouraging for the future brainworkers of -Australia, isn't it?" - -"We must all serve our apprenticeship," answered Lazarus quietly. "The -longest lane has a turning." - -"No doubt; but my particular lane seems devilish long." - -Ezra laughed, and they walked down Collins Street, watching the crowd -of people hurrying along to business, the cabs darting here and there, -and the cable tramcars sliding smoothly along. Pausing a moment near -the Scotch Church, they heard a street organ playing a bright melody. - -"What tune is that?" asked Keith, as they resumed their walk. "Sounds -awfully pretty." - -"Song from 'Prince Carnival,'" replied Ezra, referring to an opera -then running at the Bon-Bon Theatre. "Caprice sings it." - -"Oh, Caprice. I'd like to see that opera," said Keith. "You might take -me to the theatre to-night to see it." - -"Very well," assented Ezra. "You will like Caprice--she is very -charming." - -"And if rumour speaks truly, very wicked." - -"Added to which, she is the best-hearted woman in the world," finished -the Jew dryly. - -"What a contradiction," laughed Stewart. - -"Women are always contradictory--'tis a privilege of the sex." - -"And one they take full advantage of." - -This airy badinage came to an end somewhat abruptly, for just as they -arrived near the Victoria Coffee Palace, they were startled by the -shriek of a woman. - -On the other side of the street a gaudily-dressed girl was crying and -wringing her hands, while a child of about seven years of age was -standing paralysed with fear directly in the way of a tram-car that -came rushing down the incline. The two men stood horror-struck at what -seemed to be the inevitable death of the child, for, though the driver -put on the brakes, the speed was too great, and destruction appeared -inevitable. Suddenly Keith seemed to recover the use of his limbs, -and, with a sudden spring, bounded forward and tore the child off the -fatal track, himself falling together with the child to the ground. He -was not a moment too soon, for hardly had he fallen before the car at -a slower speed rolled past, and ultimately came to a standstill at the -foot of the incline. - -Stewart arose to his feet considerably shaken, his clothes torn and -covered with mud, and a painful feeling in the arm, on which he had -fallen. Ezra crossed over to him, and the rescued child was standing -on the footpath in the grasp of the gaudily-dressed girl who spoke -volubly, regardless of the crowd of people standing by. - -The conductor of the car came to inquire into the affair, and having -found that no one was hurt, retired, and the tram was soon sliding -down the street. The crowd dispersed gradually, until only the child, -Ezra, Keith, and the shrill-voiced girl were left. - -"Oh! gracious, good 'eavens!" said this young lady, who appeared to be -a nursemaid, and spoke rapidly, without any stops; "to think as you -should have bin nearly squashed by that ingine, and all comin' of -runnin' out into the road, an' taking no notice of me as was postin' a -letter in the pillar-box, not seeing anythin', thro' want of eyes at -the back of me 'ead." - -The child, a quaint, thin-faced little girl, with dark eyes and -glorious reddish-coloured hair, took no notice of this outburst, but -pulled Keith's coat to attract his attention. - -"Thank you, man," she said, in a thin, reedy voice; "I will tell -mumsey, and she will say nice things to you, and I will give you a -kiss." - -Keith was touched in his soft heart by this naïve appeal, and, bending -down, kissed the pale little face presented to him, much to the alarm -of the nursemaid, who lifted up her hands in horror. - -"Oh! gracious, good 'eavens!" she piped shrilly, "as to what your mar -will say, Miss Megs, I don't know, a-kissin' strange gents in the -h'open street; not but what he don't deserve it, a-dragin' you from -under the ingine, as oughtn't to be let run to spile--" - -"Hold your tongue, Bliggings," said Ezra sharply; "you ought to look -more carefully after Meg, or she'll be killed some day." - -"Oh! gracious and good 'eavens!" cried Bliggings sniffing, "if it -ain't Mr. Lazarhouse; and, beggin' your pardon, sir, it ain't my -fault, as is well known to you as children will 'ookit unbeknown't to -the most wary." - -"There, there," said Lazarus, bending down to kiss Meg; "least said, -soonest mended; thanks to my friend here, it's no worse." - -"Which he ought to git a meddler," asserted Miss Bliggings, on whose -feminine heart Keith's handsome face had made an impression. "But, -gracious and good 'eavens, they only gives 'em for drowndin', though I -never lets Miss Megs go near water, ingines bein' unexpected in their -actions, and not to be counted on in their movin's." - -"Good-bye, Meg," said Lazarus, cutting short Bliggings in despair. -"Tell your mamma I'll call and see her about this." - -"And bring the man," said Meg, glancing at Keith. - -"Yes, and bring the man," repeated Ezra, upon which Meg, being -satisfied, made a quaint-like curtsey to both men, and was going away, -when she suddenly came back, and pulling Keith's coat till he bent -down, put her arms round his neck and kissed him. - -"Mumsey will be nice," she murmured, and then trotted quietly off with -Bliggings, who kept expressing her opinion that, "Oh! gracious, good -'eavens! she was red up to her eyes at such conduct," a somewhat -unnecessary assertion, seeing her complexion was permanently the -colour of beetroot. - -"Come into Lane's Hotel and have a glass of brandy," said Ezra, when -Meg and her attendant had disappeared; "you need it after the shaking -you have had." - -"What is the child's name?" asked Keith, as he went into the bar. "You -seem to know her." - -Ezra laughed softly, and ordered a glass of brandy for his friend. - -"A curious way Fate has of working," he said, rather irrelevantly. -"She has played into your hands to-day, for that child is Kitty -Marchurst's, better known as 'Caprice.'" - -"I didn't know she had a child," said Keith. "Who is the father? Is -she married?" - -"No, she is not married. As to the father, it's a long story; I'll -tell you all about it some day. Meanwhile, you have done her a service -she will never forget." - -"Much good it will be to me," said Keith disbelievingly - -"You've exactly hit it," replied Ezra composedly. "She can do you a -great deal of good, seeing that she is the reigning favourite of the -stage at present. I will introduce you to her to-night, and then--" - -"Well?" - -Ezra shrugged his shoulders, and replied slowly,-- - -"The best friend an ambitious man can have is a clever woman; a wiser -man than I made that remark." - - - - -CHAPTER III. -PRINCE CARNIVAL. - - -The "Bon-Bon" was the smallest, prettiest, and most luxurious theatre -in Melbourne, and was exclusively devoted to farcical comedy, -burlesque, and opera-bouffe, the latter class of entertainment being -now the attraction. There was no pit, the circle and boxes being -raised but little above the level of the stalls. The decorations -were pink, white, and gold, the seats being covered with pale, -rose-coloured plush, with curtains and hangings to match, while the -electric lights, shining through pink globes, gave quite a warm glow -to the theatre. The dome was decorated with allegorical figures -representing Momus, the God of laughter, and Apollo, the God of music, -while all round the walls were exquisitely-painted medallions of -scenes from celebrated operas and burlesques. The proscenium was a -broad frame of dullish gold, the curtain of roseate plush, and on -either side of the stage were life-size statues of Offenbach and -Planché in white marble. Altogether, a charming theatre, more like a -cosy drawing-room than a place of public entertainment. - -At the entrance was a high flight of white marble stairs, leading -to a wide corridor, the walls of which were hidden by enormous -mirrors, and at intervals stood white marble statues of the Greek -divinities, holding aloft electric lights. On the one side was the -smoking-room,--a luxurious lounge,--and on the other a refreshment -bar, all glass and glitter, which was crowded between the acts by the -thirsty patrons of the play. - -Ezra and Keith arrived about nine o'clock, just as the first act of -"Prince Carnival" was over, and finding the _salon_ tolerably full, -Lazarus sat down near one of the small, marble-topped tables, and -lighting his cigarette, proceeded to point out to Keith all the -notabilities present. - -The first to whom he called Stewart's attention was a group of three. -One, a tall, portly-looking man, with a red, clean-shaven face and -black hair, was irreproachably attired in evening dress, and chatted -to a fair-haired youth with a supercilious smile, and a short, -bald-headed old gentleman. - -"You see those three?" said Ezra, indicating the group. "The dark man -of the ponderous Samuel Johnson type is Ted Mortimer, the lessee of -the theatre; the idiot with the eyeglass is Lord Santon, who has come -out from London to see us barbarians, and the apoplectic party with -the bald head is no less a personage than Mr. Columbus Wilks, the -great globe-trotter, who is going to write a book about Australia and -New Zealand." - -"That will take him some time," observed Keith, with a smile. - -"Not at all," said Lazarus coolly. "He will run through the whole of -Australasia in a few weeks, be the guest of the governors of the -different colonies, and then give his impressions of our government, -politics, trade, amusements, and scenery in a series of brilliant -articles, whose truth and accuracy will be quite in accordance with -the time which he has taken to collect his materials." - -"But he cannot judge of things so rapidly." - -"Of course not; but he will view everything through the rose-coloured -spectacles of champagne and adulation, so his book will depict our -land as a kind of nineteenth-century Utopia." - -"And Lord Santon?" - -"An hereditary legislator, who is being _fêted_ for his title, and -will go back to his ancestral halls with the firm conviction that we -are a kind-hearted race of--savages." - -"You are severe," said Keith, in an amused tone; "you ought to give a -lecture, entitled 'Men I have noticed;' it would certainly draw." - -"Yes, all the women, not the men; they don't care for hearing remarks -about themselves; but there is the bell for the rising of the curtain, -so we had better go to our seats." - -They left the now empty salon, and went into the dress circle, which -holds the same rank in the colonies as the stalls do in the London -theatres. Though the house was crowded, they succeeded in getting -excellent seats, being, in fact, those always reserved for the critics -of _The Penny Whistle_. The orchestra played a lively waltz, to which -the gods in the gallery kept time, and then the curtain drew up on a -charming scene, representing a square in Rome. - -"Prince Carnival" was one of those frivolous French operas with a -slightly naughty plot, witty dialogue, brilliant music, and plenty of -opportunity for gay dresses and picturesque scenery. The principals -and chorus consisted mostly of girls, with just a sprinkling of men, -so that their deeper voices might balance the shrillness of those of -the women. Of the plot, the least said the better, as it was merely a -string of intrigues, connected by piquant couplets and sparkling -choruses, with occasional ballets intervening. - -As far as Keith could gather, it had something to do with the -adventures of the quack Cagliostra in Rome, who was the comic man of -the play, and figured in various disguises, the most successful being -that of a prominent politician. Cagliostra tries to gain the -affections of a young girl beloved by a mountebank called Prince -Carnival, who thwarts him all through the play. The second act was the -carnival at Rome, and a crowd of masquers were singing a riotous -chorus and pelting one another with flowers. Suddenly, during a lull -in this fantastic medley, a high, clear voice was heard executing a -brilliant shake, and immediately afterwards Caprice bounded gaily on -to the stage, singing a melodious waltz song, to which the masquers -moved in measured time. - -She was dressed in a harlequin costume, a mask on her face, a fool's -baton in her hand, and innumerable silver bells hanging from her cap -and dress, which jingled incessantly as she danced. But what attracted -Keith's attention were the diamonds she wore--several stars and a -necklace. She seemed one splendid blaze of jewels, and his eyes ached -watching their flash and glitter during the rapid gyrations of her -restless figure. - -"Are those paste jewels?" he asked Ezra, in a whisper. - -"Paste!" echoed that young man, with a soft, satirical laugh. "Caprice -wear paste jewels! Ask the men she's ruined where all their thousands -went---where all their lands, horses, shares, salaries, disappeared -to! Paste! Bah! my dear fellow, you don't know the number of ruined -homes and broken hearts those diamonds represent." - -The act proceeded; the dialogue scintillating with wit, and the -choruses becoming more riotous. Intrigue followed after intrigue, and -situation after situation, in all of which Caprice was the central -figure, until the climax was reached, in a wild bizarre chorus, in -which she danced a vigorous cancan with Cagliostra, and finished by -bounding on his shoulders to form the tableau as the curtain fell, -amid the enthusiastic applause of the audience. - -Ezra and Stewart went out into the smoking-room to light their -cigarettes, and heard on all sides eulogies of Caprice. - -"She'd make her fortune on the London stage," said Santon to Mortimer. -"Got such a lot of the devil in her--eh?--by Jove! Why the deuce don't -she show in town?" - -"Aha!" replied Mortimer shrewdly, "I'm not going to let her go if I -can help it. Don't tempt away my only ewe lamb, when you've got so -many flocks of your own." - -"She doesn't look much like a lamb," said Columbus Wilks dryly. - -"Then she doesn't belie her looks," retorted Mortimer coolly. "My dear -sir, she's got the temper of a fiend, but she's such a favourite, that -I put up with her tantrums for the sake of the cash." - -While this conversation was going on, Ezra and his friend were smoking -quietly in a corner of the room chatting about the opera, when the Jew -suddenly drew Keith's attention to a tall man talking to a friend in a -confidential manner. He had a thin, sharp-looking face, keen blue -eyes, and fair hair and beard. - -"That gentleman," said Lazarus, "could probably tell you something -about those diamonds, he is an American called Hiram Jackson Fenton, -manager of the 'Never-say-die Life Insurance Company.' Rumour--which -is true in this case, contrary to its usual custom--says he is -Caprice's latest fancy." - -"He must have a lot of money to satisfy her whims," said Keith, -looking at the American. - -"Money!" Ezra shrugged his shoulders. "He hasn't much actual cash, for -he lives far above his income. However, with a little judicious -dabbling in the share market, and an occasional help from the children -of Israel, he manages to get along all right. Our friend Caprice will -ruin him shortly, and then he'll return to the Great Republic, I -presume--good riddance of bad rubbish for Australia." - -"And who is that colourless-looking little man who has just come up?" - -"He is rather washed out, isn't he?" said Ezra critically. "That is -his assistant manager, Evan Malton. For some inexplicable reason they -are inseparable." - -"Oh, and is Mr. Malton also smitten with Caprice." - -"Very badly--more shame to him, as he's only been married for twelve -months--he neglects his young wife, and dances attendance at the heels -of his divinity." - -"Doesn't Hiram J--what's his name, object?" - -"Not at all. You see they're both mixed up in speculation, and work -together for their mutual benefit. Malton is the Lazarus--I don't mean -myself--who picks up the crumbs of love that fall from Mr. Dives -Fenton's table." - -"It can't last long," said Keith in disgust. - -"It will last till Malton gets rid of Fenton, or Fenton gets the -better of Malton--then there'll be a row, and the weakest will go to -the wall. Tell me, whom do you think will win?" - -"I should say Fenton," replied Keith, glancing from the effeminate -countenance of Malton to the shrewd, powerful face of the American. - -"Exactly; he is, I fancy, the stronger villain of the two." - -"Villain?" - -"Yes; I call any man a villain who neglects his wife for the sake of a -light-o'-love. As for Fenton, he is the most unscrupulous man I know." - -"You seem to be pretty well acquainted with the scandal of Melbourne -society," said Stewart as they went back to their seats. - -"Of course, it is my duty; the press is ubiquitous. But tell me your -opinion of Caprice?" - -"Judging by her acting to-night, she's a devil." - -"Wait till the end of this act, and you'll swear she's an angel." - -"Which will be correct?" - -"Both--she's a mixture!" - -The curtain again drew up, amid the shuffling of the audience -settling themselves in their places, and represented a _fête_ in the -gardens of Cagliostra's palace, brilliant with coloured lights and -fantastically-dressed people. According to the story, Cagliostra has -obtained possession of his prize, and woos her successfully, when -Prince Carnival enters and sings a ballad, "So Long Ago," in the hope -of touching the heart of his false love. - -Caprice, dressed in a tight-fitting costume of silk and velvet, which -showed off her beautiful figure to perfection, stood in the centre of -the stage with a sad smile, and sang the waltz-refrain of the song -with great feeling. - - - "For it was long ago, love, - That time of joy and woe, love! - Yet still that heart of thine - Is mine, dear love, is mine!" - - -She gave to the jingling words a touch of pathos which was exquisitely -beautiful. - -"I believe she feels what she sings," whispered Keith. - -"If you knew her story you would scarcely wonder at that," said Ezra -bitterly. - -The song was redemanded, but Caprice refused to respond, and, the -clamour still continuing, she shrugged her shoulders and walked coolly -up the stage. - -"She's in a temper to-night," said Mortimer to Santon. "They can -applaud till they're black in the face, but devil an answer they'll -get from her, the jade! She isn't called Caprice for nothing." - -And so it happened, for the audience, finding she would not gratify -them, subsided into a sulky silence, and Caprice went coolly on with -the dialogue. Cagliostra, repentant, surrenders the girl to Prince -Carnival, and the opera ended with a repetition of the galop chorus, -wherein Keith saw the sad-eyed woman of a few moments before once more -a mocking jibing fiend, dancing and singing with a reckless _abandon_ -that half-fascinated and half-disgusted him. - -"What a contradiction," said Keith, as they left the theatre; "one -moment all tears, the next all laughter!" - -"With a spice of the devil in both," replied Ezra cynically. "She is -the Sphinx woman of Heine--her lips caress while her claws wound." - -They had a drink and a smoke together, after which they went round to -the stage-door, as Ezra, in pursuance of improving Keith's fortunes, -was anxious to introduce him to Caprice. Lazarus appeared to be -well-known to the door-keeper, for, after a few words with him, they -were admitted to the mysterious region behind the scenes. Caprice, -wrapped up in a heavy fur cloak, was standing on the stage talking to -Fenton. All around was comparatively quiet, as the scene-shifters -having ended their duties for the night had left the theatre. Stewart -could hardly believe that the little golden-haired woman he saw before -him was the brilliant being of the previous hour, she looked so pale -and weary. But soon another side of her versatile nature showed -itself, for Fenton, saying something to displease her, she rebuked him -sharply, and turned her back on the discomfited American. In doing so -she caught sight of Lazarus, and ran quickly towards him with -outstretched hand. - -"My dear Mr. Lazarus," she said rapidly, "I'm so glad to see you! Meg -told me all about her accident to-day, and how narrowly she escaped -death. Good God, if I had lost her! But the gentleman who saved -her--where is he?" - -"He is here," said Lazarus, indicating Keith, who stood blushing and -confused before this divinity of the stage. - -In another moment, with a sudden impulse, she was by his side, holding -his two hands in her own. - -"You have done what I can never repay," she said rapidly, in a low -voice. "Saved my child's life, and you will not find me ungrateful. -Words are idle, but if actions can prove gratitude, you may command -me." - -"I hope the young lady is all right," stammered Keith, as she dropped -his hands. - -"Oh, yes; rather shaken, but quite well," answered Caprice, in a -relieved tone. "Dear me, how careless I am; let me introduce you to -these gentlemen--Mr. Fenton, Mr. Malton, and last, but not least, Mr. -Mortimer." - -The three gentlemen bowed coldly, Fenton in particular, eyeing Keith -in a supercilious manner, which made him blush with rage, as he -thought it was owing to his shabby clothes. - -"Is my carriage there?" said Caprice, in reply to a speech of -Malton's. "Oh, then, I may as well go. Good-night, everybody. Mr. -Stewart, will you give me your arm?" and she walked off with the -delighted Keith, leaving Fenton and Malton transfixed with rage, while -Mortimer and Ezra looked on chuckling. - -Caprice talked brightly to her new friend till he placed her in her -brougham, then suddenly became grave. - -"Come down and have supper with me on Sunday fortnight," she said, -leaning out of the window. "Mr. Lazarus will be your guide. Good-bye -at present," giving him her gloved hand. "God bless you for saving my -child." - -The carriage drove off, but not before Keith had seen that tears were -falling down her face, whereat he marvelled at this strange nature, -and stood looking after the carriage. - -"She's not as bad as they say," he said aloud. - -Ezra, who was just behind him, laughed aloud. - -"I knew you'd say she was an angel." - - - - -CHAPTER IV -LAZARUS. - - -It was a very little shop of squat appearance, as if the upper storey -had gradually crushed down the lower. Three gilt balls dangling in -mid-air over the wide door indicated the calling of the owner, and, in -order that there should be no mistake, the dusty, rain-streaked -windows displayed the legend, "Lazarus, Pawnbroker," in blistered -golden letters. There were three windows in the upper storey, and -these being innocent of blinds or curtains, with the addition of one -or two panes being broken, gave the top of the house a somewhat -dismantled look. The lower windows, however, made up for the blankness -of the upper ones, being full of marvels, and behind their dingy glass -could be seen innumerable articles, representing the battered wrecks -of former prosperity. - -Gold and silver watches, with little parchment labels attached, -setting forth their value, displayed themselves in a tempting row, and -their chains were gracefully festooned between them, intermixed with -strings of red coral, old-fashioned lockets, and bracelets of jet and -amber. Worn-out silver teapots were placed dismally at the back in -company with cracked cups and saucers of apparently rare old Worcester -and Sêvres china. Dingy velvet trays, containing innumerable coins and -medals of every description, antique jewellery of a mode long since -out of date, were incongruously mingled with revolvers, guns, spoons, -cruets, and japanned trays, decorated with sprawling golden dragons; -richly-chased Indian daggers, tarnished silver mugs, in company with -deadly-looking American bowie knives; bank-notes of long since -insolvent banks were displayed as curiosities, while a child's rattle -lay next to a Book of Beauty, from out whose pages looked forth -simpering faces of the time of D'Orsay and Lady Blessington. And over -all this queer heterogeneous mixture the dust lay thick and grey, as -if trying for very pity to hide these remnants of past splendours and -ruined lives. - -The shop was broad, low-roofed, and shallow, with a choky -atmosphere of dust, through which the golden sunlight slanted in -heavy, solid-looking beams. On the one side there was a row of little -partitions like bathing-boxes, designed to secure secrecy to those who -transacted business with Mr. Lazarus, and, on the other, long rows of -old clothes were hanging up against the wall, looking like the -phantoms of their former owners. At the back, a door, covered with -faded green baize, and decorated with brass-headed nails, gave -admittance to the private office of the presiding genius of the place. -The whole appearance of the shop was gloomy in the extreme, and the -floor, being covered with boxes and bundles, with a little clearing -here and there, it was naturally rather embarrassing to strangers -(especially as the bright sunlight outside prevented them seeing an -inch before their noses) when they first entered the dismal den -wherein Mr. Lazarus sat like a spider waiting for unwary flies. - -In one of the bathing machines aforesaid, a large red-faced woman, -with a gruff voice and a strong odour of gin, was trying to conclude a -bargain with a small, white-faced Jewish youth whose black beady eyes -were scornfully examining a dilapidated teapot, which the gruff lady -asserted was silver, and which the Jewish youth emphatically declared -was not. The gruff female, who answered to the name of Tibsey, grew -wrathful at this opposition, and prepared to do battle. - -"Old 'uns knows more nor youngers," she growled in an angry tone. -"'Tain't by the sauce of babes and sucklers as I'm goin' to be -teached." - -"'Old your row," squeaked Isaiah, that being the shrill boy's name. -"Five bob, and dear at that." - -Mrs. Tibsey snorted, and her garments--a tartan shawl and a brown -wincey--shook with wrath. - -"Lor a mussy, 'ear the brat," she said, lifting up her fat hands; -"why, five poun' wouldn't buy it noo; don't be 'ard on me, my -lovey--me as 'ave popped everythink with you, includin' four silver -spoons, a kittle, a girdiron, an' a coal-scuttle; don't be 'ard, -ducky; say ten an' a tizy." - -"Five bob," returned the immovable Isaiah. - -"You Jewesis is the cuss of hus hall," cried Mrs. Tibsey, whacking the -counter with a woefully ragged umbrella. "You cheats an' you swindles -like wipers, an' I 'ates the sight of your 'ook noses, I do." - -"You'll 'ave the boss out," said Isaiah, in a high voice, like a steam -whistle, to which Mrs. Tibsey replied in a rolling bass, a duet which -grew wilder and wilder till the sudden opening of the green baize door -reduced them both to silence. - -An old man appeared--such a little old man--very much bent, and -dressed in a greasy old ulster which covered him right down to his -ragged carpet slippers. He had white hair and beard, piercing black -eyes under shaggy white eyebrows, sharply-cut features, and a -complexion like dirty parchment, seared all over with innumerable -lines. - -"You again?" he said, in a feeble Jewish voice. "Oh, you -devil!--you--you--" here a fit of coughing seized him, and he -contented himself with glaring at Mrs. Tibsey, upon which he was -immediately confronted by that indomitable female, who seized the -teapot and shook it in his face. - -"Five bob!" she shrieked; "five bob for this!" - -"Too much--far too much," said Lazarus in dismay; "say four, my dear, -four." - -"Ten; I want ten," said Mrs. Tibsey. - -"No, no; four; you say ten, but you mean four." - -"Say six." - -"Four." - -"Then take it," said Mrs. Tibsey, clashing it down in wrath, "and the -devil take you." - -"All in good time--all in good time," chuckled the old man, and -disappeared through the door. - -"You see, you oughter 'ave taken the five," sniggered Isaiah, making -out the pawnticket. "There's four bob, don't spend it in drink." - -"Me drink, you hugly himp," said the lady, sweeping the money into her -capacious pocket, where it reposed in company with an empty gin -bottle; "me drink, as takes in washin' and goes hout nussin', an' was -quite the lady afore I fell into the company of wipers: me dr-- well," -and, language failing her, Mrs. Tibsey sailed majestically out of the -shop, coming into collision with Ezra and Keith, who were just -entering. - -"A whirlwind in petticoats," said Keith, startled by this ragged -apparition. - -"Askin' your parding, gents both," said Mrs. Tibsey, dropping a very -shaky curtsey, "but a young limb h'insides bin puttin' my back hup -like the wrigglin' heel 'e h'are, and if you're goin' to pop anythink, -don't let it be a silver teapot, 'cause old Sating h'inside is the -cuss of orphens and widders," and, having relieved her mind, Mrs. -Tibsey flounced indignantly away to refresh herself with her favourite -beverage. - -"Complimentary to your parent," observed Keith, as they entered the -shop. - -"Oh, they're much worse sometimes," said Ezra complacently. "Isaiah, -where's my father?" - -"In 'is room," replied Isaiah, resuming the reading of a sporting -newspaper. - -Ezra opened the green baize door without knocking, and entered, -followed by Keith. A small square room, even dingier than the shop. At -one side a truckle bed pushed up against the wall, and next to it a -large iron safe. A rusty grate, with a starved-looking fire, had an -old battered kettle simmering on its hob. At the back a square -dirty-paned window, through which the light fell on a small table -covered with greasy green cloth, and piled up with papers. At this -table sat old Lazarus, mumbling over some figures. He looked up -suddenly when the young men entered, and cackled a greeting to his -son, after which effort he was seized with a violent fit of coughing, -which seemed to shake him to pieces. The paroxysm having passed, he -began to talk in his feeble, Jewish voice. - -"He, he! my dear," looking sharply at Keith, "is this the young man -you spoke of? Well, well--too good-looking, my dear--the women--ah, -the women, devil take 'em, they'll be turning his head." - -"That's his own business, not yours," said Ezra curtly. - -"He, he! but it is my business--they'll love him, and love means -presents--that means money--my money--I can't trust him." - -"That's rather severe, isn't it?" said Keith, speaking for the first -time. "You can't tell a man's character altogether by his face--good -looks do not invariably mean libertine principles." - -"Ah! I know, I know!" muttered Lazarus, rubbing his hands together; -"well, well, can you keep books?" - -"Yes, I have been accustomed to do so." - -"Are you honest?" - -Keith laughed. - -"I'm generally considered so." - -"He, he! that's not saying much. What wages do you want?" - -"Three pounds a week," said Stewart modestly. - -"Oh, my dear, my dear, what a large sum; say two, my dear, two pounds, -or forty shillings, it's very large; you can save out of two pounds." - -"I'm glad you think so," said Keith dryly. "I've got my doubts on the -subject; however, beggars must not be choosers, so I agree." - -"On trial, mind on trial," muttered the old man cautiously. - -"I'm quite agreeable," replied Keith complacently, hoping that by the -time his trial is over he would be on the staff of some paper. "What -are the hours?" - -"Nine, my dear," said Lazarus, stroking his beard, "nine till six, -with half-an-hour for something to eat in the day--a bun and a cup of -coffee--don't be extravagant." - -"I can't very well be, on such a salary," replied Stewart. "Well, Mr. -Lazarus, as it's all settled, I'll come at nine o'clock to-morrow -morning." - -"Yes! yes! quite right; but no horse-racing, no gambling, no -women--they're the devil, my dear, the devil." - -"You're rather hard on the sex, father," said Ezra satirically, -"considering how useful they are to you." - -"Aha! quite right, quite right," chuckled the old man. "Oh, I know -fine ladies; they come to old Lazarus for money--to sell diamonds--ah, -my dear, there's lots of diamonds in that safe, he, he!" - -"I wonder you're not afraid of being robbed," said Keith. - -The old man looked up with a sudden gleam of suspicion in his eyes. - -"No, no; I keep the keys under my pillow, and I've got a pistol. I can -fire it, oh, yes, I can fire it, then the neighbours, my dear, all -round; oh, I'm quite safe--yes, yes, quite safe; no one would hurt old -Lazarus. How's Esther, my dear?" turning suddenly to his son. - -Esther was the girl to whom Ezra was engaged. - -"Oh, she's all right," he replied. "I took her the other night to see -Caprice." - -"Aha!" cried old Lazarus, lifting up his hands. "Oh, dear, dear, what -a woman. I know her, oh, I know her." - -"Personally?" asked Keith, whereupon Mr. Lazarus suddenly became deaf. - -"Yes, yes, a fine woman; ruins everybody, ruins 'em body and soul, and -laughs at 'em, like the fiend she is." - -Ezra looked at his paternal relative in disgust, and took Keith's arm. -"Come along," he said, "I've got an engagement." - -"Good boy, good boy," muttered his parent, nodding his head, "make -money, my dear, make--" here another fit of coughing interrupted him, -and Ezra hurried Keith away. - -"Faugh!" said Ezra, lifting up his hat when they were in the street; -"how I hate the miasma of that place. It's like the upas tree, and -kills all who come within its circle." - -"Do you think your father knows Caprice?" asked Keith, as they walked -down Bourke Street. - -"Can't tell you," answered Lazarus coolly; "I shouldn't be -surprised--he knows half the women in Melbourne. When a spendthrift -wants money, he goes to my father; when a woman is in trouble, she -goes there also; in spite of her lovers, Caprice is such an -extravagant woman, that I've no doubt she's had dealings with my -father. If the secret life of Lazarus the pawnbroker were only -written, it would be very interesting, I assure you." - -"I'm glad I got the place," said Keith thoughtfully; "it isn't much, -but will keep me alive till I get on my feet." - -"You are sure to drop into a newspaper appointment," replied Ezra, -"and of course I will do my best for you." - -"You're very good," answered Keith gratefully; "ha, ha, what queer -tricks the jade Fortune plays us. I come to Melbourne full of poetic -dreams, and find my fate in a pawnbroker's office--it isn't romantic, -but it's bread and butter." - -"You're not the first poet who has gone to the pawnbroker." - -"I expect I'm the first that ever went on such good terms," retorted -Keith shrewdly. - - - - -CHAPTER V -A WOMAN'S APPEAL. - - -According to some writer, "Human beings are moulded by circumstances," -and truly Kitty Marchurst, better known as Caprice, was an excellent -illustration of this remark. - -The daughter of a Ballarat clergyman, she was a charming and -pure-minded girl, and would doubtless have married and become a happy -woman, but for the intervention of circumstances in the form of M. -Gaston Vandeloup. This gentleman, an ex-convict, and a brilliant and -fascinating scoundrel, ruined the simple, confiding girl, and left her -to starve in the streets of Melbourne. From this terrible fate, -however, she was rescued by Mrs. Villiers, who had known her as a -child, and it seemed as though she would once more be happy, when -circumstances again intervened, and through her connection with a -poisoning case, she was again thrown on the world. Weary of existence, -she was about to drown herself in the Yarra, when Vandeloup met her, -and tried to push her in. With a sudden craving for life, she -struggled with him, and he, being weak for want of food, fell in and -was drowned, while the unhappy girl fled away, she knew not whither. - -A blind instinct led her to "The Home for Fallen Women," founded by a -Miss Rawlins, who had herself been an unfortunate, and here for a time -the weary, broken-hearted woman found rest. A child, of which -Vandeloup was the father, came to cheer her loneliness, and she called -the little one Margaret, hoping it would comfort her in the future. -But the seeds of evil implanted in her breast by Vandeloup began to -bear fruit, and with returning health came a craving; for excitement. -She grew weary of the narrow, ascetic life she was leading--for young -blood bounded through her veins--and she was still beautiful and -brilliant. So, much against the wishes of the matron of the -institution, she left the place and returned to the stage. - -The Wopples family, with whom she had previously acted, had gone to -America, and she was alone in the world, without a single friend. She -called herself Caprice, for her real name and history were too -notorious for such a public career as she had chosen. All avoided her, -and this worked her ruin. Had one door been open to her--had one kind -hand been stretched forth to save her--she might have redeemed the -past; but the self-righteous Pharisees of the world condemned her, and -in despair she determined to defy the world by giving it back scorn -for scorn. - -It was a terribly hard and dreary life she led at first--no friends, -very little money, and a child to support. The future looked black -enough before her; but she determined to succeed, and Fortune at -length favoured her. - -She was playing a minor part in a Christmas burlesque, when the lady -who acted the principal character suddenly fell ill, and Kitty had to -take her place at a very short notice. She, however, acquitted herself -so well that, with one bound, she became a popular favourite, and the -star still continuing ill for the rest of the run of the piece, she -was able to consolidate the favourable impression she had made. She -awoke to find herself famous, and played part after part in burlesque -and modern comedy, always with great success. In a word, she became -the fashion, and found herself both rich and famous. - -Ted Mortimer, the manager of the Bon-Bon Theatre, persuaded her to try -opera-bouffe, and she made her first appearance in the Grand Duchess -with complete success. She followed up her triumph by playing the -title _rôles_ in Giroflé Girofla, La Perichole, and Boccaccio, scoring -brilliantly each time; and now she had created the part of Prince -Carnival, which proved to be her greatest success. Night after night -the Bon-Bon was crowded, and the opera had a long and successful run, -while Kitty, now at the height of her fame, set herself to work to -accomplish her revenge on the world. - -She hated women for the way they had scorned her, and she detested men -for the free and easy manner in which they approached her; so she made -up her mind to ruin all she could, and succeeded admirably. One after -another, not only the gilded youth of Melbourne, but staid, sober men -became entangled in her meshes, and many a man lived to curse the hour -he first met Kitty Marchurst. - -Her house at Toorak was furnished like a palace, and her dresses, -jewels, horses, and extravagances formed a fruitful topic of -conversation in clubs and drawing-rooms. She flung away thousands of -pounds in the most reckless manner, and as soon as she had ruined one -man, took up with another, and turned her back on the poor one with a -cynical sneer. Her greatest delight was to take away other women's -husbands, and many happy homes had she broken up by her wiles and -fascinations. Consequently, she was hated and feared by all the women -in Melbourne, and was wrathfully denounced as a base adventuress, -without one redeeming feature. They were wrong: she loved her child. - -Kitty simply idolised Meg, and was always in terror lest she should -lose her. Consequently, when she heard how Keith had rescued her child -from a terrible death, her gratitude knew no bounds. She heard of the -young man's ambitions from Ezra, and determined to help him as far as -it lay in her power. Thus, for the first time for many years, her -conduct was actuated by a kindly feeling. - -The drawing-room in Kitty's house at Toorak was a large, lofty -apartment, furnished in a most luxurious style. Rich carpets, low -lounging chairs, innumerable rugs and heavy velvet curtains. A -magnificent grand piano, great masses of tropical foliage in -fantastically-coloured jars, priceless cabinets of china, and costly, -well-selected pictures. One of her lovers, a rich squatter, had -furnished it for her. When he had lost all his money, and found her -cold and cruel, he went off to the wilds of South America to try and -forget her. - -There were three French windows at the end of the room, which led out -on to a broad verandah, and beyond was the lawn, girdled by laurels. -Kitty sat at a writing-desk reading letters, and the morning sun -shining through the window made a halo round her golden head. No one -who saw her beautiful, childish face, and sad blue eyes, would have -dreamed how cruel and relentless a soul lay beneath that fair -exterior. - -At her feet sat Meg, dressed in a sage-green frock, with her auburn -curls falling over her face, playing with a box of bricks, and every -now and then her mother would steal an affectionate glance at her. - -Curiously enough, Kitty was reading a letter from the very man who had -given her the house, and who was now dying in a pauper hospital in San -Francisco. - -"I forgive you freely," he wrote; "but, ah, Kitty, you might have -feigned a love you did not feel, if only to spare me the degradation -of dying a pauper, alone and without friends!" - -The woman's face grew dark as she read these pitiful words, and, -crushing up the letter in her hands, she threw it into the waste-paper -basket with a cynical sneer. - -"Bah!" she muttered contemptuously, "does he think to impose on me -with such tricks? Feign a love! Yes, kiss and caress him to gratify -his vanity. Did I not give him fair warning of the end? And now he -whimpers about mercy--mercy from me to him--pshaw! let him die and go -to his pauper grave, I'll not shed a tear!" - -And she laughed harshly. - -At this moment Meg, who had been building two edifices of bricks, -began to talk to herself. - -"This," said Meg, putting the top brick on one building, "is the House -of Good, but the other is the House of Sin. Mumsey," raising her eyes, -"which house would you like to live in?" - -"In the House of Good, dear," said Kitty in a tremulous voice, touched -by the artless question of the child. "Come to mumsey, darling, and -tell her what you have been doing." - -Meg, nothing loath, accepted this invitation, and, climbing up on her -mother's knee, threw her arms round Kitty's neck. - -"I had some bread and milk," she said confidentially; "then I went and -saw my Guinea pigs. Dotty--you know, mumsey, the one with the long -hair--oh, he squeaked--he did squeak! I think he was hungry." - -"Have you been a good little girl?" - -"Good?" echoed Meg doubtfully. "Well, not very good. I was cross with -Bliggings. She put soap into my eyes." - -"It's naughty to be cross, darling," said her mother, smoothing the -child's hair. "What makes you naughty?" - -"Mother," said Meg, nodding her head sagely, "it's the wicked spirit." - -Kitty laughed, and, kissing the child, drew her closer to her. - -"Mumsey!" - -"Yes, darling?" - -"I should like to give the man who stopped the wheels a present." - -"What would you like to give him, my precious?" - -This took some consideration, and Meg puckered up her small face into -a frown. - -"I think," she decided at length, "the man would like a knife." - -"A knife cuts love, Meg." - -"Not if you get a penny for it," asserted Meg wisely. "Bliggings told -me; let me get a knife for the man, mumsey." - -"Very well, dear," said Kitty smiling; "the man will then know my -little daughter has a kind heart." - -"Meg is a very good girl," asserted that small personage gravely; and, -climbing down off her mother's knee, she began to play with the -bricks, while Kitty went on with her correspondence. - -The next letter evidently did not give Kitty much satisfaction, -judging by the frown on her face. She had written to Hiram J. Fenton -asking for some money, and he had curtly refused to give her any more. -She tore up the letter, threw it into the waste-paper basket, and -smiled sardonically. - -"You won't, won't you?" she muttered angrily. "Very well, my friend, -there are plenty of others to give me money if you won't." - -At this moment there came a ring at the door, and shortly after the -servant entered with a card. Kitty took it carelessly, and then -started. - -"Mrs. Malton," she muttered, in a puzzled tone. "Evan Malton's wife! -what does she want, I wonder? I thought I was too wicked for virtue to -call on me--it appears I'm not." - -She glanced at the card again, then made up her mind. - -"Show the lady in," she said calmly; and, when the servant -disappeared, she called Meg. "Mumsey's sweetheart must go away for a -few minutes." - -"What for?" asked mumsey's sweetheart, setting her small mouth. - -"Mumsey has to see a lady on business." Meg collected the bricks in a -pinafore, and walked off to the French window, when she turned. - -"Meg will play outside," she said, shaking her curls, "and will come -in when mumsey calls." - -Scarcely had Meg vanished when the servant threw open the door and -announced,-- - -"Mrs. Malton." - -A tall, slender girl entered the room quickly, and, as the door closed -behind, paused a moment and looked steadily at Kitty through her thick -veil. - -"Mrs. Malton?" said Kitty interrogatively. - -The visitor bowed, and, throwing back her veil, displayed a face of -great beauty; but she had a restless, pitiful look in her eyes, and -occasionally she moistened her dry lips with her tongue. - -"Will you take a seat?" said the actress politely, taking in at a -glance the beautiful, tired face and quiet, dark costume of her -visitor. - -"Thank you," replied Mrs. Malton, in a low, clear voice, and sat down -in the chair indicated by her hostess, nervously clasping and -unclasping her hands over the ivory handle of her umbrella. She -glanced at Kitty again in a shrinking kind of manner, then, with a -sudden effort, burst out quickly,-- - -"I have called--I have called to see you about my--my husband." - -Kitty's lip curled, and she resumed her seat with an enigmatical -smile. - -"Yes; what about him?" - -"Cannot you guess?" said Mrs. Malton imploringly. - -Kitty shook her head in a supercilious manner. - -"I am at a loss to understand the reason of your visit," she said, in -a cold, measured manner. - -"I am Evan Malton's wife," said the other rapidly. "We have only been -married a year--and--and we have one child." - -"I presume you did not call to inform me of your domestic affairs," -replied Kitty mercilessly. - -"He was so fond of me--we loved one another devotedly till--till--" - -"Till he met me, I suppose," said Kitty coolly, throwing herself back -with an amused laugh. "I've heard that complaint before--you wives -never seem to know how to retain your husbands' affections." - -"Give him back to me--oh give him back to me," cried the young wife, -clasping her hands. "You have many richer and better than he. I love -my husband, and you have parted us--oh, do--do--give him back to me." - -"My dear Mrs. Malton," replied the actress coldly, "I do not encourage -him, I assure you. He's a bore, and I detest bores." - -"But he loves you--he loves you--he worships the ground you tread on." - -"A waste of good material; for his devotion will never be rewarded." - -"Then you don't love him?" said Mrs. Malton breathlessly. - -Kitty rose to her feet, and laughed bitterly. - -"Love him--love any one," she muttered, with a choking cry. "I hate -the whole lot of them. Do you think I care for their flattery, their -kisses, their protestations--bah! I know the value of such things. -Love--I hate the word." - -"Yet my husband comes here," said the other timidly. - -Kitty turned on her fiercely. - -"Can I help that? Is it the candle's fault that the moths are -attracted? I don't ask your husband to come; if he finds in me what he -misses in you, it is your fault, not mine--your errand is useless, I -cannot help you." - -She turned to go, but the young woman sprang forward and caught her -dress. - -"You shall not go--you shall not!" she almost shrieked. "You and -Fenton are dragging us both to perdition; he has ruined himself for -your sake, and his friend--God help him--his friend has insulted me -with words of love." - -"Am I the guardian of your virtue?" said Kitty pitilessly. - -Mrs. Malton stood wringing her hands. - -"Oh, God, have you no pity? I am a woman like yourself--my husband -should protect me, but he leaves me for you--and," in a whisper, "you -don't know all--he has given you presents, rich presents, and to do so -has committed a crime." - -"A crime!" - -"Hush! hush!" glancing fearfully around, "not so loud--not so -loud--yes, he has embezzled money, thousands of pounds, for your -sake." - -Kitty gave a cry, and grasped at a chair for support. - -"I--I--did not--not ask him for his presents." - -"No; but it was for your sake--your sake. You must help him." - -"I," laughed Kitty mockingly, "help him? Help him!--help any man! My -good woman, if he went into the prisoner's dock to-morrow, I would not -lift one finger to save him." - -Mrs. Malton fell on her knees. - -"Oh, my God, don't talk like that!" she cried wildly. "You will ruin -him--you will ruin him." - -Kitty swept round with a cold glitter, like steel, in her eyes. - -"Yes! it is my business to ruin men. When I was poor, and anxious to -lead a good life, any outstretched hand might have saved me; but no, I -was a pariah and outcast--they closed their doors against me. I asked -for bread, they gave me a stone--they made of me a scourge for their -own evil doing--this is the time for my revenge; fallen and degraded -though I be, I can wring their hearts and ruin their homes through -their nearest and dearest, and you come to ask me to relent--you, who, -if you saw me to-morrow on the streets, would draw your skirts aside -from the moral leper!" - -"No, no!" moaned the other, beating her breasts with her hands. "Have -mercy, have mercy!" - -"What do you want me to do?" - -"You know the manager of the company, Mr. Fenton; he is your lover--he -can refuse you nothing. Speak to him, and see if anything can be -done." - -"No!" - -"For God's sake!" - -"No!" - -"You have a child?" - -"What is my child to you?" - -"Everything. You are a mother--so am I: you love your child--I love -mine; yet you would make my innocent child suffer for its father's -crime. Oh, if you have any feelings of a mother, spare the father for -the sake of the child." - -Kitty stood irresolute, while the woman at her feet burst into wild -and passionate weeping. - -At this moment Meg entered the room by the window, and paused for a -moment. - -"Mumsey," she said, "why does the lady cry?" - -Kitty would have interposed, but Mrs. Malton stretched out her hands -to Meg with a quiet in-drawing of her breath. - -"I am crying for my little girl." - -"Is she dead?" asked Meg, coming to the kneeling woman, and touching -her shoulder. "Poor lady--poor, poor lady!" - -Kitty could contain herself no longer. With a sudden impulse, she bent -down and raised the weeping woman. - -"I will do what I can," she said huskily, and sank into a chair. - -"Thank God!" cried Mrs. Malton, advancing, but Kitty waved her off, -while Meg stood looking from one to the other in amazement. - -"Go, go!" - -Mrs. Malton bent down and kissed her hand. - -"May God be merciful to you, as you have been to me," and, without -another word, she departed. - -"Mumsey," said Meg, trying to take her mother's hands from her face, -"were you cross to the lady?" - -"No, darling, no!" replied Kitty, drawing Meg close to her. "Mother -was kind to the lady because of her little girl." - -"Good mumsey, dear mumsey; Meg loves you," and she put her arms round -Kitty's neck, while the poor woman leaned her aching head against the -innocent breast of her child, and burst into tears. - - - - -CHAPTER VI -THE ANNOYANCE OF HIRAM J. FENTON. - - -It is a curious fact that Melbourne has, in its social and business -aspects, a strong leaven of Americanism, and visitors from the great -Republic find themselves quite at home in the Metropolis of the South. -There are the same bold, speculative qualities, the same restless -pursuit of pleasure, and the same rapidity and promptness of action -which characterises the citizen of San Francisco or New York. -Consequently, there are many Americans to be found in a city so -congenial to their tastes, and of these Hiram J. Fenton was one. - -He had come over from the States as the agent of a dry-goods firm, -and, travelling all through the Australasian colonies, soon saw the -enormous capabilities of wealth that lay before him. Gifted with a -ready tongue and a persuasive manner, he interested several opulent -Victorians in a scheme for floating a Life Insurance Company. A -prospectus was drawn up, which promised incalculable wealth to those -who would take shares, and, by means of Mr. Fenton's brilliant command -of words, and skilful manipulation of figures, The Never-say-die -Insurance Company soon became an accomplished fact. A handsome suite -of offices was taken in Collins' Street, a large staff of clerks -engaged, a genial medical man, whose smile itself was a -recommendation, remained on the premises to examine intending -policy-holders, and the emissaries of the company went to the four -quarters of the globe to trumpet forth the praises of the affair, and -persuade people to insure their lives. The company prospered, a -handsome dividend was soon declared, and, thanks to his Yankee -sharpness, Mr. Fenton now found himself occupying the enviable -position of manager with a large salary. - -He was a handsome man in a bold, sensual way, with a certain dash and -swagger about him which impressed strangers favourably, but a -physiognomist would have mistrusted his too ready tongue and the keen -glance of his eye. There is no greater mistake than to suppose a -villain cannot meet an honest eye, for, as a matter of fact, a -successful villain having his nerves under admirable control can stare -any one out of countenance, and the keen, rapid glance can take in at -once the weak points of a stranger. - -Mr. Fenton occupied pleasant apartments, went into society a great -deal, and altogether was a very popular man. Cold, calculating, and -far-seeing as he was, he had yet a weak spot in his character, and -this was extreme partiality for the female sex. Any woman, provided -she was pretty, could twist him round her finger; and as Kitty -Marchurst now had him in her toils, she took full advantage of his -infatuation. There was a certain amount of notoriety in being the -lover of the now famous Caprice; but Fenton had to pay pretty dearly -for his position. Kitty spent his money like water, and when he -ventured to remonstrate, laughed in his face, and told him he could go -if he liked, an intimation which only made him resolve to stick closer -to her. Nevertheless, about this time relations were rather strained -between them, and any one knowing the facts of the case would have -seen that the end was not far off. - -As to Evan Malton, he was Fenton's assistant manager, and was the moon -to the astute American's sun. Weak, irresolute, and foolish, he was, -nevertheless, by some strange contradiction, a capital business man. -This arose from his long training in office work; he could do nothing -by himself, but guided by Fenton, he made an admirable subordinate, -and was amenable to his superior in every way. He admired Fenton -greatly, copied him in his dress and mannerisms, affected a rakish -demeanour towards his friend's mistress, and thoroughly neglected his -poor wife, a neglect of which Fenton tried to take advantage. Had -Malton known this, it would doubtless have changed his feelings -towards the American, for though he thought he was justified in -leading a fast life, he strongly objected to his wife showing any -liking for any one but himself. Fenton, however, believing in no -woman's virtue, did not despair, but protected Kitty openly, to delude -Malton into a false security, and made love to Mrs. Malton _sub rosâ_. - -It was quite warm out of doors in spite of the season, and out on -Kitty's lawn were a group of people laughing and talking together. -Kitty, in a comfortable chair, was chatting to Keith and Ezra, who had -just arrived, and there were several other ladies present, including -Milly Maxwell, who was the second lady at the Bon-Bon--dark-browed, -majestic, and passionate; Dora Avenant, who looked like a doll and had -the brains of one; and Mrs. Wadby, who wrote scandal and dresses for -_The Penny Whistle_ under the _nom de plume_ of "Baby." - -As to the gentlemen, there were present Ted Mortimer, bland -and smiling; Slingsby, the parliamentary reporter; Delp, the -theatrical critic; Toltby, the low comedian at the Bon-Bon, and about -half-a-dozen others, who were more or less connected with the stage -and the press. The men were smoking, chatting, or drinking, according -to their various tastes, whilst the ladies were sipping their -afternoon tea; and, of course, the conversation was mostly about -theatrical matters. - -In the drawing-room, however, close to the window, sat Meg, buried in -a big armchair, reading a fairy tale, and a pretty picture she made -with her little loose white dress, and her glorious hair falling about -her pale face. - -"And the beautiful Princess," read Meg in ecstasy, "fell asleep in the -Magic Castle for one hundred years--oh!" breaking off suddenly, "how -hungry she must have been when she woke up." - -Meg shook her head over this problem and resumed the story. - -"And a great forest grew round the castle, which could not be got -through till the handsome Prince arrived." Here the drawing-room door -opened, and Meg looked up, half expecting to see the handsome prince. - -It was only Fenton, however, and he disliked Meg intensely, a dislike -which that young person was by no means backward in returning, so she -went calmly on reading her book. - -"Well, where's mother?" asked Fenton, in his slightly nasal voice, -looking at the little figure with a frown. - -"Mumsey's in the garden," replied Meg with great dignity, flinging -back her curls. - -"Just where you ought to be," said Fenton ill-naturedly, "getting -fresh air." - -"I'm reading a fairy tale," explained Meg, closing her book; "mumsey -said I could do what I liked." - -"Your mother don't rear you well," retorted the American, and he -walked away, when a peal of laughter made him turn round. - -"What funny faces you make," said the child; "I feel quite laughy." - -"I'd like to spank you," observed Fenton, with no very amiable -expression of countenance. - -"You're a bad man," said Meg indignantly; "I don't know a badder--not -a bit like my Mr. Keith." - -"Oh," sneered Fenton, "and who is Mr. Keith?" - -"He is a very nice gentleman," replied Meg, pursing up her lips; "he -stopped the wheels going over me." - -"I wish he hadn't," muttered Fenton vindictively. "Meg, go and tell -mother I want her right away." - -"I sha'n't," retorted Meg obstinately; "you're a rude man." - -"I'll make you smart," said Fenton, catching her arm. - -"Oh, mumsey," cried the child, in a tone of relief, and Fenton turned -just to see Kitty looking at him like an enraged tigress. - -"You lay a finger on my child," she said viciously, "and I'll kill -you!" - -The American released his hold on Meg with an awkward laugh, and took -a seat. - -"Why don't you teach her manners," he growled. - -"That's my business," flashed out Kitty haughtily. "And now you are -here, I wish to speak with you. Meg, my treasure, run out and say -mumsey won't be long." - -"Mumsey's going to be cross with you now," said Meg consolingly to -Fenton, and then ran out laughing, the man looking angrily after her. - -Left alone, Kitty sat down near Fenton and began to talk. - -"I asked you for five hundred," she said coldly. - -"Yes--and I refused," sulkily. - -"So I saw by your letter. What is your reason?" - -"That's my business." - -"Mine also. Why did you refuse?" she reiterated. - -"I'm sick of your extravagance." - -Caprice laughed in a sneering way that brought the blush to his cheek. - -"Do you think I'm dependent on you for money?" she said, with scorn. -"I know fifty better men than you who would give me the money if I -asked them." - -"Then go and ask them," he returned brutally. - -Kitty sprang to her feet. - -"Of course I will; that means your dismissal." - -Fenton caught at her dress in genuine alarm. - -"No, no! don't go; you know I love you--" - -"So well," she interrupted, "that you refuse me a paltry five hundred -pounds." - -"I would give it to you, but I haven't got it." - -"Then get it," she said coolly. - -"I'm nearly ruined," he cried desperately. - -"Then retire, and make room for better men." - -"You're a devil!" hissed Fenton. - -"No doubt. I told you what to expect when I first met you." - -"Do you mean to say you will throw me over because I've no money -left?" he said fiercely, grasping her wrist. - -"Like an old glove," she retorted. - -"I'll kill you first." - -"Bah! you are melodramatic." - -"Oh, Kitty, Kitty!" with a sudden change to tenderness. - -"Don't call me by that name," said the woman, in a low, harsh voice. -"Kitty Marchurst is dead; she died when she went on the stage, and all -womanly pity died with her. You are speaking to Caprice, the most -notorious woman in Melbourne." - -Fenton sat sullenly silent, glancing every now and then at her -beautiful, scornful face. - -"If you won't give me money," she said at length, mindful of her -promise to Mrs. Malton, "you can do something else." - -"What's that?" eagerly. - -"Mrs. Malton was here--" - -"Mrs. Malton!" he interrupted, springing to his feet. "What did she -say?" - -"Several unpleasant things about your love for her," said Kitty -coolly. - -"It's a lie," he began, but Kitty shrugged her shoulders. - -"Bah! I'm not jealous; I only care for your money, not for you. But -about this visit; her husband has embezzled money in your office." - -Fenton turned a little pale, and looked steadily at her. - -"Embezzled money, the scoundrel!" he said furiously. - -"Yes, isn't he?" said Kitty derisively. "Not a noble, upright -gentleman like Hiram Fenton." - -He turned from her with an oath. - -"I've been a good friend to him right along," he said in an angry -tone. "He was fixed up for life, if he'd only behaved himself; now -I'll put him in prison." - -"So that you can make love to his wife," retorted Kitty coolly. - -"I don't care two straws about his wife," replied Fenton, with a -scowl. "You are the only woman I love." - -"Then promise me to help this unhappy man?" - -"Certainly not; you are asking me to compound a felony." - -"I'm not a lawyer," she said coldly, "and don't understand legal -terms. I am only asking you to save him from gaol for his wife's -sake." - -"You don't love him?" jealously. - -"Bah! do I love any one except myself?" - -"And your child," with a sneer. - -"Let my child be. Will you help Evan Malton?" - -"No; the law must take its course." - -"Then I'll help him myself." - -"But how?" - -"That's my business--the money must be replaced--find out how much is -missing, and let me know." - -"What's the good? you've not got the cash." - -"Do what I ask!" - -"Very well!" sulkily. "I can't pay the money myself; but I'll give him -time to repay it." - -"You will?" - -"Yes; and Kitty," shamefacedly, "I'll let you have that five hundred.' - -"Good boy," said Kitty approvingly, and laughed. She had gained both -her points, so could afford to do so. At this moment Meg entered the -room from the garden, followed by Keith, on seeing whom Fenton's face -darkened. - -"Mumsey!" said Meg, bounding up to Kitty, "I've given him the knife, -and he says it's lovely--don't you," turning to Keith. - -"Words fail me to express my appreciation," said Stewart, with a -smile, looking at the large--very large ivory-handled knife, "and it's -got an inscription, 'From Meg,'--beautiful." - -"It will cut love, Mr. Stewart," said Kitty, with a laugh. - -"Oh, no," interposed Meg, "he's given me a lucky sixpence. He says -we're engaged now, and when I grow up, mumsey, I'm going to marry -him." - -"Is this true?" asks Kitty gaily. "Are you going to rob me of my -daughter? This is dreadful! What do you say, Mr. Fenton?" - -Mr. Fenton smiled in a ghastly manner, then hurried away muttering -under his breath. - -"It's bad temper," observed Stewart, looking after him. - -"No, my dear," said Kitty airily, "it's jealousy." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. -MIRTH AND LAUGHTER. - - -Kitty's supper parties were always delightful, though slightly -godless. The guests were usually men and women of the world, connected -with art, literature, and the drama, so a general tone of brilliancy -permeated the atmosphere. The hostess herself was an admirable -conversationalist, and what with the wine, the laughter, and the -influence of the midnight hour, the excitement seemed contagious. -Every one was amusing, and witty stories, caustic remarks, and -sarcastic epigrams followed one after the other in reckless profusion. - -Very pretty the supper-table looked, though, it must be confessed, -rather disorderly. It was not a very large table, but accommodated the -present company admirably, and under the soft light of the tapers, -with which the room was illuminated, the silver and glass sparked -brilliantly. Half-filled glasses of champagne and burgundy, crumbs on -the white table-cloth, and a general array of disorderly plates, -showed that supper was over. The guests had pushed away their chairs, -and were smoking and chatting, while a light breeze came in through -the open French window, and somewhat cooled the temperature of the -room. The smoky atmosphere, the flashing of the light on the bare -shoulders of the women, gay feminine, laughter, and the general air of -unconventionality, fascinated Keith as he sat beside his hostess, -listening to the desultory conversation, and occasionally joining in. -Slingsby was speaking about a new book which had come out, and this -gave rise to a brilliant rattle of pungent wit. - -"It's called 'Connie's Crime,' a mixture of blood and atheism." - -"Yes, so they say; a hash-up of the Newgate Calendar and Queen Mab, -with a dash of realism to render it attractive." - -"Awfully bad for the public." - -"Bah! they read worse in papers. _The Penny Whistle_ was bewailing the -prevalence of criminal literature, yet you can't take up a night's -issue without finding a divorce case or a murder--the pot calling the -kettle black with a vengeance." - -"Don't suppose either it or shilling shockers have much to do with the -morals of the public--we're all going to the deuce." - -"Pessimistic!" - -"But true. It's a game of follow my leader, with Father Adam at the -head." - -"Gad, he ought to have arrived at his destination by this time!" - -"Oh! we'll all find that out when we get there." - -"But' you forget we start in this new country with all the old-world -civilisation." - -"Yes, and all the old-world vices." - -"Which are a natural concomitant of aforesaid civilisation." - -"How abusive you all are," said Kitty, shrugging her shoulders; -"people are not so bad as you make out." - -"No, they're worse," said Delp lightly. "Put on your diamonds and go -through Victoria like that young person in Moore's song, 'Rich and -rare were the gems she wore,' you won't be treated as well, I promise -you." - -"I'm afraid I'm very careless of my diamonds," laughed Kitty; "I -certainly take them home from the theatre every night, but I generally -put the case safely away in the drawer of my looking-glass." - -"A very safe place," observed Lazarus approvingly; "for illustration -see Poe's story of 'The Purloined Letter.'" - -"All the same, I wouldn't trust to fiction for suggestions," said -Fenton gaily; "some night you'll be minus your jewels." - -"I'll take the risk," retorted Kitty rising. "I'm going into the -drawing-room. Mr. Lazarus, you come also. I have got the score of that -new opera-bouffé 'Eblis,' and I want you to try it." - -"Bah! a failure in town," growled Mortimer. - -"That doesn't necessarily mean a failure in Melbourne," replied Kitty, -and with this parting shot she went away, followed by the ladies and -Ezra Lazarus. Keith remained behind, and, lighting a fresh cigarette, -listened to the conversation, which was now slightly horsey. - -"I know what's going to win the cup. - -"Never knew a man who didn't." - -"This is true, 'Devil-may-care.'" - -"An outsider." - -"They generally win, but don't prophesy too soon." - -"No, or like Casandra, your prophecies won't be believed." - -"Who is Casandra--another dark 'un?" - -"No--a woman." - -"Talking about women, I wish you'd get more chorus girls, Mortimer." - -"Got quite enough." - -"Of course--quantity, not quality." - -"They've been snubbing you?" - -"Wrong again; they never snub any one who can give them diamonds." - -"Which you can't." - -"No, by Jove. I wish I had some myself--say Caprice's." - -"Don't grudge them to her, dear boy--the savings of years." - -Every one grinned. - -Meanwhile, Keith grew tired of this scintillating talk, and leaving -Ezra rattling away at a gallop in the drawing-room, he arose and went -out into the hall. Glancing carelessly up the stairs, he saw a little -figure in white coming down. - -"Why, Meg," said Keith, going to the foot of the stairs to receive -her, "what are you doing at this hour of the night?" - -"Meg wants mumsey," said the child, putting her arms round his neck. - -"Mumsey's busy," replied Keith, lifting her up. "I'll take you back to -bed, dear." - -"Don't want to go to bed," said the child, though she could hardly -keep her eyes open. - -Keith laughed, and rocked her slowly to and fro in his arms for a few -minutes, humming softly till Meg grew tired. - -"Will Meg go to bed now?" he whispered, seeing she had closed her -eyes. - -"Yes! Meg's sleepy." - -Keith went upstairs with the quiet little figure in his arms, and -seeing an open door leading to a room in which there was a subdued -light, caused by the lowering of the gas, he went in, and finding -Meg's cot, placed her in it, and tucked her carefully in. - -"Good-night, dear," he whispered, kissing her. - -"Good-night, mumsey; good-night, God," murmured Meg, thinking she was -saying her prayers, and fell fast asleep. - -Keith went downstairs again, and met Fenton in the hall. - -"Say!" exclaimed that gentleman, "where have you been?" - -"Putting Meg to bed," replied Stewart, laughing. "I found her -wandering about like an unquiet spirit," and having no desire for a -conversation with Fenton, he strolled off to the drawing-room leaving -the American looking after him with an angry frown. - -No one was in the drawing-room but Ezra and the ladies--the former -being seated at the piano playing over the music of "Eblis," while -Kitty Marchurst stood beside him, looking over his shoulder. Lazarus -had just finished a valse, which was not by any means original, being -made out of reminiscences of other music. - -"There's only one decent thing in the whole opera," said Kitty -impatiently--"this," and she hummed a few bars; "it's called, 'Woman's -Deceit.'" - -"Disagreeable title," said Keith idly. - -"But a capital song," retorted Kitty "Eblis sings it--that's the -principal character." - -"You seem anxious to play the devil," said Stewart, with a smile. - -"What do you mean?" - -Keith shrugged his shoulders. - -"Eblis is the Oriental name for the Devil." - -"Oh, I understand." Kitty's quick perception seized the idea at once. -"Yes, there would be some fun in playing such a character." - -"Then give myself and Lazarus a commission to write you a part. I am -anxious to make a start, and I think Lazarus would write charming -music. I'll be librettist, and, of course, can write the character to -suit you." - -Kitty glanced critically at him. - -"Can you compose music," she asked Lazarus. - -In answer, he played a charming gavotte, bright and crisp, with a -quaint rhythm. - -"Very pretty," said Kitty critically, "but not my style. Play -something with a little more 'go' in it." - -"Like this?" He brought his hands down on the ivory keys with a -tremendous crash, and plunged into a wild fantastic galop that made -everybody long to dance. Kitty clapped her hands, and her whole face -lighted up with enthusiasm as the brilliancy and dash of the melody -carried her away. - -"Bravo!" she cried, when he finished. "That's what I want; write me -music like that, and I'll engage to have it produced. You'll do. Now, -sir," turning to Keith, "what's your idea?" - -"Rather a burlesque than opera-bouffe," he answered; "what would you -say to 'Faust Upset?'" - -"Ah, bah! we've had so many burlesques on Faust." - -"Not such a one as I propose to write. I intend to twist the whole -legend round; make Miss Faust a Girton girl who has grown old, and -longs for love, invokes the Power of Evil, enter Caprice as Miss -Mephistopheles, a female demon, rejuvenates Miss Faust by paint and -powder, takes her to see Mr. Marguerite, who is a young athlete, and -so throughout the whole legend; to conclude with Miss Mephistopheles -falling in love with Mr. Marguerite, and disputing possession with -Miss Faust." - -"Ha! ha!" laughed Kitty, "what a capital idea. It will be new, at all -events; but I won't decide till I see the first act complete; if it's -as good as it promises, I'll get Mortimer to stage it after 'Prince -Carnival.'" - -Keith was delighted, as now he seemed to have obtained a chance of -seeing what he could do. Ezra smiled, and nodded to Stewart. - -"I told you she'd be a good friend," he said. - -The gentlemen all came into the room, and in a short time there was a -perfect babel of voices talking about everything and everyone. -Suddenly Fenton, with a half-smoked cigar in his hand, entered the -room and crossed over to Kitty. - -"There's a rough-looking man outside who wants to see you," he said -quietly. - -"What's his name?" - -"Villiers." - -Kitty turned a little pale. - -"The husband of Madame Midas," she said, in an annoyed tone. "Where is -he?" - -"Walking up and down in front of the dining-room." - -"Remain here; I'll see him," she said, in a decided tone, and, without -being noticed, left the room. - -On entering the dining-room, she found Mr. Villiers seated at the -supper-table drinking champagne from a half-empty bottle, having -entered through the window. - -"What do you want?" she asked, coming down to him. - -Mr. Villiers was in his usual condition of intoxication, and began to -weep. - -"It's Kitty, dear little Kitty," he said, in a maudlin tone, "the -friend of my dear wife." - -"Your dear wife," said Kitty scornfully; "the woman you deceived so -shamefully; she was well quit of you when she went to live in -England." - -"She left me to die alone," wept Villiers, filling his glass again, -"and only lets me have a hundred pounds a year, and she's rolling in -money." - -"Quite enough for you to get drunk on," retorted Kitty. "What do you -want?" - -"Money." - -"You sha'n't get a penny." - -"Yes I shall. You talk about me treating my wife badly; what about -you--eh?" - -Kitty clenched her hands. - -"I did treat her badly," she said, with a cry. "God help me, I've -repented it often enough since!" - -"You were a nice girl till you met Vandeloup," said Villiers. "Ah, -that confounded Frenchman, how he made me suffer!" - -"Leave Vandeloup alone; he's dead, and it will do no good you reviling -him now. At all events, he was a man, not a drunkard." - -"She loves him still, blow me!" hiccupped Mr. Villiers rising--"loves -him still." - -"Here's a sovereign," said Kitty, thrusting some money into his hand. -"Now, go away at once." - -"I want more." - -"You won't get more. Get away, or I'll order my servants to turn you -out." - -Villiers staggered up to her. - -"Will you, indeed? Who are you to talk to me like this? I'll go now, -but I'll come back, my beauty! Don't try your fine airs on me. I'll -get money from you when I want it; if I don't, I'll make you repent -it." - -Kitty stood looking at him like a statue of marble, and pointed to the -open window. - -"I spare you for your wife's sake," she said coldly. "Go!" - -Villiers lurched towards the window, then, turning round, shook his -fist at her. - -"I've not done with you yet, my fine madam," he said thickly. "You'll -be sorry for these fine airs, you----" - -He staggered out without saying the vile word, and disappeared in the -darkness. - -A vile word, and yet what was that Mrs. Malton said about her child -blushing for her father? God help her, would Meg live to blush for her -mother? Kitty put out her hands with a sob, when a burst of laughter -from the next room sounded in her ears. The momentary fit of -tenderness was over, and, with a harsh laugh, she poured out a glass -of champagne and drank it off. - -"My world is there," she muttered. "I must part with the child for her -own good, and she will lead that virtuous, happy life which a -miserable wretch like myself can never hope to reach." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. -A MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR. - - -_The Penny Whistle_ was a purely sensational newspaper, and all those -who liked spicy articles and exaggerated details purchased it, in -order to gratify their tastes. Its circulation was enormous, and its -sale increased still more when the following article appeared in its -columns on the Tuesday after Kitty's supper party:-- - - - "Burglary at the House of a well-known Actress. - - -"We often hear accounts of great jewel robberies having taken place in -London, but nothing of the kind, at least in any noticeable degree, -has been perpetrated in the colonies until last Sunday night, or, to -speak more exactly, Monday morning, when the house of Caprice, the -well-known actress, was entered, and jewels to the amount of £5000 -were stolen. The house in question is situated in Toorak, almost -immediately on the banks of the Yarra-Yarra, and, as far as we can -learn, the following are the circumstances connected with the -affair:-- - -"On Sunday night Caprice entertained a number of friends at a supper -party, and the servants all being downstairs attending to the guests, -the upper part of the house was left entirely uninhabited. It is at -this time, probably between twelve and one o'clock, that the burglary -is supposed to have been perpetrated. The company departed about three -o'clock, and on going up to her room, Caprice found the window wide -open. Knowing that it had been closed, she suspected something was -wrong, and went to the place where she kept her diamonds, only to find -them gone. She sent at once for her servants, and an examination was -made. It was found that the house had evidently been entered from the -outside, as the window was not very far from the ground, and some ivy -growing on the wall made a kind of natural ladder, which any man of -ordinary agility could scale. Curiously enough Caprice's child, aged -seven, was asleep in the room, but appears to have heard nothing. Next -morning another examination was made, and it was found that the ivy -was broken in several places, showing clearly the mode of entrance. -The window had not been latched, as no chance of a burglary was -apprehended, the house always having been looked upon as a remarkably -safe one. The diamonds were usually kept in a small safe, but on -returning from the theatre on Saturday night they had been placed in -the drawer of the looking-glass, where they were judged to be safe, as -it was not thought likely any thief would look in so unlikely a place -for valuable jewellery. Below will be found a plan of the house and -grounds as furnished by our special reporter, and the probable track -of the burglars indicated." - - -[Illustration: Floor Plan of First and Ground Floor.] - - -"It will be seen from this plan that the drawing-room and dining-room, -in both of which the guests were assembled, are in the front of the -house, so that the most likely thing is that the burglar or burglars -entered the grounds by the gate, or along the banks of the river, and -climbed up into the house by the window C shown on the plan. - -"After securing the plunder, two modes of exit were available, either -as indicated by the dotted line which would take the thief out of the -gate into the road, from whence it would be easy to escape, or along -the banks of the river, as shown by the other lines. In either case -escape was perfectly easy. Of course the danger lay in detection while -in the house, but this was considerably guarded against by the fact -that the noise and laughter going on below effectually drowned all -sounds of any one entering the house. - -"The thief must have known that the diamonds were in the bedroom, and -that a number of people would be present on Sunday night, therefore he -chose a time when he would be most likely to escape detection. We -believe that a detective has gone down to Toorak to make inquiries, -and we have no doubt that the thief will soon be secured, as it would -be impossible for such valuable jewels to be disposed of in Melbourne -or other colonial cities without arousing suspicion." - - -It was Fenton who insisted upon a detective being employed to -investigate the robbery, as, for some extraordinary reason, Kitty -seemed unwilling to allow the matter to be inquired into. - -The detective who accompanied Fenton to Kitty's house was known by the -name of Naball, and on the retirement of Kilsip had taken his place. -He was only of the age of thirty, but remarkably clever, and had -already distinguished himself in several difficult cases. Detective -work was a positive mania with him, and he was never so happy as when -engaged on a difficult case--it had for him the same fascination as an -abstruse mathematical problem would have for an enthusiastic student. -To Kilsip belonged the proud honour of having discovered this genius, -and it seemed as though the pupil would soon surpass the master in his -wonderful instinct for unravelling criminal puzzles. Mr. Naball was an -ordinary-looking young man, who always dressed fashionably, and had -very little to say for himself, so that few guessed the keen astute -brain that was hidden under this somewhat foppish exterior. He -listened to everything said to him, and rarely ventured an opinion, -but the thieves of Melbourne well knew that when "The Toff," as they -called Naball, was on their track, there was very little chance of -escape from punishment. - -On this day when they were on their way to Toorak, Fenton was excited -over the matter, and ventured all kinds of theories on the subject, -while Mr. Naball smoked a cigarette, and admired the fit of his -gloves. - -"Do you think the thief will try and dispose of them in Melbourne?" he -asked. - -"Possibly," returned Naball, "if he's a born fool." - -"I'm certain I know the thief," said Fenton quietly. "I told you that -the man Villiers was seen about the place on the night of the -robbery." - -"By whom?" - -"Myself and Caprice." - -"Who saw him last?" - -"Caprice." - -"Oh," said Naball imperturbably, "then she's the best person to see on -the subject." - -"He's a bad lot," said Fenton; "he was mixed up in that poisoning case -eight years ago." - -"The Midas case?" - -"Yes. Caprice, or rather Kitty Marchurst, was concerned in it also." - -"So I believe," replied Naball; "every one was innocent except Jarper -and Vandeloup--one was hanged, the other committed suicide. I don't -see what it has to do with the present case." - -"Simply this," said Fenton sharply, annoyed at the other's tone, -"Villiers is a scoundrel, and wouldn't stop at robbery if he could -make some money over it." - -"He knew Caprice had diamonds worth five thousand?" - -"Of course; every one in Melbourne knows that." - -"Did he know where they were kept?" - -"There's a safe in the room, and a thief, of course--" - -"Would go there first--precisely--but you forget the diamonds were -taken out of the drawer of her looking-glass--a most unlikely place -for a thief to examine. The man who stole the jewels must have known -where they were kept." - -"Oh," said Fenton, and looked astonished, as he was quite unable to -explain this. He was about to reply, when the train having arrived at -its destination, they got out, and walked to Kitty's house. - -She was in the drawing-room writing letters and looked pale and -haggard, her eyes having dark circles beneath them, which told of a -sleepless night. When the two men entered the room she welcomed them -gracefully, and then resumed her seat as they began to talk. - -"I have brought you Mr. Naball to look after this affair," said -Fenton, looking at her. - -"You are very kind," she replied coldly; "but, the fact is, I have not -yet decided about placing it in the hands of the police." - -"But the diamonds?"--began Fenton in amazement. - -"Were mine," finished Kitty coolly; "and as the loss is mine, not -yours, I will act as I think fit in the matter." - -Then, turning her back on the discomfited Fenton, she addressed -herself to the detective. - -"I should like your opinion on the subject," she said graciously, "and -then I will see if the case can be gone on with." - -Naball, who had been keeping his keen eyes on her face the whole time, -bowed. - -"Tell me all the details of the robbery," he observed cautiously. - -"They are simple enough," replied Kitty, folding her hands. "I bring -them home from the theatre every night, and usually put them in the -safe, which is in my room. On Saturday night, however, I was tired, -and, I must confess, rather careless, and as the case was on my -dressing-table, I placed it in the drawer of my looking-glass, to save -me the trouble of going to the safe. I gave a supper party on Sunday -night, and when every one had gone away, I went upstairs to bed, and -found the window open; recollecting where I had put the diamonds, I -opened the drawer and found them gone. My servants examined the -ground beneath the window, and found footmarks on the mould of the -flower-bed, so I suppose the thief must have entered by the window, -stolen the jewels, and made off with them." - -When she had finished, Naball remained silent for a minute, but just -as Fenton was about to speak, he interposed. - -"I will ask you a few questions, madame," he said thoughtfully. "When -did you see the diamonds last?" - -"About six o'clock on Sunday night. I opened the drawer to get -something, and saw the case." - -"Not the diamonds?" - -"They were in the case." - -"Are you sure?" - -"Where else would they be?" - -"Some one might have stolen them previously, and left the case there -to avert suspicion." - -Kitty shook her head. - -"Impossible. The case is also gone besides, I locked the case on -Saturday night, and had the key with me. No other key could have -opened it, and had the case been forced, I would have seen it at once. -See," lifting up her arm, "I always wear this bracelet, and the key is -attached to it by a chain." - -Naball glanced carelessly at it, and went on with his questions. - -"You generally kept the diamonds in the safe?" - -"Yes." - -"And it was quite an oversight not placing them in there on Saturday?" - -"Quite." - -"No one knew they were in the drawer of your looking-glass on that -particular night?" - -"No one." - -Here Fenton interposed. - -"You get along too fast," he said quickly. "Everyone at the -supper-table knew you kept them there; you said it to them yourself." - -Naball glanced sharply at Kitty. - -"I know I did," she replied quietly; "but I spoke as if the diamonds -were always kept there, which they were not. I did not say they were -in the drawer on that particular night." - -"You mentioned it generally?" said Naball tranquilly. - -"Yes. All the people present were my guests, and I hardly think any of -them would rob me of my diamonds." - -"Were any of the servants in the room when you made the remark?" said -the detective slowly. - -"No, none; and the door was closed." - -Naball paused a moment. - -"I tell you what," he said slowly, "the diamonds were stolen between -six o'clock and the time you went to bed." - -"About three o'clock," said Kitty. - -"Precisely. You saw the diamonds last at six; they were gone by three; -you mentioned where you kept them at the supper-table; now, the thief -must have overheard you." - -"You--you suspect my guests, sir," cried Kitty angrily. - -"Certainly not," said the detective quietly; "but I suspect Villiers." - -"Villiers!" - -"Yes. Mr. Fenton tells me you saw him on that night." - -Kitty flashed a look of anger on the American, who bore it unmoved. - -"Yes, he was outside, and wanted to see me. I saw him, gave him some -money, and he left." - -"Then I tell you he overheard you say where you kept the diamonds, -because he was hiding outside the window; so, after seeing you, he -committed the robbery." - -"That's what I think," said Fenton. - -"You!" cried Kitty. "What have you got to do with it? I don't believe -he stole them, and, whether he did or not, I'm not going to continue -this case." - -"You'll lose your diamonds," cried Fenton. - -"That's my business," she returned, rising haughtily; "at all events, -I have decided to let the matter rest, so Mr. Naball will have all his -trouble for nothing. Should I desire to reopen the affair, I will let -you both know. At present, good morning," and, with a sweeping bow, -she turned and left the room. - -Fenton stared after her in blank amazement. - -"Good God! what a fool!" he cried, rising. "What's to be done now?" - -Naball shrugged his shoulders. - -"Nothing," he replied, "since she declines to give me power to -investigate. I must throw the affair up. But," also rising, and -putting on his hat, "I'd like to have a look at the ground beneath the -window." - -They both went out, Naball silent, and Fenton in great wrath, talking -of Kitty's conduct. - -"What an idiot she is!" he cried. "What is she going on in this way -for?" - -"I don't know." - -"She must have some motive." - -"Women don't require a motive for anything," said Naball, -imperturbably proceeding to examine the ground under the window, -through which the thief had made his exit. The flower-bed was filled -with tall hollyhocks, and some of these were broken as if some heavy -body had fallen from above. - -"He clambered down by the ivy," murmured Naball to himself, as he bent -down. "The ivy is broken here and there; the flowers are also broken, -so he fell on them in a heap--probably having missed his footing. -Humph! Clever man, as he did not step again on the flower-bed, but -jumped from where he fell on to the grass. Humph! grass hard and -rather dry; no chance of footmarks. Question is, which way did he go?" - -"By the gate, of course," said Fenton impatiently. - -The detective walked across the lawn to the gate, but could find no -trace of footmarks, as the lawn was dry, and the footpath, leading out -into the pavement of the street was asphalted. - -"No; he did not go by the gate, as a man in such rags as Villiers -would have been sure to be seen coming out of a private house. That -would be suspicious; besides, he would have been afraid." - -"Of the police?" - -"Exactly; he's been in prison two or three times since his connection -with the Midas case, and has got a wholesome dread of the law. No; he -did not go by the gate, but by the river." - -"The river!" repeated Fenton, in amazement. - -Naball did not answer, but walked back to the window, then along the -side of the house, turned the corner, and went down the sloping green -bank which led to the river. Still he could see no footmarks. The -grass ended at an iron fence, and beyond was the uncultivated -vegetation, rank and unwholesome, that clothed the banks of the river. -Between this and the grass, however, there was a strip of black earth, -and this Naball examined carefully, but could find nothing. If -Villiers had come this way, he could only have climbed the fence by -first standing on this earth in order to get near enough, but -apparently he had not done so. - -"He did not come this way," he said, as they walked back. - -"But how could he have left the place?" asked Fenton. - -"By the gate." - -"The gate? You said he would be afraid of the police." - -"So he would, had he been doing anything wrong. Had he stolen the -diamonds, he would have gone down by the bank of the river rather than -chance meeting a policeman on the street." - -"But what does this prove?" - -"That, had he met a policeman, he could have explained everything, and -referred him to Caprice as to his interview, and right to come out of -the house. In a word, it proves he did not steal the diamonds." - -"Then who, in Heaven's name, did?" - -"I don't give an opinion unless I'm certain," said Naball -deliberately; "but I'll tell you what I think. You heard Caprice say -she won't go on with the case? - -"Yes; I can't understand her reason." - -"I can; she stole the diamonds herself." - - - - -CHAPTER IX. -AN UNKNOWN BENEFACTOR. - - -Everyone was greatly excited over the great jewel robbery, especially -as it had taken place at the house of so celebrated a person as -Caprice, and numerous were the conjectures as to the discovery of the -thieves. When, however, it became known that the lady in question -declined to allow an investigation to be made, and was apparently -contented to lose five thousand pounds' worth of diamonds, the -excitement grew intense. What was her motive for acting in such a -strange way? All Melbourne asked itself this question, but without -obtaining a satisfactory answer. Reference was made to Kitty's -antecedents in connection with the Midas poisoning case, and the -public were quite prepared to hear any evil of her, particularly as -her career since then had been anything but pure. - -The name of Villiers was mentioned, and then it transpired that -Villiers had been seen outside her house on the night of the robbery -It was curious that another crime should have happened where these -two, formerly implicated in a murder case, should have come together, -and disagreeable rumours began to circulate. Then, by some unexplained -means, the opinion of Naball became known regarding his assertion that -Caprice had stolen the diamonds herself. Here was another mystery. Why -on earth should she steal her own jewels? One theory was that she -required money, and had sold them for this purpose, pretending that -they were stolen, in order to satisfy the lovers who gave them to her. -This was clearly absurd, as Caprice cared nothing for the opinion of -her lovers, and, moreover, the donors of the diamonds were long since -dead or ruined, so the idea of the detective was unanimously laughed -at. But then the fact remained, she would not allow an investigation -to be made; and how was this to be accounted for? One idea was mooted, -that Villiers had stolen the diamonds, and she would not prosecute him -because he was the husband of the woman who had been kind to her. In -this case, however, she would have easily got back her jewels by a -threat of prosecution, whereas they were still missing. Other -solutions of the problem were offered, but they were unsatisfactory, -and Melbourne settled itself down to the opinion that the whole affair -was a mystery which would never be solved. - -Keith and Ezra had both been puzzled over the affair, and offered -Kitty their services to unravel the mystery, but she curtly dismissed -them with the remark that she wished the affair left alone, so they -had to obey her, and remain in ignorance like the rest of the public. -Affairs thus went on as usual, and the weeks slipped by with no -further information being forthcoming. - -Meanwhile, "Prince Carnival" was still running to crowded houses, and -Kitty appeared nightly, being now a still greater attraction on -account of the robbery of which she was the heroine. She had fulfilled -her promise to Keith, in seeing Mortimer about the chances of -production for "Faust Upset." The manager was doubtful about the -success of the experiment of trying Colonial work, and told Kitty -plainly he could not afford to lose money on such a speculation. - -"It's all stuff," he said to her when she urged him to give the young -men a chance; "I can get operas from London whose success is already -assured, and I don't see why I should waste money on the crude -production of two unknown Colonials." - -"That's all very true," retorted Caprice, "and, from a business point -of view, correct; but considering you make your money out of Colonial -audiences, I don't see why you shouldn't give at least one chance to -see what Colonial brains can do. As to crudity, wait and see. I don't -want you to take the opera if it is bad, but if you approve of it, -give it a chance." - -In the end Mortimer promised, that if he approved of the libretto and -music, he would try the piece at the end of the run of "Prince -Carnival," but put "Eblis" in rehearsal, in case his forebodings of -failure should be justified. When, however, the first act was finished -and shown to him, he was graciously pleased to say there was good -stuff in it, and began to be a little more hopeful as to its success. -So Keith worked hard all day at his employment, and at night on his -libretto, to which Ezra put bright, tuneful music. With the usual -sanguine expectations of youth, they never dreamt of failure, and -Keith wrote the most enthusiastic letters to his betrothed, announcing -the gratifying fact that he had got his foot on the lowest rung of the -ladder of fame. - -As to his uncongenial employment at the pawnshop, he strove to conquer -his repugnance to it, and succeeded in winning the approval of old -Lazarus by his assiduous attention to business. He attended to the -books, and, as time went on, the pawnbroker actually let him pay money -into the bank, so great had his confidence in the young man become. He -increased Keith's salary, and even then chuckled to himself over his -cleverness in retaining such a clever servant at so low a price. - -Though his business was ostensibly that of a pawnbroker, he was in the -habit of conducting very much more delicate transactions. In his dingy -little den at the back of the shop he sat like a great spider waiting -for flies, and the flies generally came in at a little door which -led from the room into a dirty yard, and there was a kind of narrow -right-of-way which gave admittance to this yard from the street. -By this humble way many well-known people came, particularly at -night--the fast young man who had backed the wrong horse, the -speculative sharebroker, and the spendthrift society lady, all came -here in quest of money, which they always got, provided their security -was good, and, of course, they paid an exorbitant percentage. Lazarus -had dealings with all sorts and conditions of men and women, but he -was as silent as the grave over their affairs, and no one knew what -secrets that dirty old Hebrew carried in his breast. Of these -nocturnal visitors Keith saw nothing, as he left at six o'clock, after -which Isaiah shut up the shop, and the front of the house was left in -profound darkness, while business went on in the little back room. - -It was now a fortnight since the robbery, and the nine days' wonder -having ceased to amuse, people were beginning to forget all about it. -Keith still lived in East Melbourne with Ezra, and on going home one -night was surprised to find a letter from the manager of the Hibernian -Bank, which informed him that the sum of five hundred pounds had been -placed to his credit. Stewart went next day to find out the name of -his unknown benefactor, but the manager refused to tell him, as he had -been pledged to secrecy. So Keith returned to Ezra in a state of great -perplexity to talk over the affair. They sat in Ezra's sitting-room, -and discussed the matter late at night with great assiduity, but were -unable to come to any conclusion. - -"You don't know any one who would do you a good turn?" asked Lazarus, -when he heard this news. - -"No--no one," replied Keith. "I haven't a single relative in the -Colonies, and no friend rich enough to give me so much money--unless -it were your father," with a sudden inspiration. - -"He!" laughed Ezra scornfully; "he'd as soon part with his blood. Why, -I asked him to give me some money so that I could marry, and he -refused. What he wouldn't do for his son he certainly would not do for -a stranger." - -"It's very queer," observed Keith meditatively. "It can't be Caprice?" - -"Not likely; she needs all her money herself," said Ezra. "Besides, I -hear she's been rather hard up of late. I suppose Fenton will soon go -broke, and then, _Le roi est mort, vive le roi_." - -"What a pity she goes on like that," said Keith, regretfully. "I like -her so much." - -"Yes, and she likes you," retorted Ezra pointedly. "Don't you get -entangled in the nets, or you'll forget all about the girl at -Sandhurst. Does she know you're engaged?" - -"No." - -"I wouldn't tell her if I were you," said the Jew significantly, "or -she'll withdraw the light of her countenance, and then it will be all -up with our burlesque." - -"Pooh, nonsense," replied Stewart, with an uneasy laugh. "I wonder -who'll be Fenton's successor?" - -"Yourself." - -"Not I. I'm not far enough gone for that. Besides, I've no money." - -"True, except your anonymous five hundred, which would be nothing to -Caprice. So, as she wants money, I expect it will be old Meddlechip." - -"But he's married." - -"True, O Sir Galahad," retorted Ezra sarcastically; "but he's an -unholy old man for all that--she'll ensnare him, and we'll see how -long it will take her to break the richest man in the Colonies." - -"Oh, the deuce take Kitty Marchurst and her affairs," said Keith -impatiently. "I want to know who sent me this money?" - -"Better not ask," murmured Ezra. "Curiosity is a vice. Remember Adam -and Eve, Bluebeard's wife, etcetera. Take the goods the gods bestow, -and don't try to find out where they come from; but now you are rich, -you'll be giving up the shop." - -"No, I'll stay on for a time till I find that the five hundred is -really and truly mine. Who knows, some day it may take to itself -wings and fly." - -"It certainly would with some young men," said Ezra; "but I don't -think you are that sort." - -"You are right. I want to save up all my money for Eugénie." - -"Ah! you are going to marry her?" - -"When I get rich. Yes." - -"You won't marry her if Caprice can help it." - -"Why?" disbelievingly. - -"Because she's fallen in love with you, and her love, like the gifts -of the Danaes, is fatal. - -"Rubbish. I'm not a child. Caprice will never take my heart from -Eugénie." - -"Hercules," remarked Ezra musingly, "was a strong man; yet he became -the slave of a woman. Solomon was a wise man--same result. My friend, -you are neither Hercules nor Solomon, therefore--" - -Keith departed hurriedly. - - - - -CHAPTER X. -NABALL MAKES A DISCOVERY. - - -When Kilsip undertook to educate Naball in the business of a -detective, he gave him an epigrammatical piece of advice: "Cultivate -curiosity." This golden rule Naball constantly followed, and found it -of infinite service to him in his difficult profession. He was always -on the lookout for queer cases, and when he discovered one that -piqued his curiosity, he never rested until he found out all about it. -The Red Indian follows the trail of his enemy by noting the most -trivial signs, which to others with a less highly cultivated instinct -would appear worthless. And Naball was a social Red Indian, following -up the trail of a mystery by a constant attention to surrounding -events. A casual observation, a fleeting expression, a scrap of -paper--these were the sign-posts which led him to a satisfactory -conclusion, and he never neglected any opportunity of exercising his -faculties. By this constant practice he sharpened his senses in a -wonderful degree, and cultivated to the highest extent the unerring -instinct which he possessed in discovering crimes. - -Consequently, when he found there was no legal authority to be given -him in unravelling the mystery of the diamond robbery, he determined -to investigate it on his own account, in order to satisfy his -curiosity. To a casual spectator, it appeared to be a mere vulgar -burglary, in which the thieves had got off with their plunder, and -until his interview with Caprice the detective had supposed it to be -so. But when he went over in his own mind the peculiar circumstances -of that interview, he saw there was a complicated criminal case to be -investigated, so he set himself to work to unravel the mystery, and -gratify his inquiring mind. - -In the first place, he drew up a statement of the case pure and -simple, and then, deducing different theories from the circumstances, -he tried to get a point from whence to start. He placed his ideas in -the form of questions and answers, as follows:-- - -_Q_. Was Villiers outside on the verandah when Caprice mentioned where -her diamonds were kept? - -_A_. To all appearances he was. - -_Q_. Had he any inducement to steal the diamonds? - -_A_. Undoubtedly. He was poor, and wanted money, proved by his calling -on Caprice and asking for some. He said he would be revenged because -she did not give him more than a sovereign, and there would be no -sweeter revenge than to steal her diamonds, as it would punish her, -and benefit himself. - -_Q_. Did he know the room where the diamonds were kept? - -_A_. Yes. Caprice said her bedroom, and as Villiers had been several -times to the house before, he knew where it was. - -_Q_. Did Caprice know Villiers had stolen her jewels? - -_A_. Extremely probably, hence her refusal to prosecute, as he was the -husband of Madame Midas, whom she had treated so basely. The refusal -to prosecute Villiers might be, in Caprice's opinion, an act of -expiation. - -When he had got thus far, Naball paused. After all, this was pure -theory. He had not a single well authenticated fact to go on, but all -the circumstances of the case seemed to point to Villiers, so he -determined to go on the trail of Villiers, and find out what he was -doing. - -Mr. Villiers had of late been under the espionage of the police, owing -to some shady transactions with which he was connected, so Naball knew -exactly where to find him, and, putting on an overcoat, he sallied -forth in the direction of the slums in Little Bourke Street, with the -intention of calling on a Chinaman named Ah Goon, who kept an opium -den in that unsavoury locality. - -To his drinking habits Villiers now added that of being a confirmed -opium smoker, and was on terms of intimacy with Ah Goon, in whose den -he was accustomed to pass his evenings. Naball therefore intended to -watch for Villiers, and find out, if possible, when, owing to drink -and opium combined, he was not master of himself, what he had done on -the night of the robbery after leaving Caprice. - -He soon entered Little Bourke Street, and plunged into the labyrinth -of slums, which he knew thoroughly. It was a clear, starry night, but -the cool, fresh air was tainted in this locality by the foul miasma -which pervaded the neighbourhood, and even the detective, accustomed -as he was to the place, felt disgusted with the sickly odours that -permeated the atmosphere. - -Ah Goon's house was in a narrow right-of-way off one of the larger -alleys, and there was a faint candle burning in the window to attract -customers. Pausing at the door a moment, Naball listened to hear if -there was any European within. The monotonous chant of a Chinese -beggar could be heard coming down the alley, and every now and then -the screams of two women fighting, while occasionally a number of -noisy larrikins would come tramping heavily along, forming a strong -contrast to the silent, soft-footed Orientals. - -Pushing open the door, Naball entered the den, a small, low-ceilinged -room, which was filled with a dull, smoky atmosphere. At the end was a -gaudy-looking shrine, all yellow, red, and green, with tinsel flowers, -and long red bills with fantastic Chinese letters on them in long -rows. Candles were burning in front of this, and cast a feeble light -around--on a pile of bamboo canes and baskets heaped up against the -wall; on strange-looking Chinese stools of cane-work; on _bizarre_ -ivory carvings set on shelves; and on a low raised platform at the -end of the room, whereon the opium-smokers reclined. Above this -ground-floor were two or three other broad, shallow shelves, in each -of which a Chinaman was lying, sunk deep in an opium slumber; there -was also a kerosene lamp on the lower floor, beside which Ah Goon was -reclining, and deftly preparing a pipe of opium for a fat, -stolid-looking Chinaman, who watched the process with silent apathy. - -Ah Goon looked up as the detective entered, and a bland smile spread -over his face as he nodded to him, and went on preparing his pipe, -while Naball stood watching the queer operation. There was an oil lamp -with a clear flame in front of Ah Goon, who was holding a kind of -darning-needle. Dipping this into a thick, brown, sticky-looking -substance, contained in a small pot, he twirled the needle rapidly, -spinning round the glutinous mass like treacle. Then he placed it in -the flame of the lamp, and turned it slowly round and round for a -short time until it was ready; then, having placed it in the small -hole of the opium pipe, which he held ready in his other hand, he gave -it to his countryman, who received it with a grunt of satisfaction, -and, lying back, took the long stem between his lips and inhaled the -smoke with long, steady breaths. When his pipe was done, which was -accomplished in three or four whiffs, he devoted himself to preparing -another, while Ah Goon arose to his feet to speak to Naball. - -He was a tall man, with a thin, yellow-skinned, emaciated face, -cunning, oblong eyes, and flattish nose. His pigtail, of course--black -hair craftily lengthened by thick twisted silk--was coiled on top of -his head; and his dress, consisting of a dull blue blouse, wide -trousers of the same colour, and thick, white-soled Chinese slippers, -by no means added to his personal beauty. Standing before Naball, with -an unctuous smile on his face, and his long, slender hands clasped in -front of him, Ah Goon waited for the detective to speak. - -Naball glanced rapidly round the apartment, and not seeing Villiers, -addressed himself to the stolid Celestial, who was looking slyly at -him. - -"Ah Goon, where is the white man who comes here every night?" - -"Plenty he come allee muchee night--me no have seen," replied Ah Goon, -blinking his black eyes. - -"Yes, I know that," retorted Naball quickly; "but this one is -short--black hair and whiskers--smokes opium--drinks a lot--is called -Villiers." - -Whether Ah Goon recognised the gentleman thus elegantly described was -doubtful; at all events, he put on a stolid air. - -"Me no sabee," he answered. - -Naball held out a half-a crown, upon which Ah Goon fixed his eyes -lovingly. - -"Where is he?" - -The money was too much for Ah Goon's cupidity, so he gave in. - -"Him playee fan-tan-ayah!" he answered, in a sing-song voice, "allee -same." - -"Oh!" - -Mr. Naball did not waste any words, but threw the half-crown to the -expectant Ah Goon, and turned towards the door. Just as he reached it -there was a noise of hurried footsteps outside, and Villiers' voice, -husky and savage, was heard,-- - -"Ah Goon, you yellow devil, where are you?" and there came a heavy -kick at the door. - -In a moment Naball drew back into a shadowy corner, and placed his -finger on his lips to ensure silence, a pantomime which the -intelligent Ah Goon understood at once. - -Villiers opened the door and lurched noisily into the room, stopping -for a minute on the threshold, dazed by the yellow, smoky glare. - -"Here, you, Ah Goon," he cried, catching sight of the Chinaman, "I -want some money--more money." - -"Ah Goon no have," murmured that individual, clutching his half-crown. - -"I've lost all I had on that infernal fan-tan of yours," shrieked -Villiers, not heeding him; "but my luck must change--give me another -fiver." - -"Ah Goon no have," reiterated the Chinaman, edging away from the -excited Villiers. - -"Curse your no have," he said fiercely; "why, I've only had twenty -pounds from you, and those diamonds were worth fifty." - -Diamonds! Naball pricked up his ears at this. He was winning after -all. Kitty did not steal her jewels, but this was the thief, or -perhaps an accomplice. - -"Give me more money," cried Villiers, lurching forward, and would have -laid his hand on the shoulder of the shrinking Chinaman, when Naball -stepped out of his corner. - -"What's the matter?" he asked, in his silky voice. - -Villiers turned on the new-comer with a sudden start, and stared -suspiciously at him; but the detective being muffled up in a heavy -ulster, with his hat pulled over his eyes, he did not recognise him. - -"What do you want?" he said ungraciously. - -"Nothing," replied Naball quickly. "I'm only strolling round the -Chinese quarter out of curiosity, and heard you rowing this poor -devil." - -"Poor devil!" sneered Villiers, with a glance of fury at Ah Goon, who -had complacently resumed his occupation of preparing an opium pipe; -"he's rich enough." - -"Indeed," said the detective, carelessly--"to lend money?" - -"What's that to you?" growled Villiers, with a snarl. "I s'pose I can -borrow money if I like." - -"Certainly, if you've got good security to give." - -Villiers glared angrily at the young man. - -"Don't know what you're talking about," he said sulkily. - -"Security," explained Naball smoothly; means "borrowing money on land, -clothes, or--or diamonds." - -Villiers gave a sudden start, and was about to reply, when the door -opened violently, and a bold, handsome woman, dressed in a bright -green silk, dashed into the room and swooped down on Ah Goon. - -"Well, my dear," she said effusively, "'ere I am; bin to the theatre, -and 'ere you are preparing that pisin of yours. Oh, I must 'ave one -pipe to-night, just one, and--Who the blazes are you?" catching sight -of the two strangers. - -"Shut up," said Villiers, and made a step towards her, for just on the -bosom of her dress sparkled a small crescent of diamonds set in -silver. The woman's eyes caught his covetous glance, and she put her -hand over the ornament. - -"No, you don't," she said scowling. "Lay a finger on me and I'll--ah!" - -She ended with a stifled cry, for without warning, Villiers had sprung -on her, and his hands were round her throat. Ah Goon and another -Chinaman jumped up and threw themselves on the two, trying to separate -them. The woman got Villiers' hands off her, and started to sing out -freely, so Naball began to think of retreating, as the noise would -bring all the undesirable bullies of the neighbourhood into the -unsavoury den. - -While thus hesitating, the woman flung the diamond ornament away from -her with an oath, and it fell at Naball's feet. In a moment the -detective had picked it up and slipped in into his pocket. - -Villiers, seeing the ornament was gone, flung the woman from him with -a howl of fury, and turned to look for it, when the door was burst -violently open, and a crowd of Chinese, all chattering in their high -shrill voices like magpies, surged into the room. Ah Goon, with many -gesticulations, began to explain, Villiers to swear, and the woman to -shriek, so in the midst of this pandemonium Naball slipped away, and -was soon walking swiftly down Little Bourke Street, with the diamond -ornament safe in his pocket. - -"I believe this is one of the stolen jewels," he muttered exultingly, -"and Villiers was the thief after all. Humph! I'm not so sure of that. -Well, I'll find out the truth when I see how she looks on being shown -this little bit of evidence." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. -WHAT NABALL OVERHEARD. - - -It is said that "Counsel comes in the silence of the night," so next -morning Mr. Naball, having been thinking deeply about his curious -discovery, decided upon his plan of action. It was evidently no good -to go straight to Caprice and show her the diamond crescent, as, -judging from her general conduct with regard to the robbery, she would -deny that the jewel belonged to her. - -The detective therefore determined to ascertain from some independent -person whether the jewel was really the property of Caprice, and after -some consideration came to the conclusion that Fenton would be the -most likely individual to supply the necessary information. - -"He's her lover," argued Naball to himself as he walked along the -street, "so he ought to know what jewellery she's got. I dare say he -gave her a lot himself; but, hang it," he went on disconsolately, "I -don't know why I'm bothering about this affair; nothing will come of -it; for some reason best known to herself, Caprice won't let me follow -up the case. I can't make it out; either she stole the jewels herself, -or Villiers did, and she won't prosecute him. Ah! women are rum -things," concluded the detective with a regretful sigh. - -He had by this time arrived at The Never-say-die Insurance Office, and -on entering the door found himself in a large, lofty apartment, with a -long shiny counter at one end, and a long shiny clerk behind it. This -individual, who looked as if he were rubbed all over with fresh -butter, so glistening was his skin, received him with a stereotyped -smile, and asked, in a soft oily voice, what he was pleased to want? - -"Take my card up to Mr. Fenton," said Naball, producing his pasteboard -from an elegant card-case, "and tell him I want to see him for a few -minutes." - -The oleaginous clerk disappeared, and several other clerks looked up -from their writing at the detective with idle curiosity. Naball -glanced sharply at their faces, and smiled blandly to himself as he -recognised several whom he had seen in very equivocal places. Little -did the clerks know that this apparently indolent young man knew a -good deal about their private lives, and was anticipating coming into -contact with several of them in a professional manner. - -Presently the oily clerk returned with a request to Mr. Naball to walk -into the manager's office, which that gentleman did in a leisurely -manner; and the shiny clerk, closing the door softly, returned to his -position behind the shiny counter. - -Mr. Fenton sat at a handsome writing-table, which was piled up with -disorderly papers, and looked sharply at the detective as he took a -seat. - -"Well, Naball," he said, in his strident voice, "what is the matter? -Can't give you more than five minutes--time's money here. Yes, sir." - -"Five minutes will do," replied the detective, tapping his varnished -boots with his cane. "It's about that robbery." - -"Oh, indeed!" Mr. Fenton laid down his pen, and, leaning back in his -chair, prepared to listen. - -"Yes! I've been looking after Villiers." - -"Quite right," said the American. "That's the man I suspect--fixed up -anything, eh?" - -"Not yet, but I was down Little Bourke Street last night in an opium -den, to which Villiers goes, and I found this." - -Fenton took the diamond crescent, which Naball held out to him, and -looked at it closely. - -"Humph!--set in silver--rather toney," he said; "well, is this part of -the swag?" - -"That's what I want to find out," said Naball quickly. "You know the -peculiar way in which Caprice has treated this robbery." - -"I know she's a fool," retorted Fenton politely. "She ought to go -right along in this matter; but for some silly reason, she won't." - -"No; and that's why I've come to you. I'm going down to see her when I -leave here, and it's likely she'll deny that this belongs to her. Now, -I want your evidence to put against her denial. Is this the property -of Caprice?" - -Fenton examined the jewel again and nodded. - -"Yes, sir," he replied, with a nasal drawl, "guess I gave her this." - -"I thought you'd recognise it," said Naball, replacing the jewel in -his pocket; "so now I'll go and see her, in order to find out how -Villiers got hold of it." - -"Stole it, I reckon?" - -"I'm not so sure of that," replied the detective coolly. "I don't -believe Caprice cares two straws about Villiers being the husband of -Madame Midas. If he stole the diamonds, she'd lag him as sure as fate; -no, as I told you before, she's got a finger in this pie herself, and -Villiers is helping her." - -"But the diamonds were stolen on that night," objected the American. - -"I know that--don't you remember you told me that Caprice had an -interview in the supper room with Villiers? Well, I believe she went -upstairs, took the diamonds, and gave them to Villiers to dispose of." - -"For what reason?" - -"That's what I'd like to find out," retorted Naball. "She evidently -wanted a sum of money for something; now, are you aware that she -wanted money?" - -"Why, she's always wanting money." - -"No doubt--but this must have been a specially large sum?" - -Fenton glanced keenly at Naball's impassive face, drummed impatiently -with his fingers on the table, then evidently made up his mind. - -"Tell you what," he said rapidly, "she did want a large sum of -money--fact is, a friend of hers got into a fix, and his wife went -howling to her, so she said she would replace the money, and I've no -doubt sold her diamonds to do so." - -"I thought it was something like that," said Naball coolly; "but why -the deuce couldn't she sell her diamonds openly without all this row?" - -"Guess you'd better ask her," said Fenton, rising to his feet; "she -won't let me meddle with the affair, so I can't do anything--if she's -fool enough to lose or sell five thousand pounds' worth of diamonds, I -can't help it: and now, sir, the five minutes--" glancing at his -watch. - -"Are up long ago," replied Naball, rising to his feet. "Well, I'm -curious about this case, and I'm going to get at it somehow, so at -present I'm off down to see Caprice about this," and he tapped his -breast-pocket, where the jewel was placed. - -"You won't get anything out of her," said Fenton yawning, "if all you -surmise is true." - -"I don't care what she says," observed Naball, going to the door. "I -can discover all I want from the expression of her face when she knows -what I've got, and where I got it." - -With this Naball disappeared, and Fenton, returning to his desk, flung -himself back in his chair. - -"Why the devil won't she prosecute?" he muttered savagely to himself. -"Guess she knows more about this robbery than she says, but even -then--confound it, I'm mixed." - -Having come to this unsatisfactory conclusion, Mr. Fenton went on with -his work, and dismissed all thoughts of the diamond robbery from his -mind. - -Meanwhile, Naball was on his way down to Toorak, meditating over the -revelation made to him by Fenton about Caprice's sudden fit of -generosity. - -"I didn't think she was so tender-hearted," murmured Naball, full of -perplexity; "she must have had some strong reason for selling her -diamonds. I wonder who the man is?--and the wife called. Humph! this -is quite a new game for Caprice." - -When he left the station, and walked to the house, instead of -ringing the front-door bell, he strolled round the corner to the -verandah, on which the drawing-room windows looked out. He did this -because--wondering if Villiers was concerned in the robbery--he wanted -to see the window by which he entered the dining-room on the night of -the robbery. Soft-footed and stealthy in his motions, the detective -made no noise, and was just pausing on the edge of the verandah, -wondering whether he would go forward or return to the front door, -when he heard Kitty's voice in the drawing-room raised in a tone of -surprise. - -"Mrs. Malton!" - -"Hullo!" said Naball to himself, "that's the name of Fenton's -assistant manager. Now, I wonder what his wife is calling here about? -I'll wait and hear." - -So the detective, filled with curiosity, took up his position close to -one of the windows, so that he could hear every word that was said, -but, of course, was unable to see anything going on inside. He -commenced to listen, out of mere curiosity, but soon the conversation -took a turn which interested him greatly, and, to his mind, threw a -great deal of light on the diamond robbery. - -"Why have you called to see me again?" asked Kitty, in a cold tone. - -"Because I want to thank you for saving my husband," replied Mrs. -Malton. "They told me you were busy, but I have waited in the next -room for half-an-hour to see you. My husband is safe." - -"I congratulate you--and him," answered Caprice, in an ironical tone. -"It is to be hoped Mr. Evan Malton won't embezzle any more money." - -Naball, outside, could hardly refrain from giving a low whistle. So -this was the man mentioned by Fenton--his own familiar friend--and -Kitty Marchurst had helped him. In Heaven's name, why? - -"It is due to your kindness that he is safe," said Mrs. Malton, in a -faltering tone; "you replaced the money." - -"Not at all," said Caprice; "I never replaced a sixpence." - -"But you did, you did!" said Mrs. Malton vehemently, falling on her -knees before Kitty; "every penny of the money has been paid back, and -only you could have done it." - -"I did not pay a penny, I tell you," said Caprice; "still, I have had -something to do with it." - -"I knew it! I knew it!" cried the poor wife, kissing the hand of the -actress. "May God bless you for doing this good action." - -"I wouldn't have done it had it not been for the sake of your child," -said Kitty coldly. - -"Wonderful," thought the listener; "Kitty Marchurst has a heart." - -"Good-bye, good-bye!" said Mrs. Malton, rising to her feet. "I may -never see you again." - -"I've no doubt of that," replied Caprice, with a cynical laugh; -"you've got all you wanted, so now you leave me." - -"No, no!" cried the other woman vehemently. "I am not ungrateful. I -will visit you if you will let me. I am sorry for you. I pity you." - -"Keep your pity and your visits for some one else--I want neither." - -"But your heart?" - -"My heart is stone; it was hardened long, long ago. Leave me--I have -done all I can for you--now go." - -Mrs. Malton made a step forward, and, catching Kitty in her arms, -kissed her. - -"God bless you!" she cried, in a low voice, and as she kissed her she -felt a hot tear fall on her hand. It was Caprice who wept, but, with a -stifled sigh, she pushed Mrs. Malton away. - -"You are a good woman," she said hoarsely. "Go! go! and if you ever -think of me, let it be as one who, however bad her life, did at least -one good action." - -She sank back into a chair, covering her face with her hands, while -Mrs. Malton, with a look of pity on her face, and a low "God bless -you," left the room. - -Meanwhile, the detective outside was smitten with a kind of remorse at -having overheard this pathetic scene. - -"I've found out what Caprice wanted the money for," he muttered; "but -I'm sorry for her--very sorry. I never knew before she was a woman--I -thought she was a fiend." - -Kitty, drying her eyes, arose from her seat and dragged herself slowly -across the room to the window near which the detective was standing. -He heard her coming and tried to escape, and in another moment Kitty -had opened the window, and they were face to face. - -"Mr. Naball," she cried, with a sudden, angry light in her eyes, "you -have heard--" - -"Every word," said Naball, looking straight at her wrathful face. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. -NABALL TELLS A STORY. - - -Kitty looked at him in silence with flashing eyes, and then laughed -bitterly. - -"And how long is it since you added the spy business to your usual -work?" she asked, with a sneer on her colourless face. - -"Since a few moments ago," replied Naball coolly. "I came to see you -on business, and, hearing you in conversation with a lady, did not -like to interrupt till you were disengaged." - -"I'm very much obliged to you for your courtesy," said Caprice -scornfully; "but now you have satisfied your curiosity. M. le -Mouchard, I'll trouble you to take yourself off." - -"Certainly, after I've had a few moments' conversation with you." - -"I decline to listen," said Kitty haughtily. - -"I think you had better," observed Naball significantly, "as it's -about the robbery of your jewels." - -"I forbade you to go on any further with that matter." - -"You did; but I disobeyed your injunction." - -"So I understand," replied Kitty indignantly; "and may I ask if you -have discovered anything?" - -"Yes--this!" and he showed the diamond crescent to Caprice. She -started violently, and her pale face flushed a deep red. - -"Where did you get it?" she asked. - -"From Randolph Villiers." - -"Villiers!" she echoed in surprise. "How did it come into his -possession?" - -"That is what I want to discover." - -"Then you may save yourself the trouble, for you will never know." - -"I understand that," said Naball quietly; "nothing can be done unless -you permit me to go on." - -"I forbid you to go on," she retorted angrily. - -Naball bowed. - -"Very well," he said quietly, "then there is nothing for me but to -leave." - -"No, I don't think there is," assented Kitty coldly, turning to -re-enter the house. - -"But, before I go," went on the detective, playing his great card, "I -will leave your jewel with you." - -"That," said Kitty, glancing over her shoulder at the crescent--"that -is not mine." - -"Mr. Fenton says it is." - -"Mr. Fenton!" echoed Caprice jeeringly; "and how does Mr. Fenton -know?" - -"I should think he was the best person to know," retorted Naball, -nettled at her mockery. - -"A good many people think the same way," said Kitty disdainfully, "but -in this case Mr. Fenton is wrong--I never saw those diamonds before." - -"Then how did it come into Mr. Villiers' possession?" - -"I don't know, not being in Mr. Villiers' confidence." - -"Oh!" said Naball significantly, "you are quite certain you are not?" - -"I don't understand you," replied Kitty coldly; "explain yourself." - -"Certainly, if you wish it," said the detective smoothly. "I will tell -it in the form of a little story--have I your permission to be -seated?" - -She nodded carelessly, whereupon Naball sat down on one of the -lounging chairs, and, crossing his legs, settled himself composedly, -while Kitty, standing near him with loosely-clasped hands, looked idly -at the green lawn, with its brilliant border of many-coloured flowers. - -"There was once a woman called Folly, who lived--let us say--in -Cloudland--" began Naball airily. - -"Rubbish!" said Kitty angrily. - -"Nothing of the sort," retorted Naball coolly, "it is truth in -disguise. I have been to school--I have read Spenser's 'Faery -Queen'--if you please, we will consider this story, though not in -verse, as one of the lost cantos of the poem." - -Kitty shrugged her shoulders with contempt. "I think you're mad," she -said coldly. "Perhaps I am," retorted Naball sharply, "but there's -method in my madness, as you will soon find out--so, to go on with the -lost canto of the 'Faery Queen.' This woman, Folly, was reputed to -have a hard heart--no doubt she had, but there was one soft spot in -it--love for her child. Many men loved this charming Folly, and paid -dearly for the privilege. One man, misnamed Strength, loved her madly, -and gave her many jewels. Strength had a friend, called Weakness, and -though they were so dissimilar in character, they worked together. -Weakness also loved Folly, though he had a wife, and, to gain Folly's -love, he stole a lot of money. His wife discovered this, and going -to Folly, implored her to help Weakness, but in vain, till at last -she gained her point by appealing to the one soft spot in Folly's -heart--love for her child. She was successful, and Folly promised to -save the husband by replacing the money, which she could do through -the agency of Strength, who was her lover. - -"Folly, however, did not know where to get the money, so, in despair, -determined to part with her jewels. She dared not do so openly, lest -the inhabitants of Cloudland should find out what Weakness had done, -so she enlisted the services of a man called Vice. Here," said Naball -gaily, "we will leave the narrative style, and finish the story -dramatically." - -Kitty, who had grown pale, made no sign, so Naball resumed. - -"Scene, a supper-room, with a window open--time, night--supper -ended--guests away--enter Vice through open window--helps himself to -champagne. Folly, informed of presence of Vice, enters the room and -orders him out--he refuses to leave till he gets money--she refuses to -give it to him. Suddenly an idea strikes her, and she tells Vice she -will give him money if he sells her jewels for her secretly--Vice -consents. Folly goes up to her room, gets jewels, gives them to Vice, -who goes away and breaks down shrubs under window, which is opened by -Folly to show every one that a burglar has stolen the jewels. Rumours -of the theft get about--Bloodhound goes on the track--traces Vice to -his den--finds one jewel--comes to show it to Folly--overhears wife -of Weakness thanking Folly for replacing money stolen by her -husband--exit wife of Weakness--enter Bloodhound to Folly, who denies -having ever seen jewel before. Bloodhound tells a story to Folly, -which Folly--" - -"Denies, yes, denies!" broke in Kitty angrily; "your story is wrong." - -"Pardon me," said Naball, rising, "allegorical." - -"I can understand what you mean," said Kitty, after a pause; "but it's -all wrong. I never paid this money for Malton." - -"Pardon me,--Weakness," said Naball politely. - -"Bah! why keep up this transparent deception? Your story is excellent, -and I understand all about Folly, Vice, and Strength, but you are -wrong--that jewel is not mine. I never paid the money, and I don't -know anything about Malton's business, so you can leave me at once, -and never show your face again." - -"But the jewel?" said the detective, holding it out. - -Kitty snatched it out of his hand, and flung it across the lawn. It -flashed brilliantly in the sunlight, and fell just on the verge of the -flower-bed. - -"You can follow it,--Bloodhound," she said disdainfully, and, entering -the house, closed the window after her. - -Naball stood for a moment smiling in a gratified manner to himself, -then, sauntering slowly across the lawn, picked up the jewel and -replaced it in his pocket. - -"I knew I was right," he murmured quietly, as he strolled to the gate; -"she stole the diamonds to pay Malton's debt, and Villiers got this -for payment as an accomplice. I wish I could get on with the case, but -she won't let me--what a pity; dear, dear, what a pity!" - -He had by this time reached the gate, and was passing through it, when -a hansom drove up, from out which Fenton jumped. - -"Well?" he asked, when he saw Naball. - -"Well," said Naball, dusting his varnished boots with a silk -handkerchief. - -"What does she say?" asked Fenton inquiringly - -"What a woman generally does say--everything but the truth. Going to -see her?" - -"Yes," said Fenton, paying his cab fare; "can I do anything?" - -"Two things," observed Naball quietly: "in the first place, let me -have your cab; and in the second, give this to Caprice with my -compliments," and he handed the crescent of diamonds to Fenton. - -"Why didn't you give it to her yourself?" asked Fenton, taking it. - -"Because she said it wasn't hers," replied Naball, getting into the -cab. "I can't do anything more in the matter; it's a beautiful case -spoiled." - -"Why spoiled?" asked Fenton, pausing at the gate. - -"Because there's a woman in it," replied Naball; "good-bye!" and the -cab drove off in a cloud of dust, leaving Fenton at the gate looking -in a puzzled manner at the diamond crescent. - -"Why the deuce did she deny this being hers?" he asked himself as he -opened the gate. "I know it well--I ought to, considering I paid for -it--there's some game in this." - -He rang the bell, which was answered by Bliggings, who, in reply to -his question as to whether Kitty was at home, burst out into a volley -of language. - -"Oh, gracious an' good 'eavens, missus 'ave bin talkin' to a lady this -mornin', and is that upset as never was--chalk is black to her -complexing, and penny hices 'ot to the chill of her feets." - -"Humph!" said Fenton, entering the house and leisurely taking off his -hat, "just tell your mistress I want to see her." - -"Oh, gracious an' good 'eavens!" cried Bliggings, "she's a-lyin' down -in company with a linseed poultase an' a cup of tea, both bein' good -for removin' 'eadaches." - -"Great Scot!" said Fenton impatiently, pushing the voluble Bliggings -aside, "I'll go and see her straight off myself." - -He went upstairs and knocked at the sitting-room door. Hearing a faint -voice telling him to come in, he entered the room, which he found in -semi-darkness, with the pungent aroma of _eau de cologne_ pervading -the atmosphere. - -"What do you want?" asked Kitty fretfully, thinking it was the -servant. - -"To see you," replied Fenton gruffly. - -"Oh, it's you!" cried Caprice, sitting up on the sofa, looking pale -and wan in her white dress. "I'm glad of that--I've just seen that -Naball, and he's been accusing me of stealing my own jewels." - -"Well, did you?" asked Fenton complacently. - -"Of course I didn't," she retorted angrily; "why should I? Naball -thinks I did it to replace the money Malton stole." - -"How did he find out that?" asked Fenton, who knew quite well he had -told him about it himself. - -"He overheard Mrs. Malton thanking me," retorted Kitty impatiently; -"the money has been replaced, so I suppose, you did it." - -"Yes, I did," said Fenton boldly, "for your sake." - -"You're a good fellow, Fenton," said Kitty, in a softened tone. "I'm -glad you did what I asked you--now, go away, for I must get a sleep, -or I'll never be able to act to-night." - -"But what about this jewel?" asked Fenton, taking the crescent out of -his pocket. "Naball said you denied it being yours." - -"So I did," replied Caprice pettishly. - -"But why? I gave it to you." - -"Well, you can give it to me again," she said coolly. "Put it on the -table, and go away." - -Fenton thought a moment, then, going over to the table, placed the -jewel thereon, and turned once more to Caprice. - -"Look here, Kitty," he said slowly, "did you do anything with those -diamonds?" - -"Perhaps I did, and perhaps I didn't," replied Caprice enigmatically; -"at all events, I'm not going to have any more fuss made over them." - -"Well, good-bye at present," said Fenton carelessly. "I say, you might -give me a kiss, after fixing up Malton's affair." - -"So I will--at the theatre to-night. Do leave me, my head is so bad." - -"Not so bad as you are, you little devil," murmured Fenton, closing -the sitting-room door softly after him. "Well, I guess there'll be no -more trouble about those diamonds, at all events." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. -THE GOSSIP OF CLUBS. - - -It was called "The Skylarks' Club," because, like those tuneful birds, -the members were up very early in the morning. Not that the aforesaid -members were early risers by any means--but because they never went to -bed till three or four o'clock. To put it plainly, they stayed up -nearly all night, and it seemed to be a point of honour with them -that, as long as a quorum were on the premises, the club should be -kept open. - -Most of the members were dissipated and led fast lives, drank a good -deal, gambled away large sums, betted freely, and, to all appearances, -were going to the dogs as fast as they possibly could. The code of -morality was not very strict, and the "Skylarks" generally viewed each -other's good or bad luck in a cynical manner. Occasionally a member -disappeared from his accustomed place, and it was generally understood -he had "gone under," or, in other words, was vegetating on some -up-country station, doubtless cursing the "Skylarks" freely as the -cause of his ruin. - -Other clubs in Melbourne were fast--not a doubt about that--but every -one declared that the "Skylarks" overstepped all bounds of decency. -Whatever devilment was to be done, they would do it, and, as they had -no characters to lose, they generally amused themselves by trying to -destroy other people's good name, and generally succeeded. - -It was a Bohemian club, and among its members were stock-brokers, -musicians, journalists, and actors, so that, whatever the moral tone -of the place, the conversation was generally brilliant, albeit rather -malicious. One way and another, there was a good deal of money -floating about, for if the members worked hard at business during the -day, they also worked hard at pleasure during the night, so, -systematically, burned the candle at both ends. "_Fay ce que -vouldras_" was their motto, and they certainly carried it out to the -very last letter. - -Keith Stewart was a member of this delectable fraternity, having been -introduced by Ezra Lazarus, and, thanks to his mysterious five hundred -pounds, was able to cut a very decent figure among the members. He was -still in the pawnbroker's office, although he very much wanted to -leave it, but, having passed his word to old Lazarus to stay six -months, he was determined to do so. - -It was now about three months since the diamond robbery, and, after -being a nine days' wonder, it had passed out of the minds of every -one. Nothing more was heard of the theft, and, after a great number of -surmises, more or less wrong, the matter was allowed to drop, as a new -divorce case of a novel character now engrossed the public mind. - -"Prince Carnival" had been withdrawn after a very successful run, and -Kitty Marchurst was now appearing in "Eblis," which, as she expected, -had turned out a failure. Under these circumstances, "Prince Carnival" -was revived, pending the production of "Faust Upset," a new burlesque -by Messrs. Stewart and Lazarus. - -Both these young men had worked hard at the piece, and Mortimer, -having approved of the first act, had determined to put the play on -the stage: first, because he saw it was by no means a bad piece, and -secondly, he had nothing else handy to bring forward. If he could have -obtained a new and successful opera-bouffe from London, "Faust Upset" -would have been ignominiously shelved, but, luckily for Keith and his -friends, all the late opera-bouffes had been failures, so Mortimer -made a virtue of necessity, and gave them a chance. - -It was about eleven o'clock at night, and the smoking-room of the -"Skylarks" was full. Some of the members had been there for some -hours, others had dropped in after the theatres were closed, and here -and there could be seen a reporter scribbling his notes for -publication next day. - -A luxurious apartment it was, with lounging chairs covered with -crimson plush, plenty of mirrors, and a number of marble-topped -tables, which were now covered with various beverages. Every one was -talking loudly, and the waiters were flitting about actively employed -in ministering to the creature comforts of the patrons of the club. -What with the dusky atmosphere caused by the smoking, the babel of -voices, the jingle of glasses, and the constant moving about of the -restless crowd, it looked like some fantastic nightmare. - -Keith was seated in a corner smoking a cigarette and waiting for Ezra, -who had promised to meet him there, and in the meantime was idly -watching the crowd of his friends, and listening to their gossip. -Malton was also lounging about the room, chatting to his friends on -current topics. - -"Anything going on in the House?" asked Pelk, a theatrical critic, of -Slingsby, who had just entered. - -That gentleman shrugged his shoulders. - -"A slanging match, as usual," he replied, taking a seat and ringing -the bell. "Some members have got an idea that abuse is wit. I don't -think much of the Victorian Parliament." - -"It's better than the New South Wales one, at all events," said Keith, -smiling. - -"That's not saying much," retorted Slingsby, lighting a cigar. "The -Sydney men are more like fractious children than anything else, though -to be sure that's only proper, seeing our Parliaments are nurseries -for sucking politicians." - -"That's severe." - -"But true--the truth is always disagreeable." - -"Perhaps that's the reason so few people speak it." - -"Exactly--truth is a sour old maid whom nobody wants." - -"Not you, at all events, Slingsby" - -"No--it's a matter of choice--_Video meliora proboque deteriora -sequor_." - -"Don't be classical--it's out of place here." - -"Not a bit," retorted Slingsby smoothly, looking round at the circle -of grinning faces, "it's out of the dictionary, you know, foreign -words and affixes." - -Every one roared at this candid confession. - -"No wonder _The Penny Whistle_ flourishes when there's such men as you -on the staff," said Toltby, with a sneer. - -"You've no cause to complain," replied Slingsby; "they've been kind -enough to you." - -"Yes; they recognise good acting." - -Slingsby looked at him queerly. - -"Dear boy, I prefer the stage of the House to that of the theatre--the -actors are much more amusing." - -At this moment Felix Rolleston, now looking much older since the -Hansom Cab murder case, but as lively as ever, entered the room and -danced up to the coterie. - -"Well, gentlemen," he said gaily, "what is the news?" - -"Good news, bad news, and such news as you've never heard of," quoted -Keith lazily. - -"Thank you, my local Gratiano," replied Felix, quickly recognising the -quotation as from the "Merchant of Venice." "By the way, there's a -letter for you outside." - -"Oh, thanks," said Stewart rising, "I'll go and get it," and he -sauntered out lazily. - -"Humph!" ejaculated Felix, looking after him, "our friend is the -author of 'Faust Upset,' I understand?" - -"Yes," replied Toltby; "deuced good piece." - -"That means you've got an excellent part," struck in Slingsby -mercilessly. - -"Quite right," retorted Toltby complacently; "all the parts are -good--especially Caprice's." - -"Oh, that goes without saying," said Pelk, with a grin; "our friend is -rather sweet there." - -"So is she," said Felix significantly; "case of reciprocity, dear -boy!" - -"She's given Fenton the go-by." - -"Yes, and Meddlechip is elevated to the vacancy. Wonder how long it -will be before she breaks him?" - -"Oh, even with her talents for squandering, Caprice can't burst up the -richest man in Victoria," said Slingsby vulgarly; "when she does give -him up, I suppose Stewart will succeed him." - -"Not enough cash." - -"Pooh! what is cash compared to love?" - -"Eh! a good deal in this case, as Fenton found out." - -"Speak of the devil," said Felix quickly; "here comes the gentleman in -question." - -Fenton, looking harassed and worn, entered the room, and glanced -round. Seeing Rolleston, he came over to him and began to talk. - -"Guess you look happy, boys," he said, in his nasal voice. - -"It's more than you do," replied Rolleston, scanning him keenly. - -"No; I've overworked myself," said Fenton coolly, "I need pulling up a -bit." - -"Go and see a doctor--try tonics." - -"Ah, bah! glass of champagne will fix me straight. Here, waiter, bring -in a bottle of Heidsieck. Any of you boys join?" - -All the boys assenting to the hospitable proposition, Fenton ordered -two bottles, and lighted a huge cigar. When the waiter came back with -the wine, Keith also entered, with a soft look on his face which -puzzled Rolleston. He had put on his overcoat. - -"Ah!" said that astute gentleman, "you look pleased--your letter was -pleasant?" - -"Yes, very," replied Keith laconically. - -"Then it was from a woman," said Fenton. - -"Humph! that's generally anything but pleasant," grunted Slingsby. - -"No doubt, to such a Don Juan as you," said Pelk, amid a general -laugh. - -The waiter was opening the wine so slowly that Fenton lost patience, -and snatched one bottle up from the table. - -"Guess we had better fix those two up at once," he said. "Any one got -a knife?" - -Keith put his hand in his pocket, and produced therefrom Meg's -present. - -"Great Cæsar, what a pig-sticker," said Fenton, holding it up. - -"What made you buy such a thing, Stewart?" asked Felix, laughing. - -"I didn't buy it," replied Keith; "it's a present from a lady." - -"A very young lady, I should say," said Slingsby drily; "not much idea -of taste." - -"Matter of opinion," said Keith serenely; "I like the knife for the -sake of the donor--her name's on the handle." - -Fenton by this time had opened the bottle, and laid the knife down on -the table, from whence Felix picked it up and examined it. - -"'From Meg,'" he read, in an amused tone; "gad, Stewart, I thought it -was the mother, not the daughter." - -Fenton shot a fiery glance at Keith, who laughed in rather an -embarrassed manner. - -"It was just the child's whim," he said, laughing. "I saved her from -the tram-car, so she gave me this as a souvenir;" and, taking up the -knife, he shut it with a sharp click, and slipped it into his overcoat -pocket. - -When they had all finished the wine, Fenton said he had to see -Mortimer about some business. - -"Half-past ten," he said, looking at his watch; "they'll just be about -through." - -"I've got to see Mortimer to-night," observed Keith, "and I'm waiting -here for Lazarus." - -"About the new play, I reckon," said Fenton; "well, you'd better walk -up with me." - -Keith shook his head. - -"No, thanks; I must wait for Lazarus." - -"Then come and have a game of billiards in the meantime," said Felix, -rising; "take off your coat, you'll find it hot." - -"All right," assented Keith readily "Here, Alfred," and, slipping off -his coat, handed it to a waiter, who was just passing, "hang this up -for me." - -The waiter took the coat, threw it over his arm, and vanished; while -Keith and Felix strolled leisurely away in the direction of the -billiard-room. - -"How the deuce does Stewart run it?" asked Fenton, looking after them; -"he can't get much salary at old Lazarus' place." - -"Case of God tempering the wind to the shorn lamb," said Slingsby -ironically. - -"Hang it, I don't think he ought to be a member of the Club, a -confounded pawnbroker's clerk." - -"It is rather a topsy-turvy business, ain't it; but you see, in the -colonies Jack's as good as his master." - -"And in some cases a deal better," said Pelk, referring to the -relative positions of Malton and Fenton. - -"Particularly when Jack's got a pretty wife," finished Toltby -significantly. - -Fenton knew this was a hint at his _penchant_ for Mrs. Malton, but he -did not very well see how he could take it to himself, particularly -when he saw every one smiling, so he smiled back saturninely at the -circle. - -"You're devilish witty, boys," he said coldly; "guess the wine has -sharpened your brains." - -As he strolled away in his usual cool manner, Slingsby looked after -him. - -"Our friend's hard hit over Mrs. Malton," he said at length. - -"Every one knows that," grinned Toltby, "except the husband." - -"Yes, the husband is generally the last to find out these things," -remarked Pelk drily; and the conversation ended. - -Meanwhile Rolleston and Keith were playing their game of billiards, a -pastime in which the former was an adept, and soon defeated Keith, who -threw down his cue in half anger. - -"You always win," he said pettishly; "it's no use playing with you." - -"Oh, yes, it is," said Felix cheerfully. "I know I'm a good player, so -if you play with me it will improve you very much--that remark sounds -conceited, but it's true--come and have another game." - -"Not to-night," replied Keith; "I've got to keep my appointment with -Mortimer--it's no use waiting for Lazarus." - -"Oh, yes, it is," cried a new voice, and Lazarus made his appearance -at the door of the billiard-room. "I'm sorry for having kept you -waiting, but it was unavoidable. I'll tell you all about it as we walk -up." - -"All right," replied Keith, and turned to go, followed by Ezra, who -nodded to Rolleston. - -"Good-night," cried that gentleman, making a cannon. "Good luck be -with you." - -"Amen," responded Keith laughing, and disappeared with Ezra. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. -A STRUGGLE FOR FAME. - - -The two young men walked slowly up the street in the direction of the -Bon-Bon Theatre, passing into Swanston Street just as the Town Hall -clock struck eleven. It was a beautiful moonlight night, but no breeze -was blowing, and the heat which the earth had drawn to her bosom -during the day was now exhaled from the warm ground in a faint humid -vapour. Crowds of people were in the streets sauntering idly along, -evidently unwilling to go to bed. The great buildings stood up white -and spectral-like on the one side of the street, while on the other -they loomed out black against the clear sky. The garish flare of the -innumerable street lamps seemed out of place under the serene -splendour of the heavens, and the frequent cries of the street boys, -and noisy rattling of passing cabs, jarred on the ear. At least Keith -thought so, for, after walking in silence for some time, he turned -with a gesture of irritation to his companion. - -"Isn't this noise disagreeable?" he said impatiently; "under such a -perfect sky the city ought to lie dead like a fantastic dream of the -Arabian Nights, but the gas lamps and incessant restlessness of -Melbourne vulgarises the whole thing." - -"Poetical, certainly," replied Ezra, rousing himself from his -abstraction; "but I should not care to inhabit an enchanted city. To -me there is something grand in this restless crowd of people, all -instinct with life and ambition--the gas lamps jar on your dream, but -they are evidences of civilisation, and the hoarse murmur of the mob -is like the mutterings of a distant storm, or white waves breaking on -a lonely coast. No, my friend, leave the enchanted cities to -dreamland, and live the busy life of the nineteenth century." - -"Your ideas and wishes are singularly at variance," said Keith -smiling. "The city suggests poetical thoughts to you, but you reject -them and lower yourself to the narrow things of everyday." - -"I am a man, and must live as one," replied the Jew, with a sigh; -"it's hard enough to do so--Heaven knows!--without creating Paradises -at whose doors we must ever stand like lost Peris." - -"What's the matter with you to-night?" asked Keith abruptly. - -"Nothing particular; only I've had a quarrel with my father." - -"Is that all? My dear Lazarus, your father lives in an atmosphere of -quarrelling--it's bread and meat to him--so you needn't fret over a -few words. What was the quarrel about?" - -"Money." - -"Humph!--generally a fruitful cause of dissension. Tell me all about -it." - -"You know how I love Rachel?" said Lazarus quietly. "Well, I am -anxious to marry her and have a home of my own. It's weary work living -in tents like a Bedouin. I get a good salary, it's true; but I asked -my father to give me a sufficient sum of ready money to buy a piece of -land and a house. I might have saved myself the trouble--he refused, -and we had angry words, so parted in anger." - -"I wouldn't bother about it, if I were you," said Keith consolingly. -"Words break no bones--besides, this burlesque may bring us a lot of -money, and then you can marry Rachel when you please." - -"I don't expect much money out of it," replied the Jew, with a frown. -"It's our first piece, and Mortimer will drive a hard bargain with -us--but you seem very hopeful to-night." - -"I have cause to. Eugénie has written me a letter, in which she says -she is coming to Melbourne." - -"That's good news, indeed. Is she going to stay?" - -"I think so," said Keith gaily. "I told you she was a governess, so -she has replied to an advertisement in the _Argus_, and hopes to get -the situation." - -"I trust she will," observed Ezra, smiling at Keith's delight. "She -will do you a lot of good by her presence, and guard you from the -spells of Armida." - -"_Alias_ Caprice. Thanks for the warning, but I've not been ensnared -by the fair enchantress yet, and never mean to; but here we are at the -theatre. I hope we get good terms from Mortimer." - -"So do I, for Rachel's sake." - -"We are both _preux chevaliers_, anxious to gain for our lady-loves -not fame, but money. Oh, base desire!" - -"It may be base, but it's very necessary," replied the prudent Jew, -and they both entered the stage-door of the theatre. - -Mortimer's sanctum was a very well-furnished room, displaying -considerable taste on the part of the occupant, for the manager of the -"Bon-Bon" was sybaritic in his ideas. The floor was covered with a -heavy velvet carpet, and the walls adorned with excellent pictures, -while the furniture was all chosen for comfort as well as for -ornament. Mortimer was seated at his desk with a confused mass of -papers before him, and leaning back in a chair near him was Caprice, -who looked rather pale and worn. - -There was a lamp on the table with a heavy shade, which concentrated -all the light into a circle, and Kitty's pale face, with its aureole -of fair hair seen in the powerful radiance, appeared strange and -unreal. Dark circles under her heavy eyes, faint lines round the small -mouth, and the weary look now habitual to her, all combined to give -her face a wan and spiritual look which made even Mortimer shiver as -he looked at her. - -"Hang it, Kitty," he said roughly, "don't look so dismal. You ought to -see a doctor." - -"What for?" she asked listlessly. "I'm quite well." - -"Humph! I don't think so. You've been going down the hill steadily the -last few months. Look how thin you are--a bag of bones." - -"So was Rachel," replied Caprice, with a faint smile. - -"Well, she didn't live very long. Besides, you ain't Rachel," growled -Mortimer, "and I don't want you to get ill just now." - -"No, you could hardly supply my place," said Caprice, with a sneer. -"Don't you bother yourself, Mortimer, I'm not going to die yet. When I -do I sha'n't be sorry; life hasn't been so pleasant to me that I -should wish to live." - -"I don't know what you want," grumbled the manager; "you've got all -Melbourne at your feet." - -"I can't say much for Melbourne's morality, then," retorted Caprice -bitterly; "circumstances have made me what I am, but I'm getting tired -of the cakes and ale business. If I could only secure the future of my -child, I'd turn religious." - -"Mary Magdalen!" - -"Yes, a case of history repeating itself, isn't it?" she replied, with -a harsh laugh. - -"Strange!" said Mortimer, scrutinising her narrowly; "the worse a -woman is in her youth, the more devout she becomes in her old age." - -"On the authority of M. de la Rochefoucauld, I suppose," answered -Caprice; "old age gives good advice when it no longer can give bad -example." - -"Who told you that?" - -"A man you never knew--Vandeloup." - -"I don't know that my not being acquainted with him was much to be -regretted." - -"No, I don't think it was," replied Caprice coolly; "he had twice your -brains--to know him was a liberal education." - -"In cheap cynicism, gad, you've been an apt pupil." - -Kitty laughed, and, rising from her seat, began to walk to and fro. - -"I wish those boys would come," she said restlessly; "I want to go -home." - -"Then go," said Mortimer; "you needn't stay." - -"Oh, yes, I need," she replied; "I want to see that they get good -terms for their play." - -"I'll give them a fair price," said Mortimer; "but I'm not going to be -so liberal as you expect." - -"I've no doubt of that." - -"I believe you're sweet on that Stewart." - -"Perhaps I am!" - -"Meddlechip won't like that," - -"Pish! I don't care two straws for Meddlechip." - -"No; but you do for his money." - -"Of course; that goes without saying." - -"You're a hardened little devil, Caprice." - -"God knows I've had enough to make me hard," she replied bitterly, -throwing herself down in her chair, with a frown. - -There was a knock at the door at this moment, and, in reply to -Mortimer's invitation to "come in," Ezra and Keith appeared. - -"Well, you two are late," said Mortimer, glancing at his watch; "a -quarter-past eleven." - -"I'm very sorry," said Ezra quietly; "but it was my fault. I was -telling Stewart about some business." - -"Well, we won't take long to settle this affair," remarked Mortimer, -looking over his papers. "Be seated, gentlemen." - -Keith took off his overcoat and threw it over the back of a chair, on -which Kitty's fur-lined mantle was already resting. - -Caprice, who had flushed up on the advance of Stewart, leaned back in -her chair, while Keith sat down near her, and Ezra took a position -opposite, close to Mortimer. - -"Now then, gentlemen," said Mortimer, playing with a paper-cutter, -"about this burlesque--what is your opinion?" - -"That's rather a curious question to ask an author," replied Keith -gaily. "We naturally think it excellent." - -"I hope the public will think the same," observed Mortimer drily; "but -I don't mean that. I want to know your terms." - -"Of course," said Ezra, smoothly; "but just tell us what you are -prepared to give." - -"I'm buyer, gentlemen, you are sellers," replied the manager shrewdly; -"I can't take up your position." - -Kitty leaned back in her chair and bent over close to Keith's ear. - -"Ask five pounds a night," she whispered. - -Stewart glanced at Ezra, and seeing he was in doubt as to what to say, -spoke out loudly. - -"Speaking for myself and partner, I think we'll take five pounds a -night." - -"Yes, I'll agree to that," observed Ezra eagerly - -"I've no doubt you will," rejoined Mortimer, raising his eyebrows; -"that's thirty pounds a week, fifteen pounds apiece--a very nice sum, -gentlemen--if you get it." - -"Then what do you propose to give?" asked Keith. - -"One pound for every performance." - -Stewart laughed. - -"Do you take us for born fools?" he asked angrily. - -"No, I do not," replied Mortimer, catching his chin between finger and -thumb, and looking critically at the two young men; "I take you for -very clever boys who are just making a start, and I'm willing to help -you--at my own price--which is one pound a night." - -"The game's not worth the candle," said Ezra, in a disappointed tone. - -"Oh, yes, it is," retorted Mortimer; "it gives you a chance. Now, look -here, I've no desire to take advantage of my position, which, as you -see, is a very strong one." - -"In what way?" asked Caprice, elevating her eyebrows. - -Mortimer explained in his slow voice as follows,--"I can write home to -London and get successful plays with big reputations already made." - -"Yes, and pay big prices for them." - -"That may be," replied the manager imperturbably; "but if I give a -good price I get a good article that is sure to recoup me for my -outlay. I don't say that 'Faust Upset' isn't good, but at the same -time it's an experiment. Australians don't like their own raw -material." - -"They never get the chance of seeing it," said Keith bitterly; "you of -course look at it from a business point of view, as is only proper, -but seeing that you draw all your money from Colonial pockets, why not -give Colonial brains a chance?" - -"Because Colonial brains don't pay, Colonial pockets do," said -Mortimer coolly; "besides, I am giving you a chance, and that at -considerable risk to myself. I will put on this burlesque in good -style because Caprice is dead set on it; but business is business, and -I can't afford to lose money on an untried production." - -"Suppose it turns out a great success," said Ezra, "we, the authors, -only make six pounds a week, while you take all the profits." - -"Certainly," retorted Mortimer; "I've taken the risk." - -"Then if we make a great success of this burlesque," said Keith, "you -will give us better terms for the next thing we write?" - -"Well, yes," said the manager, in a hesitating manner; "but, of -course, though your position is improved, mine is still the same." - -"I understand; as long as you have the run of the London market, you -can treat Colonial playwrights as you choose?" - -"You've stated the case exactly." - -"It's an unfair advantage." - -"No doubt, but business is business. I hold the trump card." - -"It's a bad lookout for the literary and musical future of Australia -when such men as you hold the cards," said Ezra gloomily; "but it's no -use arguing the case. I've heard all this sort of thing before. The -Australians are too busy making money to trouble about such a -contemptible thing as literary work." - -"I'll tell you what, Mortimer," broke in Caprice, "give them two -pounds a night for the piece." - -"Not I." - -"Yes you will, or I don't show at the Bon-Bon." - -"You forget your engagement, my dear," said Mortimer complacently. - -"No, I don't," retorted Kitty, snapping her fingers; "that for my -engagement. I don't care if I broke it to-morrow. You've got your -remedy, no doubt; try it, and see what you'll make of it." - -Mortimer looked uneasily at her. He knew he had the law on his side, -but Caprice was so reckless that she cared for nothing, and would do -what she pleased in spite of both him and the law. Besides, he could -not afford to lose her, so he met her half way. - -"Tell you what," he said genially, "I've no wish to be hard on you, -boys--I'll give you one pound a night for a week, and if the burlesque -is a success, two pounds--there, that's fair." - -"I suppose it's the best terms we can get," said Keith recklessly; -"anything for the chance of having a play put on the stage. What do -you say, Lazarus?" - -"I accept," replied the Jew briefly. - -"In that case," said Kitty, rising, "I needn't stay any longer. Mr. -Lazarus, will you take me to my carriage?" - -"Allow me," said Keith advancing. - -Kitty recoiled, and an angry light flashed in her eyes. - -"No, thank you," she said coldly, snatching up her cloak, "Mr. Lazarus -will see me down," and without another word she swept out of the room, -followed by Ezra, who was much astonished at the rebuff Keith had -received. - -"What's that for?" asked Mortimer looking up. "I thought you were the -white boy there." - -"I'm sure I don't know," said Keith, in a puzzled tone. "She has been -rather cold to me for the last three months, but she never snubbed me -till now." - -"Oh, she's never the same two minutes together," said Mortimer, -turning once more to his desk. "Have a drink?" - -Keith nodded, whereupon Mortimer, who was the most hospitable of men, -brought forth whisky and seltzer. As he was filling the glasses, Ezra -re-entered with Keith's coat. - -"Caprice carried this downstairs with her by mistake," he said, giving -it to Keith, "and called me back to return it." - -"Gad! she went off in such a whirlwind of passion I don't wonder she -took it. I'm glad she left the chair," said Mortimer coolly. "Will you -join us?" - -"No, thanks," replied Ezra, putting on his hat. "I've got to go back -to the office. Good-night. See you to-morrow, Keith; you can settle -with Mortimer about the agreement," and thereupon he vanished. - -Keith and Mortimer sat down, and the latter drafted out an agreement -about the play which he promised to send to his lawyer, and then, if -the young men approved of it, the whole affair could be settled right -off. - -This took a considerable time, and it was about half-past twelve when -Keith, having said good-night to Mortimer, left the theatre. He walked -down Collins Street, smoking his cigarette, and thinking about his -good luck and Eugénie. How delighted she would be at his success. He -would make lots of money, and then he could marry her. After wandering -about for some considerable time, he turned homeward. Walking up -Bourke Street, he entered Russell Street, and went on towards East -Melbourne. Passing along in front of Lazarus' shop, he saw a man -leaning against the door. - -"What are you doing there?" asked Keith sharply, going up to him. - -The man struck out feebly with his fists, and giving an indistinct -growl, lurched heavily against Keith, who promptly knocked him down, -and had a tussle with him. The moon was shining brightly, and, as the -light fell on his face, Keith recognised him instantly--it was -Randolph Villiers. - -"You'd better go home, Villiers," he said quickly, raising him to his -feet, "you'll be getting into trouble." - -"Go to devil," said Mr. Villiers, in a husky voice, lurching into the -centre of the street. "I'm out on business. I know what I know, and if -you knew what I knew, you'd know a lot--eh! wouldn't you?" and he -leered at Stewart. - -"Pah, you're drunk," said Stewart in disgust, turning on his heel; -"you'd better get home, or you'll get into some mischief." - -"No, I won't," growled Villiers, "but I know some 'un as will." - -"Who?" - -"Oh, I know--I know," retorted Villiers, and went lurching down the -street, setting the words to a popular tune,-- - - - "I know a thing or two, - Yes I do--just a few." - - -Keith looked at the drunken man rolling heavily down the street--a -black, misshapen figure in the moonlight--and then, turning away with -a laugh, walked thence to East Melbourne thinking of Eugénie. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. -THE RUSSELL STREET CRIME. - - -The next morning a rumour crept through the city that a murder had -been committed in a house in Russell Street, and many people proceeded -to the spot indicated to find out if it were true. They discovered -that for once rumour had not lied, and Lazarus, the pawnbroker, one of -the best known characters in the city, had been found dead in his bed -with his throat cut. The house being guarded by the police, who were -very reticent, no distinct information could be gained, and it was not -until _The Penny Whistle_ came out at four o'clock that the true facts -of the crime were ascertained. A general rush was made by the public -for copies of the paper, and by nightfall nothing was talked of -throughout Melbourne but the Russell Street crime. The version given -by _The Penny Whistle_, which was written by a highly imaginative -reporter, was as follows, and headed by attractive titles:-- - - - TERRIBLE CRIME IN RUSSELL STREET - _Lazarus has passed in his Checks_. - An Unknown Assassin - is - In Our Midst. - - -It is often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and we have now -an excellent illustration of this proverb. A crime has been committed -before which the marvellous romances of Gaboriau sink into -insignificance, and the guilty wretch who has stained his soul with -murder is still at large. The bare facts of the case are as follows:-- - -Early this morning it was noticed by a policeman that the shop of -Lazarus, a well-known pawnbroker, was not opened, and knowing the -methodical habits of the old man, the policeman was much surprised. -However, thinking that Lazarus might have overslept himself, he passed -on, and had gone but a few yards when a boy called Isaiah Jacobs -rushed into the street from an alley which led to the back of the -house. The lad was much terrified, and it was with considerable -difficulty that the policeman elicited from him the following story:-- - -He had come to his work as usual at eight o'clock, and went round to -the back door in order to get into the house. This door was generally -open, and Lazarus waiting for him, but on this morning it was closed, -and although the boy knocked several times, no response was made. He -then noticed that the window which is on the left-hand side of the -door going in, was wide open, and becoming impatient, he climbed up to -it, and looked in to see if the old man was asleep. To his -consternation he saw Lazarus lying on the floor in a pool of blood, -and, seized with a sudden terror, he dropped from the window and -rushed into the street. - -On hearing this, the policeman sent him for Sergeant Mansard, who soon -arrived on the scene, with several other members of the force. They -went round to the back and found the door closed and the window open -as the boy had described. Having tried the door and found it locked, -the police burst it open, and entered the house to view a scene which -baffles description. - -The murdered man was lying nearly nude in the middle of the room in a -pool of blood. His throat was cut from ear to ear, and, judging from -the bruises and cuts on his hands and arms, there must have been a -terrible struggle before the murderer accomplished his act. The -bed-clothes, all stained with blood, were lying half on the bed and -half on the floor, so that it is surmised that the deceased must have -been attacked while asleep, and woke suddenly to fight for his life. - -A large iron safe which stood near the head of the bed was wide open, -the keys being in the lock, and all the drawers pulled out. A lot of -papers which had evidently been in the safe were lying on the floor, -but in spite of a rigid examination, no money could be found, so it is -presumed that the murder was effected for the sake of robbery. On one -sheet of the bed were several stains of blood, as if the assassin had -wiped his hands thereon, but the weapon with which the crime was -committed cannot be found. A door looking into the shop was closed and -bolted, so the murderer must have made his entry through the window, -and, departing the same way, forgot to close it. - -The body of the deceased has been removed to the Morgue, and an -inquest will be held to-day. The case has been placed in the hands of -Detective Naball, who is now on the spot taking such notes as he deems -necessary for the elucidation of this terrible mystery. - -Hereunder will be found a plan of the room in which the murder was -committed, and also the alley leading to the street. We wish our -readers to take particular note of this, as we wish to give our theory -as to the way in which the murderer went about his diabolical work. - - ---------------------------------------------------------------- - RUSSELL STREET - ---------------------------------|--------|--------------------- - SHOP | ALLEY | - ________________A________________| | - ==| | C | | - FIREPLACE |_____ B | | - ==| ____| F | - | G ____ |____ | - |________________| E | - | D | - |_________________________________________| - -[Illustration: Diagram of Pawn Shop] - -A. Door leading into shop--found bolted. - -B. Bed with clothes in disorder. - -C. Safe found open, with all valuables abstracted. - -D. Window found open by which assassin probably entered. - -E. Door leading to alley--found locked. - -F. Alley leading to street, by which entrance was gained to back of -house. - -G. Place where body of murdered man was discovered. - -In the first place, there is no doubt that the motive of the crime was -robbery, as is proved by the open safe rifled of its contents. The -murderer evidently knew that Lazarus slept in the back room and had -the keys of the safe--as we have since ascertained--under his pillow. -He must also have known the position of the safe and bed, for had he -groped about for them, he would have awakened the old man, who would -have instantly have given the alarm. - -The window D is about five feet from the ground, and was fastened with -an ordinary catch, as it never seemed to have entered the old man's -head that an attempt would be made to rob him. - -Our theory is that the murderer is a man who knew the deceased, and -had been frequently in the back room, so as to assure himself of the -position of things. Last night he must have entered the alley--at what -hour we are not prepared to say, as the time of the murder can only be -determined by medical evidence--and opened the window by slipping the -blade of his knife between the upper and lower parts, and pushing back -the latch. - -He then climbed softly into the room, and going straight to the bed, -found the deceased asleep. Very likely he did not intend to kill him -had he slept on, but in trying to abstract the keys from under the -pillow, Lazarus must have sprung up and tried to give the alarm. -Instantly the murderer's clutch was on his throat; but the old man, -struggling off the bed, fought with terrible strength for his life. -The struggle took them into the centre of the room, and there Lazarus, -becoming exhausted, must have fallen, and the murderer, with -diabolical coolness, must have cut his throat, so as to effectually -silence him. - -Then, taking the keys from under the pillow, he must have opened the -safe, taken what he wished, and made his escape through the window, -and from thence into the street. Probably no one was about, and he -could slink away unperceived, for, had he met any one, his clothes, -spotted with the blood of his victim, would have attracted attention. - -We conclude he must have had a dark lantern in order to see the -contents of the safe, but, as none has been found, he must have taken -it with him, together with the knife with which the crime was -committed. - -This is all we can learn at the present time, but whether any sounds -of a struggle were heard, can only be discovered from the witnesses at -the inquest to-morrow. - -Of one thing we are certain, the murderer cannot escape, as his -blood-stained clothes must necessarily have been noticed by even the -most casual observer. - -We will issue a special edition of _The Penny Whistle_ to-morrow, with -a full account of the inquest and the witnesses examined thereat. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. -THE INQUEST. - - -There was naturally a great deal of excitement over the murder, as, -apart from the magnitude of the crime, Lazarus was a well-known -character in Melbourne. He knew more secrets than any priest, and many -a person of apparently spotless character felt a sensation of relief -when they heard that the old Jew was dead. Lazarus was not the sort of -man to keep a diary, so to many people it was fortunate that he had -died unexpectedly, and carried a number of disagreeable secrets with -him to the grave. - -The report of the inquest was followed with great interest, for though -it was generally thought that robbing was the motive for the crime, -yet some hinted that, considering the character of the old man, there -might be more cogent reasons for the committal of the murder. One of -these sceptics was Naball, in whose hands the case had been placed for -elucidation. - -"I don't believe it was robbery," he said to a brother detective. "Old -Lazarus knew a good many dangerous secrets, and I wouldn't be a bit -surprised to find that the murderer was some poor devil whom he had in -his power." - -"But the open safe?" said the detective. - -"Pish! that can easily be accounted for; there may have been papers -implicating the murderer, or the robbery might have been a blind, -or--oh, there's dozens of reasons--however, we'll find it all out at -the inquest." - -In opening the proceedings, the Coroner mentioned all the -circumstances in connection with the murder which had come to the -knowledge of the police, and said that as yet no clue had been found -likely to lead to the detection of the assassin, but without doubt the -evidence of the witnesses about to be examined would afford some -starting point. - -The first witness called was the policeman who had found the body, and -he deposed to the circumstances which led to the discovery. He was -succeeded by Dr. Chisholm, who had examined the body of the deceased, -and, having been sworn in the usual manner, deposed as follows:-- - -"I am a duly qualified medical practitioner. I have examined the body -of the deceased. It is that of an old man--I should say about seventy -years of age--very badly nourished; I found hardly any food in the -stomach. There were many bruises and excoriations on the body, which, -I have no doubt, are due to the struggle between the murderer and his -victim. I examined the neck, back, and limbs, but could find no -fractures. The throat was cut evidently by some very sharp instrument, -as the windpipe was completely severed. I examined the body about nine -o'clock in the morning,--it was then warm, and, according to my -belief, the deceased must have been dead eight or nine hours." - -_Coroner_.--"Are you certain of that?" - -_Dr. Chisholm_.--"Not absolutely. It is a very difficult thing to tell -exactly, by the temperature of the body, what length of time has -elapsed since death. After a sudden and violent death, the body often -parts with its heat slowly, as I think it has done in this case. -Besides, the night was very hot, which would be an additional reason -for the body cooling slowly." - -_Coroner_.--"Was the body rigid when you examined it?" - -_Dr. Chisholm_.--"Yes; _rigor mortis_ had set in. It generally occurs -within six hours of death, but it might occur earlier if there had -been violent muscular exertion, as there was in this case. I think -that the deceased was awakened from his sleep, and struggled with his -murderer till he became exhausted; then the murderer cut his throat -with a remarkably sharp knife." - -_Coroner_.--"And, according to your theory, death took place about -midnight?" - -_Dr. Chisholm_.--"Yes--I think so; but, as I said, before, it is very -difficult to tell." - -The next witness called was Isaiah Jacobs, who gave his evidence in an -aggressively shrill voice, but the Coroner was unable to elicit more -from him than had already been published in _The Penny Whistle_. After -the echo of the young Israelite's shrill voice had died away, Keith -Stewart was sworn, and deposed as follows:-- - -"I was clerk to the deceased, and had occupied the position for some -months. On the day previous to the murder, I had received a hundred -pounds, in twenty bank notes of five pounds each, which I gave to the -deceased, and saw him place them in his safe. He always slept on the -premises, and kept his keys under his pillow. He told me that he -always had a loaded revolver on the table beside his bed. On the -night, or rather morning, of the murder I was passing along Russell -Street on my way home. I saw a man standing near the shop. I knew him -as Randolph Villiers. I asked him what he was doing, but could get no -very decided answer--he was quite intoxicated, and went off down the -street." - -_Coroner_.--"About what time was this?" - -_Stewart_.--"Two o'clock." - -_Coroner_.--"You are certain?" - -_Stewart_.--"Quite--I heard it striking from the Town Hall tower." - -_Coroner_.--"Was Villiers' intoxication real or feigned?" - -_Stewart_.--"Real, as far as I could see." - -_Coroner_.--"It was a moonlight night, I believe?" - -_Stewart_.--"Yes; the moon was very bright." - -_Coroner_.--"Did you notice anything peculiar about Villiers? Was he -confused? Were his clothes in disorder? Any marks of blood?" - -_Stewart_.--"No; I saw nothing extraordinary about him. He is -generally more or less drunk, so I did not notice him particularly." - -_Coroner_.--"I believe, Mr. Stewart, you belong to the Skylarks' -Club?" - -_Stewart_.--"I do." - -_Coroner_.--"And yet you are a clerk in a pawnbroker's office--aren't -the two things rather incongruous?" - -_Stewart_.--"No doubt; but I am in a position to be a member of the -Skylarks' Club, and as to being a clerk to Lazarus, it's merely a -matter of honour. When he engaged me he stipulated that I should stay -for six months, and though I unexpectedly came in for some money, I -felt myself bound in honour to keep my agreement." - -_Coroner_.--"Thank you, that will do, Mr. Stewart. Call Mrs. Tibsey." - -That lady, large, red-faced, and energetic, was sworn and gave her -evidence in a voluble manner. She had evidently been drinking, as -there was a strong odour of gin in the air, and kept curtseying to the -Coroner every time she answered. - -"My name's Tibsey, my lord--Maria Tibsey. I've bin married twice, my -first being called Bliggings, and died of gunpowder--blowed up in a -quarry explosion. My second, also dead, sir, 'ad no lungs, and a corf -which tored him to bits. Only one child, sir, 'Tilda Bliggings, out in -service, my lord." - -_Coroner_.--"Yes, yes, Mrs. Tibsey, we don't want to learn all these -domestic affairs. Come to the point." - -_Mrs. Tibsey_.--"About Sating, sir?--I called 'im Sating, sir, 'cause -he were a robber of the widder and orfin--me, sir, and my darter. I -was a-talking to my darter on that night, your worships, she 'aving -visited me. I lives near old Sating, as it was 'andy to drop in to pop -anything, and about twelve I 'eard a scream--a 'orrid 'owl, as made my -back h'open and shut, so I ses, ''Tilda,' ses I,' old Sating is 'avin' -a time of it, e's boozin',' and that's all, sir." - -_Coroner_.--"You never went to see what it was?" - -_Mrs. Tibsey_.--"Me, my lord? no, your worship, it weren't my -bisiniss. I didn't think it were murder." - -_Coroner_.--"You are quite sure it was twelve o'clock?" - -_Mrs. Tibsey_.--"I swears h'it." Miss Matilda Bliggings was then -called, and deposed she also heard the scream, and that her mother had -said it must be old Lazarus. It was twelve o'clock. - -Ezra Lazarus was then called, but could give no material evidence. He -said he had quarrelled with his father on the day preceding the -murder, and had not seen him since. - -The next witness called caused a sensation, as it was none other than -Mr. Randolph Villiers, who stated:-- - -"My name is Villiers. I do nothing. I know old Lazarus. I was passing -through Russell Street, and leaned up against the shop door--I was -drunk--on my way to Little Bourke Street. I remember meeting Mr. -Stewart--think it was two, but ain't sure." - -_Coroner_.--"Where were you before you met Mr. Stewart?" - -_Villiers_.--"About the town somewhere." - -_Coroner_.--"Alone?" - -_Villiers_.--"Sometimes I was, sometimes I wasn't." - -This ended all the evidence procurable, and the Coroner summed up. - -The crime had evidently been committed for the purpose of robbery, as -the hundred pounds which Mr. Stewart swore had been placed in the safe -by the deceased were gone; the knife with which the deed had been -committed had not yet been found; in fact, all the evidence was of the -barest character. According to Dr. Chisholm's evidence, the deceased -had been murdered about midnight, and as Mrs. Tibsey and her daughter -heard a scream also at that time, all the evidence seemed to point to -that hour as having been the time of death. Mr. Stewart met Villiers -at two o'clock, and Villiers stated that he had only been in Russell -Street a few minutes before he met Mr. Stewart. The jury would be kind -enough to bring in a verdict in accordance with the facts before them. - -The jury had a long argument; some wanted to bring in a charge of -murder against Villiers, as he certainly had not accounted for his -presence in Russell Street; but the evidence altogether was so vague -that they at length came to the conclusion it would be best to leave -the matter to the police, and brought in a verdict that the deceased -had met his death at the hands of some person or persons unknown. - -Great dissatisfaction was expressed by the public at this verdict, as, -in the opinion of most people, Villiers was the guilty man. A regular -battle was fought in the newspapers over the whole affair; but one man -said nothing. - -That man was Naball! - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. -A COUNCIL OF THREE. - - -When the inquest was over, Naball went straight home, and carefully -read all the notes he had taken of the evidence given. After doing so, -he came to the conclusion that the person on whom most suspicion -rested was Keith Stewart. - -"In the first place," said Naball, thoughtfully eyeing his papers, -"Stewart was the clerk of old Lazarus, and knew what was in the safe, -and where the keys were kept; he is a member of an expensive club, -which he can't possibly afford to pay for out of his salary as a -clerk; as to his coming in for money, that's bosh!--if he had, -agreement or no agreement, he wouldn't have remained with old Lazarus. -He states that he left the theatre at half-past twelve, and the doctor -says the death took place at midnight; but then he wasn't sure, and it -might have taken place at half-past one, which would give Stewart time -to commit the crime. He could not account for his time between leaving -the theatre and seeing Villiers except by saying he had been walking, -which is a very weak explanation. Humph! I think I'll see Mr. Stewart -and ask him a few questions." - -Mr. Naball glanced at himself in the mirror, arranged the set of his -tie, dusted his varnished boots, and then sallied forth in search of -Keith. Passing along Swanston Street, he went into a florist's, and -purchased himself a smart buttonhole of white flowers, then held a -short council of war with himself as to where to find Stewart. - -"Wonder where he lives?" muttered the detective, in perplexity; "let -me see, what's the time," glancing at his watch--"nearly five; he's a -great friend of Mr. Lazarus, and I know Lazarus is sub-editor of _The -Penny Whistle_; I'll go along and ask him--he's sure to be in just -now." - -He walked rapidly along to the newspaper office, and, being admitted -to Ezra's room, found that young man just putting on his coat -preparatory to going away, his labours for the day now being -concluded. - -"Well, Mr. Naball," asked Ezra, in his soft voice, "what can I do for -you--anything about this unfortunate affair?" - -"Yes," said Naball bluntly; "I want to see Mr. Stewart." - -"Oh, you do!" broke in a new voice, and Stewart stepped out of an -adjoining room, where he had been waiting for his friend; "what is the -matter?" - -"Nothing much," observed Naball, in a frank voice; "but as this case -has been put into my hands, I want to ask you a few questions.' - -"Am I in the way?" asked Lazarus, taking up his hat. - -"By no means," replied Naball politely; "in fact, you may be of -assistance." - -"Well, fire away," said Keith, coolly lighting a cigarette. "I'm ready -to answer anything." - -Naball glanced keenly at both the young men before he began to talk, -and noted their appearance. Keith had a rather haggard look, as though -he had been leading a dissipated life; while Ezra's face looked -careworn and pale. - -"Cut up over his father's death, I guess," said Naball to himself; -"poor chap!--but as for the other, it looks like late hours and drink. -I must find out all about your private life, Mr. Stewart." - -"I'm waiting," said Keith impatiently; "I wish you wouldn't keep me -very long; I've got to meet a train from the country to-night." - -Naball closed both doors of the room, and, resuming his seat, looked -steadily at Keith, who, seated astride a chair, leaned his elbows on -the back, and smoked nonchalantly. - -"Are you aware," asked Naball deliberately, "if the late Mr. Lazarus -had any enemies?" - -"I can answer that question best," said Ezra quickly, before Keith -could speak. "Yes, he had plenty; my father, as you know, was a -moneylender as well as a pawnbroker, and, as he took advantage of his -possession of money to extort high interest, I know it made a lot of -people feel bitter against him." - -"Considering that you are his son, sir," said Naball, in a tone of -rebuke, "you do not speak very well of the dead." - -"I have not much cause to," rejoined Ezra bitterly; "he was father to -me in name only. But you need not make any comments--my duty to my -father's memory is between myself and my conscience. I have answered -your question--he had many enemies." - -"So I believe also," said Keith slowly; "but I don't think any one was -so hostile as to desire his death." - -"As you don't think so," observed Naball sharply, "I myself believe -that the murder was committed for the sake of robbery." - -"That's easily seen," said Ezra calmly, "from the fact of the safe -being open and the money gone." - -"That might have been a blind," retorted Naball quickly, "but you talk -of money being stolen; I think, Mr. Stewart, in your evidence to-day -you said they were bank notes?" - -"Yes; twenty ten-pound notes," replied Keith. - -"Do you know the numbers of them?" - -"No; I never thought of taking the numbers." - -"And you handed them to Mr. Lazarus?" - -"I did; at half-past five--he put them in his safe." - -"Were there any other valuables in the safe?" - -"I don't know," retorted Keith coldly; "I was not in the confidence of -my employer." - -"Do you know?" said Naball, turning to Ezra. - -The young Jew smiled bitterly. - -"I also was not in my father's confidence," he said, "so know -nothing." - -"There was some gold and silver money also in the safe," said Keith to -Naball, knocking the ashes off his cigarette. - -"Humph! that's not much guide," replied the detective; "it's the notes -I want--if I could only find the numbers of those notes--where did -they come from?" - -"A man at Ballarat, called Forbes." - -"Oh! I'll write to Mr. Forbes of Ballarat," said Naball, making a -note, "but if those notes are put in circulation, do you know of any -means by which I can identify them?" - -Keith shook his head, then suddenly gave a cry. - -"Yes; I can tell you how to identify one of the notes." - -"That will be quite sufficient," said the detective eagerly. "How?" - -"That boy, Isaiah," said Stewart, "he's great on backing horses, and -frequently tells me about racing. When I was making up my cash on that -night, the notes were lying on the desk, and as the door of Mr. -Lazarus' room was open, Isaiah was afraid to speak aloud about his -tip, so he wrote it down." - -"But how can that identify the bank-note?" asked the perplexed -detective. - -"Because the young scamp wrote his tip, 'Back Flat-Iron,' on the back -of a ten-pound note." - -"In pencil?" asked Naball. - -"No; in ink!" - -"So one of the notes that were stolen has the inscription 'Back -Flat-Iron' on the back of it?" - -"Exactly!" - -Naball scribbled a line or two in his pocket-book, and shut it with a -snap. - -"If that note goes into circulation," he said, in a satisfied tone, -"I'll soon trace it to its original holder." - -"And then?" asked Ezra. - -"And then," reiterated Naball quietly, "I'll lay my hands on the man -who killed your father. And now, Mr. Stewart, I want to ask you a few -questions about yourself." - -"Go on!" said Keith imperturbably; "I hope you don't think I killed -Lazarus?" - -"I think--nothing," replied Naball quietly; "I only want to find out -as much as I can. You were at the Bon-Bon Theatre on that night?" - -"Yes; talking to Mr. Mortimer." - -"Any one else with you?" - -"Yes," replied Ezra, "I was, and Caprice; we left about half-past -eleven." - -"And you, Mr. Stewart?" - -"I left at half-past twelve." - -"Where did you go then?" - -"I was excited over some business I had done, and strolled about the -city." - -"Anywhere in particular?" - -"No. I went along Collins Street, up William Street, round about the -Law Courts, and then came down Bourke Street, on my way home." - -"How long were you thus wandering about?" - -"I think about an hour and a half, because as I turned into Russell -Street the clock struck two." - -"Why did you turn into Russell Street?" - -"Why!" echoed Keith, in surprise, "because I wanted to go home. I went -through Russell Street, down Flinders Street, and then walked to East -Melbourne, past the Fitzroy Gardens." - -"Oh! and you saw Villiers standing about the shop?" - -"Yes; he was leaning against the door." - -"Drunk?" - -"Very!" - -"What did you do?" - -"I ordered him off." - -"Did he go?" - -"Yes; rolled down the street towards Bourke Street, singing some -song." - -"You noticed nothing peculiar about him?" - -"No." - -"Was the door of the alley leading to the back open or shut?" - -"I don't know--I never noticed." - -"After Villiers disappeared, you went home?" - -"I did--straight home." - -Naball pondered for a few moments. Stewart certainly told all he knew -with perfect frankness, but then was he telling the truth? - -"Do you want to ask me any more questions?" asked Keith, rising. - -Naball made up his mind, and spoke out roughly,-- - -"I want to know how you, with a small salary, can afford to belong to -an expensive club like the 'Skylarks?'" - -Keith's face grew as black as thunder. - -"Who the devil gave you permission to pry into my private affairs?" - -"No one except myself," retorted Naball boldly, for, though inferior -to Stewart in size, he by no means wanted pluck; "but I'm engaged in a -serious case, and it will be best for you to speak out frankly. - -"You surely don't suspect Stewart of the murder?" interposed Ezra -warmly. - -"I suspect nobody," retorted Naball. "I'm only asking him a question, -and, if he's wise, he'll answer it." - -Keith thought for a moment. He saw that, for some extraordinary reason -or another, Naball suspected him, so, in order to be on the safe side, -resolved to take the detective's advice and answer the question. - -"It is, as you say, a serious matter," he observed quietly, "and I am -the last person in the world not to give any assistance to the finding -out of the criminal; ask what you please, and I will answer." - -This reply somewhat staggered Naball, but, as he had strong suspicions -about Stewart's innocence, he put down the apparent frankness of the -answer to crafty diplomacy. - -"I only want to know," he said mildly, "how a gentleman in your -position can afford to belong to an expensive club." - -"Because I can afford to do so," replied Keith calmly. "When I first -came to Melbourne, I had no money, and was engaged by Mr. Lazarus as -his clerk, with the understanding I should stay with him six months. -To this I agreed, but shortly afterwards a sum of five hundred pounds -was placed to my credit, and afforded me a chance of living in good -style. I wished to leave the pawnshop, but Mr. Lazarus reminded me of -my position, and I had to stay. That is all." - -"Who placed this five hundred to your credit?" asked Naball. - -"I don't know." - -"You don't know?" echoed Naball, in surprise. "Do you mean to say that -a large sum like that was placed to your credit by a person whom you -don't know?" - -"I do." - -"And I can substantiate that statement," said Ezra quietly. - -Naball looked from one to the other in perplexity, puzzled what to ask -next. Then he felt the only thing to be done was to go away and think -the matter over. But he did not intend to lose sight of Keith, and -this absurd statement about the five hundred only seemed to strengthen -his suspicions, so he determined to have him shadowed. - -"Thank you, Mr. Stewart," he said quietly. "I have nothing more to -ask. What time did you say you were going to meet a country train?" - -"I mentioned no time," replied Keith sharply. - -Baffled by this answer, Naball tried another way. - -"Will you kindly give me your address?" he asked, pulling out his -pocket-book. "I may want to communicate with you." - -"Vance's boarding-house, Powlett Street, East Melbourne." - -Mr. Naball noted this in his book, and then, with a slight nod, took -his leave. - -"Damn him," cried Keith fiercely, "he suspects me of this crime." - -"Pooh! that's nonsense," replied Ezra, as they went out, "you can -easily prove an alibi." - -"No, I can't," replied Keith, in a hard tone. "From half-past twelve -o'clock till two I was by myself, and no one saw me. I say I was -wandering about the streets, he thinks I was in Russell Street -committing a murder." - -"I don't think you need be a bit afraid of anyone suspecting you," -said Ezra bitterly. "Why, they might as well think I killed my -father." - -"You!" - -"Yes. I had a quarrel with him, and then he was murdered. Oh, I assure -you they could get up an excellent case against me." - -"But you could prove an alibi." - -"That's just where it is," said Ezra coolly; "I can't." - -"Why not?" - -"Because, after leaving Kitty Marchurst, I went down the street to -_The Penny Whistle_ office, and found it closed. I then walked home -along Collins Street, through the Fitzroy Gardens. It was a beautiful -night, and, as I was thinking over my quarrel with my father, I sat -down on one of the seats for a time, so I did not get home till two -o'clock in the morning. No one saw me, and I've got quite as much -difficulty in proving an alibi as you have." - -"Do you think Naball suspects you?" - -"No; nor do I think he suspects you, but I've got a suspicion that he -suspects some one." - -"And that some one--" - -"Is called Randolph Villiers." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. -CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. - - -When Naball left the two young men, he went straight to the Detective -Office in order to get some one to look after Keith Stewart, and see -that he did not leave Melbourne. Naball did not believe that he was -going to meet any one that night, and wanted to find out why he was -going to the station. - -"If he wanted to give me the slip," he thought, "he wouldn't have told -me he was going to the railway station--humph! can't make out what -he's up to." - -The gentleman who was to act as Mr. Stewart's shadow was a short, -red-nosed man with a humbled appearance and a chronic sniffle. He was -sparing of words, and communicated with his fellow-man by a series of -nods and winks which did duty with him for conversation. - -"Tulch!" said Naball, when this extraordinary being appeared, "I want -you to go to Vance's boarding-house, Powlett Street, East Melbourne, -and keep your eye on a man called Keith Stewart." - -An interrogatory sniff from Tulch. - -"Ah, I forgot you don't know his personal appearance," said -Naball thoughtfully; "he's tall, with fair hair, wears a suit of -home-spun--humph;--that won't do, there are dozens of young men of -that description. Here!--tell you what, I'll give you a note to -deliver to him personally; muffle yourself up in an ulster when you -deliver it, so that he won't know you--understand?" - -Mr. Tulch sniffed in the affirmative. - -"Follow him wherever he goes, and tell me what he's up to," said -Naball, scribbling a note to Stewart and handing it to Tulch. "That's -all--clear out." - -A farewell sniffle, and Tulch was gone. - -"Humph," muttered Naball to himself, "now I'd like to know the meaning -of all this--I don't believe this cock-and-bull story about Stewart -having money left him in this mysterious manner--people don't do that -sort of thing now-a-days--I believe he's been robbing the old man for -some time and was found out--so silenced him by using his knife. -Knife," repeated Naball, "that's not been found yet--I must see about -this--now there's Villiers--I wonder if he could help me? It was -curious that he should have been about the shop at that special -time--he's a bad lot--gad, I'll go and see what I can find out from -him." - -Knowing Mr. Villiers' habits, he had no difficulty in discovering his -whereabouts. Ah Goon's was where Villiers generally dwelt, so, after -Naball had partaken of a nice little dinner, he went off to Little -Bourke Street. - -It was now between seven and eight o'clock, which was the time -Villiers generally dined, so, Naball not finding him at Ah Goon's, -betook himself to a cook-shop in the neighbourhood, to which he was -directed by a solid-looking Chinaman. - -It was a low-roofed place, consisting of a series of apartments all -opening one into the other by squat little door-ways. The atmosphere -was dull and smoky, and the acrid smell of burning wood saluted -Naball's nostrils when he entered. Near the door-way a Chinaman was -rolling out rice bread to the thinness of paper; then, cutting it into -little squares, he wrapped each round a kind of sausage meat, and -placed the rolls thus prepared on a tray for cooking. - -In the next apartment was a large boiler, with the lid off, filled -with water, in which ten or twelve turkeys, skewered and trussed, were -bobbing up and down amid the froth and scum of the boiling water. A -crowd of Chinese, all chattering in their high shrill voices, were -moving about half seen in the smoky atmosphere, through which candle -and lamp light flamed feebly. - -Villiers, in a kind of little cell apartment, was having his supper -when the detective entered. Before him was a large bowl filled with -soup, and in this were squares of thin rice bread, and portions of -turkey and duck mixed up into a savoury mess, and flavoured with the -dark brown fluid which the Chinese use instead of salt. - -"Oh, it's you," growled Villiers, looking up with a scowl, "what do -you want?" - -"You, my friend," said Naball cheerfully, taking a seat. - -"Oh, do you?" said Villiers, rubbing his bleared eyes, inflamed by the -pungent smoke of the wood-fire. "I s'pose you think I killed old -Lazarus?" - -"No, I don't," retorted the detective, looking straight at him, "but I -think you know more than you tell." - -"He! he!" grinned the other sardonically. "Perhaps I do--perhaps I -don't--it's my business." - -"And mine also," said Naball, somewhat nettled. "You forget the case -is in my hands." - -"Don't care whose hands it's in," retorted Villiers, finishing his -soup, "t'aint any trouble of mine." - -The detective bit his lip at the impenetrable way in which Villiers -met his advances. Suddenly a thought flashed across his mind, and he -bent forward with a meaning smile. - -"Got any more diamonds?" - -Villiers pushed back his chair from the table, and stared at Naball. - -"What diamonds?" he asked, in a husky voice. - -"Come now," said Naball, with a wink, "we know all about that--eh? Ah -Goon is a good pawnbroker, isn't he?" - -"Ah Goon!" gasped Villiers, turning a little pale. - -"Yes; though he did only lend twenty pounds on those diamonds." - -"Look here, Mr. Jack-o'-Dandy," said Villiers, bringing his fist down -on the table, "I don't want no beating about the bush, I don't. What -do you mean, curse you?" - -"I mean that I know all about your little games," replied Naball, -leaning over the table. - -"I know Caprice stole her own jewels for some purpose, and gave you -some of the swag to shut your mouth, and I know that you're going to -tell me all you know about this Russell Street business, or, by Jove, -I'll have you arrested on suspicion." - -Villiers gave a howl like a wild beast, and, flinging himself across -the table, tried to grapple with the detective, but recoiled with a -shriek of wrath and alarm as he saw the shining barrel of a revolver -levelled at his head. - -"Won't do, Villiers," said Naball smoothly; "try some other game." - -Whereupon Villiers, seeing that the detective was too strong for him, -sat down sulkily in his chair, and after invoking a blessing on -Naball's eyes, invited him to speak out. The detective replaced the -revolver in his pocket, whence it could be easily seized if necessary, -and smiled complacently at his sullen-faced friend. - -"Aha!" he said, producing a dainty cigarette, "this is much better. -Have you a light?" - -Villiers flung down a lucifer match with a husky curse, which Naball, -quite disregarding, took up the match and lighted his cigarette. -Watching the blue smoke curling from his lips for a few moments, he -turned languidly to Villiers, and began to talk. - -"You see, I know all about it," he said quietly; "you were too drunk -to remember that night when you tried to take a diamond crescent off -that woman, and I expect Ah Goon never told you!" - -"It was you who took it, then," growled Villiers fiercely. - -"In your own words, perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't," replied -Naball, in an irritating tone; "at all events, it's quite safe. You -had better answer all my questions, because you bear too bad a -character not to be suspected of the crime, particularly as you were -about Russell Street on that night." - -"Yes, I was," said Villiers angrily; "and who saw me--Keith Stewart--a -mighty fine witness he is." - -"Aha!" thought the astute Naball, "he does know something, then." - -"I could put a spoke in Stewart's wheel," grumbled the other -viciously. - -"I don't think so," replied the detective, fingering his cigarette, -"he is far above you--he's got money, is going to make a name by a -successful play, and, if report speaks truly, Caprice loves him. - -"I don't care a farthing whether she does or not," said Villiers -loudly; "she'd love any one who has money. Stewart's got some, has he; -where did he get it?" - -"I'm sure I don't know." - -"I do!" - -"Indeed! where?" - -"Never you mind," said Villiers suspiciously. "I know my own knowing." - -"Remember what I said," observed Naball quietly, "and tell me all." - -"If I tell you all, what will you do?" asked Villiers. - -"I'll save your neck from the gallows," replied Naball smoothly. - -"Not good enough." - -"Oh, very well," said the detective rising, "I've no more to say. I'm -off to the magistrate." - -"What for?" - -Naball fixed his keen eyes on the bloated face of the other. - -"To get a warrant for your arrest." - -"You can't do that." - -"Can't I--you'll see." - -"No; wait a bit," said Villiers in alarm; "I can easily prove myself -innocent." - -"Indeed; then you'd better do so now, before a warrant is out for your -arrest." - -"You won't give me any money?" - -"Not a cent--it's not a question of money with you, but life or -death." - -Villiers deliberated for a moment, and then apparently made up his -mind. - -"Sit down," he said sullenly. "I'll tell you all I know." - -Naball resumed his seat, lighted a fresh cigarette, and prepared to -listen. - -"I was rather drunk on the night of the murder," he said, "but not so -bad as Stewart thought me. He saw me at the shop-door at two o'clock, -but I was there a quarter of an hour before." - -"Did you see anything?" - -"I saw the gate which led into the alley open," replied Villiers. "No -one was about, so I walked in." - -"What for?" asked Naball, glancing at him keenly. - -"Oh, nothing," replied Villiers indifferently; "the fact was, I saw a -policeman coming along, and though I was pretty drunk, I'd sense -enough to know I might be run in, so I went into the alley and closed -the gate till he passed." - -"And then you came out." - -"No, I didn't. I walked to the back of the house just to see where it -led to. I saw the window wide open, and looked in and saw--" - -"The murdered man?" - -Villiers nodded. - -"Yes; the moonlight was streaming in at the window, and I could see -quite plainly. I was in a fright, as I thought, seeing I had no -business on the premises, I might be accused, so I got down from the -window and went off, closing the gate of the alley after me." - -"It wasn't wise of you to stay about the premises," said Naball. - -"I know that," rejoined Villiers tartly; "but I couldn't get away, -because I saw Stewart coming up the street just as I was wondering -where to go; I then pretended to be drunk, so that I could get away -without suspicion." - -"Why didn't you run?" asked Naball. - -"Because he was too close, and besides, he might have given chase, -thinking I had been robbing the shop; then, with the open window and -the murdered man, it would have been all up with me." - -"I don't know if it isn't all up with you now," said Naball drily. -"How do I know you are innocent!" - -"Because I know who killed Lazarus." - -"The deuce you do--who?" - -"Stewart himself." - -"Humph! that's what I thought; but what proof have you?" - -Villiers put his hand in his pocket and brought out a large knife. - -"I found this just under the window," he said, handing it to Naball. -"You'll see there's blood on the handle, so I'm sure it was with it -the crime was committed." - -"But how do you know it's Stewart's knife?" asked Naball. - -Villiers placed his finger on one side of the handle. - -"Read that," he said briefly. - -"From Meg," read Naball. - -"Exactly," said Villiers. "Meg is Kitty Marchurst's child, and she -gave it to Keith Stewart." - -"By Jove, it looks suspicious," said Naball. "He is in possession -of a large sum of money, and can't tell how he got it. He can't -account for his time on the night of the murder, and this knife with -his name on it is found close to the window through which the murderer -entered--humph!--things look black against him." - -"I suppose you'll arrest him at once?" said Villiers malignantly. - -"Then you suppose wrong," retorted Naball. "I'll have him looked after -so that he won't escape; but I'll hold my tongue about this, and so -will you." - -"Until when?" - -"Until I find out more about Stewart. I must discover if the knife was -in his possession on the night of the murder, and also if this story -about his money is true; again, I want to wait till some of these -stolen bank notes are in circulation, so as to get more evidence -against him." - -"But what am I to do?" asked Villiers sulkily. - -"You are to hold your tongue," said Naball, rising to his feet, "or -else I may make things unpleasant for you--it's a good thing for your -own sake you have told me all." - -"Told you all," muttered Villiers, as Naball took his departure. "I'm -not so sure about that." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. -A LOVERS' MEETING. - - -It is a great blessing that the future is hidden from our anxious -eyes, otherwise, to use a familiar expression, we would go out in a -coach and four to meet our troubles. If Keith Stewart had only known -that the detective suspected him of the murder of Lazarus, and was -surely but slowly finding out strong evidence in favour of such a -presumption, he, no doubt, would have been much troubled. But he -thought that Naball's hints at the interview were not worth thinking -about, for, strong in the belief of his own innocence, such an idea of -his being accused of the crime never entered his mind. - -In spite of the disagreeable event which had occurred, Keith felt very -happy on this night. He was young, he had a good sum of money in the -bank, the gift of some beneficent fairy, he was going to make his -_début_ as a dramatic author, and, above all, he was going to see -Eugénie again. Therefore, as he sat at dinner, his heart was merry, -and to him the future looked bright and cheerful. Things seemed so -pleasant that, with the sanguine expectations of youth, he began to -build castles in the air. - -"If this burlesque's a success," he thought, "I'll write a novel, and -save every penny I make; then I'll go to London, after marrying -Eugénie, and see if I can't make a name there--with perseverance I'm -bound to do it." - -Poor youth, he did not know the difficulty of making a name in London; -he was quite unaware that the literary market was overstocked, and -that many criticisms depend on the state of the critic's liver. He did -not know any of these things, so he went on eating his dinner and -building castles in the air, all of which buildings were inhabited by -Eugénie. - -From these pleasant dreams he was aroused by the entrance of the -housemaid, a fat young person, who breathed hard, and rolled up to -Keith, puffing and panting like a locomotive. - -"If you please," said the young lady, "the man." - -"What man?" asked Keith sharply. - -"He's waiting to see you," returned the housemaid stolidly. - -From experience Keith knew it was useless to expect sense from the -housemaid, so he got up from the table and went out to the front-door, -where a bundle, with a head at one end and a pair of boots at the -other, held out a letter. - -"For me?" asked Keith, taking it. - -The bundle sniffed in an affirmative manner, so Stewart opened the -letter and read it quickly. It only contained a line from Naball that -if he heard of any new development of the case he would let Keith -know, so that young gentleman, wondering why the detective took the -trouble to write to him slipped the letter in his pocket, and nodded -to the bundle. - -"All right," he said quickly; "no answer," and he shut the door in the -bundle's face, whereupon the bundle sniffed. - -"I know him now," said Mr. Tulch to himself in a husky voice, as he -walked away. "I'd know 'im if he was dooplicated twice h'over." Having -come to this satisfactory conclusion, Mr. Tulch took up his position a -short distance away, and began his dreary task of watching the house. - -And it was dreary work. The long hot day was over, and the long hot -night had begun. It was just a quarter past seven, and the sky was a -cloudless expanse of darkish blue, blazing with stars; a soft wind was -whispering among the leaves of the trees, and making little whirls of -white dust in the road. Every now and then a gay party of men and -women on their way to some amusement would pass the spy, but he -remained passively at his post, watching the sun-blistered varnished -door of Vance's boarding-house. At last his patience was rewarded, -for, somewhere about half-past seven, Keith came hurriedly out, and -sped rapidly down the street. - -"What's he arter?" sniffed Mr. Tulch, stretching his cramped limbs. -"I'll 'ave to ketch 'im h'up," and he rolled as quickly as he was able -after the tall figure of the young man. - -A tram came along, and, without stopping it, Keith jumped on the -dummy--the spy, breathless with running, sprang on the step of the end -car and got inside, keeping his eye on Keith. The tram car went -rapidly along Flinders Street, stopping every now and then to pick up -or drop passengers, at which Keith seemed impatient. At last Spencer -Street station was reached, and Keith sprang out; so did Tulch, -keeping close to his heels. - -Stewart walked impatiently up and down one of the long platforms, -which shortly began to fill with people expecting their friends. The -shrill whistle of an approaching engine was heard, a red light -suddenly appeared, advancing rapidly, and presently the long train, -with its lighted carriages, drew up inside the station. - -Such a hurry-scurry; people jumping out of the train to meet those -pressing forward on the platform, porters calling to one another, -boxes, rugs, portmanteaus, bundles, all strewing the ground--a babel -of voices, and at intervals the shrill whistle of a departing train. - -Amid all this confusion Tulch missed Keith, and was in a terrible -state, for he knew what Naball would say. He dived hither and thither -among the crowd with surprising activity, and at last came in sight of -Stewart putting a young lady into a cab, in front of which was the -luggage. He tried to hear the address given the cabman, but was -unsuccessful, so he rapidly jumped into another cab and told him to -follow. The cabby obeyed at once, and whipping up his horse, which was -a remarkably good one, he easily kept the first cab in sight. - -The front cab drove up Collins Street as far as the Treasury -Buildings, and then turned off to the left, going towards Fitzroy. It -stopped at the Buttercup Hotel, in Gertrude Street, and, Stewart -alighting, helped the young lady out; then the luggage was taken care -of by the porter of the hotel, and Keith, with his charge, vanished -through the swing doors of the private entrance. - -On seeing this, Tulch dismissed his cab, went into the bar of an hotel -on the opposite side of the street, and, ordering a pint of beer, sat -watching the door of the Buttercup Hotel. - -Meanwhile Keith and Eugénie had been shown into a private room, and -the landlady, a stout, buxom woman, in a silk dress and lace cap, made -her appearance. - -"Miss Rainsford?" she said interrogatively, advancing towards the -girl. - -"Yes," replied Eugénie brightly. "You are Mrs. Scarth, I suppose. Did -you get Mrs. Proggins' letter?" - -"Oh, yes, that's all right," replied the landlady, nodding. "Your room -is ready, and I will do anything I can for you. Mrs. Proggins is an -old friend of mine, and I'm only too happy to oblige her." - -"Thank you," said Eugénie, taking off her hat. "Let me introduce Mr. -Stewart to you; he kindly came to the station to meet me." - -Mrs. Scarth nodded with a smile, for Mrs. Proggins had informed her of -the relationship between the two young people, then observing she -would go and order some tea for Eugénie, sailed majestically out of -the room. - -"Why did you introduce me to that old thing?" asked Keith, in a -discontented tone. - -"Policy, my dear," replied Eugénie mildly. "Mrs. Proggins wrote to her -to look after me, and I'm very glad, otherwise a young lady with you -as escort would hardly have found shelter for the night in this place. -I always like to be in favour with the powers that be." - -Eugénie Rainsford was a tall, dark-complexioned girl, with clearly -cut features and coils of black hair twisted round the top of her -well-shaped head. She was dressed in a blue serge costume, with a red -ribbon round her throat, and another round her waist. A handsome girl -with a pleasant smile, and there was a look in her flashing dark eyes -which showed that she had a will of her own. Keith stood beside her, -as fair as she was dark, and a handsomer couple could not have been -found in Melbourne. - -"Well, here I am at last. Keith," said Eugénie, slipping her arm -through his. "Aren't you pleased to see me?" - -"Very," replied Stewart emphatically; "let me look at you--ah, you are -more beautiful than ever." - -"What delightful stories you do tell," said Eugénie with a blush. "I -wish I could believe them; now, my friend, let me return the -compliment by looking at you." - -She took his face between her hands and looked at it keenly beneath -the searching glare of the gas, then shook her head. - -"You are much paler than you used to be," she said critically. "There -are dark circles under your eyes, deep lines down the side of your -mouth, and your face looks haggard. Is it work, or--or the other -thing?" - -"Do you mean dissipation, Eugénie?" said Keith, with a smile, taking a -seat. "Well, I expect I have been rather dissipated, but now you are -here I'll be a good boy." - -"Have you been worried?" asked Miss Rainsford. - -Keith sighed. - -"Yes; very much worried over this terrible case. I suppose you've seen -all about it?" - -Eugénie nodded. - -"Yes; I've read all about it in the papers. Now I suppose you've -nothing to do?" - -"No--not that I care much--you see I've got this burlesque coming off, -and then there's that money." - -"The five hundred pounds," said Miss Rainsford reflectively. "Have you -found out who sent you that?" - -"No; I can't imagine who did so, unless it was Caprice." - -"Caprice!" - -"Yes," replied Keith hurriedly, flushing a little; "the actress I told -you about, who is going to play the principal part in 'Faust Upset.'" - -"Oh!" - -It was all the comment Miss Rainsford made, but there was a world of -meaning in the ejaculation. - -"From what I've heard of the lady, I don't think it's likely," she -said quietly. - -"Well, at all events, I suppose I'd better use the money." - -"Yes; I suppose so." - -"You're not very encouraging, Eugénie," said her lover angrily. - -"Well," observed the girl deliberately, "if you think this money came -from Caprice, I certainly would not touch it. Why don't you ask her?" - -"I can't; she's been so disagreeable to me lately." - -"Oh!" - -Eugénie Rainsford was of a very jealous temperament, and she began to -feel vaguely jealous of this actress whom Keith seemed to know so -well. She remained silent for a few moments, during which Keith felt -somewhat awkward. He was not in love with Kitty, nor, as far as he -knew, was she in love with him, yet he saw that some instinct had -warned Eugénie against this woman. - -"Come, Eugénie," said Keith, putting his arm round her slender waist; -"you mustn't be angry with me the first night we meet." - -"I'm not angry," said the girl, turning her face towards him; "but I'd -like to see this Caprice." - -"So you shall, dear--on the stage." - -"Why not in private?" - -Keith frowned, and pulled his moustache in a perplexed manner. - -"Well, she's hardly a fit person for a girl to see." - -"Pshaw!" replied Eugénie impatiently; "I'm not a girl, but a woman, -and am not afraid of anything like that, and besides--besides," with -hesitation, "I'm going to see her." - -"What do you mean?" asked Keith, abruptly withdrawing his arm. - -"Nothing; only I saw an advertisement in the paper wanting a governess -for a little girl. I answered it, and found it was Miss Marchurst who -wanted a governess. She engaged me, and I'm going there to-morrow." - -"No, no," cried Keith vehemently; "you must not--you shall not go." - -Eugénie raised her eyes to his. - -"Have you any reason for wishing me not to go?" - -"Yes, every reason--she's a bad lot." - -"I thought you knew her?" - -"So I do, but men may know women of that class, and women like you may -not." - -"I don't agree with you," said Eugénie, rising; "what is sauce for the -goose is sauce for the gander, and if you persist in wishing me not to -go, I'll begin to think you've some reason." - -"I have none except what I've stated," said Keith doggedly. - -"Then I'll go to-morrow," replied Eugénie quietly; "at all events, -I've got the right to have a personal interview, whether I take the -situation or not." - -"You must not see her." - -"That decides it," said Eugénie composedly; "I will." - -"Eugénie, don't go, or I'll begin to think you don't trust me." - -"Yes, I do, but--but you've been so much with this Caprice lately, -that I want to see her." - -"I don't care two straws about her." - -"I know that, but I wish to see her." - -"You intend to go?" - -"I do." - -Keith snatched up his hat and stick. - -"Then I'll say good-bye," he said angrily; "if you disregard my wishes -so much, you can't love me." - -"Yes, I can!" - -"You are jealous of this confounded woman." - -"Perhaps I am." - -Keith looked at her angrily for a moment--then dashed out of the room, -whereon Eugénie burst out laughing. - -"What a dear old boy he is," she said to herself; "he thinks I'm -jealous. Well," with a frown, "perhaps I am. I wonder, if he knew that -I gave him the five hundred pounds, what he'd say? He doesn't know -that I'm a rich woman now, so I can test his love for me. I'm sure -he's as true as steel." - -She picked up her hat, and, going over to the mirror, leaned her -elbows on the mantelpiece, looked searchingly at her beautiful face. - -"Are you jealous, you foolish woman?" she said, with a laugh. "Yes, my -dear, you are; at all events, you'll see your rival to-morrow. I'm -afraid I'll make Keith a dreadful wife," she said, with a sigh, -turning away. "For I think every woman is in love with him. Poor -Keith, how angry he was!" - -She burst out laughing, and left the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. -THE RIVALS. - - -Eugénie Rainsford was a very clever young woman, much too clever to -pass her life in the up-country wilds of Australia, and no doubt she -would have left her solitude in some way even had not fortune favoured -her. Luckily, however, fortune did favour her and in a rather curious -way, for a rich sharebroker having seen her, fell in love with her, -and wanted to marry her; she however refused, telling him that she was -engaged to marry Keith Stewart, whereupon he made inquiries, and she -told him the whole story. - -He was so delighted with her fidelity to a poor man, that he made his -will in her favour, feeling sure that, as he had no relations, she -would be the most deserving person to leave it to. A carriage accident -killed him six months afterwards, and Eugénie found herself a very -rich woman, with as many thousands as she had pence before. - -She took her good fortune very calmly, telling no one about it, not -even her employers; but, after consultation with the lawyer, she sent -five hundred pounds to Keith, with instructions to the bank that he -was not to know where it came from. Then she set herself to work out a -little scheme she had in her head, to find out if he were true to her. - -In many of the letters he had written, she had been struck with the -frequent mention of one name, Caprice, and on making inquiries, found -out all about the actress. She bought a photograph of her, and was -struck with the pathetic face of a woman who was said to lead so vile -a life. Dreading lest Keith should have fallen in love with this -divinity of the stage, she determined to go down to Melbourne and see -for herself. - -By chance, however, she found in a newspaper an advertisement that -Kitty Marchurst wanted a governess for her little girl, and seeing at -once an excellent opportunity of finding out if her suspicions were -correct, wrote offering herself for the situation. - -Kitty on her side remembered the name of Eugénie Rainsford as that of -the girl to whom Keith told her he was engaged, so, curious to see -what she was like, engaged her for a governess at once. Eugénie was -delighted when she received this letter, and, still in the character -of a poor and friendless girl, she left Mr. Chine, the lawyer, to -manage her property, after binding him to secrecy, and came down to -take the situation. - -Keith's evident desire that she should not accept the situation made -her all the more determined to do so, and twelve o'clock the next day -found her in the drawing-room of Caprice's house, waiting for the -entrance of her future mistress. - -When Kitty entered the room she could not help admiring the handsome -woman before her, and on her part Eugénie was astonished to see the -bright vivacity of the melancholy face, for Caprice's features were -sad only when in repose. - -The two women stood opposite to one another for a moment, mentally -making up their minds about each other. Kitty was the first to speak. - -"Miss Rainsford, I believe?" - -"Yes; I came to see you about--about the situation." - -"Governess for my little girl," said Kitty, nodding her head. "Yes, I -want some one whom I can trust." - -"I hope you will be able to trust me." - -Caprice looked keenly at her, and then burst out into a torrent of -words. - -"Yes, I think I can trust you--but the question is, will you take care -of my child--I mean will you accept the trust? You have come from the -country--you don't know who I am?" - -"Yes, I do--Miss Marchurst." - -"No! not Miss Marchurst--Caprice!" - -She waited for a moment to see what effect this notorious name would -have on her visitor, but, to her surprise, Eugénie simply bowed. - -"Yes, I know," she replied. - -Caprice arose and advanced towards her. - -"You know," she exclaimed vehemently, "and yet can sit down in the -same room with a woman of my character. Are you not afraid I'll -contaminate you--do you not shrink from a pariah like me--no--you do -not--great heavens!" with a bitter laugh, sitting down again; "and I -thought the age of miracles was past--ah, bah! But you are only a -girl, my dear, and don't understand." - -Eugénie arose and crossed over to her. - -"I do understand; I am a woman, and feel for a woman." - -Kitty caught her hand and gave a gasping cry. "God bless you!" she -whispered, in a husky voice. - -Then in a moment she had dashed the tears away from her eyes, and sat -up again in her bright, resolute manner. - -"No woman has spoken so kindly as you have for many years," she said -quickly; "and I thank you. I can give you my child, and you will take -care of her for me when I am far away." - -"What do you mean?" asked Eugénie, puzzled. - -"Mean--that I am not fit to live with my child, that I am going to -send her to England with you, that she may forget she ever had a -mother." - -"But why do this," said Eugénie in a pitying tone, "when you can keep -her with you?" - -"I cannot let her grow up in the atmosphere of sin I live in." - -"Then why not leave this sinful life, and go to England with your -child?" - -Kitty shook her head with a dreary smile. - -"Impossible--to leave off this life would kill me; besides, I saw a -doctor some time ago, and he told me I had not very long to live; -there is something wrong with my heart. I don't care if I do die so -long as my child is safe--you will look after her?" - -"Yes," replied Eugénie firmly; "I will look after her." - -Kitty approached her timidly. - -"May I kiss you?" she said faintly, and seeing her answer in the -girl's eyes, she bent down and kissed her forehead. - -"Now I must introduce you to your new pupil," she said, cheerfully -overcoming her momentary weakness. - -"Wait a moment," said Eugénie, as Caprice went to the bell-pull. "I -want to ask you about Mr. Stewart." - -Caprice turned round quickly. - -"Yes--what--about him?" - -"Does he love you?" - -Caprice came over to the fire and looked closely at her. - -"You are the girl he is engaged to?" - -"Yes." - -"Then, make your mind easy, my dear, he loves no one but you." - -Eugénie gave a sigh of relief, at which Kitty smiled a little -scornfully. - -"Ah! you love him so much as that?" she said half pathetically; "it's -a pity, my dear, he's not worth it." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Don't be angry, Miss Rainsford," said Kitty, quietly; "I don't mean -that he loves any one else, but he's not the man I took him for." - -"I don't understand." - -"I wouldn't try to, if I were you," replied Kitty significantly. "I -helped him when I first met him, because he saved my child's life. He -came down here, and I liked him still more." - -"You loved him?" - -"No; love and I parted company long ago. I liked him, but though I do -my best to help him, I don't care for him so much as I did, my dear: -he's not worthy of you." - -"That's all very well, but I don't see the reason." - -"Of course not, what woman in love ever does see reason; however, make -your mind easy, things are all right. I will tell you the reason some -day." - -"But I want to know now." - -"Curiosity is a woman's vice," said Kitty lightly "Don't worry -yourself, Miss Rainsford, whatever I know of Keith Stewart won't alter -him in your eyes--now, don't say anything more about it. I'll ring for -Meg." - -Eugénie tried to get a more explicit answer out of her, but Kitty only -laughed. - -"It can't be anything so very bad," she said to herself, "or this -woman would not laugh at it." - -Meg came in quietly, a demure, pensive-faced little child, and after -Kitty had kissed her she presented her to Eugénie. - -"This is your new governess, Meg," she said, smoothing the child's -hair, "and I want you to love her very much." - -Meg hung back for a few moments, with the awkward timidity of a child, -but Eugénie's soft voice and caressing manner soon gained her -confidence. - -"I like you very much," she said at length, nestling to Eugénie's -side. - -"As much as mumsey, Meg?" said Kitty, with a sad smile. - -"Oh, never--never as much as mumsey," cried Meg, leaving her new-found -friend for her mother, "There's no one so good and kind as mumsey." - -Kitty kissed the child vehemently, and then bit her lips to stop the -tears coming to her eyes. - -"Mumsey," said Meg at length, "can I tell the lady a secret?" - -"Yes, dear," replied Kitty smiling. Thereupon Meg slipped off Kitty's -lap and ran to Eugénie. - -"What is this great secret?" asked Eugénie, bending down with a laugh. - -Meg put her mouth to Eugénie's ear, and whispered,-- - -"When I grow up I'm going to marry Keith." - -"You see," said Kitty, overhearing the whisper, "my daughter is your -rival." - -"And a very dangerous one," replied Eugénie with a sigh, touching the -auburn hair. - -Meg was sent off after this, and then Kitty arranged all about the -salary with Eugénie, after which she accompanied her to the door to -say good-bye. - -"I'm sorry I put any distrust into your heart about Mr. Stewart," she -said; "but don't trouble, my dear, get him to give up his dissipated -habits, and you'll no doubt find he'll make an excellent husband." - -"Ah!" said Eugénie to herself as she walked to the station, "it was -only dissipation she meant--as if anything like that could hurt Keith -in my eyes." - -Then she began to think of the strange woman she had left--with her -sudden changes of temperament from laughter to tears--with her -extraordinary nature, half-vice half-virtue, of the love she bore for -her child, and the strong will that could send that child away for -ever from her lonely life. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. -A FIRST NIGHT AT THE BON-BON. - - -"Faust Upset" had been put into rehearsal at once, and three weeks -after the murder of Lazarus it was to be produced. Mortimer had -hurried on the production of the burlesque with the uttermost speed, -as "Prince Carnival" was now playing to empty houses. The Bon-Bon -company were kept hard at work, and, what with rehearsals during the -day, the performance of the opera-bouffe in the evening, and -rehearsals afterwards till two in the morning, they were all pretty -well worn-out. - -In spite of Kitty's indomitable spirit, she was looking haggard and -ill, for the incessant work was beginning to tell on her system. The -doctor told her plainly that she was killing herself, and that -absolute rest was what she required; but in spite of those warnings -she never gave herself a moment's peace. - -"I don't care two straws if I die," she said recklessly to Dr. -Chinston; "I've made arrangements for the future of my child, and -there's nothing else for me to live for." - -She was determined to make the burlesque a success, and worked hard -at rehearsals getting the author and composer to alter some things, -and cut out others, making several valuable suggestions as to -stage-management, and in every way doing her best. But though friendly -towards Keith, yet he was conscious of a kind of reserve in her manner -towards him, and thought it was due to the knowledge that he was -engaged to Eugénie. - -He had become reconciled to his sweetheart, and she went down every -day to teach Meg at Toorak. It had been arranged that in three months -she was to go to England with Meg, and Kitty guaranteed to pay a -certain sum annually for the salary of the governess and the -maintenance of the child. Of course Eugénie never meant to take any -money, as she had become strongly attached to Meg, but still kept up -her semblance of poverty till such time as she judged it fit to tell -Keith. Meanwhile, in spite of Keith's opposition, she lived with -Caprice, and led a very quiet life, for what with the state of her -health and constant rehearsals, Kitty gave no Sunday receptions. - -But while Stewart fumed and fretted over the fact of his sweetheart -staying with a woman of bad character like Caprice, and attended to -all the rehearsals of the burlesque, Naball was silently winding his -net round him. The detective had made inquiries at the Skylarks' Club, -and found that Keith had been there on that night, in the company of -Fenton. On discovering this, he went to Fenton and discovered that -Stewart had lent the American the knife with which the crime had been -committed, to cut the wires of a champagne bottle, and afterwards -slipped it into his coat pocket. From the club he went to the Bon-Bon -Theatre, and, as the detective knew from Keith's own admission, had -left there at half-past twelve. - -"And then," said Naball to himself, "he told me he wandered about the -streets till two o'clock, and then saw Villiers--rubbish--he went -straight to Russell Street and committed the crime." - -It had taken Naball some time to collect the necessary evidence, and -it was only on the day previous to the production of "Faust Upset" -that he was able to get a warrant for Keith's arrest, so he determined -to let the performance take place before he arrested him. - -"If it's a success," said Naball to himself, as he slipped the warrant -in his pocket, "he'll have had one jolly hour to himself, and if it's -a failure--well, he'll be glad enough to go to gaol." So, with this -philosophical conclusion, Mr. Naball settled in his own mind that he -would go to the theatre. - -Keith wanted Eugénie to go to a box with him in order to see the play, -but she said she would rather go to the stalls by herself, in order to -judge of the effect the burlesque had on the audience. After a good -deal of argument, Stewart gave way; so on the momentous night she took -her seat in the stalls, eager to see the first bid her lover made for -fame. - -Tulch had been recalled from his task of watching Stewart, as Naball -judged that the vanity of an author seeing his work on the stage would -be enough to keep the young man in Melbourne; but Tulch, true to his -instincts of finishing a job properly, took his place in the gallery -and kept his eye on Keith, who sat with Ezra in a private box. The Jew -was calm and placid, as having succeeded to his father's fortune, he -had not staked everything, like Keith, on the burlesque being a -success; still, for his partner's sake as well as his own, he was -anxious that it should go well. - -Such a crowded house as it was--everybody in Melbourne was there--for -a new play by a colonial author was a rare thing, and a burlesque by a -colonial author, with original music by a colonial composer, was -almost unheard of. - -The critics who were present felt an unwonted sense of responsibility -to-night, for as this was the first production of the piece on any -stage, they had to give an opinion on their own responsibility. -Hitherto the generality of plays produced in Melbourne had their good -and bad points settled long before by London critics, so it was -comparatively easy to give a verdict; but to-night it was quite a -different thing, therefore the gentlemen of the press intended to be -extra careful in their remarks. - -Although "Faust Upset" was called a burlesque, it was more of an -opera-bouffe, as there was an absence of puns and rhyme about the -dialogue, besides which, the lyrics were really cleverly written, and -the music brisk and sparkling. Keith had taken the old mediæval legend -of Faust, and reversed it entirely--all the male characters of the -story he made female, and _vice versa_. There was a good deal of -satire in the piece about the higher education of women, and the -devotion of young men to athletics, to the exclusion of brain work. In -fact, the libretto was of a decidedly Gilbertian flavour, albeit -rather more frivolous, while the music was entirely of the -Offenbachian school, light, tuneful and rapid. - -After a medley overture, containing a number of taking melodies in the -piece, the curtain rose on the study of Miss Faust, a blue-stocking of -the deepest dye, who, after devoting her life to acquiring knowledge, -finds herself, at the age of fifty, an old maid with no one to care -for her. The character was played by Toltby, who was a genuine -humorist; and he succeeded in making a great deal out of the part, -without ever condescending to vulgarity. His appearance as a lank, -long maiden, in a dingy sage-green gown, with wan face and tousled -hair, was ludicrous in the extreme. - -The opening chorus was sung by a number of pretty girls, in caps and -gowns, and on their going out to meet their lovers, Miss Faust, -overcome with loneliness, summons to her aid the powers of evil, and -in response "Miss Mephistopheles" appears. - -Kitty looked charming as she stood in the centre of the red limelight. -She was arrayed in the traditional dress of red, but as a female demon -wore a petticoat, and her face was also left untouched. Miss Faust -fainted in her chair, and Miss Mephistopheles, with a bright light in -her eyes, and a reckless devil may-care look on her expressive face, -whirled down to the footlights, and dashed into a rattling galop song, -"Yes, this is I," which melody ran all through the opera. - -With the assistance of various cosmetics, new dress, and sundry other -articles of feminine toilet, which were brought in by a number of -small imps, Miss Mephistopheles succeeds in making Miss Faust young; -shows her a vision of Mr. Marguerite, a young athlete; and finally -changes the scene to the market-place, where there was a chorus of -young men in praise of athletic sports. - -It would be useless to give the plot in detail, as Keith followed the -lines of the legend pretty closely. Miss Faust meets Mr. Marguerite, -who is beloved by Miss Siebel, a sporting young woman. There was the -garden scene, with a lawn tennis ground; a vision on the Brocken, of -the future of women, with grotesque ballets and fantastic dresses; the -scene of the duel, which was a quarrel scene between Mrs. Valentine -and Miss Faust, after the style of Madame Angot; then Miss -Mephistopheles runs off with Mr. Marguerite, having fallen in love -with him; the lovers are followed and thrown into a prison, which is -changed by the magic power of Miss Mephistopheles to a race-course, in -which scene there is a bewildering array of betting men, pugilists, -pretty girls, and fortune-tellers. Miss Mephistopheles then resigns -Mr. Marguerite to Miss Siebel, and wants to carry off Miss Faust to -the nether regions, when a flaw is discovered in the deed, and -everything is settled amicably, the whole play ending with the galop -chorus of the first number. - -When the curtain fell on the first act, the audience were somewhat -bewildered; it was such an entirely new departure from the story of -Faust, that they almost resented it. But as the piece progressed, they -saw the real cleverness of the satire, and when the curtain came down -they called loudly for the author and composer, who came forward and -bowed their acknowledgments. - -When Mortimer heard the eulogies lavished on the piece, he drew a long -breath of relief. - -"Jove! I thought it was going to fail," he said, "and I believe it -would have, if Caprice hadn't pulled it out of the fire." - -And, indeed, Caprice, with her wonderful spirits and reckless -_abandon_, had carried the whole play with her, and saved it at the -most critical moment, A young man sitting near Eugénie summed up his -idea of the piece in a few words. - -"It's a deuced clever play," he said; "but Caprice makes it go--if any -one else plays her part, the theatre will be empty." - -Eugénie turned angrily to look for the author of this remark, but -could not see him. Just as she was turning away, a shrill voice near -her said,-- - -"Ain't Caprice a stunner! I've seen 'er lots of times at old -Lazarus's." - -The speaker was a small, white-faced Jewish youth, being none other -than Isaiah. - -Miss Rainsford pondered over these words as she walked out of the -theatre. - -"Goes to old Lazarus's," she said to herself; "that was the old man -who was killed. I wonder why she went there." - -There was a crowd in the vestibule of the theatre, and she saw Keith -standing in the corner, looking as pale as death, talking to a man. - -She went up to congratulate him on the success of the performance, but -something in his face made her afraid. - -"What's the matter, Keith?" she asked, touching him. - -"Hush!" he said in a hoarse whisper, "don't say a word--I'm arrested." - -"Arrested! What for?" she gasped. - -The man standing next to Keith interposed. - -"For the murder of Jacob Lazarus," he said in a low voice. - -Eugénie closed her eyes with a sensation of horror, and caught hold of -the wall for support. When she opened her eyes again, Keith and the -detective had both vanished. - -"Arrested for the murder of Lazarus!" she muttered. "My God! it can't -be true!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. -EUGÉNIE _V_ NABALL. - -As a rule first performances in Melbourne take place on Saturday -night, consequently the criticisms on "Faust Upset" were in Monday's -papers. Simultaneously with the notices of the burlesque, there -appeared an announcement that the author of the piece had been -arrested for the murder of Jacob Lazarus. - -Keith was very little known in Melbourne, so his arrest personally -caused little talk; but the fact that a successful author and a -murderer were one and the same person caused a great sensation. - -The criticisms on the burlesque were, as a rule, good, and though some -of the papers picked out faults, yet it was generally agreed that the -piece had been a wonderful success; but the sensation of a successful -colonial production having taken place was merged in the greater -sensation of the discovery of the Russell Street murderer. - -Keith Stewart, protesting his innocence of the charge, had immediately -been taken off to gaol, and Eugénie was unable to see him until she -got the permission of the proper authorities; but feeling certain that -he had not committed the crime, she called on Ezra at _The Penny -Whistle_ early on Monday morning. - -On sending up her card, she was shown into Ezra's room, and there -found that Naball was present. The detective, who was fully convinced -of Keith's guilt, had called in order to find out for certain from -Ezra all about the prisoner's movements on the night in question. - -When Eugénie entered the room, Ezra, who looked pale and careworn, -arose and greeted her warmly. He then introduced her to Naball, who -looked keenly at the sad face of the woman who was engaged to the man -he had hunted down. - -"Mr. Naball," said Ezra, indicating the detective, "has called upon me -to find out about Stewart's movements on the night my father was -murdered." - -"Yes; that's so," replied Naball, with a shrewd glance at the Jew. - -"Well," said Eugénie impatiently, "surely you can explain them, for -Keith told me you were with him all the time." - -Ezra looked dismal. - -"No, I wasn't with him all the time; I only met him at the Bon-Bon, -and I left before he did." - -"Yes," interposed the detective smoothly; "and, according to Mr. -Mortimer, Stewart left there about half-past twelve o'clock." - -"And then, I presume," said Eugénie, with fine disdain, "you think he -went and murdered Lazarus right off?" - -"Well," observed Naball, deliberately smoothing his gloves, "according -to the doctor's evidence, the crime was committed about twelve -o'clock, or a little later. Now Stewart can't say where he was between -the time he left the theatre and the time he met Villiers." - -"He was wandering about the streets," explained Eugénie. - -Naball smiled cynically. - -"Yes; so he says." - -"And so every one else says who knows Keith Stewart," retorted the -girl. "He is incapable of such an act." - -Naball shrugged his shoulders as much as to say that he had nothing to -urge against such an eminently feminine argument. - -Eugénie looked angrily at the detective, and then turned in despair to -the Jew. - -"You don't believe him guilty?" she asked. - -"No, on my soul, I do not," he replied fervently; "still appearances -look black against him." - -Miss Rainsford thought for a few moments, and at last bluntly asked -Naball the same question. - -"Do you believe him guilty?" - -"As far as my experience goes," said the detective coolly, "I do." - -"Why?" - -Naball produced a little pocket-knife, and began to trim his nails. - -"The evidence is circumstantial," he said, shrugging his shoulders, -"but the evidence is conclusive." - -"Would you mind telling me what the evidence is?" - -The detective shut his knife with a sharp click, slipped it into his -waistcoat pocket, and, leaning over the table, looked steadily at -Eugénie. - -"Miss Rainsford," he said gravely, "I admire you very much for the way -you stand up for Stewart, but, believe me, that though I would gladly -see him free, yet the proofs are too strong to suppose him innocent." - -Eugénie bent her head coldly. "Would you mind telling me the -evidence?" she reiterated. - -Naball, rather perplexed, looked at Ezra. "Yes, tell her all you -know," said that gentleman. "I think, myself, Stewart is innocent, and -perhaps Miss Rainsford may throw some light on the mystery." - -"I don't call it a mystery," retorted Naball impatiently; "it's as -clear as day. I'm willing to tell all I know; but as to Miss Rainsford -throwing any light on the subject, it's absurd." - -Eugénie questioned him for the third time in the same words. - -"Would you mind telling me the evidence?" - -"Certainly," said Naball sharply. "Stewart was in employment of the -deceased as his clerk. He came to Melbourne with no money, and, -according to his own account, given in this very room, and in the -presence of this gentleman, he becomes possessed of a sum of five -hundred pounds, which was mysteriously placed to his credit at the -Hibernian Bank. I went to the bank, and discovered from the manager -that such a sum had been placed to the prisoner's credit, but he -refused to tell me by whom, so, as was only natural, I concluded that -Stewart had robbed his employer of the money, and under a feigned name -placed it to his credit. My reasons for such a belief are this--he had -full command of all the books, and could cook the accounts as he -liked. He did so, and obtained this money. Lazarus, however, who I -know was a very sharp man, had suspicions, and determined to examine -the books; this, of course, meant ruin to Stewart, so he made up his -mind to kill his master. He was at the Skylarks' Club on the night of -the murder, and gave Mr. Fenton, the manager of The Never-say-die -Insurance Company, his knife to open a champagne bottle; that knife -was one given to him by the child of Kitty Marchurst, and has on it an -inscription, 'From Meg.' On receiving it back, he placed it in the -pocket of his overcoat, and walked to the Bon-Bon. After an interview -with Mr. Mortimer, he left the Bon-Bon at half-past twelve o'clock, -went up to Russell Street, and entering by the back window (the -position of which he knew thoroughly), killed the old man; then he -took the keys from under the pillow, and robbed the safe of various -things, including bank-notes to the amount of one hundred pounds, -which he knew were placed therein; while leaving the place, he dropped -his knife outside the window; he then wanders about the streets, -perhaps goes home, but horror-struck with the dread of being found -out, returns to the scene of his crime, and there sees Villiers, whom -he questions, but getting no response from him, thinks Villiers is -drunk. Villiers, however, was only shamming, and tells me some time -afterwards that he picked up a knife under the open window, and was -cognisant of the murder. I obtain the knife, and it is the one Stewart -had in the club, with the inscription on it. I think, therefore, the -evidence is very clear." - -"In what way?" asked Eugénie quietly. - -The detective became a little exasperated. - -"Good heavens!" he said in an annoyed tone of voice, "there are three -strong proofs: first, he is possessed of a large sum of money he can't -account for; second, he is unable to prove an _alibi_; and third, his -knife, covered with blood, is found on the scene of the crime." - -"So far so good," said Eugénie ironically; "your reasoning is -excellent, Mr. Naball, but untrue." - -"Untrue?" - -"I repeat untrue," she replied. "With regard to the five hundred -pounds--I paid that into his credit." - -"You," said Ezra, while Naball stared at her thunder-struck, "a poor -girl." - -"I'm not a poor girl," said Miss Rainsford coolly. "On the contrary, -I'm worth fifty thousand pounds left to me by a sharebroker in -Sandhurst. I did not tell Keith of my fortune as I wanted him to love -me for myself. But as I knew he was poor, I placed to his credit the -sum of five hundred pounds; so that settles your first proof, Mr. -Naball." - -"Well, it's certainly very curious," said Naball, after a pause. "I -hardly know what to think--what about my second proof?" - -"Oh! that's more difficult to prove," said Eugénie; "but I quite -believe he did wander about. He's rather absent-minded, I know." - -"Your answer to my second proof is weak," replied Naball sardonically. -"And the third--" - -"About the knife? Well," said Miss Rainsford, knitting her brows, "he -had it at the club, you say, and slipped it into his overcoat pocket." - -"Exactly." - -"Then he went to the Bon-Bon." - -"He did." - -"And what happened to his overcoat there?' asked Eugénie. - -"I can tell you," replied Ezra. "He took it off, and in mistake -Caprice carried it downstairs with her fur mantle." - -"Oh, did she take it away with her?" asked Naball quickly. - -"No," said Ezra quietly, "she found out she had it when she was -putting on her mantle in the carriage, and called me back to return -it. I took it upstairs again, and gave it to Keith, who put it on." - -"And the knife was still in the pocket?" said Eugénie. - -"I suppose so," replied Ezra, rather confused. "I didn't even know the -knife was there." - -"What do you think?" asked Miss Rainsford, turning to Naball. - -That astute young man wrinkled his brows. - -"I see what you are driving at," he said rapidly. "You think that -Caprice took the knife out of the pocket, saw the whole chance in a -flash, and committed the crime." - -"No! no!" cried Eugénie, horror struck. "I'm sure I don't believe she -could be guilty of a crime." - -"Humph! I don't know so much about that," said Naball disbelievingly. - -"What nonsense," broke in Ezra angrily; "she could not have done such -a thing--she had no motive." - -Naball did not reply to this remark, but rising from his seat, walked -hurriedly up and down the room in a state of great excitement. He had -been fully convinced of the guilt of Stewart, but the conversation of -Eugénie had shaken his belief, and he began to puzzle over the new -aspect of the case. - -"I wonder if Caprice ever had any dealings with Lazarus?" he said to -himself, thinking of the diamond robbery. - -"Yes," broke in Eugénie sharply, "she had--at least," in answer to -Naball's questioning look, "when I was at the theatre on Saturday -night a boy near me said he had seen her at Lazarus's place." - -"A boy," asked Ezra sharply, "what boy?" - -"I don't know," she replied; "a thin, pale-faced Jewish-looking boy, -with a shrill voice." - -"Isaiah," said Naball and Ezra with one voice, and then looked at one -another, amazed at this new discovery. - -"By Jove!" said the detective, "this is becoming exciting. You are -sure you heard the boy say that?" - -"Yes, I'm sure--quite sure," answered Eugénie firmly; "but I don't -think that could prove Caprice guilty. Much as I wish to serve Keith, -I don't want to ruin her." - -Naball glanced at her keenly, then turned to Ezra. - -"Send for the boy," he said sharply, "and we'll find out all about -Caprice's visits to your father's place." - -"It mightn't have anything to do with the murder," said Ezra, ringing -the bell for the messenger. - -"True," replied Naball, "but, on the other hand, it might have a good -deal to do with the diamond robbery." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. -THE CYPHER. - - -When the messenger had been despatched, Naball drew his seat up to the -table, and began to make some notes, after which he turned to Eugénie. - -"I was firmly convinced of Stewart's guilt," he said quietly; "but -what you have told me throws a new light on the subject. I said you -could not do that--I beg your pardon--you can." - -Eugénie bowed her head in acknowledgment of the apology, and asked him -a question in a hesitating manner. - -"You don't think Caprice is guilty?" - -"I think nothing at present," he replied evasively; "not even that -Stewart is innocent. When I see the boy, I'll tell you what I think." - -They talked on together for a few minutes, and then there came a knock -at the door. In reply to Ezra's permission to enter, the door opened, -and Isaiah appeared on the threshold, holding some papers in his hand. - -"Oh, you've come," said Ezra, as the boy shut the door after him. - -"Yes; did you want me?" demanded Isaiah in a jerky manner, "'cos I -never knowed you did." - -"Didn't you meet a messenger?" asked Naball, turning his head round. - -Isaiah deposited the papers he carried on Ezra's desk, and shook his -head. - -"No, I never met any one, I didn't," he answered. "Mr. Ezra asked me -to bring all letters that came to the old 'un, so as these came, I -did." - -"That's right," said Lazarus, looking through the letters. -"By-the-way, Isaiah, this gentleman wants to ask you a few questions." - -"What, Mr. Naball?" said Isaiah in alarm. "Oh, sir, I never had -nothing to do with it." - -Naball smiled. - -"No! no! that's all right," he said good-naturedly. "It would take a -bigger man than a sprat like you to commit such a crime; but, tell me, -do you know Caprice?" - -Isaiah leered significantly. - -"I've seen her on the stage, that's all." - -"Never off?" - -"Drivin' about the streets." - -"Anywhere else?" - -Isaiah glanced uneasily at Ezra, who laughed. - -"Go on, Isaiah; it's all right." - -"Well, I've seen her at the old 'un's place." - -"Oh, indeed," said Naball quickly. "Often?" - -"Yes--lots of times--at night--came to do business, I s'pose." - -"When did you see her last?" - -"Oh, not for a long time," replied Isaiah; "but do you remember the -week them diamonds were stolen?" - -"Yes, yes," said Naball eagerly. - -Isaiah nodded. - -"Well, she came to see the old 'un, then." - -Naball suppressed his exultation with difficulty, and asked Isaiah -another question. - -"I say--those bank-notes that were stolen--" - -"I never stole 'em." - -"No one said you did," retorted Naball tartly; "but you wrote -something on the back of one of 'em." - -Isaiah turned scarlet, and shifted from one leg to the other. - -"Well, you see," he murmured apologetically, "Mr. Stewart wanted to -know a good 'un to back for the Cup, so I was afraid of the old 'un -hearing, and as there wasn't no paper, I wrote on the back of one of -'em, 'Back Flat-Iron.'" - -"In pencil?" - -"No, in ink. Mr. Stewart, he laughs and nods, then puts the notes in -the cash box, and puts 'em in the safe." - -"That's all right," said Naball, dismissing him; "you can go." - -Isaiah put on his hat, put his hands in his pockets, and departed, -whistling a tune. When the door closed on him, Naball turned to his -two companions with an exulting light in his eyes. - -"What do you think now, Mr. Naball?" asked Eugénie. - -"Think. I think as I've done all along," he replied. "Caprice stole -those jewels herself, and sold them to old Lazarus." - -"But what's that got to do with the death of my father?" asked Ezra. - -"Perhaps nothing--perhaps a lot," said the detective. "I don't know -but that boy's evidence has given me a clue. Suppose--I'm only -supposing, mind you--Caprice stole her own diamonds, with Villiers as -an accomplice. Suppose she took them to old Lazarus and sold 'em. -Suppose Villiers, thinking the old man has them in his safe, goes to -rob him, and commits the murder to do so. Suppose all that--I should -think there would be a very pretty case against Villiers." - -"Yes; but Keith's knife?" said Eugénie. - -"Ah, now you have me," answered Naball, puzzled. "I don't know, unless -Villiers managed to get it while Stewart was fighting with him on that -night, and covered it in blood in order to throw suspicion on him." - -"All your ideas are theoretical," said Ezra drily. "Perhaps Caprice -never stole her own jewels, or sold them to my father." - -"Yes, she did, I'll swear," retorted Naball decisively. "Why wouldn't -she prosecute? why did I find Villiers with one of the jewels? You -bet, she stole them for some freak, and I daresay Villiers committed -the murder to get them back." - -"I don't think my father would have kept such valuable jewels as that -about the premises." - -"No; he'd put 'em in the bank." - -"No, he wouldn't," retorted Ezra; "he sent all his jewels to -Amsterdam. And here," holding up a letter, "is an envelope with the -Dutch postmark." - -"By Jove!" ejaculated Naball, under his breath, "what a queer thing if -it should turn out to be those diamonds of Caprice's. Open the -letter." - -"Suppose it does turn out to be the diamonds," said Ezra, slowly -tearing the envelope. - -"Well"--Naball drew a long breath--"it will be the beginning of the -end." - -"I hope it will end in Keith's being released," said Eugénie, looking -at Ezra with intense anxiety. - -That gentleman took out the letter, and glancing at it for a moment, -gave vent to an ejaculation of disgust. - -"What's the matter?" asked Eugénie and Naball together. - -"The letter is in cypher," said Lazarus, tossing it over to the -detective. "I don't think we'll be able to read it." - -"Oh, we'll have a try," said Naball, quickly spreading oat the letter. -"Let's have a look at it." - -The letter was as follows:-- - - -"Dsidanmo seaf utnes teh ssteon ryiks sgenlil gto teher tdhnoaus -sgennid it lses teher hduenrd bneiertns." - - -"What the deuce does it mean?" asked Naball in a puzzled tone. - -"It's a cypher, evidently, of which my father alone possesses the -key," said Ezra. "I'll have a look among his papers, and if I find it, -it will soon make sense of this jumble of words." - -"It's like a Chinese puzzle," observed Naball, glancing at it. "I -never could find out these things." - -"Let me look," said Eugénie, taking the letter. "I used to be rather -good at puzzles." - -"We'll find this one out," said Naball significantly, "and you'll do -some good for Stewart." - -"You think it's about Caprice's diamonds?" she asked. - -"I think it's about Caprice's diamonds," he replied. - -"I think the words have been written backwards," said Ezra, looking -over her shoulder. - -Eugénie shook her head. - -"I don't think so," she replied, scanning the letter closely. "If so, -the word 'it' would have been written 'ti.'" - -"Try a word of three letters, if there's one," suggested Naball, "and -you can see how the letters are placed." - -"Here's one spelt 'g-t-o.' What word can be made out of that." - -"Got," said Ezra eagerly. - -"Well, if so, in the cypher it reads, the first letter 'g,' the last, -letter 't,' and the middle letter at the end." - -"What do you think of that?" asked Naball bluntly. - -"That the sender of this has taken the first and last letters of a -word, and written them in rotation." - -"I don't understand," said Naball in a puzzled tone. - -"I think I do," said Eugénie quickly. "Let us take another word, and -instead of guessing it, try my idea, Here is a word, 'teher.' Now, Mr. -Naball, take a sheet of paper and write down what I say." - -Naball got some paper and a pencil. - -"Now," said Eugénie, "this word 'teher.' The first letter is 't,' now -the second letter, which, I think, is the end one of the proper word, -is 'e'--place that at the end." - -Naball wrote "t--e." - -"The third letter of the cypher, and the second of the proper word, is -'h'--put that next the 't;' and the fourth letter of the cypher, and -third of the proper word, is 'e'--place that at the end also." - -Naball added two letters as instructed, "t,h--e,e." - -"Now," said Eugénie, "there's only one letter left, which must -naturally be in the middle." - -Naball finished his writing thus: t-h-r-e-e. - -"That is three," he said, with a cry of triumph. "By Jove! Miss -Rainsford, you are clever; let's make certain, by trying another -letter." - -"Take 's-s-t-e-o-n,'" suggested Ezra. - -Naball wrote the letters as follows:-- - -s -- s -t -- e -o -- n - -Then he wrote them in a line, down the first column and up the second, -which made the word "stones." - -"Glad we've got it right, after all," he said delightedly, and then -the whole three of them went to work on the same system, with the -result that the letter read thus:-- - - -"Diamonds safe, unset the stones, risky selling, got three thousand, -sending it less three hundred, bernstein." - - -"Ah!" said Naball when he read this, "wasn't I right?" - -"So I think," said Ezra sadly; "my father evidently bought the jewels -from her, and sent them to Amsterdam to be sold." - -"Still," said Eugénie impatiently, "this does not clear up the mystery -of the murder." - -"You don't think Caprice did it?" said Ezra. - -"No," replied the detective; "but Villiers might have done it in order -to recover the jewels. But I tell you what, there's only one thing to -be done, we'll go down and see Caprice." - -This was agreed to, and without losing a moment they started. - -"I may be wrong, as I was before," said Naball when they were in the -train, "but I'll lay any money that Villiers has seen Caprice since -the murder." - -"You don't think she's an accomplice?" cried Eugénie. - -"I think nothing," retorted Naball, "till I see Caprice." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. -WHAT KITTY KNEW. - - -The trio soon arrived at Kitty's house, and Ezra was just about to -ring the front-door bell, when suddenly Naball touched his arm to stop -him. - -"Hist!" he said in a quick whisper; "listen." - -A woman's voice, talking in a high key, and then the deep tones of a -man's voice, like the growl of an angry beast. - -"What did I tell you?" whispered Naball again. "Villiers and Caprice, -both in the drawing-room; wait a moment, count twenty, and then ring -the bell." - -He stepped round the corner of the porch, stepped stealthily on to the -verandah, and then stole softly towards one of the French windows in -order to listen. He was correct in his surmise; the two speakers were -Kitty Marchurst and Randolph Villiers. - -"You'd better give me what I ask," growled Villiers in a threatening -tone, "or I'll go straight and tell how you were at Lazarus's on the -night of the murder." - -"Perhaps you'll tell I killed him?" said Caprice, with a sneer. - -"Perhaps I will," retorted Villiers; "there's no knowing." - -"There's this much knowing," said Kitty deliberately, "that I won't -give you a single penny. If I am called on to explain my movements, I -can't do so; but it will be the worse for you, it will place--" - -At this moment the bell rang, and Caprice started in alarm. - -"Hush," she cried, advancing towards Villiers; "come to me again. I -must not be seen talking with you here. Go away--not by the door," she -said, with an angry stamp of her foot as Villiers went towards the -door; "by the window--no one will see you." - -Villiers moved towards the French window, opened it, and was just -about to step out when Naball stepped forward. - -"I'm afraid some one will," he said serenely, pushing Villiers back -into the room, and closing the window. - -"Naball!" cried Kitty and Villiers in a breath. - -"Exactly," replied that gentleman, taking a chair. "I've come to have -a talk with you both." - -"How dare you force your way into my house?" cried Kitty angrily, -while Villiers stood looking sullenly at the detective. - -"It's about the diamond robbery," went on Naball, as if he never heard -her. - -"Leave the house," she cried, stamping her foot. - -"And about the murder," he finished off, looking from one to the -other. - -Kitty glanced at Villiers, who looked at her with a scowl, and sank -into a chair. Just as he did so, the drawing-room door opened, and -Eugénie entered, followed by Ezra Lazarus. - -"I don't understand the meaning of all this," said Caprice, with a -sneer; "but you seem to have a good idea of dramatic effect." - -"Perhaps so," replied Naball lazily. Kitty shrugged her shoulders and -turned to Eugénie. - -"Perhaps you can explain all this, Miss Rainsford?" she said coolly. - -"Yes," answered Eugénie slowly; "it's about Mr. Stewart. You know he -has been arrested for this murder?" - -"Know," repeated Kitty impatiently, "of course, I know. I'm sure I -ought to--morn, noon and night I've heard nothing else. I don't know -how it will affect the piece, I'm sure." - -"Never mind the piece," said Ezra, a trifle sternly. "I don't mind -that, as long as I save my friend." - -"I hope you will," said Caprice heartily. "I am certain he never -committed the crime. What do you say?" turning to the detective. - -"I'm beginning to be of your opinion," replied Naball candidly. "I did -think him guilty once," fixing his eyes on Villiers, "but now I don't." - -"What about the knife I gave you?" asked Villiers abruptly. - -"Ah!" said Naball musingly, "what, indeed." - -"I found it on the scene of the crime," said Villiers in a defiant -manner. - -"So you said." - -"Don't you believe me?" - -"Humph!" - -At this ambiguous murmur Villiers gave a savage growl, and would have -replied, but Kitty stopped him by waving her hand. - -"It's no good talking like this," she said quickly. "There is some -reason for you all coming here; what is it?" - -"I'll tell you," said Naball in a sharp official tone. "Do you -remember the diamond robbery at this place? Well, those diamonds were -sold to old Lazarus, and he sent them to Amsterdam for sale. The -person who stole those diamonds thought they were still in the safe of -Jacob Lazarus; and the person who stole those diamonds murdered Jacob -Lazarus to recover them." - -He finished triumphantly, and then waited to see what effect his -accusation would have on Kitty. To his astonishment, however, she -never moved a muscle of her face, but asked calmly,-- - -"And who is the thief and the murderer?" - -"That's what I want to find out." - -"Naturally; but why come to me?" - -"Because, you know." - -"I!" she cried, rising to her feet in anger. "I know nothing." - -"Yes, you do, and so does Villiers there," persisted Naball. - -Villiers glanced strangely at Kitty, and growled sullenly. - -"Now, look here Miss Marchurst," said Naball rapidly, "it's no use -beating about the bush--I know more than you think. You denied that -you stole your own jewels, but I know you did, in order to pay the -money embezzled by Malton. Lazarus's boy saw you go to his place -during the week of the robbery, late at night. You did so in order to -dispose of the jewels. The crescent I took from Villiers down Bourke -Street was given to him by you as an accomplice; and I listened at -that window to-day and heard Villiers say you were on the Russell -Street premises on the night of the murder. Now, what do you say?" - -Kitty, still on her feet, was deadly pale, but looked rapidly at -Naball. - -"You have made up a very clever case," she said quietly; "but entirely -wrong--yes, entirely. I did not take my own jewels, as I told you -before, therefore I was unable to pay the money for Mr. Malton. I did -go to see Lazarus one night during the week of the robbery, in order -to get some money, but was unable to do so. I never gave the crescent -to Villiers, as he will tell you; and lastly, as you overheard him -state, I was at Lazarus's on the night of the murder, but did not -think it necessary to state so. I went there after I left the Bon-Bon, -and made no secret of my doing so, as my coachman can inform you. I -found the door locked, and no light inside, so thinking the old man -had gone to bed, I came away, and went home; so, you see, your very -clever case means nothing." - -"Is this true?" asked Naball, turning to Villiers. - -"Is what true?" asked that gentleman angrily. - -"What she says." - -"Some of it. Well, yes, most of it." - -"You'd better go a little further," said Kitty quietly, "and say all -of it. Did I give you the diamond crescent?" - -"No, you didn't." - -"Then, who did?" asked Naball pertinaciously. - -"I sha'n't tell you," growled Villiers. - -"Oh, yes, you will," said the detective, "because if you know who -stole the diamonds, you know the murderer of Lazarus." - -"No, I don't," retorted Villiers savagely. "I tell you I saw her round -about the place on that night, and I picked up the knife I gave you; -that's all I know." - -"Humph! we'll see about that." - -"You are sure that the person who stole the diamonds committed the -crime?" asked Caprice, with a strange smile on her pale lips. - -"Well, I'm pretty sure; it looks uncommon like it." - -"And you think I stole the diamonds?" - -"Yes," retorted Naball bluntly; "I believe you did." - -"In that case, by your own reasoning, I'm a murderess," said Caprice. - -"I don't say that," said the detective; "but I believe you know who -did it," looking significantly at Villiers. - -"I'm afraid your reasonings and your assertions are at variance," said -Kitty quietly. "I don't know who committed the murder, but I do know -who stole my diamonds." - -"Who?" asked Ezra, in an excited tone. - -"Keith Stewart!" - -"Keith Stewart!" echoed all; "impossible!" - -Eugénie stepped forward with a frown on her pale face, and looked at -Kitty. - -"I don't believe it," she said, "and you are a wicked woman to say -so." - -"Unfortunately, it's true," replied Caprice, with a sigh. "I have -kept the secret as long as I could, but now it's impossible to do -so any longer. Keith Stewart was at my place on the night of the -robbery, and heard me say where my diamonds were. He was coming to the -drawing-room, and saw my child descending the stairs, having got out -of bed. He picked her up, and put her in bed again. The temptation was -too strong to resist, I suppose, and he opened the drawer of the -mirror, and took the jewels. He then got out of the window, and came -round by the front of the house so as to enter by the front-door. Meg -was awake all the time, and told it to me in her childish way, how he -had gone to the window and got out of it. I told her not to speak of -it, and kept silence." - -"Why did you keep silence?" asked Naball. - -"Why," cried Kitty, her face flushing with anger, "because he saved my -child from death. He might have stolen anything of mine, but I would -have kept silent, nor would I have betrayed him now but that you -accuse me of murder." - -There was a dead silence in the room, as every one was touched by the -way in which Kitty spoke. Then Villiers gave a coarse laugh. - -"Ha! ha!" he said harshly; "you said, Naball, that the person who -stole the diamonds committed the murder also, so you've got the right -man in gaol." - -Naball cast a look of commiseration at Eugénie, and said nothing. - -"Wait a moment," cried Ezra, stepping forward, "we've got to find the -stolen bank-notes first. I don't believe Keith Stewart committed such -a base crime; he is no murderer." - -"No," cried Eugénie, springing to her feet; "nor is he a thief. I will -prove his innocence." - -"I'm afraid that's difficult," said Naball reflectively; "things look -black against him." - -"Of course they do," said Villiers coarsely. "Who knows he is -innocent?" - -Eugénie stepped in front of the ruffian, and raised her hand to the -ceiling. - -"There is One who knows he is innocent--God." - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. -THE EVIDENCE OF A BANK-NOTE. - - -All this time while his friends were trying to prove his innocence, -Keith was mewed up in prison, having now been there a week. The -disgrace of being arrested on such a charge had aged him considerably, -and his face had changed from a healthy bronzed colour to a waxen -paleness, while the circles under his eyes, and the deep lines -furrowing his brow, showed how deeply he was affected by the position -in which he found himself. - -He steadily denied that he committed the crime imputed to him, and -regarding the knife found by Villiers, could only say that, after -putting it in his pocket at the club, he thought no more of it till -next morning, when, having occasion to use it, he found it had -disappeared. - -Some time after the interview with Kitty, when she told how Keith had -stolen the diamonds, Eugénie was admitted to the presence of her -unfortunate lover. She had tried to see him before, but had always -been refused; so when she did gain her object at last, and they stood -face to face, both were so overcome with emotion that they could -hardly speak. Keith held out his arms to her, with a smile on his wan -face, and with an inarticulate cry she flung herself on his breast, -weeping bitterly. - -"Don't cry, dear," he said soothingly, making her sit down on the bed. -"There! there!" and he quieted her as if she had been a little child. - -"I can't help it," she said, drying her eyes; "it seems so terrible to -see you here." - -"No doubt," replied Keith quietly; "but I know I am innocent, and that -robs the disgrace of a good deal of its sting." - -"I know you are innocent," answered Eugénie, "but how to prove it; I -thought things would have turned out all right; but when we saw Kitty -Marchurst--" - -"She said I had stolen her diamonds," finished Stewart, with a -satirical laugh. "I've no doubt she fully believes it, and I thank her -for having held her tongue so long; but she was never more mistaken in -her life. I did put Meg back to bed, but I came down the stairs again, -and did not leave the room by the window." - -"But how is it the child saw you? Of course, you know--" - -"I know everything. Yes. Naball told me all. Meg says she saw a man -she thought was me getting out of the window. I've no doubt she did -see a man, but not me." - -"But why should she think it you?" asked Eugénie, puzzled. - -"Simply in this way. I put her to bed when she was half-asleep, and -she knew I was in the room with her. When I left, she fell asleep, and -as her slumber was fitful, as I am sure it was, seeing she came -downstairs, she no doubt woke up at the sound of the window being -opened, and saw a man getting out. You know how an hour's sleep passes -as a moment when one wakes, so I've no doubt Meg thought she'd just -closed her eyes, and opened them again to see me getting out of the -window." - -"I understand," said Eugénie; "but who could it have been?" - -"I believe it was Villiers," observed Keith thoughtfully. "He was -about the house on that night; he was in want of money, so no doubt -when Caprice left him in the supper-room, he walked upstairs to the -bedroom, stole the diamonds, and left by the window. He could easily -do this, as every one was in the drawing-room. Then Naball found that -diamond clasp in his possession, or, at least, in the possession of -the Chinaman to whom he sold it." - -"But if he sold all those diamonds to old Lazarus, he must have got a -good deal of money for them. Why did he not leave the country?" - -Keith sighed. - -"I'm sure I don't know. It seems all so mysterious," he said dismally. -"What do you think should be done, Eugénie?" - -"I think I'll see Naball again, or some other detective, and sift the -whole affair to the bottom." - -Keith looked at her with a pitying smile. - -"My dear child, that will cost a lot of money, and you have not--" - -Eugénie gave a laugh. She was not going to tell him just yet, so she -gave an evasive answer. - -"I've got my salary," she said gaily. "Some of it was paid to me the -other day. See!" And taking out her purse, she emptied it into his -hand. - -"Oh! what a lot of money," said Keith smiling. "A five-pound note, -three sovereigns, and two one-pound notes." - -"Which makes exactly ten pounds," remarked Eugénie, with a smile; "and -I'm going to pay it all away to Naball, to get you out of this -trouble." - -Stewart, kissed her, and smoothed out the notes one after the other. - -"It's no use, Eugénie," he said, offering her the notes back; "it will -take more than that to help me; besides, you forget I have five -hundred pounds in the bank." - -"Yes," she said, turning away her face; "five hundred." - -"And you'll have it--if--if I die." - -She turned to him, and threw her arms round his neck. - -"Oh, my darling! my darling!" she cried vehemently, "why do you say -such things? You will not die. You will live to be happy and famous." - -"Famous!" he said bitterly, "no; I'm not famous yet, but notorious -enough. There's only one chance of escape for me." - -"And that is?" - -"To trace those notes that were stolen--twenty five-pound notes like -this," taking up the five-pound note. - -"But you haven't got the numbers." - -"No; but, as I told Naball, that boy wrote something on the back of -one of them." Here Keith turned over the five-pound note; and then, -giving a cry of surprise, sprang to his feet. "Eugénie, look, look!" - -She snatched the note from him, and there on the back were traced in -ink the words, "Back Flat-Iron." - -"One of the notes," said Keith hoarsely. "One of the notes stolen on -that night by the person who murdered Jacob Lazarus." - -Eugénie had also risen to her feet and her face wore a look of horror. -She looked at her lover, and he looked back again, with the same name -in their thoughts. - -"Kitty Marchurst!" - -"Good God!" said Stewart, moistening his dry lips with his tongue, -"can she be guilty, after all?" - -"I can't believe it," said Eugénie determinedly, "though Naball says -he thinks she did it. But I certainly got this note from her." - -"She may have received it from some one else," cried Keith eagerly. -"God knows, I don't want to die myself, but to put the rope round the -neck of that unhappy woman--horrible," and he covered his face with -his hands. - -Eugénie put on her gloves, and then touched his arm. - -"I'm going," she said in a quiet voice. - -"Going?" he repeated, springing to his feet. - -"Yes, to see Naball, and show him the note." - -"But Kitty Marchurst!" - -"Don't trouble about her," said Eugénie, a trifle coldly. "She is all -right, and I've no doubt can explain where she got this note. Wherever -it was, you can depend it was not from the dead man's safe. Good-bye, -Keith," kissing him. "This note gives us the clue, and before many -days are over you will be free, and the murderer of Jacob Lazarus will -be in this cell." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. -ON THE TRACK. - - -When Eugénie left the prison, she went straight to Naball's office, -and finding him in, told all about the wonderful discovery of the -veritable five-pound note endorsed in Isaiah's writing. To say that -Naball was astonished would be a mild way to state his feelings on -receipt of this intelligence. - -"It's an uncommon piece of luck," he said, looking at the note; "we -might have searched for a twelvemonth, and never come across this -piece of evidence. I think we'll get to the bottom of things this -time. You got it from Kitty Marchurst?" - -"Yes, I got it yesterday in payment of my salary" - -Naball whistled softly. - -"Things look uncommon black against that young woman," he observed -thoughtfully. "I didn't half believe that story of hers about -Stewart's stealing the diamonds, and now this note turning up in her -possession--humph!" - -"But you don't think she's guilty?" said Eugénie, clasping her hands. - -"I don't say anything," replied Naball savagely, for the difficulties -of this case were beginning to irritate him. "I only say things look -black against Caprice--she's as deep as a well." - -"What are you going to do now?" asked Miss Rainsford in a trembling -voice, as she rose to go. - -The detective placed his hat jauntily on one side of his head, drew on -his gloves, then taking his cane, walked to the door of the office, -which he he held open for Eugénie to pass through. - -"What are you going to do now?" she repeated when they were standing -in the street. - -"I'm going down to Toorak," said Naball quietly, "to trace this note, -beginning with Kitty Marchurst as the last holder of it; she'll tell -lies, but whether she does or not, I'll get to the bottom of this -affair. Good-day, Miss Rainsford," and taking off his hat with a -flourish, he left her abruptly, and strolled leisurely down the -street. - -Eugénie watched him with eager eyes until he was out of sight, and -then turned round to walk home. - -"Oh, my dear! my dear!" she murmured, "if I can only save you from -this terrible danger--but not at the cost of that poor woman's -life--oh, not that!" - -The detective, on his way down to Toorak, went over the case in his -own mind, in order to see against whom the evidence was strongest. At -last, after considerable cogitation, he came to the conclusion that, -after all, Villiers must be the guilty man, and that Kitty knew more -about the crime than she chose to tell. - -"I can't get over Villiers having had that diamond crescent," he -thought, looking out of the carriage windows. "She denied it was hers, -and then Fenton told me he gave it to her. I wonder if he had anything -to do with the affair--humph!--not likely. If she thought it was him, -she'd tell at once. Perhaps she really thinks Stewart stole the -diamonds. Pish! I don't believe it. She's had a finger in the pie, -whoever did it, and this murder is the outcome of the robbery. Well, -I'll see if she can account for her possession of this five-pound -note--that's the main thing." - -Kitty Marchurst was at home, and sent a message to the detective that -she would see him in a few minutes, so Naball walked up and down the -long drawing-room with some impatience. - -"If she'll only tell the truth," he muttered restlessly; "but I'm -getting to doubt her, so that I can't be sure. There's one thing, -Keith Stewart's fate rests entirely with her now, so if he saved her -child's life, as she says he did, this is the time to prove her -gratitude." - -At this moment the door opened, and Caprice entered. She looked pale -and weary, for the trials of the last few months had not been endured -without leaving some mark of their passage. Naball did not know -whether this haggard-looking woman was guilty or innocent, but he -could not help pitying her, so worn-out did she seem. - -"You are not well," he said when she seated herself. - -Kitty sighed wearily, and pushed the loose hair off her forehead. - -"No," she replied listlessly. "I'm getting worn-out over this trouble. -It's no good my telling you anything, because you don't believe me. -What is the matter now? Have you got further proof of my guilt?" - -"I don't know," said Naball, coolly producing the five-pound note; -"unless you call this proof." - -"A five-pound note," she said contemptuously. "Well?" - -"It is a five-pound note," explained Naball smoothly; "but not an -ordinary one--in fact, it is one of the notes stolen from Lazarus's -safe." - -"Oh, how do you know that? By a very curious thing. One of the notes -placed in the safe on the night of the murder was endorsed by the -office-boy with the words 'Back Flat-Iron,' and strange to say the -endorsed note has turned up." - -"And that is it?" - -"Exactly. Now, do you understand?" - -Kitty shrugged her shoulders. - -"I understand that you have secured an excellent piece of evidence, -nothing more. Where did you get the note?" - -"From Miss Rainsford." - -"From Miss Rainsford!" repeated Kitty in surprise; "but you surely -don't suspect--" - -"No, I don't," interposed the detective; "because she was able to tell -me where she got the note from." - -"Well, I presume she got it from me." - -"Yes," replied Naball, rather surprised at this cool admission. "She -received it yesterday from you." - -"Oh! then, you think I'm guilty?" - -"Not if you can tell me where you got the note from." - -"Certainly I can--from Mortimer--paid to me the day before yesterday." - -"Your salary?" - -"Not exactly," answered Kitty; "if it had been, you'd never be able to -trace the note further back. No; I was at the theatre in the morning, -and found myself short of money, so I asked Mortimer for some. He gave -me that five-pound note, and, as he took it, from his waistcoat -pocket, I've no doubt he'll be able to recollect from whom he received -it." - -"Why?" - -"Because Mortimer doesn't carry fivers in his waistcoat pocket -generally," said Caprice impatiently, "so he must have put that note -there for some special reason. You'd better go and ask him." - -"Certainly," said Naball, and arose to his feet. "I'm very much -obliged to you." - -"Then you don't think me guilty?" asked Kitty, with a smile. - -"Upon my word, I don't know what to think," said the detective -dismally. "The whole case seems mixed up. I'll tell you when I find -the man who can't account for the possession of this fiver." - -Kitty smiled, and then Naball took his leave, going straight from -Toorak to the Bon-Bon Theatre, where he found Mortimer in his sanctum, -up to the ears in business, as usual. - -"Well, Naball," said the manager, looking up sharply, "what's up? -Look sharp, I'm awfully busy." - -"I only want to know where you got this?" asked Naball, giving him the -five-pound note. - -Mortimer took it up, and looked perplexed. - -"How the deuce should I know; I get so many. Why do you want to know?" - -"Oh, nothing. I just want to trace the note. Caprice said you gave it -to her the day before yesterday." - -"Eh! did I?" - -"Yes. You took it from your waistcoat pocket." - -"Of course; to be sure, she wanted some money. Yes; I kept it apart -because it was made money--won it off Malton at euchre." - -"Malton!" repeated Naball in amazement; "are you sure?" - -"Yes, quite. You know I'm generally unlucky at cards, and this is -about the first fiver I've made, so I kept it just to bring me luck; -but Caprice wanted money, so I handed over my luck to her. There's -nothing wrong, eh?" - -"Oh, dear, no," replied Naball; "not the slightest--only some -professional business." - -"Because I shouldn't like to get any poor devil into a row," said -Mortimer. "Now, be off with you, I'm busy. Good-day." - -"Good-day, good-day." - -Naball departed, curiously perplexed in his feelings. He had never -thought of Malton in the light of a possible criminal, and yet it was -so very strange that this note should have been traced back to him. -Then he remembered the conversation he had overheard between Mrs. -Malton and Kitty concerning the embezzlement, when Kitty denied that -she had paid the money. - -"By Jove!" said Naball, a sudden thought striking him, "he was present -at that supper, and was in a regular hole for want of money. I -wouldn't be a bit surprised if he stole those diamonds to replace the -money, and his wife's thanking Caprice was all a blind, and then this -note--humph!--things look rather fishy, my friend." - -When he arrived at the Never-say-die Insurance Company Office, he sent -in his card to the assistant manager, and in a few minutes was shown -into Malton's room, where that individual received him with visible -uneasiness. - -"Well, Naball, and what brings you here?" he asked, watching the -detective's face stealthily. - -"Only a little business, in which I want your help," said Naball, -taking the note out of his pocket-book. "Can you tell me where you got -that?" - -Malton's pink-and-white complexion grew a little pale, but he laughed -in a forced manner as he glanced at the note. - -"Got this?" he said. "I can't tell you. Was it ever in my possession?" - -"It was," asserted Naball. "You gave it to Mortimer the day before -yesterday." - -"Oh, yes, I remember now," said Malton quickly. "He won it off me at -cards." - -"Exactly. Where did you get the note?" - -Malton shifted uneasily in his seat, and his nether lip twitched -uneasily. - -"I'm afraid I can hardly remember," he murmured, pushing back his -chair. - -Naball's suspicions were now rapidly ripening to certainties. If -Malton were innocent, why these signs of agitation? He wriggled and -twisted about like an eel, yet never once met the keen eye of the -detective. - -"You'd better remember," said Naball mercilessly, "or it will be the -worse for you." - -"Why?" asked Malton, trying to appear composed. - -"Because," explained Naball, in a low voice, "that note is one of -those stolen by the man who murdered Jacob Lazarus." - -Malton, with a smothered exclamation, started to his feet, and then, -shaking in every limb, sat down again. - -"No, no," he stammered, "that's absurd. It can't be--I tell you, it -can't be." - -"Oh, but it can be, and it is. I tell you, the note is endorsed 'Back -Flat-Iron,' which was done by the office-boy a few moments before the -notes were put in the safe by Stewart. They were gone after the -murder, so there is no doubt they were taken by the man who committed -the crime. I got this note from Miss Rainsford, who received it from -Caprice; she, in her turn, got it from Mortimer, and he has referred -us to you. Now, where did you get it?" - -Malton drummed nervously on the table. - -"I can't tell you," he said in a tremulous voice. - -"You must." - -"It's impossible." - -"I tell you what, sir," said Naball coolly, "if you don't tell, it -means trouble for you and the other man." - -"What other man?" asked Malton shakily. - -"The man you got this note from." - -Malton thought for a moment, and then apparently made up his mind. - -"You saw I was taken aback?" he asked Naball curiously. - -The detective nodded. - -"It's because I'm sorry for what I have to tell you--the man I got the -note from was Ezra Lazarus." - -Naball jumped to his feet with a cry. - -"The dead man's son?" he said. - -"Yes; the dead man's son," replied Malton slowly. - -Naball stood for a few minutes, then putting the note in his -pocket-book, once more took up his hat, and moved to the door. - -"Where are you going?" asked Malton, rising. - -"To see Mr. Ezra Lazarus," said Naball, pausing a moment. "In the -meantime, till I have certain proof of his guilt, you hold your -tongue." And he walked out, leaving Malton standing at his desk as if -turned into stone. - -Naball, on his way to the newspaper office, rapidly ran over in his -own mind all the details of the case against Ezra. - -"His father wouldn't give him any money, and he wanted to get married -to that girl; father and son had a quarrel on the day preceding the -murder; he was at the Bon-Bon on that night, and took Caprice -downstairs to her carriage; she gave him Stewart's coat to take back -to him again; in that coat was the knife found by Villiers under the -window; she left the theatre long before Stewart,--where did he go? to -his office, or--good heavens! if it should turn out to be true--" - -Ezra received him, looking rather knocked up, but his face, though -pale, was quite placid, and Naball wondered how a man guilty of such a -terrible crime as parricide could be so calm. - -"You look tired," he said, taking a seat. - -"I am tired," admitted Ezra wearily. "I've been busy with my father's -affairs." - -"Humph!" thought Naball; "counting his gains, I suppose." - -"Any fresh development of the case?" asked Ezra. - -"Yes," said Naball solemnly. "I received this note to-day, and traced -it back to Malton; he says it was given to him by you." - -Ezra examined the note with great interest, and on turning it over saw -the fatal words endorsed. He looked up quickly to Naball. - -"This is one of the notes that were stolen?" he asked. - -"Yes," replied Naball; "and Malton said it was given to him by you." - -"By me!" repeated Ezra in amazement. "How on earth could I come across -this note?" - -"That's what I want to find out," said Naball. - -Ezra looked at him for a moment, then the whole situation seemed to -burst on him, and with a stifled groan the unhappy young man fell back -into his chair, burying his face in his hands. - -"Good God!" he cried, "you don't suspect me of killing my father?" - -"If you are innocent, you can explain where you got the note." - -"I cannot--I cannot," cried Ezra feverishly. "I had to pay some money -to Malton, and did so last week. There were some five-pound notes -among that money, but I cannot tell where this particular one came -from." - -"Where did you get the money?" asked Naball. - -"From the Hibernian Bank." - -"Oh, but if you had to pay Malton money, why did you not do so by -cheque?" - -"Because I wanted some money myself, and did not care about drawing -two cheques, so I drew one, covering what I owed to him and a little -over." - -"Humph!" Naball thought a moment. "You are sure of this?" - -"Yes; it's the only way I can account for having the note. Whoever -killed my father, must have paid it into the bank, and it came round -to me by some fatality." - -"Where were you on the night of the murder?" - -"At the Bon-Bon Theatre." - -"Afterwards?" - -"At this office." - -"You can prove an _alibi?_" - -"I'm afraid I can't. I was all alone." - -"Look here, Mr. Lazarus," said Naball in a kind tone, "I must say -things look black against you; but I'm not satisfied yet about the -real criminal. To-day is Saturday, so I'll go to the bank the first -thing on Monday, and find out what I can. There's so many suspected of -this business, that one more or less don't matter." - -Ezra groaned. - -"You don't think I'm guilty?" he asked imploringly. - -Naball looked keenly at him. - -"No; I believe you innocent," he replied abruptly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. -MEG PROVES USEFUL. - - -The next day was Sunday, and Caprice, quite worn-out with the -excitement of the week and the strain of the performances of "Faust -Upset," was lying in bed. The burlesque had become a great success, -but the papers, with their usual kindly generosity towards authors, -declared that it was due not so much to the intrinsic merit of the -work, as to the wonderfully clever acting of Caprice. Last night, -however, she had acted badly, going through her part with mechanical -precision, but without that dash which usually characterised her -performance. The worry of this murder case, anxiety for the future of -her child, and pity for the unfortunate young man now in prison, had -all wrought on her nerves, so that she felt overcome with extreme -lassitude, and lay supinely in bed, with half-closed eyes, incapable -of the slightest exertion. - -From this state of tranquillity she was aroused by the entrance of -Eugénie, who was also looking pale and worn. She had learned all about -the tracing of the five-pound note to Ezra, and had now come to tell -Kitty about it. - -The room was in a kind of semi-darkness, as all the blinds had been -pulled down to keep out the dazzling sunlight, and the atmosphere was -permeated by the smell of some pungent scent which Kitty had been -using to bathe her aching head. Eugénie came straight to the bed, and -bent over it, on which Kitty opened her eyes and smiled faintly. - -"Oh, is it you, Miss Rainsford?" she said drowsily. "I did not expect -you to-day." - -"No!" replied Eugénie. "I came to tell you all about that five-pound -note; but I'm sorry to find you so ill." - -"I'm worn-out," said Kitty fretfully. "All the worry and trouble of my -earlier years are beginning to tell on me, and the anxiety of this -case is the climax. I believe I'll die soon, and I don't much care, -for I have your promise about the child." - -"You have!--my solemn promise." - -"Thank you. I don't mind when I die. My life has been a very unhappy -one. I've had more than my share of sorrow, and now I would like to go -to sleep, and slumber on--on for ever." - -She finished the sentence in a sleepy tone, then suddenly recollecting -why Eugénie had come down, she opened her eyes wide, and spoke -briskly. - -"Well, what about this five-pound note? To whom did it originally -belong?" - -"I'd better go through the whole history," said Eugénie slowly. "I -received it from you." - -"Exactly," interrupted Caprice, raising herself on her elbow; "and I -got it from Mortimer. Who gave it to him?" - -"Mr. Malton, for a gambling debt." - -"Malton," repeated Kitty vivaciously. "Why, is he--did they--" - -"Suspect him of the murder. No; because he says he got the note from -Ezra Lazarus, and he cannot tell from whom he received it." - -Kitty was wide awake by this time, and sitting up in bed, pushed the -fair curls off her forehead. - -"But, my dear," she said rapidly, "surely they don't suspect that poor -young man of murdering his father?" - -"Not exactly suspect him," observed Eugénie; "but, you see, Mr. -Lazarus cannot account for the possession of that particular note, so -that makes things look bad against him." - -"I don't see why," said Caprice impatiently. "I'm sure I couldn't -account for every individual five-pound note I receive--it's -absurd;--is that all the case they have against him?" - -"I think so; but Mr. Naball says--" - -"Says!" interrupted Kitty impatiently; "Naball's a fool. I often heard -what a clever detective he was, but I'm afraid I can't see it. He's -mismanaged the whole of this case shamefully. Why he suspects every -one all round on the slightest suspicion: first he thought it was me, -because I was at Lazarus's place on that night; then he swore it was -Villiers, because he found the knife Meg gave Mr. Stewart; then poor -Mr. Stewart is arrested simply because he cannot prove an alibi. I -daresay, when he found Malton had the note, he suspected him, and now, -I'll be bound, he has firmly settled in his own mind that Ezra Lazarus -killed his own father--pish! My dear, I tell you again Naball's a -fool." - -"That may be," observed the other woman bitterly; "but he's a fool on -whose folly Keith's life depends." - -"Not a bit of it," said Caprice cheerfully; "we'll find some way to -save him yet. The only evidence against him is that knife, and I don't -believe it was in his possession at the Bon-Bon Theatre." - -"Why not?" - -"Because no one could have taken it out of his overcoat pocket there. -I took the coat downstairs by mistake, but I'm sure I never abstracted -the knife. Ezra Lazarus took it back, and I'll swear, in spite of Mr. -Naball, he didn't take it. It's not likely Mortimer would go fiddling -in another man's pockets, so I believe the knife was taken from the -coat pocket, without his knowledge, at the club." - -"But who took it, and how?" asked Eugénie, with great interest. - -"My dear," replied Kitty, with a shrug, "how do I know. Perhaps, after -receiving back the knife from Fenton, and putting it in his pocket, he -hung his coat up again; in that case, anyone who saw him put the knife -away could have stolen it." - -"But who would do so?" - -"That's what our clever Naball ought to find out," said Caprice, with -a disdainful smile, "only he's such an idiot. I tell you whom I -suspect--mind you, it's only suspicion--and yet appearances are quite -as black against him as any one else." - -"Who is it?" - -"Malton." - -"Malton!" repeated Eugénie, starting up. - -"None other," said Kitty coolly. "He was at the club, and I know was -hard up for money. His wife came to me one day, and told me he had -embezzled a lot of money at his office. Then, after the crime, she -came to me, and thanked me for paying it. I never did so. Fenton said -he did, but I doubt it, as there isn't much of the philanthropist -about him, so the only one who could have replaced the money was -Malton himself. How? Well, easily enough. He was at the club--saw -Keith's knife, and, knowing he was Lazarus's clerk, the idea flashed -across his mind of murdering the old man with the knife, and dropping -it about, so as to throw suspicion on Stewart. So, by some means, I -don't know how, he obtains the knife before Stewart leaves the club, -commits the crime, gets the money, circulates the notes, and when -taxed with the possession of a marked one, says he got it from Ezra -Lazarus--very weak, my dear, very weak indeed. Ezra says he paid him -some money, so naturally doesn't know each individual note; so such a -thing favours Mr. Malton's little plan. So there you are, my dear. -I've made up a complete case against Malton, and quite as feasible as -any of Naball's theories. Upon my word," said Kitty gaily, "I ought to -have been a detective." - -Eugénie was walking to and fro hurriedly. - -"If this is so, he ought to be arrested," she said quickly. - -"Then go and tell Naball, my dear," said Kitty in a mocking voice. -"He'll arrest any one on suspicion. I wonder half the population of -Melbourne aren't in jail, charged with the murder. Oh, Naball's a -brilliant man! He says the man who committed the murder stole my -diamonds--pish!" - -"And you say Keith stole them," said Eugénie reproachfully, -"therefore--" - -"Therefore the lesser crime includes the greater," finished Kitty -coolly. "No, my dear, I don't believe he is a murderer; but as to the -diamonds, what am I to think after what Meg told me?" - -"Meg! Meg!" said that young person, dancing into the room, holding a -disreputable doll in her arms, "mumsey want Meg?" - -"Yes," said Kitty, as Meg came to the bedside. - -"Come up here, dear, and tell mumsey how you are." - -"Meg is quite well, and so is Meg's daughter," holding out the doll -for Kitty to kiss; "but, mumsey, why is the lady so sad?" - -Eugénie, who had remained silent since Kitty's speech, now came -forward and kissed the child. - -"I'm not sad, dear," she said quietly, taking her seat by the bed, -"only I want Meg to tell me something." - -Meg nodded. - -"A fairy tale?" she asked sedately. - -Kitty laughed, though she looked anxious. - -"No, my dear, not a fairy tale," she said, smoothing the child's hair; -"mumsey wants you to tell the story of the man who got out of the -window." - -"My Mr. Keith," said Meg at once. - -Kitty glanced at Eugénie, who sat with bowed head, gazing steadfastly -at her hands. - -"You see," she observed with a sigh, "the child says it was Mr. -Keith." - -Miss Rainsford re-echoed the sigh, then looked at Meg. - -"Meg, dear," she said in her soft, persuasive voice, "come here, dear, -and sit on my knee." - -Meg, nothing loth, scrambled down off the bed, and soon established -herself on Eugénie's lap, where she sat shaking her auburn curls. -Kitty glanced affectionately at the serious little face, and picked up -her doll, which was lying on the counterpane. - -"Now, Meg," she said gaily, "you tell Miss Rainsford the story of the -man and the window. I'll play with this." - -"Meg's daughter," observed Meg reprovingly. - -"Yes, Meg's daughter," repeated Kitty with a smile. - -"Come, Meg," said Eugénie, smoothing the child's hair, "tell me all -about the man." - -"It was my Mr. Keith, you know," began Meg, resting her cheek against -Eugénie's breast, "He took me upstairs--'cause I was so sleepy--an' he -put me to bed, an' then I sleeped right off." - -"And how long did you sleep, dear?" asked Eugénie. - -"Oh, a minute," said Meg, "just a minute; then I didn't feel sleepy, -and opened my eyes wide--quite wide--as wide as this," lifting up her -face in confirmation, "and Mr. Keith, he was getting out of the -window." - -"How do you know it was Mr. Keith?" asked Eugénie quickly, - -"'Cause he put me in bed," said Meg wisely, "and he was there all the -time." - -"He didn't speak to you when he was near the window?" - -"No; he got out, and tumbled. I laughed when he tumbled," finished Meg -triumphantly; "then I sleeped again, right off." - -Eugénie put the girl down off her knee, and turned to Kitty. - -"I believe Keith did put the child to bed," she said quietly, "but I -think she must have slept for some time, and that the man she saw -getting out of the window was some one else; of course, being awakened -by the noise, she would only think she had slept a minute." - -"A minute, a minute," repeated Meg, who had climbed back on to the -bed, and was jumping the doll up and down. - -"But who could the second man have been?" asked Kitty, perplexed. - -"You know Naball's theory that the man who stole the diamonds -committed the murder," said Eugénie. "You think Malton is guilty of -the murder, why not of the robbery also? He was present at the -supper-party, and knew where the jewels were kept." - -Kitty drew her brows together and was about to speak, when Meg held up -her doll for inspection. - -"Look at the locket," she said triumphantly; "it's like Bliggings's -locket--all gold." - -Kitty smiled, and touched the so-called locket, which was in reality -part of a gold sleeve-link, and was tied round the neck of the doll -with a bit of cotton. - -"Who gave you this?" she said. "Bliggings?" - -"No; Meg found it herself, here, after the man had got out of the -window." - -Eugénie gave a cry, and started up, but Kitty in a moment had seized -the doll, and wrenched off the gold link which Meg called the locket. - -"When did you find this, Meg?" she asked the child in a tone of -suppressed excitement. - -"After the man went out of the window," said Meg proudly. - -"In the dark?" asked her mother. - -"No, when Meg was dressed, and the sun was shining," said Meg, trying -to get back the locket. - -"Wait a moment, dear," said Kitty, pushing the child away. - -"Miss Rainsford, do you know what this link means?" - -"I half guess," faltered Eugénie, clasping her hands. - -"Then you guess right," cried Kitty, raising herself on her elbow. "It -means that the man who stole the jewels dropped this link, and I know -who he is, because I gave it to him myself." - -"Keith?" said Eugénie faintly. - -"Keith!" repeated Caprice in a tone of scorn. "No; not Keith, whom I -have suspected wrongfully all these months, but my very good friend, -Hiram J. Fenton." - -"Fenton!" echoed Eugénie in surprise. - -"Yes; he must have committed the crime," said Kitty in anger, grinding -her teeth. "The coward, he knew I suspected Keith, and let another man -bear the stigma of his crime. I spared Keith when I thought him -guilty, because he saved my child's life; but I'll not spare Fenton -now I know he is a thief." - -"What will you do?" asked Eugénie quickly. - -"What will I do!" cried Caprice, with a devilish light shining in her -beautiful eyes. "I'll put him in prison--ring the bell for pen, ink, -and paper--I'll write him to come down here to-night to see me; and -when he comes, I'll have Naball waiting to arrest him." - -"But Keith?" faltered Eugénie. - -"As for Keith," said Caprice, throwing herself back in the bed, "I'm -sure he'll soon be free, for it's my belief that Fenton stole the -diamonds, but was too cowardly to commit a murder. No; he did not do -it himself, but he got some one else to do it." - -"And that some one?" cried Eugénie. - -"Is Evan Malton," said Caprice solemnly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. -MALTON MAKES A DISCOVERY. - - -Evan Malton had a house in Carlton, not a very fashionable locality -certainly, but the residence of the assistant manager was a -comfortable one. His wife and child were invariably to be found at -home, but Malton himself was always away--either at his club, the -theatre, or at some dance. He was one of those weak men who can deny -themselves nothing, and kept his wife and child stinted for money, -while he spent his income on himself. But with such tastes as he -possessed, his income did not go very far, so in a moment of weakness -he embezzled money in order to gratify his desires. - -When he told his wife what he had done, the news came like a -thunder-clap on her. She knew her husband was weak, pleasure-loving -and idle, but she never dreamt he could be a criminal. With the desire -of a woman to find excuses for the conduct of a man she loved, Mrs. -Malton thought that his crime was due to the evil influence of Kitty -Marchurst; hence her visit and appeal to the actress. It seemed to -have been successful, for the money had been replaced, though Kitty -denied having paid it, and Mrs. Malton breathed freely. - -Her husband loved her in a kind of a way; he did not mind being -unfaithful himself, but he would have been bitterly angered had he -found her following his example. This type of husband is not uncommon; -he likes to be a butterfly abroad, to lead a man-of-the-world -existence, neglecting his home; yet he always expects on his return to -find a hearty welcome and a loving-wife. - -Of course, as Mrs. Malton was a handsome woman, with a neglectful -husband, the inevitable event happened, and Fenton, the bosom friend -of the husband, fell in love with the solitary wife. She repelled his -advances proudly, as she really loved her husband; but the effect of -long months of neglect were beginning to tell on her, and she asked -herself bitterly if it was worth while for her to remain faithful to a -husband who neglected her. - -On the Sunday afternoon following the interview Malton had with -Naball, she sat down in her drawing-room, idly watching the child -playing at her feet. Malton had come home in a fearful temper the -night before, and had been in bed all Sunday. Dinner had been early, -and she had left him in the dining-room, with a scowling face, -evidently drinking more than was good for him. - -"What is the use of trying to make his life happy?" she said to -herself with a sneer. "He cares no more for me than he does for the -child. If I were to allow his dearest friend to betray me, I don't -believe he would care a fig about it." - -While she was thus talking, the door opened, and her husband came into -the room, with a sullen look on his face. He was, as she saw, in a -temper, and ready for a domestic battle; but, determined not to give -him a chance, she sat in her chair in silent disdain. - -"Well," he said, throwing himself on the sofa, "haven't you got a word -to say for yourself?" - -"What can I say?" she replied listlessly. - -"Anything! Don't sit there like a cursed sphynx. How do you expect a -man to come home when he finds things so disagreeable?" - -She looked at him scornfully. - -"You find things disagreeable," she said slowly. "You, who have -neglected me ever since our marriage; who have passed your time with -actresses and betting men; you, who--" - -"Go to the devil," said Malton sulkily, cutting short her catalogue of -his vices. "I don't want you to preach. I'll go where I like, and do -what I like." - -"Yet you deny me the right to do the same." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Mean!" she cried, rising to her feet; "mean that I'm tired of this -sordid way of living. I'm tired of seeing you at the beck and call of -every woman except your wife. I have tried to do my duty by you and -the child, yet you neglect me for others. You squander your honestly -earned money, and then embezzle thousands of pounds. I tell you, I'm -sick of this life, Evan Malton; and if you don't take care, I'll make -a change." - -He listened in amazement to this tirade coming from his meek wife, -then, with a coarse laugh, flung himself back on the sofa. - -"You'll make a change!" he said, with a sneer. "You--I suppose that -means bolting with another man--you do, my lady, and I'll kill you and -your lover as well." - -"My lover, as you call him, could break your neck easily," she said -contemptuously. - -"Then you have a lover!" he cried, starting to his feet in a transport -of fury. "You tell me _that_--you a wife and a mother--in the presence -of our child." - -Without a word, she touched the bell, and a maid-servant appeared. -Mrs. Malton pointed to the child. - -"Take her away," she said coldly, and when the door closed again, she -turned once more to her husband. "Now that the child is away," she -said calmly, "I do tell you I have a would-be lover. Stay," she cried, -holding up her hand, "I said a would-be lover. Had I been as careless -of your honour as you have been of mine, I would not now be living -with you." - -Evan Malton listened in dogged silence, and then burst out into a -torrent of words. - -"Ah! I knew it would be so--curse you! What woman was ever satisfied -with a husband?" - -"Yes, and such a husband as you have been," she said sarcastically. - -He stepped forward, with an oath, to strike her, then restraining -himself by an effort, said in a harsh voice,-- - -"Tell me his name." - -Mrs. Malton walked over to a writing-desk, unlocked it, and taking -from thence a bundle of letters, flung them on the floor before him. - -"You'll find all about him there." - -Malton bent down, picked up the letters, and staggered back, with a -cry, as he recognised the writing. - -"My God! Fenton!" he cried. - -"Exactly," she said coolly. "Your dear friend Fenton, who came to me -with words of love on his lips, and lies in his heart, to get me to -elope with him--in the last letter, you see, he asked me to go with -him to Valparaiso." - -"Oh, did he?" muttered Malton vindictively; "and you were going, I -suppose?" - -"If I had been going," she replied, with grave scorn, "I would not now -be here, for he leaves for Valparaiso to-night." - -"To-night!" - -"Yes. I presume he's followed your example, and embezzled money. At -all events, I refused his offer, and left him as I now leave you, Evan -Malton, with the hope that this discovery may teach you a lesson." - -"Where are you going?" he cried hoarsely, as she moved towards the -door. - -She turned with a cold smile. - -"I am going to our child; and you--" - -"And I," he said vindictively, "I'm going to Hiram Fenton's house, to -give him back those letters. He'll go to Valparaiso will he? No, he -won't. To-night, the police shall know all." - -"All what?" his wife cried in sudden terror. - -"All about the diamond robbery and the Russell Street murder." - -She shrank back from him with a cry; but he came straight to the door, -and taking her by the arm, flung her brutally on the floor. - -"You lie there," he hissed out. "I'll deal with him first, and -afterwards with you." - -She heard the door close, and knew that he had left the house: then, -gathering herself up slowly and painfully, she went to the chamber of -her child, and sank on her knees beside the cot. - -Meanwhile, Malton, with his brain on fire, his heart beating with -jealous rage, and the bundle of letters in his breast-pocket, was -rapidly walking down the hill, intending to go to Fenton's rooms and -tax him with his treachery. It was partly on this account that he -wished to see him; but there was also a more serious cause, for in the -event of Fenton bolting, as he intended to do, things would be very -awkward for his assistant manager. - -"Curse him!" muttered Malton as he hailed a hansom, and told the man -to drive to East Melbourne. "Does he think I'm such a fool as to let -him go now? No, no, my boy; we've floated together for a good time, -and, by Jove! we'll sink together." - -Like all weak men, he was unable to restrain his temper, and was now -working himself up into a state of fury which boded ill for the peace -of Mr. Fenton. Fast as the cab was rolling along, it seemed hours to -the impatient man, and it was with a cry of joy that he jumped out at -Fenton's door, keeping the hansom waiting in case he should find the -American absent. - -The woman who opened the door told him that Mr. Fenton had gone out -about half-an-hour ago, with a black bag in his hand, and had told her -he was going to see some friends. - -"Curse the man," groaned Malton, who saw what this meant at once, -"he's off; I must follow---but where? I don't suppose he'd leave his -address in his room, but I'll see if I can find anything there." - -"Can I give him any message, sir?" asked the woman, who was still -holding the door open. - -"Yes; that is, I'll write him a note; show me up to his sitting-room." - -"Yes, sir," and in a few minutes Malton found himself alone in the -room so lately occupied by his enemy. He sat down at the writing-table -till the woman closed the door, then springing to his feet, began to -examine the desk with feverish energy to see if Mr. Fenton had left -any trace as to his whereabouts. - -There was a newspaper lying on a small table near, and Malton, seizing -this, looked at the shipping announcements to see by what boat Fenton -intended to go to South America. - -"He's certain to go there," he said, as he ran his finger eagerly down -the column, "or he wouldn't have told my wife. Here, oh, here it -is--The 'Don Pedro,' for Valparaiso, at eight, Monday morning. He's -going by that boat, now," he went on, putting down the paper, and -pulling out his watch; "it's about six o'clock--why did he leave -to-night, eh? I suppose he means to go on board, so as to avoid -suspicion by going so early in the morning. He can't have gone back to -see my wife, or she would have told me, for I'll swear she's true. -Confound him, where can he have gone?" - -He turned over the papers on the desk in feverish eagerness, as if he -expected to find an address left for him, when suddenly, slipped in -between the sheets of the blotting-pad, he found a note in Caprice's -handwriting asking Fenton to come down to Toorak on that night. Melton -struck a blow on the desk with his fist when he read this. - -"He's gone there, I'll swear," he cried, putting the letter in his -pocket. "It was only because Caprice laughed at him that he made love -to my wife. Now she's whistled him back, he'll try and get her to go -off with him to Valparaiso. Ah, Hiram Fenton, you're not off yet, and -never will be--sink or swim together, my boy--sink or swim together." - -He called the woman, gave her a short note for Fenton, in order to -avert suspicion, then getting into the cab once more, told the man to -drive to Toorak as quickly as possible. - -"If I don't find you there, my friend," he muttered angrily, "I'll -go straight down to the 'Don Pedro' at Sandridge. You won't escape -me--sink or swim together, sink or swim together." - -The evening sky was overcast with gloomy clouds, between the rifts of -which could be seen the sharp, clear light of the sky, and then it -began to rain, a tropical downpour which flooded the streets and -turned the gutters to miniature torrents; a vivid flash of lightning -flare in the sky, and the white face of the man in the hansom could be -seen for a moment; then sounded a deep roll of thunder, as if warning -Hiram Fenton that his friend and victim was on his track. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. -LIGHT AT LAST. - - -It was certainly a remarkable thing that when Kitty had prepared her -trap for Fenton just on the eve of his going away, by having Naball in -hiding to arrest him, that Malton, the only man who could effectually -accuse the American, should also have come down to Toorak in the nick -of time. But, then, coincidences do happen in real life as well as in -novels; and had Kitty carefully constructed the whole scene with an -eye to dramatic effect, it could hardly have turned out better. - -Eugénie sat with the actress in the drawing-room, waiting for the -arrival of Fenton, and talking to Naball, who was seated near them. -The detective had listened to all with the keenest interest, but, much -to Kitty's disgust, seemed doubtful of the American's guilt. - -"You were quick enough in accusing other people," she said angrily, -"myself among the number, and now, when I show you plain proof, you -disbelieve." - -"I don't think the proof is strong enough, that's all," replied Naball -drily. "We have only the word of a child that she picked up the link -in the bedroom." - -"Meg never tells falsehoods," interposed Eugénie quickly. - -"I daresay not," he replied coolly. "However, Fenton may have lost -this link before." - -"No, he didn't," said Caprice decisively. "He had the links on when he -was at supper. I saw them, and I ought to know, because I gave them to -him myself." - -"But why should Fenton steal your diamonds? He's got lots of money," -argued Naball, who was rather annoyed at Kitty finding out more than -he had. - -"I don't know why he should," retorted the actress; "it's not my -business or yours to discover motives--all I know is, he did it, and -I'm going to have him arrested." - -"Perhaps he'll be suspicious, and won't come." - -"Oh yes, he will. He thinks I believe Stewart to be the thief, and as -to coming, I can whistle him back at any moment. Hark!" as a ring came -at the door. "There he is; get behind that screen. Miss Rainsford, you -go into the next room till I call." - -Naball promptly did as he was told, so did Eugénie, and when Fenton -entered the room, he only found Kitty, calmly seated beside a little -table, reading a book. - -Fenton was looking wonderfully well, but with a watchful look on his -face, as if he feared discovery. He had a good sum of money with him, -his passage to Valparaiso, and never for a moment thought that he was -on the edge of an abyss. Of course, Kitty did not know he was about to -abscond, and never thought how near her prey had escaped. She received -him quietly, with friendly interest, and Fenton, pulling a chair next -to hers, began to talk eagerly, never dreaming that an officer of the -law was listening to every word. - -Not only that, but outside, crouching on the verandah, was a dark -figure, with a livid face, listening to what the man inside was -saying. Hiram Fenton, utterly unconscious, was surrounded on all sides -by his enemies, and went on telling all his plans to Kitty, never -thinking how near he was to the felon's dock from which he was flying. - -"And what did you want to see me about!" asked Fenton, taking -Caprice's hand. - -"Nothing in particular," she replied carelessly; "the fact is, I -haven't seen you for such a long time." - -"Then you do care for me a little?" - -Caprice shrugged her shoulders. - -"As much as I do for any man; but I didn't ask you to come here to -make love. I want to talk seriously about giving up the stage." - -She was leading him on so that he should betray himself to the -detective, and he walked straight into the trap. - -"Oh, you're tired of acting," said Fenton thoughtfully. - -"Yes; and of Melbourne. I want to go away." - -Fenton started, and wondered if she knew he was going away also. He -thought for a moment, and then replied,-- - -"Then, why not come with me?" - -"With you!" cried Kitty derisively. "What about Mrs. Malton?" - -"I tell you, I don't care two straws about Mrs. Malton," he rejoined -angrily. "I was only amusing myself with her." - -Amusing himself! The man outside ground his teeth together in anger, -and clutched the packet of letters fiercely. - -"And what about your dear friend--her husband?" - -"Oh, Malton," said Fenton carelessly. "I don't know, nor do I care; he -was a very useful man to me for a time. But, now, I'm off." - -"Off!--where?" - -"To Valparaiso. Yes, I'm sick of Australia, so I sail to-morrow -morning for South America. Will you come with me, Kitty?" - -Kitty looked doubtful. - -"I don't know. We have no money." - -"I have plenty. I've arranged all that, and if there's a row, my dear -friend Malton will have to bear it. But now, Kitty, I've told you all, -you must come with me. We can live a delightful life in South America. -I know it well, and some of the places are Paradises. Come, say you'll -come to-night." - -He put his arms round her, and pressed a kiss on her lips. She -shuddered at the impure caress, then pushing him away, arose to her -feet. - -"Don't touch me," she said harshly, "you--you thief!" - -In a moment Fenton was on his feet, with an apprehensive look on his -face. - -"Thief! thief!" he cried fiercely; "what do you mean?" - -"Mean," she said, turning on him like a tiger, "that I know now who -stole my diamonds, Mr. Hiram Fenton." - -"Do you accuse me?" he asked, with a pale face, gripping her wrist. - -"Yes, I do," said Kitty, wrenching her wrist away, "and I've got a -proof--this broken sleeve-link, dropped by you in my room on the night -of the robbery." - -"It's a lie!" - -"It's true! I accuse you of stealing my diamonds. Detective Naball, -arrest that man." - -Fenton started as Naball stepped out from behind the screen, and then -folded his arms, with an evil smile. - -"So!" he said coolly, "this is a trap, I see; but I'm not to be caught -in it. You say I stole your diamonds?" - -"I do," said Kitty boldly. - -"And your proof is that you picked up a broken sleeve-link?" - -"Yes." - -"Then, Mr. Detective," said Fenton, holding out both his wrists to -Naball, "if you examine these, you will see neither of the links are -broken." - -Naball, with an ejaculation of surprise, examined both the links, and -found what he said was correct--neither of the sleeve-links were -broken. - -"Have you not made a mistake?" he said to Caprice. - -"No, I have not," she replied coolly. "When he found he had lost a -sleeve-link, he got another made, in order to avert suspicion. I say -Hiram Fenton stole my diamonds, and I give him in charge." - -Naball stepped forward, but the American, who was now uneasy at the -turn affairs had taken, waved him back. - -"Wait a moment," he said quickly; "I deny the charge, and will prove -it false to-morrow." - -Kitty laughed derisively. - -"By which time you will be on your way to Valparaiso. No, I'm not -going to let you go." - -"Neither am I," said Naball decisively. "I arrest you on this charge -of robbery now," and he laid his hand on the shoulder of the American. - -In a moment Fenton twisted himself away, and dexterously throwing -Naball on the ground, darted towards one of the French windows. - -"Not so fast, my friend," he said sneeringly, while Naball, -half-stunned, was picking himself up; "guess I'll beat you this time. -I care nothing for you nor that she-devil there. You can prove -nothing." - -Naball made a bound forward, but with a mocking laugh Fenton was about -to step lightly through the window, when he was dashed violently back -into Naball's arms, and Malton, pale as death sprang into the room. - -"Hold him," he cried, clutching Fenton, who was too much astonished to -make any resistance. "Don't let him go. He's guilty--I can prove it." - -Eugénie had hurried into the room, attracted by the noise, and Kitty -was standing near her, the two women clinging together for protection. -Naball held Fenton firmly, while Malton, in a frenzy of rage, spoke -rapidly. - -"He is guilty of the robbery," he shrieked, menacing Fenton with his -fists. "He embezzled money with me, and had it been found out, we -would both have been put in prison. He stole the diamonds on the night -of the supper, by going upstairs to your room, and then leaving by the -window, so as to make people think it was a burglary." - -"A cursed lie!" growled Fenton, making an effort to shake Naball off. - -"No, it isn't," cried Malton furiously. "Villiers can prove it. You -met him as you were coming round the house, and gave him some diamonds -to make him hold his tongue." - -"Oh, the crescent!" cried Naball. - -"Yes, yes; and then he sold the diamonds to old Lazarus, and -afterwards murdered him. Yes, he killed Jacob Lazarus!" - -Fenton's nostrils dilated, he drew a deep breath, and gave a cry of -anger; but Malton went on speaking rapidly. - -"I got that note not from Ezra Lazarus, but from Fenton, and lied to -shield him; but now, when I find out he makes love to my wife, I'll do -anything to hang him. See, these letters--your cursed letters," -flinging them on the ground before Fenton. "You liar, thief, murderer, -you're done for at last!" - -"Not yet!" yelled Fenton, and with a sudden effort he flung Naball -off, and dashed for the window, but Malton sprang on him like a wild -cat, and they both rolled on the floor. Naball jumped up, and went to -Malton's help, when suddenly the American, with a supreme effort, -wrenched himself clear of them, and ran once more for the window. - -Seeing this, Kitty, who had remained a passive spectator, tried to -stop him, but with an oath he hurled her from him, and she, falling -against a table, knocked it over, and fell senseless on the ground. -Fenton, with a cry of anger, dashed through the window, and -disappeared into the darkness. But, quick as he was, Malton was -quicker; for seeing his enemy escape him, he also sprang through the -window, and gave chase. - -Naball, breathless, and covered in blood, was about to go also, when a -cry from Eugénie stopped him. The girl was kneeling down beside Kitty, -while the frightened servants crowded in at the door. - -"Oh, she is dead! dead!" cried Eugénie, looking down at the still -face. "No; she can't be. Brandy--bring some brandy!" - -A servant entered with the brandy, and Eugénie, filling a glass, -forced some of the liquid between Kitty's clenched teeth. Naball also -took a glass, as he was worn-out with the struggle, then, hastily -putting on his hat, went out, leaving Kitty lying, to all appearances -dead, in Eugénie's arms. - -Meanwhile, Malton was close on the heels of the American, who had -cleared out by the gate, and was making for the railway station. There -were few people about; but the spectacle of two men racing bare-headed -soon brought a crowd around. Fenton, with deep curses, sped on through -the driving rain, and at last flew on to the platform, followed by -Malton, who gasped out,-- - -"Seize him! Murderer! murderer!" - -The station-master, a porter, and some passengers who were waiting, -all sprang forward at this; so Fenton, seeing himself surrounded, gave -one yell of rage, and, jumping on the line, ran along. - -"My God!" cried the station-master, "the train is coming down; he will -be killed." - -He tried to hold Malton, who was mad with anger at seeing his prey -escape him, and, foaming with anger, wrenched himself away. - -"You'll be killed!" cried the porter; but Malton, with a hoarse cry, -sprang on to the line, and sped after Fenton through the driving rain. - -It was pitch dark, and the rain swept along in slanting sheets, -through which gleamed the red and green of the signals. Malton, only -actuated by a mad desire to seize Fenton, staggered blindly over the -sleepers, stumbling at every step. - -Suddenly he heard the hard breathing of the man he was pursuing, and -the foremost figure loomed up dark and misshapen in the thick night. -They were now near the railway bridge which crosses the Yarra-Yarra at -this point, and the steady sweep of the river could be heard as it -flowed against the iron girders. - -Fenton, hearing some one close behind him, made a bound forwards, then -fell on the line, with a shriek of despair. In a moment Malton was on -him, and the two men rolled on the line, fighting like devils. - -"Curse you!" hissed Malton, putting his knee on Fenton's chest, "I'll -kill you!--I'll kill you!" And he dashed Fenton's head against the -iron rails. - -The American, in despair, flung up his hands, and caught Malton round -the neck. Once more they fought, wrapped in a deadly embrace, when -suddenly they felt the bridge vibrate, and, even in their struggle, -saw rapidly approaching, through the darkness the light of the down -train. - -Malton, with a cry of horror, tried to release himself from Fenton's -grip, but the American held him tight, and in another moment the -train, with a roar, was on the bridge, and over their bodies. - -One hoarse yell, and all was over. Evan Malton and Hiram Fenton were -torn to pieces under the cruel wheels. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. -EXIT KITTY MARCHURST. - - -So this was the end of it all. The criminal, guilty of the two crimes -which had agitated Melbourne for so many months, turned out to be the -respected manager of The Never-say-die Insurance Company. After the -discovery of his guilt, the affairs of the company were examined, and -found to be in a terrible state of confusion. Fenton, aided by Malton, -had embezzled large sums of money, and so carefully manipulated the -accounts that their defalcations had never been noticed. - -It was true that once they were on the verge of discovery unless some -of the money was paid back, and this had been accomplished by the -robbery of Kitty Marchurst's diamonds. As the two guilty men were -dead, the only man who knew anything about the affair was Mr. -Villiers, who soon found things made so warm for him that he confessed -all he knew about the crime. - -It appeared that, on the night of the supper, Fenton was in great -straits for want of money to replace that embezzled by himself -and Malton. Hearing Kitty state where she kept her diamonds, he -determined to steal them if he could do so with safety. In going to -the drawing-room, he saw Stewart descending the stairs, and, as the -young man told him he had been in Kitty's room putting the child to -bed, he thought he could steal the jewels on that night, and let -Stewart bear the blame. - -With this idea, he went upstairs, took the diamonds from their place, -and, in order to make things doubly secure, should his idea of -implicating Stewart fail, he got out of the window, and clambered -down, so as to show that the house had been burglariously entered. - -In stealing round to the front of the house, he met Villiers, who had -seen all, and, in order to make him hold his tongue, had given him the -small diamond crescent which Naball secured in Little Bourke Street. -Of course, Kitty would not prosecute Keith, as he had saved her -child's life; and it was his security in this belief that caused -Fenton to urge on the detective. - -About the murder, Villiers, as a matter of fact, knew very little; but -when Naball said that the man who stole the diamonds also committed -the crime, he went to Fenton, and taxed him with it. Fenton, at first, -indignantly denied the accusation, but ultimately confessed to -Villiers that he had done so. After giving back Keith his knife at the -club, he had seen him hang up his coat, and dexterously extracted the -weapon therefrom unknown to the owner. Then he went to Russell Street -and committed the crime, in reality to gain possession of the -diamonds, thinking they were in the safe, as he did not know that -Lazarus had sent them to Amsterdam. - -Therefore, the whole mystery was cleared up; and after making his -confession, Villiers found public opinion so much against him, that he -left the colony, and disappeared, no one knew where. - -The dead bodies of the American and Malton were found on the railway -line, and, after an inquiry had been made, were duly buried. Mrs. -Malton went back to live with her father, and shortly afterwards -married again. - -Stewart was released from prison and became quite the hero of the -hour, as every one sympathised with him for the way in which he had -been treated. Eugénie told him all about her accession to fortune, and -they agreed to get married and go to Europe. Ezra, also, now that he -was wealthy, turned Benedict, and was united to Rachel a short time -after his father's death. - -"Faust Upset" ran for some time, but was ultimately withdrawn, as the -part of Miss Mephistopheles was taken by another woman, and she failed -to draw the public. - -But Caprice? - -Ah! poor woman, she was dying. In the struggle with Fenton, she had -fallen in a perilous position, and had so injured her spine, that -there was no hope of recovery. - -It was on a Tuesday evening, and poor, wicked Kitty was lying in bed, -with her weary eyes fixed on Meg, who was seated on Eugénie's lap, -rather puzzled by the whole affair. Keith and Ezra were also present, -in deference to Kitty's desire, as she wanted to formally give Meg -over to Eugénie to bring her up. All the legal formalities had been -gone through, and now they were waiting for the end--alas! it was not -very far off. - -"Do you feel easier, dear?" asked Eugénie, gently bending over the -bed. - -"Yes," replied Kitty in a slow, tired voice. "Better now; it will soon -be over. You--you will look after my child?" - -"I promise you, I will," said Eugénie fervently. "Would you like to -see a minister?" - -Kitty smiled with a touch of her old cynicism, and then her eyes -filled with tears. - -"A minister, yes," she said in a faltering voice. "God help me! and I -was a minister's daughter. Look at me now, fallen and degraded, dying, -with my life before me, and glad--yes, glad to die." - -In obedience to a sign from Eugénie, Keith had slipped out of the room -in order to bring the clergyman, and Kitty lay quiet, with the clear -light of the evening shining on her pale face. - -"Give me my child," she said at length, and then, as she took Meg to -her breast and kissed her, she wept bitterly. - -"God bless you, my darling," she sobbed; "think of me with pity. -Eugénie, never--never let her know what I was. Let her believe me to -have been a good woman. If I have sinned, see how I was tempted--see -how I have suffered--let my child think her mother was a good woman." - -Eugénie, crying bitterly, promised this, and then tried to take Meg -away. - -"Mumsey," said Meg, clinging to her mother, "why do you cry? Where are -you going?" - -"I'm dying, Meg, darling." - -"Dying!" said Meg, to whom the word conveyed no idea, "dying!" - -"Yes, dear; going away." - -"I'll go, too." - -"No, dear, no. You must stay here, and be a good girl. Mumsey is going -far away--to the sky," finished poor Kitty, in a faltering voice. - -"To the sky--then you'll see God," said Meg. - -At this Kitty could bear no more, but burst into tears, and Meg was -taken out of the room, being pacified with difficulty. Then Keith -entered with the clergyman, who was left alone with the dying woman -for some time. - -When they all returned, they saw she was sinking rapidly, but she -smiled faintly as Eugénie approached. - -"I've told him all," she said in a low voice, "and he says God will -forgive me." - -"I'm sure He will, dear," said Eugénie in a faltering voice. - -"Strange," said the dying woman, in a dreamy voice, "I, who never -cared for religion, should want it now. I'm glad to die, for there was -nothing to live for; but this terrible Death--I fear it. I don't know -where I'm going--where am I going?" she asked piteously. - -"To Heaven, dear," said Eugénie. - -"Heaven!" repeated Kitty, her memory going back to her childhood; -"that is where there is neither sun nor moon--the glory of God is -there. Oh, I'll never go there--never--never!" - -The room w T as now filled with floating shadows, and all present were -kneeling by the bed. Meg, who had been brought back, and held by -Eugénie, was beside her mother, awed by the solemnity of the scene. A -pale shaft of clear light came through the window, and shone on the -disordered white clothes of the bed and the still face of the dying -woman. - -No sound save the sighing of the wind outside, the sobs of Eugénie, -and the grave tones of the clergyman's voice, reading the Sermon on -the Mount, which in former days had been a great favourite with Kitty. - -"_Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God_." - -Poor soul, she that had not been pure was now dying, and dreaded lest -her impurity should be brought up against her. - -"_Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy_." - -Ah, Kitty Marchurst, what mercy did you ever show? The inward voice -came to her like an accusing spirit, and she shrank back in the bed. -Then she opened her eyes. - -"I would have been a good woman," she said pathetically; "but I--I was -so young when I met Gaston." - -Her voice became inarticulate, and with an effort she kissed her -child, while the clergyman said the Lord's Prayer. - -"_Our Father which art in Heaven_." - -"Meg, Meg," she murmured, "Meg--God bless my little child!" And those -were the last words of Kitty Marchurst, for when the prayer was ended -she was lying back, with her pure, childlike face stilled in death. - -So she went into the outer darkness laden with sins, but surely God in -His mercy pardoned this woman, whose impurity was more the result of -circumstances than anything else. - -Let us not deny to others the mercy which we ourselves will need some -day. Kitty was dead, with all her frailties and passions; and as the -clergyman arose from his knees, he repeated reverently the words of -his Master,-- - -"_He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at -her_." - - - - -FINIS. - - - ----------------------------------------- -COLSTON AND COMPANY, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Miss Mephistopheles, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS MEPHISTOPHELES *** - -***** This file should be named 55378-8.txt or 55378-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/3/7/55378/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by Web -Archive (Emory University) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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(Sequel to Madame Midas.)"> -<meta name="Author" content="Fergus Hume"> - -<meta name="Publisher" content="F. V. White & Co."> -<meta name="Date" content="1890"> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> -<style type="text/css"> -body {margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; background-color:#FFFFFF;} - - -p {text-indent:.25in; text-align: justify;} - -p.right {text-align:right; margin-right:20%;} -p.center {text-align: center;} -p.continue {text-indent: 0in; margin-top:9pt;} - -h1,h2,h3,h4,h5 {text-align: center;} - -span.sc {font-variant: small-caps; font-size:110%;} -span.sc2 {font-variant: small-caps; font-size:90%;} - -hr.W10 {width:10%; color:black; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt} - -hr.W20 {width:20%; color:black; margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt} - -hr.W50 {width:50%; color:black;} -hr.W90 {width:90%; color:black;} - -p.hang1 {margin-left:3em; text-indent:-3em;} -p.hang2 {margin-left:3em; text-indent:0em;} - -</style> - -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Miss Mephistopheles, by Fergus Hume - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Miss Mephistopheles - A Novel, (Sequel to Madame Midas.) - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: August 17, 2017 [EBook #55378] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS MEPHISTOPHELES *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by Web -Archive (Emory University) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Notes:<br> -1. Page scan source:<br> -https://archive.org/details/36180099.2240.emory.edu<br> -(Emory University)</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="center"><img src="images/frontcover.png" alt="front cover"></p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>MISS MEPHISTOPHELES.</h3> -<br> -<h4><i>A NOVEL</i>.<br> - -(SEQUEL TO MADAME MIDAS.)</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h5>BY</h5> -<h4>FERGUS HUME,</h4> - -<h5>AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "MADAME MIDAS," "THE -PICCADILLY PUZZLE," ETC.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h5><i>IN ONE VOLUME</i>.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><span style="font-size:smaller">LONDON</span>:<br> -F. V WHITE & CO.,<br> -31 SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND, W.C.</h4> -<hr class="W20"> -<h4>1890.</h4> - -<p class="center">[<i>All Rights reserved</i>.]</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<table cellpadding="10" style="width:90%; margin-left:5%; font-weight:bold"> -<colgroup><col style="width:20%; vertical-align:top; text-align:right"><col style="width:80%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left"></colgroup> -<tr> -<td colspan="2"><h3>CONTENTS</h3></td> -</tr><tr> -<td>CHAP.</td> -<td> </td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_01" href="#div1_01">I.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Faces in the Fire</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_02" href="#div1_02">II.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Keith meets with an Adventure</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_03" href="#div1_03">III.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Prince Carnival</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_04" href="#div1_04">IV.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Lazarus</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_05" href="#div1_05">V.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">A Woman's Appeal</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_06" href="#div1_06">VI.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Annoyance of Hiram J. Fenton</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_07" href="#div1_07">VII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Mirth and Laughter</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_08" href="#div1_08">VIII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">A Mysterious Affair</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_09" href="#div1_09">IX.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">An Unknown Benefactor</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_10" href="#div1_10">X.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Naball makes a Discovery</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_11" href="#div1_11">XI.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">What Naball overheard</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_12" href="#div1_12">XII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Naball tells a Story</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_13" href="#div1_13">XIII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Gossip of Clubs</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_14" href="#div1_14">XIV.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">A Struggle for Fame</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_15" href="#div1_15">XV.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Russell Street Crime</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_16" href="#div1_16">XVI.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Inquest</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_17" href="#div1_17">XVII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">A Council of Three</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_18" href="#div1_18">XVIII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Circumstantial Evidence</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_19" href="#div1_19">XIX.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">A Lovers' Meeting</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_20" href="#div1_20">XX.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Rivals</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_21" href="#div1_21">XXI.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">A First Night at the Bon-Bon</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_22" href="#div1_22">XXII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Eugénie <i>v</i>. Naball</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_23" href="#div1_23">XXIII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Cypher</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_24" href="#div1_24">XXIV.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">What Kitty knew</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_25" href="#div1_25">XXV.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">The Evidence of a Bank Note</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_26" href="#div1_26">XXVI.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">On The Track</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_27" href="#div1_27">XXVII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Meg proves Useful</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_28" href="#div1_28">XXVIII.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Malton makes a Discovery</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_29" href="#div1_29">XXIX.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Light at Last</span></td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_30" href="#div1_30">XXX.</a></td> -<td><span class="sc">Exit Kitty Marchurst</span></td> -</tr></table> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>MISS MEPHISTOPHELES.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_01" href="#div1Ref_01">CHAPTER I.</a></h4> -<h5>FACES IN THE FIRE.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">A wet Sunday--dreary, dismal, and infinitely sloppy. Even the bells -ringing the people into evening service seemed to feel the depressing -influence of the weather, and their brazen voices sounded hoarse and -grumbling, as if they rang under protest. Cold, too!--not a brisk -sharp frost--for here in Melbourne frost and snow are unknown; but a -persevering, insinuating, gnawing cold, just disagreeable enough to -make one shiver and shake with anxiety to get home to a bright fire -and dry clothes. Overhead a leaden-coloured sky, with great masses of -black clouds, from out whose sombre bosoms poured the steady rain, -splashing noisily on the shining roofs, and swelling the gutters in -the streets to miniature torrents.</p> - -<p>And then the wind,--a gusty, chilly wind,--that came along -unexpectedly, and drove the unwilling rain against the umbrellas of -struggling pedestrians, or else took a mean advantage of its power, -and turned their umbrellas inside out, with a shrill whistle of -triumph. The steady light streamed out from the painted church -windows, and the dull, blurred glare of the street lamps was reflected -in the wet pavements. Ugh! a night not fit for a dog to be out in, and -yet there were a good many people hurrying along to the church, in -answer to the clamorous voices of the bells.</p> - -<p>Some folk, however--wise in their generation--preferred staying at -home to sitting in church, with damp boots and a general sense of -stickiness about their clothes, and though possibly their souls -suffered from such an omission, their bodies were certainly more -comfortable. Among these godless people, who thus preferred comfort to -religion, were two young men occupying a room on a first floor, the -windows of which looked across to the church, now full of damp and -steaming worshippers.</p> - -<p>A room in a boarding-house--especially one where boarders only pay -twenty-five shillings a week--is not generally a very luxurious -apartment, and this special room was certainly no exception to the -rule. It was square, with a fairly lofty ceiling, and the walls were -covered with a dull red paper, which, being mellowed by time, had -assumed a somewhat rusty hue.</p> - -<p>It was rapidly growing dark outside, and there was no light in the -room, save that which came from a roaring coal fire blazing brightly -up the chimney, and illuminating the apartment in a curiously -fantastic manner. It sent out red shafts of light into dark corners, -as if to find out what was hidden there, and then being disappointed, -would sink back into a dull, sulky glow, only to fall into a chaotic -mass, and blaze merrily up once more.</p> - -<p>The apartment wherein the fire played these elfish tricks was -furnished comfortably, but the furniture had a somewhat dingy look. -The carpet was threadbare, except under the table, where there could -be traced some vestiges of its original pattern. A cottage piano was -pushed into a corner slanting ways, and beside it was a great untidy -pile of music. At one end of the room, a desk covered with papers, and -immediately above it a shelf containing a small array of well-worn -books. Near the desk stood an aggravatingly bright sideboard, whereon -were some glasses, a jug of water, and a half-empty bottle of whisky. -Four or five lounging chairs of wicker-work were scattered about, -covered with rugs of wallaby fur, whilst the walls and mantelpiece -were almost covered with photographs, mostly of women, but here and -there a male face, showing the well-known features of Beethoven, -Chopin, and other famous musicians.</p> - -<p>This somewhat incongruous apartment was a private sitting-room in an -East Melbourne boarding-house, and was at present in the occupation of -Ezra Lazarus, journalist. Ezra Lazarus himself was seated at the piano -playing snatches of music, while on the hearth-rug, smoking a pipe, -lay a man propped up on his elbow, with his head resting on his hand, -staring into the burning coals, and listening to his friend playing.</p> - -<p>Ezra Lazarus was a young man of medium height, with a slender figure, -a pale face, rather dreamy, dark eyes, and black hair and beard -carefully trimmed. He dressed neatly, and, in contrast to most of -his race, wore no jewellery. Why he had become a journalist no one -knew,--himself least of all,--as his tastes did not lie in the -direction of newspaper work, for having all the Hebraic love of music, -he was an accomplished pianist. As for the rest--staid in his -demeanour, soft-spoken in his language, and much given to solitary -wanderings. Yet he was no misanthrope, and those who knew him -intimately found him a most charming companion, full of quaint ideas -and bookish lore, but he was essentially a man of ideality, and shrank -from contact with the work-a-day world. For such a nature as this a -journalistic sphere was most unsuitable, and he felt it to be so, but -having drifted into such a position, he lacked the energy to extricate -himself from his uncongenial employment, and accepted his fate with -oriental apathy, recompensing himself in some measure by giving every -spare moment to the study of music.</p> - -<p>The man lying before the fire was the direct opposite of Ezra, both in -appearance and temperament. A tall, sinewy-figured young fellow of -six-and-twenty, with restless keen grey eyes under strongly-marked -eyebrows, and a sensitive mouth, almost hidden by a small fair -moustache. His nose was thin and straight, with delicately-cut -nostrils, and his head was well set on his broad shoulders, albeit he -had a trick of throwing it back which gave him a somewhat haughty -carriage. He had a fair complexion, with that reddish-brown hue which -comes from constantly living in the open air, and altogether looked -like a man addicted to sport rather than to study.</p> - -<p>This was Keith Stewart, who, having passed most of his life in -Gippsland, and in wandering about Australia generally, had a year -previously come down to Melbourne with the laudable intention of -devoting himself to literature. That he was poor might be surmised -from his shabby, well-brushed clothes, and his face constantly wore -that expression of watchfulness habitual to those who have to fight -the world in their youth and be on their guard against everyone.</p> - -<p>That two such dissimilar natures as these could find any reciprocity -appears strange, but curiously enough some undercurrent of sympathy -had drawn them together from the first time they met. Jew and Gentile, -musician and student, different nationalities, different trains of -thought, yet the mere fact that they could both live in an ideal world -of their own creation, heedless of the restless life which seethed -around, seemed to form a bond of concord between them, and their -mutual isolation drew them almost imperceptibly together.</p> - -<p>Keith had only been boarding in the house a week, consequently Ezra -knew nothing about his friend's life, beyond the fact that he was poor -and ambitious. As Stewart never volunteered any information about -himself, Ezra, with the delicacy of a sensitive nature, shrank from -forcing himself on his confidence. The inexhaustible subjects of books -and music, a walk by the banks of the Yarra, or an occasional visit to -the theatre, had been, so far, the limit of their social -companionship. Their inner selves were still unknown to each other. To -all, however, there comes a moment when the desire to unburden the -mind to a sympathetic nature is strong, and it was in such a moment -that Ezra Lazarus first learned the past life of Stewart.</p> - -<p>On this dreary Sunday night Ezra let his fingers wander over the -piano, vaguely following his thoughts, and the result was a queer -mingling of melodies--now a bizarre polonaise of Chopin, with its -fantastic blending of patriotic joy and despairing pain, then a rush -of stormy chords, preluding a Spanish dance, instinct with the amorous -languor and fierce passion of the south. Outside, the shrill wind -could be heard sweeping past, a sheet of rain would lash wildly -against the windows, and at intervals the musical thunder of the organ -sounded from the adjacent church.</p> - -<p>Keith smoked away steadily and listened drowsily to the pleasant -mingling of sounds, until Ezra began to play the Traviata music, with -its feverish brilliancy and undercurrent of sadness. Then he suddenly -started, clenched his hand, and taking his pipe from his mouth, heaved -an impatient sigh, upon hearing which, Lazarus stopped playing, and -turned slowly round.</p> - -<p>"A link of memory?" he said, in his soft voice, referring to the -music.</p> - -<p>Stewart replaced his pipe, blew a thick wreath of smoke, and sighed -again.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he replied, after a pause; "it recalls to me--a woman."</p> - -<p>Ezra laughed half sadly, half mockingly.</p> - -<p>"Always the Eternal feminine of George Sand."</p> - -<p>Keith sat up cross-legged in front of the fire and shrugged his -shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Don't be cynical old chap," he said, glancing round; "I'm sick of -hearing the incessant railing against women--good heavens! are we men -so pure ourselves, that we can afford to cast stones against the sex -to which our mothers and sisters belong."</p> - -<p>"I did not mean to be cynical," replied Ezra, clasping his hands round -one of his knees, "I only quoted Sand, because when a man is thinking, -it is generally--a woman.</p> - -<p>"Or a debt--or a crime--or a sorrow," interposed the other quickly; -"we can ring the changes on all of them."</p> - -<p>"Who is cynical now?" asked the Jew, with a smile.</p> - -<p>"Not I," denied Keith, emphatically, drawing hard at his pipe; "or if -I am, it is only that thin veneer of cynicism, under which we hide our -natural feelings now-a-days; but the music took me back to the time -when 'Plancus was consul'--exactly twelve months ago."</p> - -<p>"Bah! Plancus is consul still; don't be downhearted, my friend; you -are still in the pleasant city of Prague."</p> - -<p>"Pleasant? that is as it may be. I think it a very disagreeable city -without money. Bohemianism is charming in novels, but in real life it -is generally a hunt after what Murger calls that voracious animal, the -half-crown."</p> - -<p>"And after women!"</p> - -<p>"Ah, bah! Lais and Phryne; both charming, but slightly improper, not -to say expensive."</p> - -<p>"Take the other side of the shield," said the Jew gently.</p> - -<p>"Lucretia, and--and--by Jove, I can't recollect the name of any other -virtuous woman."</p> - -<p>"Who is the lady of the music?"</p> - -<p>"My affianced wife," retorted Stewart curtly.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said Ezra thoughtfully, "then we have a feeling in common, I am -also engaged."</p> - -<p>Stewart laughed gaily.</p> - -<p>"And we both think our lady-loves perfect," he said lightly. -"'Dulcinea is the fairest woman in the world,'--poor Don Quixote."</p> - -<p>"Mine is to me," said Ezra emphatically.</p> - -<p>"Of course," answered Stewart, with a smile. "I can picture her, tall, -dark, and stately, an imperial daughter of Judah, with the beauty of -Bathsheba and the majesty of Esther."</p> - -<p>"Entirely wrong," replied Lazarus dryly, "she is neither tall, dark, -nor stately, but--"</p> - -<p>"The exact opposite--I take your meaning," said Keith composedly; -"well, my Dulcinea is like the sketch I have given--beautiful, clever, -poor, and--a governess."</p> - -<p>"And you haven't seen her for a year?"</p> - -<p>"No--a whole twelvemonth--she is up Sandhurst way trying to hammer -dates and the rule of three into the thick heads of five small brats, -and I--well I'm an unsuccessful literary man, doing what is vulgarly -known as 'a perish.'"</p> - -<p>"What made you take up writing?" asked Lazarus.</p> - -<p>"What made me take up writing?" repeated Stewart, staring vaguely into -the fire. "Lord knows--destiny, I suppose--I've had a queer sort of -life altogether. I was born of poor but honest parents, quite the -orthodox style of thing, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>"Are your parents alive?"</p> - -<p>"Dead!" laconically.</p> - -<p>There was a pause of a few moments, during which time Keith was -evidently deep in thought.</p> - -<p>"According to Sir Walter Scott," he observed at length, "every -Scotchman has a pedigree. I've got one as long as the tail of a kite, -only not so useful. I'd sell all my ancestors, as readily as Charles -Surface did his, for a few pounds. My people claim to be connected -with the royal Stewarts."</p> - -<p>"Your name is spelt differently."</p> - -<p>"It's spelt correctly," retorted Keith coolly, "in the good old -Scottish fashion; as for the other, it's the French method -acclimatised by Mary Stuart when she married the Dauphin of France."</p> - -<p>"Well, now I know your pedigree, what is the story of your life?"</p> - -<p>"My life?--oh! I'm like Canning's knife-grinder. 'Story, I've got none -to tell.' My father and mother found royal descent was not bread and -butter, so they sold the paternal acres and came out to Australia, -where I was born. The gold fever was raging then, but I suppose they -inherited the bad luck of the Stewarts, for they did not make a penny; -then they started a farm in Gippsland and ruined themselves. My father -died of a broken heart, and my mother soon followed, so I was left an -orphan with next to nothing. I wandered all over Australia, and did -anything that turned up. Suppressing the family pride, I took a -situation in a Sandhurst store, kept by a man called Proggins, and -there I met Eugénie Rainsford, who, as I told you, taught the juvenile -Progginses. I had a desultory sort of education from my father, and -having read a good deal, I determined to take to literature, inspired, -I suppose, by the poetic melancholy of the Australian bush. I wrote -poetry with the usual success; I then went on the stage, and found I -wasn't a heaven-born genius by any means, so I became a member of the -staff of a small country paper, wrote brilliant articles about the -weather and crops, varied by paste-and-scissors' work. Burned the -midnight oil, and wrote some articles, which were accepted in -Melbourne, so, with the usual prudence of genius, I threw up my billet -and came down here to set the Thames, or rather the Yarra, on fire. -Needless to remark, I didn't succeed or I shouldn't be here, so there -is my history in a nutshell."</p> - -<p>"And Miss Rainsford?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I engaged myself to her before I left Sandhurst," said Keith, his -face growing tender, "bless her--the letters she has written me have -been my bulwark against despair--ah! what a poor devil a man is in -this world without a good woman's love to comfort him."</p> - -<p>"Are you doing anything now?" said Ezra thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Nothing. I'm leading a hand-to-mouth, here-to-day-gone-to-morrow -existence. I'm a vagabond on the face of the earth, a modern Cain, -Bonnie Prince Charlie in exile--the infernal luck of my royal -ancestors still sticks to me, but, ah, bah!" shrugging his shoulders, -"don't let's talk any more, old chap, we can resume the subject -to-morrow, meanwhile play me something. I'm in a poetic mood, and -would like to build castles in the air."</p> - -<p>Ezra laughed, and, turning to the piano, began to play one of -Henselt's morceaux, a pathetic, dreamy melody, which came stealing -softly through the room, and filled the soul of the young man with -vague yearnings.</p> - -<p>Staring idly into the heart of the burning coals, he saw amid the -bluish flames and red glimmer of the fire a vision of the dear dead -days of long ago--shadows appeared, the shadows of last year.</p> - -<p>A glowing sunset, bathing a wide plain in delicate crimson hues; a -white gate leading to a garden bright with flowers, and over the gate -the shadow of a beautiful woman stood talking to the shadow of a -man--himself. Mnenosyne--saddest of deities--waved her wand, and the -shadows talked.</p> - -<p>"And when will you come back, Keith?" asked the girl shadow.</p> - -<p>"When I am a great man," replied the other shadow proudly. "I am -riding forth like Poe's knight in search of El Dorado."</p> - -<p>"El Dorado is far away," returned the sweet voice of the girl; "it is -the Holy Grail of wealth, and can never be discovered."</p> - -<p>"I will find it," replied the man shadow hopefully. "Meanwhile, you -will wait and hope."</p> - -<p>"I will wait and hope," replied the girl, smiling sadly; and the -shadows parted.</p> - -<p>The rain beat steadily against the panes, the soft music stole through -the room, and Stewart, with idle gaze, stared into the burning heart -of the fire, as if he expected to find there the El Dorado of his -dreams.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_02" href="#div1Ref_02">CHAPTER II.</a></h4> - -<h5>KEITH MEETS WITH AN ADVENTURE.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">After a storm comes a calm; so next morning the sun was shining -brightly in the blue sky, and the earth had that clean, wholesome -appearance always to be seen after heavy rains. The high wind had -dried the streets, the drenched foliage of the trees in the Fitzroy -Gardens looked fresh and green, and there was a slight chilliness in -the atmosphere which was highly invigorating. Indeed, it was like a -spring morning, mildly inspiriting; whilst all around there seemed to -be a pleasant sense of new-born gladness quickening both animal and -vegetable life.</p> - -<p>After breakfast, Ezra, who was going to the office of <i>The Penny -Whistle</i>. the paper for which he worked, asked Keith to walk into town -with him, and, as the young man had nothing particular to do, he -gladly assented. They strolled slowly through the gardens, admiring -the glistening green of the trees, the white statues sharply -accentuated against their emerald back-ground, and the vivid dashes of -bright colour given by the few flowers then in bloom.</p> - -<p>Stewart appeared to have quite recovered from his megrims of the -previous night, and strolled gaily along, every now and then inhaling -a long breath of the keen air. Ezra, who was watching him closely, saw -from his actions his intense appreciation of his surroundings, and was -satisfied that the young man possessed in a high degree that poetical -instinct which has such an affinity with the joyousness or gloom of -Nature.</p> - -<p>"Ah! this is a morning when it is good to live," said Keith brightly. -"I always envied the satyrs and dryades of heathendom, with their -intense animal enjoyment of Nature--not sensuality, but exuberant -capability of enjoying a simple life."</p> - -<p>"Like that with which Hawthorn endowed Donatallo?" suggested Ezra.</p> - -<p>"Poor Donatallo!" said Stewart, with a sigh; "he is a delightful -illustration of the proverb, 'Where ignorance is bliss'--he was happy -till he loved--so was Undine till she obtained a soul."</p> - -<p>"You seem to have read a great deal?" observed Lazarus, looking at -him.</p> - -<p>"Oh, faith; my reading has been somewhat desultory," replied Stewart -carelessly. "All is fish that comes to my net, and the result is a -queer jumble of information; but let us leave this pleasant gossiping, -and come down to this matter-of-fact world. How do you think I can -better my position?"</p> - -<p>"I hardly know as yet," replied the Jew, thoughtfully caressing his -beard; "but if you want immediate work, I can put you in the way of -obtaining employment."</p> - -<p>"Literary work?"</p> - -<p>"Unfortunately no--a clerkship in a--a--well, an office."</p> - -<p>"Ugh! I hate the idea of being cribbed and confined in an office; it's -such an artificial existence. However, beggars can't be choosers, so -tell me all about it."</p> - -<p>"My father wants a clerk," said Ezra deliberately, "and if I -recommended you I think you could get the position."</p> - -<p>"Humph! And what is your father's occupation?"</p> - -<p>"Not a very aristocratic one,--a pawnbroker."</p> - -<p>Keith stopped short, and looked at his companion in surprise.</p> - -<p>"I can't imagine you being the son of a pawnbroker," he said in a -puzzled tone.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" asked Ezra serenely. "I must be the son of some one."</p> - -<p>"Yes; but a pawnbroker, it's so horribly un-poetical. Your father -ought to have been a man of letters--of vague speculations and -abstruse theories--a modern Rabbi Judah holding disputations about the -Talmud."</p> - -<p>Lazarus shrugged his shoulders, and walked slowly onward, followed by -his companion.</p> - -<p>"My dear lad, the days of Maimonides are past, and we are essentially -a money-making race. The curse which Jehovah pronounced on the Jews -was the same as that of Midas--they turn everything they touch into -gold."</p> - -<p>"A pleasant enough punishment."</p> - -<p>"Midas did not find it so; but to resume--my father, Jacob Lazarus, -has his shop in Russell Street, so I will speak to him to-day, and if -he is agreeable, I will take you with me to-morrow. I've no doubt -you'll get the billet, but the wages will be small."</p> - -<p>"At all events, they will keep body and soul together till I find my -El Dorado."</p> - -<p>"You refer to literary fame, I suppose. How did you first take to -writing?"</p> - -<p>"I think you asked me that question last night," said Keith, smiling, -"and I told you I couldn't explain. Like Pope, I lisped in numbers, -and the numbers came. I've no doubt they were sufficiently bad. I'm -sure I don't know why all authors begin with verse; perhaps it's -because rhymes are so easy--fountain suggests mountain, and dove is -invariably followed by love."</p> - -<p>"Have you had any articles accepted since your arrival in Melbourne?"</p> - -<p>"One or two, but generally speaking, no one acknowledges that a -possible Shakespeare or Dickens is embodied in me. I've sent plays to -managers, which have been declined on the plea that all plays come -from London. I have seen editors, and have been told there was no room -on the press--publishers have seen me, and pointed out that a colonial -novel means ruination--encouraging for the future brainworkers of -Australia, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>"We must all serve our apprenticeship," answered Lazarus quietly. "The -longest lane has a turning."</p> - -<p>"No doubt; but my particular lane seems devilish long."</p> - -<p>Ezra laughed, and they walked down Collins Street, watching the crowd -of people hurrying along to business, the cabs darting here and there, -and the cable tramcars sliding smoothly along. Pausing a moment near -the Scotch Church, they heard a street organ playing a bright melody.</p> - -<p>"What tune is that?" asked Keith, as they resumed their walk. "Sounds -awfully pretty."</p> - -<p>"Song from 'Prince Carnival,'" replied Ezra, referring to an opera -then running at the Bon-Bon Theatre. "Caprice sings it."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Caprice. I'd like to see that opera," said Keith. "You might take -me to the theatre to-night to see it."</p> - -<p>"Very well," assented Ezra. "You will like Caprice--she is very -charming."</p> - -<p>"And if rumour speaks truly, very wicked."</p> - -<p>"Added to which, she is the best-hearted woman in the world," finished -the Jew dryly.</p> - -<p>"What a contradiction," laughed Stewart.</p> - -<p>"Women are always contradictory--'tis a privilege of the sex."</p> - -<p>"And one they take full advantage of."</p> - -<p>This airy badinage came to an end somewhat abruptly, for just as they -arrived near the Victoria Coffee Palace, they were startled by the -shriek of a woman.</p> - -<p>On the other side of the street a gaudily-dressed girl was crying and -wringing her hands, while a child of about seven years of age was -standing paralysed with fear directly in the way of a tram-car that -came rushing down the incline. The two men stood horror-struck at what -seemed to be the inevitable death of the child, for, though the driver -put on the brakes, the speed was too great, and destruction appeared -inevitable. Suddenly Keith seemed to recover the use of his limbs, -and, with a sudden spring, bounded forward and tore the child off the -fatal track, himself falling together with the child to the ground. He -was not a moment too soon, for hardly had he fallen before the car at -a slower speed rolled past, and ultimately came to a standstill at the -foot of the incline.</p> - -<p>Stewart arose to his feet considerably shaken, his clothes torn and -covered with mud, and a painful feeling in the arm, on which he had -fallen. Ezra crossed over to him, and the rescued child was standing -on the footpath in the grasp of the gaudily-dressed girl who spoke -volubly, regardless of the crowd of people standing by.</p> - -<p>The conductor of the car came to inquire into the affair, and having -found that no one was hurt, retired, and the tram was soon sliding -down the street. The crowd dispersed gradually, until only the child, -Ezra, Keith, and the shrill-voiced girl were left.</p> - -<p>"Oh! gracious, good 'eavens!" said this young lady, who appeared to be -a nursemaid, and spoke rapidly, without any stops; "to think as you -should have bin nearly squashed by that ingine, and all comin' of -runnin' out into the road, an' taking no notice of me as was postin' a -letter in the pillar-box, not seeing anythin', thro' want of eyes at -the back of me 'ead."</p> - -<p>The child, a quaint, thin-faced little girl, with dark eyes and -glorious reddish-coloured hair, took no notice of this outburst, but -pulled Keith's coat to attract his attention.</p> - -<p>"Thank you, man," she said, in a thin, reedy voice; "I will tell -mumsey, and she will say nice things to you, and I will give you a -kiss."</p> - -<p>Keith was touched in his soft heart by this naïve appeal, and, bending -down, kissed the pale little face presented to him, much to the alarm -of the nursemaid, who lifted up her hands in horror.</p> - -<p>"Oh! gracious, good 'eavens!" she piped shrilly, "as to what your mar -will say, Miss Megs, I don't know, a-kissin' strange gents in the -h'open street; not but what he don't deserve it, a-dragin' you from -under the ingine, as oughtn't to be let run to spile--"</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, Bliggings," said Ezra sharply; "you ought to look -more carefully after Meg, or she'll be killed some day."</p> - -<p>"Oh! gracious and good 'eavens!" cried Bliggings sniffing, "if it -ain't Mr. Lazarhouse; and, beggin' your pardon, sir, it ain't my -fault, as is well known to you as children will 'ookit unbeknown't to -the most wary."</p> - -<p>"There, there," said Lazarus, bending down to kiss Meg; "least said, -soonest mended; thanks to my friend here, it's no worse."</p> - -<p>"Which he ought to git a meddler," asserted Miss Bliggings, on whose -feminine heart Keith's handsome face had made an impression. "But, -gracious and good 'eavens, they only gives 'em for drowndin', though I -never lets Miss Megs go near water, ingines bein' unexpected in their -actions, and not to be counted on in their movin's."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, Meg," said Lazarus, cutting short Bliggings in despair. -"Tell your mamma I'll call and see her about this."</p> - -<p>"And bring the man," said Meg, glancing at Keith.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and bring the man," repeated Ezra, upon which Meg, being -satisfied, made a quaint-like curtsey to both men, and was going away, -when she suddenly came back, and pulling Keith's coat till he bent -down, put her arms round his neck and kissed him.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey will be nice," she murmured, and then trotted quietly off with -Bliggings, who kept expressing her opinion that, "Oh! gracious, good -'eavens! she was red up to her eyes at such conduct," a somewhat -unnecessary assertion, seeing her complexion was permanently the -colour of beetroot.</p> - -<p>"Come into Lane's Hotel and have a glass of brandy," said Ezra, when -Meg and her attendant had disappeared; "you need it after the shaking -you have had."</p> - -<p>"What is the child's name?" asked Keith, as he went into the bar. "You -seem to know her."</p> - -<p>Ezra laughed softly, and ordered a glass of brandy for his friend.</p> - -<p>"A curious way Fate has of working," he said, rather irrelevantly. -"She has played into your hands to-day, for that child is Kitty -Marchurst's, better known as 'Caprice.'"</p> - -<p>"I didn't know she had a child," said Keith. "Who is the father? Is -she married?"</p> - -<p>"No, she is not married. As to the father, it's a long story; I'll -tell you all about it some day. Meanwhile, you have done her a service -she will never forget."</p> - -<p>"Much good it will be to me," said Keith disbelievingly</p> - -<p>"You've exactly hit it," replied Ezra composedly. "She can do you a -great deal of good, seeing that she is the reigning favourite of the -stage at present. I will introduce you to her to-night, and then--"</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>Ezra shrugged his shoulders, and replied slowly,--</p> - -<p>"The best friend an ambitious man can have is a clever woman; a wiser -man than I made that remark."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_03" href="#div1Ref_03">CHAPTER III.</a></h4> - -<h5>PRINCE CARNIVAL.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">The "Bon-Bon" was the smallest, prettiest, and most luxurious theatre -in Melbourne, and was exclusively devoted to farcical comedy, -burlesque, and opera-bouffe, the latter class of entertainment being -now the attraction. There was no pit, the circle and boxes being -raised but little above the level of the stalls. The decorations -were pink, white, and gold, the seats being covered with pale, -rose-coloured plush, with curtains and hangings to match, while the -electric lights, shining through pink globes, gave quite a warm glow -to the theatre. The dome was decorated with allegorical figures -representing Momus, the God of laughter, and Apollo, the God of music, -while all round the walls were exquisitely-painted medallions of -scenes from celebrated operas and burlesques. The proscenium was a -broad frame of dullish gold, the curtain of roseate plush, and on -either side of the stage were life-size statues of Offenbach and -Planché in white marble. Altogether, a charming theatre, more like a -cosy drawing-room than a place of public entertainment.</p> - -<p>At the entrance was a high flight of white marble stairs, leading -to a wide corridor, the walls of which were hidden by enormous -mirrors, and at intervals stood white marble statues of the Greek -divinities, holding aloft electric lights. On the one side was the -smoking-room,--a luxurious lounge,--and on the other a refreshment -bar, all glass and glitter, which was crowded between the acts by the -thirsty patrons of the play.</p> - -<p>Ezra and Keith arrived about nine o'clock, just as the first act of -"Prince Carnival" was over, and finding the <i>salon</i> tolerably full, -Lazarus sat down near one of the small, marble-topped tables, and -lighting his cigarette, proceeded to point out to Keith all the -notabilities present.</p> - -<p>The first to whom he called Stewart's attention was a group of three. -One, a tall, portly-looking man, with a red, clean-shaven face and -black hair, was irreproachably attired in evening dress, and chatted -to a fair-haired youth with a supercilious smile, and a short, -bald-headed old gentleman.</p> - -<p>"You see those three?" said Ezra, indicating the group. "The dark man -of the ponderous Samuel Johnson type is Ted Mortimer, the lessee of -the theatre; the idiot with the eyeglass is Lord Santon, who has come -out from London to see us barbarians, and the apoplectic party with -the bald head is no less a personage than Mr. Columbus Wilks, the -great globe-trotter, who is going to write a book about Australia and -New Zealand."</p> - -<p>"That will take him some time," observed Keith, with a smile.</p> - -<p>"Not at all," said Lazarus coolly. "He will run through the whole of -Australasia in a few weeks, be the guest of the governors of the -different colonies, and then give his impressions of our government, -politics, trade, amusements, and scenery in a series of brilliant -articles, whose truth and accuracy will be quite in accordance with -the time which he has taken to collect his materials."</p> - -<p>"But he cannot judge of things so rapidly."</p> - -<p>"Of course not; but he will view everything through the rose-coloured -spectacles of champagne and adulation, so his book will depict our -land as a kind of nineteenth-century Utopia."</p> - -<p>"And Lord Santon?"</p> - -<p>"An hereditary legislator, who is being <i>fêted</i> for his title, and -will go back to his ancestral halls with the firm conviction that we -are a kind-hearted race of--savages."</p> - -<p>"You are severe," said Keith, in an amused tone; "you ought to give a -lecture, entitled 'Men I have noticed;' it would certainly draw."</p> - -<p>"Yes, all the women, not the men; they don't care for hearing remarks -about themselves; but there is the bell for the rising of the curtain, -so we had better go to our seats."</p> - -<p>They left the now empty salon, and went into the dress circle, which -holds the same rank in the colonies as the stalls do in the London -theatres. Though the house was crowded, they succeeded in getting -excellent seats, being, in fact, those always reserved for the critics -of <i>The Penny Whistle</i>. The orchestra played a lively waltz, to which -the gods in the gallery kept time, and then the curtain drew up on a -charming scene, representing a square in Rome.</p> - -<p>"Prince Carnival" was one of those frivolous French operas with a -slightly naughty plot, witty dialogue, brilliant music, and plenty of -opportunity for gay dresses and picturesque scenery. The principals -and chorus consisted mostly of girls, with just a sprinkling of men, -so that their deeper voices might balance the shrillness of those of -the women. Of the plot, the least said the better, as it was merely a -string of intrigues, connected by piquant couplets and sparkling -choruses, with occasional ballets intervening.</p> - -<p>As far as Keith could gather, it had something to do with the -adventures of the quack Cagliostra in Rome, who was the comic man of -the play, and figured in various disguises, the most successful being -that of a prominent politician. Cagliostra tries to gain the -affections of a young girl beloved by a mountebank called Prince -Carnival, who thwarts him all through the play. The second act was the -carnival at Rome, and a crowd of masquers were singing a riotous -chorus and pelting one another with flowers. Suddenly, during a lull -in this fantastic medley, a high, clear voice was heard executing a -brilliant shake, and immediately afterwards Caprice bounded gaily on -to the stage, singing a melodious waltz song, to which the masquers -moved in measured time.</p> - -<p>She was dressed in a harlequin costume, a mask on her face, a fool's -baton in her hand, and innumerable silver bells hanging from her cap -and dress, which jingled incessantly as she danced. But what attracted -Keith's attention were the diamonds she wore--several stars and a -necklace. She seemed one splendid blaze of jewels, and his eyes ached -watching their flash and glitter during the rapid gyrations of her -restless figure.</p> - -<p>"Are those paste jewels?" he asked Ezra, in a whisper.</p> - -<p>"Paste!" echoed that young man, with a soft, satirical laugh. "Caprice -wear paste jewels! Ask the men she's ruined where all their thousands -went---where all their lands, horses, shares, salaries, disappeared -to! Paste! Bah! my dear fellow, you don't know the number of ruined -homes and broken hearts those diamonds represent."</p> - -<p>The act proceeded; the dialogue scintillating with wit, and the -choruses becoming more riotous. Intrigue followed after intrigue, and -situation after situation, in all of which Caprice was the central -figure, until the climax was reached, in a wild bizarre chorus, in -which she danced a vigorous cancan with Cagliostra, and finished by -bounding on his shoulders to form the tableau as the curtain fell, -amid the enthusiastic applause of the audience.</p> - -<p>Ezra and Stewart went out into the smoking-room to light their -cigarettes, and heard on all sides eulogies of Caprice.</p> - -<p>"She'd make her fortune on the London stage," said Santon to Mortimer. -"Got such a lot of the devil in her--eh?--by Jove! Why the deuce don't -she show in town?"</p> - -<p>"Aha!" replied Mortimer shrewdly, "I'm not going to let her go if I -can help it. Don't tempt away my only ewe lamb, when you've got so -many flocks of your own."</p> - -<p>"She doesn't look much like a lamb," said Columbus Wilks dryly.</p> - -<p>"Then she doesn't belie her looks," retorted Mortimer coolly. "My dear -sir, she's got the temper of a fiend, but she's such a favourite, that -I put up with her tantrums for the sake of the cash."</p> - -<p>While this conversation was going on, Ezra and his friend were smoking -quietly in a corner of the room chatting about the opera, when the Jew -suddenly drew Keith's attention to a tall man talking to a friend in a -confidential manner. He had a thin, sharp-looking face, keen blue -eyes, and fair hair and beard.</p> - -<p>"That gentleman," said Lazarus, "could probably tell you something -about those diamonds, he is an American called Hiram Jackson Fenton, -manager of the 'Never-say-die Life Insurance Company.' Rumour--which -is true in this case, contrary to its usual custom--says he is -Caprice's latest fancy."</p> - -<p>"He must have a lot of money to satisfy her whims," said Keith, -looking at the American.</p> - -<p>"Money!" Ezra shrugged his shoulders. "He hasn't much actual cash, for -he lives far above his income. However, with a little judicious -dabbling in the share market, and an occasional help from the children -of Israel, he manages to get along all right. Our friend Caprice will -ruin him shortly, and then he'll return to the Great Republic, I -presume--good riddance of bad rubbish for Australia."</p> - -<p>"And who is that colourless-looking little man who has just come up?"</p> - -<p>"He is rather washed out, isn't he?" said Ezra critically. "That is -his assistant manager, Evan Malton. For some inexplicable reason they -are inseparable."</p> - -<p>"Oh, and is Mr. Malton also smitten with Caprice."</p> - -<p>"Very badly--more shame to him, as he's only been married for twelve -months--he neglects his young wife, and dances attendance at the heels -of his divinity."</p> - -<p>"Doesn't Hiram J--what's his name, object?"</p> - -<p>"Not at all. You see they're both mixed up in speculation, and work -together for their mutual benefit. Malton is the Lazarus--I don't mean -myself--who picks up the crumbs of love that fall from Mr. Dives -Fenton's table."</p> - -<p>"It can't last long," said Keith in disgust.</p> - -<p>"It will last till Malton gets rid of Fenton, or Fenton gets the -better of Malton--then there'll be a row, and the weakest will go to -the wall. Tell me, whom do you think will win?"</p> - -<p>"I should say Fenton," replied Keith, glancing from the effeminate -countenance of Malton to the shrewd, powerful face of the American.</p> - -<p>"Exactly; he is, I fancy, the stronger villain of the two."</p> - -<p>"Villain?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I call any man a villain who neglects his wife for the sake of a -light-o'-love. As for Fenton, he is the most unscrupulous man I know."</p> - -<p>"You seem to be pretty well acquainted with the scandal of Melbourne -society," said Stewart as they went back to their seats.</p> - -<p>"Of course, it is my duty; the press is ubiquitous. But tell me your -opinion of Caprice?"</p> - -<p>"Judging by her acting to-night, she's a devil."</p> - -<p>"Wait till the end of this act, and you'll swear she's an angel."</p> - -<p>"Which will be correct?"</p> - -<p>"Both--she's a mixture!"</p> - -<p>The curtain again drew up, amid the shuffling of the audience -settling themselves in their places, and represented a <i>fête</i> in the -gardens of Cagliostra's palace, brilliant with coloured lights and -fantastically-dressed people. According to the story, Cagliostra has -obtained possession of his prize, and woos her successfully, when -Prince Carnival enters and sings a ballad, "So Long Ago," in the hope -of touching the heart of his false love.</p> - -<p>Caprice, dressed in a tight-fitting costume of silk and velvet, which -showed off her beautiful figure to perfection, stood in the centre of -the stage with a sad smile, and sang the waltz-refrain of the song -with great feeling.</p> -<div style="margin-left:10%"> -<p style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; text-indent:-12px"> -"For it was long ago, love,<br> -That time of joy and woe, love!<br> -Yet still that heart of thine<br> -Is mine, dear love, is mine!"</p> -</div> -<br> -<p>She gave to the jingling words a touch of pathos which was exquisitely -beautiful.</p> - -<p>"I believe she feels what she sings," whispered Keith.</p> - -<p>"If you knew her story you would scarcely wonder at that," said Ezra -bitterly.</p> - -<p>The song was redemanded, but Caprice refused to respond, and, the -clamour still continuing, she shrugged her shoulders and walked coolly -up the stage.</p> - -<p>"She's in a temper to-night," said Mortimer to Santon. "They can -applaud till they're black in the face, but devil an answer they'll -get from her, the jade! She isn't called Caprice for nothing."</p> - -<p>And so it happened, for the audience, finding she would not gratify -them, subsided into a sulky silence, and Caprice went coolly on with -the dialogue. Cagliostra, repentant, surrenders the girl to Prince -Carnival, and the opera ended with a repetition of the galop chorus, -wherein Keith saw the sad-eyed woman of a few moments before once more -a mocking jibing fiend, dancing and singing with a reckless <i>abandon</i> -that half-fascinated and half-disgusted him.</p> - -<p>"What a contradiction," said Keith, as they left the theatre; "one -moment all tears, the next all laughter!"</p> - -<p>"With a spice of the devil in both," replied Ezra cynically. "She is -the Sphinx woman of Heine--her lips caress while her claws wound."</p> - -<p>They had a drink and a smoke together, after which they went round to -the stage-door, as Ezra, in pursuance of improving Keith's fortunes, -was anxious to introduce him to Caprice. Lazarus appeared to be -well-known to the door-keeper, for, after a few words with him, they -were admitted to the mysterious region behind the scenes. Caprice, -wrapped up in a heavy fur cloak, was standing on the stage talking to -Fenton. All around was comparatively quiet, as the scene-shifters -having ended their duties for the night had left the theatre. Stewart -could hardly believe that the little golden-haired woman he saw before -him was the brilliant being of the previous hour, she looked so pale -and weary. But soon another side of her versatile nature showed -itself, for Fenton, saying something to displease her, she rebuked him -sharply, and turned her back on the discomfited American. In doing so -she caught sight of Lazarus, and ran quickly towards him with -outstretched hand.</p> - -<p>"My dear Mr. Lazarus," she said rapidly, "I'm so glad to see you! Meg -told me all about her accident to-day, and how narrowly she escaped -death. Good God, if I had lost her! But the gentleman who saved -her--where is he?"</p> - -<p>"He is here," said Lazarus, indicating Keith, who stood blushing and -confused before this divinity of the stage.</p> - -<p>In another moment, with a sudden impulse, she was by his side, holding -his two hands in her own.</p> - -<p>"You have done what I can never repay," she said rapidly, in a low -voice. "Saved my child's life, and you will not find me ungrateful. -Words are idle, but if actions can prove gratitude, you may command -me."</p> - -<p>"I hope the young lady is all right," stammered Keith, as she dropped -his hands.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes; rather shaken, but quite well," answered Caprice, in a -relieved tone. "Dear me, how careless I am; let me introduce you to -these gentlemen--Mr. Fenton, Mr. Malton, and last, but not least, Mr. -Mortimer."</p> - -<p>The three gentlemen bowed coldly, Fenton in particular, eyeing Keith -in a supercilious manner, which made him blush with rage, as he -thought it was owing to his shabby clothes.</p> - -<p>"Is my carriage there?" said Caprice, in reply to a speech of -Malton's. "Oh, then, I may as well go. Good-night, everybody. Mr. -Stewart, will you give me your arm?" and she walked off with the -delighted Keith, leaving Fenton and Malton transfixed with rage, while -Mortimer and Ezra looked on chuckling.</p> - -<p>Caprice talked brightly to her new friend till he placed her in her -brougham, then suddenly became grave.</p> - -<p>"Come down and have supper with me on Sunday fortnight," she said, -leaning out of the window. "Mr. Lazarus will be your guide. Good-bye -at present," giving him her gloved hand. "God bless you for saving my -child."</p> - -<p>The carriage drove off, but not before Keith had seen that tears were -falling down her face, whereat he marvelled at this strange nature, -and stood looking after the carriage.</p> - -<p>"She's not as bad as they say," he said aloud.</p> - -<p>Ezra, who was just behind him, laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>"I knew you'd say she was an angel."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_04" href="#div1Ref_04">CHAPTER IV.</a></h4> -<h5>LAZARUS.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">It was a very little shop of squat appearance, as if the upper storey -had gradually crushed down the lower. Three gilt balls dangling in -mid-air over the wide door indicated the calling of the owner, and, in -order that there should be no mistake, the dusty, rain-streaked -windows displayed the legend, "Lazarus, Pawnbroker," in blistered -golden letters. There were three windows in the upper storey, and -these being innocent of blinds or curtains, with the addition of one -or two panes being broken, gave the top of the house a somewhat -dismantled look. The lower windows, however, made up for the blankness -of the upper ones, being full of marvels, and behind their dingy glass -could be seen innumerable articles, representing the battered wrecks -of former prosperity.</p> - -<p>Gold and silver watches, with little parchment labels attached, -setting forth their value, displayed themselves in a tempting row, and -their chains were gracefully festooned between them, intermixed with -strings of red coral, old-fashioned lockets, and bracelets of jet and -amber. Worn-out silver teapots were placed dismally at the back in -company with cracked cups and saucers of apparently rare old Worcester -and Sêvres china. Dingy velvet trays, containing innumerable coins and -medals of every description, antique jewellery of a mode long since -out of date, were incongruously mingled with revolvers, guns, spoons, -cruets, and japanned trays, decorated with sprawling golden dragons; -richly-chased Indian daggers, tarnished silver mugs, in company with -deadly-looking American bowie knives; bank-notes of long since -insolvent banks were displayed as curiosities, while a child's rattle -lay next to a Book of Beauty, from out whose pages looked forth -simpering faces of the time of D'Orsay and Lady Blessington. And over -all this queer heterogeneous mixture the dust lay thick and grey, as -if trying for very pity to hide these remnants of past splendours and -ruined lives.</p> - -<p>The shop was broad, low-roofed, and shallow, with a choky -atmosphere of dust, through which the golden sunlight slanted in -heavy, solid-looking beams. On the one side there was a row of little -partitions like bathing-boxes, designed to secure secrecy to those who -transacted business with Mr. Lazarus, and, on the other, long rows of -old clothes were hanging up against the wall, looking like the -phantoms of their former owners. At the back, a door, covered with -faded green baize, and decorated with brass-headed nails, gave -admittance to the private office of the presiding genius of the place. -The whole appearance of the shop was gloomy in the extreme, and the -floor, being covered with boxes and bundles, with a little clearing -here and there, it was naturally rather embarrassing to strangers -(especially as the bright sunlight outside prevented them seeing an -inch before their noses) when they first entered the dismal den -wherein Mr. Lazarus sat like a spider waiting for unwary flies.</p> - -<p>In one of the bathing machines aforesaid, a large red-faced woman, -with a gruff voice and a strong odour of gin, was trying to conclude a -bargain with a small, white-faced Jewish youth whose black beady eyes -were scornfully examining a dilapidated teapot, which the gruff lady -asserted was silver, and which the Jewish youth emphatically declared -was not. The gruff female, who answered to the name of Tibsey, grew -wrathful at this opposition, and prepared to do battle.</p> - -<p>"Old 'uns knows more nor youngers," she growled in an angry tone. -"'Tain't by the sauce of babes and sucklers as I'm goin' to be -teached."</p> - -<p>"'Old your row," squeaked Isaiah, that being the shrill boy's name. -"Five bob, and dear at that."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Tibsey snorted, and her garments--a tartan shawl and a brown -wincey--shook with wrath.</p> - -<p>"Lor a mussy, 'ear the brat," she said, lifting up her fat hands; -"why, five poun' wouldn't buy it noo; don't be 'ard on me, my -lovey--me as 'ave popped everythink with you, includin' four silver -spoons, a kittle, a girdiron, an' a coal-scuttle; don't be 'ard, -ducky; say ten an' a tizy."</p> - -<p>"Five bob," returned the immovable Isaiah.</p> - -<p>"You Jewesis is the cuss of hus hall," cried Mrs. Tibsey, whacking the -counter with a woefully ragged umbrella. "You cheats an' you swindles -like wipers, an' I 'ates the sight of your 'ook noses, I do."</p> - -<p>"You'll 'ave the boss out," said Isaiah, in a high voice, like a steam -whistle, to which Mrs. Tibsey replied in a rolling bass, a duet which -grew wilder and wilder till the sudden opening of the green baize door -reduced them both to silence.</p> - -<p>An old man appeared--such a little old man--very much bent, and -dressed in a greasy old ulster which covered him right down to his -ragged carpet slippers. He had white hair and beard, piercing black -eyes under shaggy white eyebrows, sharply-cut features, and a -complexion like dirty parchment, seared all over with innumerable -lines.</p> - -<p>"You again?" he said, in a feeble Jewish voice. "Oh, you -devil!--you--you--" here a fit of coughing seized him, and he -contented himself with glaring at Mrs. Tibsey, upon which he was -immediately confronted by that indomitable female, who seized the -teapot and shook it in his face.</p> - -<p>"Five bob!" she shrieked; "five bob for this!"</p> - -<p>"Too much--far too much," said Lazarus in dismay; "say four, my dear, -four."</p> - -<p>"Ten; I want ten," said Mrs. Tibsey.</p> - -<p>"No, no; four; you say ten, but you mean four."</p> - -<p>"Say six."</p> - -<p>"Four."</p> - -<p>"Then take it," said Mrs. Tibsey, clashing it down in wrath, "and the -devil take you."</p> - -<p>"All in good time--all in good time," chuckled the old man, and -disappeared through the door.</p> - -<p>"You see, you oughter 'ave taken the five," sniggered Isaiah, making -out the pawnticket. "There's four bob, don't spend it in drink."</p> - -<p>"Me drink, you hugly himp," said the lady, sweeping the money into her -capacious pocket, where it reposed in company with an empty gin -bottle; "me drink, as takes in washin' and goes hout nussin', an' was -quite the lady afore I fell into the company of wipers: me dr-- well," -and, language failing her, Mrs. Tibsey sailed majestically out of the -shop, coming into collision with Ezra and Keith, who were just -entering.</p> - -<p>"A whirlwind in petticoats," said Keith, startled by this ragged -apparition.</p> - -<p>"Askin' your parding, gents both," said Mrs. Tibsey, dropping a very -shaky curtsey, "but a young limb h'insides bin puttin' my back hup -like the wrigglin' heel 'e h'are, and if you're goin' to pop anythink, -don't let it be a silver teapot, 'cause old Sating h'inside is the -cuss of orphens and widders," and, having relieved her mind, Mrs. -Tibsey flounced indignantly away to refresh herself with her favourite -beverage.</p> - -<p>"Complimentary to your parent," observed Keith, as they entered the -shop.</p> - -<p>"Oh, they're much worse sometimes," said Ezra complacently. "Isaiah, -where's my father?"</p> - -<p>"In 'is room," replied Isaiah, resuming the reading of a sporting -newspaper.</p> - -<p>Ezra opened the green baize door without knocking, and entered, -followed by Keith. A small square room, even dingier than the shop. At -one side a truckle bed pushed up against the wall, and next to it a -large iron safe. A rusty grate, with a starved-looking fire, had an -old battered kettle simmering on its hob. At the back a square -dirty-paned window, through which the light fell on a small table -covered with greasy green cloth, and piled up with papers. At this -table sat old Lazarus, mumbling over some figures. He looked up -suddenly when the young men entered, and cackled a greeting to his -son, after which effort he was seized with a violent fit of coughing, -which seemed to shake him to pieces. The paroxysm having passed, he -began to talk in his feeble, Jewish voice.</p> - -<p>"He, he! my dear," looking sharply at Keith, "is this the young man -you spoke of? Well, well--too good-looking, my dear--the women--ah, -the women, devil take 'em, they'll be turning his head."</p> - -<p>"That's his own business, not yours," said Ezra curtly.</p> - -<p>"He, he! but it is my business--they'll love him, and love means -presents--that means money--my money--I can't trust him."</p> - -<p>"That's rather severe, isn't it?" said Keith, speaking for the first -time. "You can't tell a man's character altogether by his face--good -looks do not invariably mean libertine principles."</p> - -<p>"Ah! I know, I know!" muttered Lazarus, rubbing his hands together; -"well, well, can you keep books?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have been accustomed to do so."</p> - -<p>"Are you honest?"</p> - -<p>Keith laughed.</p> - -<p>"I'm generally considered so."</p> - -<p>"He, he! that's not saying much. What wages do you want?"</p> - -<p>"Three pounds a week," said Stewart modestly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my dear, my dear, what a large sum; say two, my dear, two pounds, -or forty shillings, it's very large; you can save out of two pounds."</p> - -<p>"I'm glad you think so," said Keith dryly. "I've got my doubts on the -subject; however, beggars must not be choosers, so I agree."</p> - -<p>"On trial, mind on trial," muttered the old man cautiously.</p> - -<p>"I'm quite agreeable," replied Keith complacently, hoping that by the -time his trial is over he would be on the staff of some paper. "What -are the hours?"</p> - -<p>"Nine, my dear," said Lazarus, stroking his beard, "nine till six, -with half-an-hour for something to eat in the day--a bun and a cup of -coffee--don't be extravagant."</p> - -<p>"I can't very well be, on such a salary," replied Stewart. "Well, Mr. -Lazarus, as it's all settled, I'll come at nine o'clock to-morrow -morning."</p> - -<p>"Yes! yes! quite right; but no horse-racing, no gambling, no -women--they're the devil, my dear, the devil."</p> - -<p>"You're rather hard on the sex, father," said Ezra satirically, -"considering how useful they are to you."</p> - -<p>"Aha! quite right, quite right," chuckled the old man. "Oh, I know -fine ladies; they come to old Lazarus for money--to sell diamonds--ah, -my dear, there's lots of diamonds in that safe, he, he!"</p> - -<p>"I wonder you're not afraid of being robbed," said Keith.</p> - -<p>The old man looked up with a sudden gleam of suspicion in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"No, no; I keep the keys under my pillow, and I've got a pistol. I can -fire it, oh, yes, I can fire it, then the neighbours, my dear, all -round; oh, I'm quite safe--yes, yes, quite safe; no one would hurt old -Lazarus. How's Esther, my dear?" turning suddenly to his son.</p> - -<p>Esther was the girl to whom Ezra was engaged.</p> - -<p>"Oh, she's all right," he replied. "I took her the other night to see -Caprice."</p> - -<p>"Aha!" cried old Lazarus, lifting up his hands. "Oh, dear, dear, what -a woman. I know her, oh, I know her."</p> - -<p>"Personally?" asked Keith, whereupon Mr. Lazarus suddenly became deaf.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, a fine woman; ruins everybody, ruins 'em body and soul, and -laughs at 'em, like the fiend she is."</p> - -<p>Ezra looked at his paternal relative in disgust, and took Keith's arm. -"Come along," he said, "I've got an engagement."</p> - -<p>"Good boy, good boy," muttered his parent, nodding his head, "make -money, my dear, make--" here another fit of coughing interrupted him, -and Ezra hurried Keith away.</p> - -<p>"Faugh!" said Ezra, lifting up his hat when they were in the street; -"how I hate the miasma of that place. It's like the upas tree, and -kills all who come within its circle."</p> - -<p>"Do you think your father knows Caprice?" asked Keith, as they walked -down Bourke Street.</p> - -<p>"Can't tell you," answered Lazarus coolly; "I shouldn't be -surprised--he knows half the women in Melbourne. When a spendthrift -wants money, he goes to my father; when a woman is in trouble, she -goes there also; in spite of her lovers, Caprice is such an -extravagant woman, that I've no doubt she's had dealings with my -father. If the secret life of Lazarus the pawnbroker were only -written, it would be very interesting, I assure you."</p> - -<p>"I'm glad I got the place," said Keith thoughtfully; "it isn't much, -but will keep me alive till I get on my feet."</p> - -<p>"You are sure to drop into a newspaper appointment," replied Ezra, -"and of course I will do my best for you."</p> - -<p>"You're very good," answered Keith gratefully; "ha, ha, what queer -tricks the jade Fortune plays us. I come to Melbourne full of poetic -dreams, and find my fate in a pawnbroker's office--it isn't romantic, -but it's bread and butter."</p> - -<p>"You're not the first poet who has gone to the pawnbroker."</p> - -<p>"I expect I'm the first that ever went on such good terms," retorted -Keith shrewdly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_05" href="#div1Ref_05">CHAPTER V.</a></h4> -<h5>A WOMAN'S APPEAL.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">According to some writer, "Human beings are moulded by circumstances," -and truly Kitty Marchurst, better known as Caprice, was an excellent -illustration of this remark.</p> - -<p>The daughter of a Ballarat clergyman, she was a charming and -pure-minded girl, and would doubtless have married and become a happy -woman, but for the intervention of circumstances in the form of M. -Gaston Vandeloup. This gentleman, an ex-convict, and a brilliant and -fascinating scoundrel, ruined the simple, confiding girl, and left her -to starve in the streets of Melbourne. From this terrible fate, -however, she was rescued by Mrs. Villiers, who had known her as a -child, and it seemed as though she would once more be happy, when -circumstances again intervened, and through her connection with a -poisoning case, she was again thrown on the world. Weary of existence, -she was about to drown herself in the Yarra, when Vandeloup met her, -and tried to push her in. With a sudden craving for life, she -struggled with him, and he, being weak for want of food, fell in and -was drowned, while the unhappy girl fled away, she knew not whither.</p> - -<p>A blind instinct led her to "The Home for Fallen Women," founded by a -Miss Rawlins, who had herself been an unfortunate, and here for a time -the weary, broken-hearted woman found rest. A child, of which -Vandeloup was the father, came to cheer her loneliness, and she called -the little one Margaret, hoping it would comfort her in the future. -But the seeds of evil implanted in her breast by Vandeloup began to -bear fruit, and with returning health came a craving; for excitement. -She grew weary of the narrow, ascetic life she was leading--for young -blood bounded through her veins--and she was still beautiful and -brilliant. So, much against the wishes of the matron of the -institution, she left the place and returned to the stage.</p> - -<p>The Wopples family, with whom she had previously acted, had gone to -America, and she was alone in the world, without a single friend. She -called herself Caprice, for her real name and history were too -notorious for such a public career as she had chosen. All avoided her, -and this worked her ruin. Had one door been open to her--had one kind -hand been stretched forth to save her--she might have redeemed the -past; but the self-righteous Pharisees of the world condemned her, and -in despair she determined to defy the world by giving it back scorn -for scorn.</p> - -<p>It was a terribly hard and dreary life she led at first--no friends, -very little money, and a child to support. The future looked black -enough before her; but she determined to succeed, and Fortune at -length favoured her.</p> - -<p>She was playing a minor part in a Christmas burlesque, when the lady -who acted the principal character suddenly fell ill, and Kitty had to -take her place at a very short notice. She, however, acquitted herself -so well that, with one bound, she became a popular favourite, and the -star still continuing ill for the rest of the run of the piece, she -was able to consolidate the favourable impression she had made. She -awoke to find herself famous, and played part after part in burlesque -and modern comedy, always with great success. In a word, she became -the fashion, and found herself both rich and famous.</p> - -<p>Ted Mortimer, the manager of the Bon-Bon Theatre, persuaded her to try -opera-bouffe, and she made her first appearance in the Grand Duchess -with complete success. She followed up her triumph by playing the -title <i>rôles</i> in Giroflé Girofla, La Perichole, and Boccaccio, scoring -brilliantly each time; and now she had created the part of Prince -Carnival, which proved to be her greatest success. Night after night -the Bon-Bon was crowded, and the opera had a long and successful run, -while Kitty, now at the height of her fame, set herself to work to -accomplish her revenge on the world.</p> - -<p>She hated women for the way they had scorned her, and she detested men -for the free and easy manner in which they approached her; so she made -up her mind to ruin all she could, and succeeded admirably. One after -another, not only the gilded youth of Melbourne, but staid, sober men -became entangled in her meshes, and many a man lived to curse the hour -he first met Kitty Marchurst.</p> - -<p>Her house at Toorak was furnished like a palace, and her dresses, -jewels, horses, and extravagances formed a fruitful topic of -conversation in clubs and drawing-rooms. She flung away thousands of -pounds in the most reckless manner, and as soon as she had ruined one -man, took up with another, and turned her back on the poor one with a -cynical sneer. Her greatest delight was to take away other women's -husbands, and many happy homes had she broken up by her wiles and -fascinations. Consequently, she was hated and feared by all the women -in Melbourne, and was wrathfully denounced as a base adventuress, -without one redeeming feature. They were wrong: she loved her child.</p> - -<p>Kitty simply idolised Meg, and was always in terror lest she should -lose her. Consequently, when she heard how Keith had rescued her child -from a terrible death, her gratitude knew no bounds. She heard of the -young man's ambitions from Ezra, and determined to help him as far as -it lay in her power. Thus, for the first time for many years, her -conduct was actuated by a kindly feeling.</p> - -<p>The drawing-room in Kitty's house at Toorak was a large, lofty -apartment, furnished in a most luxurious style. Rich carpets, low -lounging chairs, innumerable rugs and heavy velvet curtains. A -magnificent grand piano, great masses of tropical foliage in -fantastically-coloured jars, priceless cabinets of china, and costly, -well-selected pictures. One of her lovers, a rich squatter, had -furnished it for her. When he had lost all his money, and found her -cold and cruel, he went off to the wilds of South America to try and -forget her.</p> - -<p>There were three French windows at the end of the room, which led out -on to a broad verandah, and beyond was the lawn, girdled by laurels. -Kitty sat at a writing-desk reading letters, and the morning sun -shining through the window made a halo round her golden head. No one -who saw her beautiful, childish face, and sad blue eyes, would have -dreamed how cruel and relentless a soul lay beneath that fair -exterior.</p> - -<p>At her feet sat Meg, dressed in a sage-green frock, with her auburn -curls falling over her face, playing with a box of bricks, and every -now and then her mother would steal an affectionate glance at her.</p> - -<p>Curiously enough, Kitty was reading a letter from the very man who had -given her the house, and who was now dying in a pauper hospital in San -Francisco.</p> - -<p>"I forgive you freely," he wrote; "but, ah, Kitty, you might have -feigned a love you did not feel, if only to spare me the degradation -of dying a pauper, alone and without friends!"</p> - -<p>The woman's face grew dark as she read these pitiful words, and, -crushing up the letter in her hands, she threw it into the waste-paper -basket with a cynical sneer.</p> - -<p>"Bah!" she muttered contemptuously, "does he think to impose on me -with such tricks? Feign a love! Yes, kiss and caress him to gratify -his vanity. Did I not give him fair warning of the end? And now he -whimpers about mercy--mercy from me to him--pshaw! let him die and go -to his pauper grave, I'll not shed a tear!"</p> - -<p>And she laughed harshly.</p> - -<p>At this moment Meg, who had been building two edifices of bricks, -began to talk to herself.</p> - -<p>"This," said Meg, putting the top brick on one building, "is the House -of Good, but the other is the House of Sin. Mumsey," raising her eyes, -"which house would you like to live in?"</p> - -<p>"In the House of Good, dear," said Kitty in a tremulous voice, touched -by the artless question of the child. "Come to mumsey, darling, and -tell her what you have been doing."</p> - -<p>Meg, nothing loath, accepted this invitation, and, climbing up on her -mother's knee, threw her arms round Kitty's neck.</p> - -<p>"I had some bread and milk," she said confidentially; "then I went and -saw my Guinea pigs. Dotty--you know, mumsey, the one with the long -hair--oh, he squeaked--he did squeak! I think he was hungry."</p> - -<p>"Have you been a good little girl?"</p> - -<p>"Good?" echoed Meg doubtfully. "Well, not very good. I was cross with -Bliggings. She put soap into my eyes."</p> - -<p>"It's naughty to be cross, darling," said her mother, smoothing the -child's hair. "What makes you naughty?"</p> - -<p>"Mother," said Meg, nodding her head sagely, "it's the wicked spirit."</p> - -<p>Kitty laughed, and, kissing the child, drew her closer to her.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, darling?"</p> - -<p>"I should like to give the man who stopped the wheels a present."</p> - -<p>"What would you like to give him, my precious?"</p> - -<p>This took some consideration, and Meg puckered up her small face into -a frown.</p> - -<p>"I think," she decided at length, "the man would like a knife."</p> - -<p>"A knife cuts love, Meg."</p> - -<p>"Not if you get a penny for it," asserted Meg wisely. "Bliggings told -me; let me get a knife for the man, mumsey."</p> - -<p>"Very well, dear," said Kitty smiling; "the man will then know my -little daughter has a kind heart."</p> - -<p>"Meg is a very good girl," asserted that small personage gravely; and, -climbing down off her mother's knee, she began to play with the -bricks, while Kitty went on with her correspondence.</p> - -<p>The next letter evidently did not give Kitty much satisfaction, -judging by the frown on her face. She had written to Hiram J. Fenton -asking for some money, and he had curtly refused to give her any more. -She tore up the letter, threw it into the waste-paper basket, and -smiled sardonically.</p> - -<p>"You won't, won't you?" she muttered angrily. "Very well, my friend, -there are plenty of others to give me money if you won't."</p> - -<p>At this moment there came a ring at the door, and shortly after the -servant entered with a card. Kitty took it carelessly, and then -started.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Malton," she muttered, in a puzzled tone. "Evan Malton's wife! -what does she want, I wonder? I thought I was too wicked for virtue to -call on me--it appears I'm not."</p> - -<p>She glanced at the card again, then made up her mind.</p> - -<p>"Show the lady in," she said calmly; and, when the servant -disappeared, she called Meg. "Mumsey's sweetheart must go away for a -few minutes."</p> - -<p>"What for?" asked mumsey's sweetheart, setting her small mouth.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey has to see a lady on business." Meg collected the bricks in a -pinafore, and walked off to the French window, when she turned.</p> - -<p>"Meg will play outside," she said, shaking her curls, "and will come -in when mumsey calls."</p> - -<p>Scarcely had Meg vanished when the servant threw open the door and -announced,--</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Malton."</p> - -<p>A tall, slender girl entered the room quickly, and, as the door closed -behind, paused a moment and looked steadily at Kitty through her thick -veil.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Malton?" said Kitty interrogatively.</p> - -<p>The visitor bowed, and, throwing back her veil, displayed a face of -great beauty; but she had a restless, pitiful look in her eyes, and -occasionally she moistened her dry lips with her tongue.</p> - -<p>"Will you take a seat?" said the actress politely, taking in at a -glance the beautiful, tired face and quiet, dark costume of her -visitor.</p> - -<p>"Thank you," replied Mrs. Malton, in a low, clear voice, and sat down -in the chair indicated by her hostess, nervously clasping and -unclasping her hands over the ivory handle of her umbrella. She -glanced at Kitty again in a shrinking kind of manner, then, with a -sudden effort, burst out quickly,--</p> - -<p>"I have called--I have called to see you about my--my husband."</p> - -<p>Kitty's lip curled, and she resumed her seat with an enigmatical -smile.</p> - -<p>"Yes; what about him?"</p> - -<p>"Cannot you guess?" said Mrs. Malton imploringly.</p> - -<p>Kitty shook her head in a supercilious manner.</p> - -<p>"I am at a loss to understand the reason of your visit," she said, in -a cold, measured manner.</p> - -<p>"I am Evan Malton's wife," said the other rapidly. "We have only been -married a year--and--and we have one child."</p> - -<p>"I presume you did not call to inform me of your domestic affairs," -replied Kitty mercilessly.</p> - -<p>"He was so fond of me--we loved one another devotedly till--till--"</p> - -<p>"Till he met me, I suppose," said Kitty coolly, throwing herself back -with an amused laugh. "I've heard that complaint before--you wives -never seem to know how to retain your husbands' affections."</p> - -<p>"Give him back to me--oh give him back to me," cried the young wife, -clasping her hands. "You have many richer and better than he. I love -my husband, and you have parted us--oh, do--do--give him back to me."</p> - -<p>"My dear Mrs. Malton," replied the actress coldly, "I do not encourage -him, I assure you. He's a bore, and I detest bores."</p> - -<p>"But he loves you--he loves you--he worships the ground you tread on."</p> - -<p>"A waste of good material; for his devotion will never be rewarded."</p> - -<p>"Then you don't love him?" said Mrs. Malton breathlessly.</p> - -<p>Kitty rose to her feet, and laughed bitterly.</p> - -<p>"Love him--love any one," she muttered, with a choking cry. "I hate -the whole lot of them. Do you think I care for their flattery, their -kisses, their protestations--bah! I know the value of such things. -Love--I hate the word."</p> - -<p>"Yet my husband comes here," said the other timidly.</p> - -<p>Kitty turned on her fiercely.</p> - -<p>"Can I help that? Is it the candle's fault that the moths are -attracted? I don't ask your husband to come; if he finds in me what he -misses in you, it is your fault, not mine--your errand is useless, I -cannot help you."</p> - -<p>She turned to go, but the young woman sprang forward and caught her -dress.</p> - -<p>"You shall not go--you shall not!" she almost shrieked. "You and -Fenton are dragging us both to perdition; he has ruined himself for -your sake, and his friend--God help him--his friend has insulted me -with words of love."</p> - -<p>"Am I the guardian of your virtue?" said Kitty pitilessly.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Malton stood wringing her hands.</p> - -<p>"Oh, God, have you no pity? I am a woman like yourself--my husband -should protect me, but he leaves me for you--and," in a whisper, "you -don't know all--he has given you presents, rich presents, and to do so -has committed a crime."</p> - -<p>"A crime!"</p> - -<p>"Hush! hush!" glancing fearfully around, "not so loud--not so -loud--yes, he has embezzled money, thousands of pounds, for your -sake."</p> - -<p>Kitty gave a cry, and grasped at a chair for support.</p> - -<p>"I--I--did not--not ask him for his presents."</p> - -<p>"No; but it was for your sake--your sake. You must help him."</p> - -<p>"I," laughed Kitty mockingly, "help him? Help him!--help any man! My -good woman, if he went into the prisoner's dock to-morrow, I would not -lift one finger to save him."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Malton fell on her knees.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my God, don't talk like that!" she cried wildly. "You will ruin -him--you will ruin him."</p> - -<p>Kitty swept round with a cold glitter, like steel, in her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Yes! it is my business to ruin men. When I was poor, and anxious to -lead a good life, any outstretched hand might have saved me; but no, I -was a pariah and outcast--they closed their doors against me. I asked -for bread, they gave me a stone--they made of me a scourge for their -own evil doing--this is the time for my revenge; fallen and degraded -though I be, I can wring their hearts and ruin their homes through -their nearest and dearest, and you come to ask me to relent--you, who, -if you saw me to-morrow on the streets, would draw your skirts aside -from the moral leper!"</p> - -<p>"No, no!" moaned the other, beating her breasts with her hands. "Have -mercy, have mercy!"</p> - -<p>"What do you want me to do?"</p> - -<p>"You know the manager of the company, Mr. Fenton; he is your lover--he -can refuse you nothing. Speak to him, and see if anything can be -done."</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>"For God's sake!"</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>"You have a child?"</p> - -<p>"What is my child to you?"</p> - -<p>"Everything. You are a mother--so am I: you love your child--I love -mine; yet you would make my innocent child suffer for its father's -crime. Oh, if you have any feelings of a mother, spare the father for -the sake of the child."</p> - -<p>Kitty stood irresolute, while the woman at her feet burst into wild -and passionate weeping.</p> - -<p>At this moment Meg entered the room by the window, and paused for a -moment.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey," she said, "why does the lady cry?"</p> - -<p>Kitty would have interposed, but Mrs. Malton stretched out her hands -to Meg with a quiet in-drawing of her breath.</p> - -<p>"I am crying for my little girl."</p> - -<p>"Is she dead?" asked Meg, coming to the kneeling woman, and touching -her shoulder. "Poor lady--poor, poor lady!"</p> - -<p>Kitty could contain herself no longer. With a sudden impulse, she bent -down and raised the weeping woman.</p> - -<p>"I will do what I can," she said huskily, and sank into a chair.</p> - -<p>"Thank God!" cried Mrs. Malton, advancing, but Kitty waved her off, -while Meg stood looking from one to the other in amazement.</p> - -<p>"Go, go!"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Malton bent down and kissed her hand.</p> - -<p>"May God be merciful to you, as you have been to me," and, without -another word, she departed.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey," said Meg, trying to take her mother's hands from her face, -"were you cross to the lady?"</p> - -<p>"No, darling, no!" replied Kitty, drawing Meg close to her. "Mother -was kind to the lady because of her little girl."</p> - -<p>"Good mumsey, dear mumsey; Meg loves you," and she put her arms round -Kitty's neck, while the poor woman leaned her aching head against the -innocent breast of her child, and burst into tears.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_06" href="#div1Ref_06">CHAPTER VI.</a></h4> - -<h5>THE ANNOYANCE OF HIRAM J. FENTON.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">It is a curious fact that Melbourne has, in its social and business -aspects, a strong leaven of Americanism, and visitors from the great -Republic find themselves quite at home in the Metropolis of the South. -There are the same bold, speculative qualities, the same restless -pursuit of pleasure, and the same rapidity and promptness of action -which characterises the citizen of San Francisco or New York. -Consequently, there are many Americans to be found in a city so -congenial to their tastes, and of these Hiram J. Fenton was one.</p> - -<p>He had come over from the States as the agent of a dry-goods firm, -and, travelling all through the Australasian colonies, soon saw the -enormous capabilities of wealth that lay before him. Gifted with a -ready tongue and a persuasive manner, he interested several opulent -Victorians in a scheme for floating a Life Insurance Company. A -prospectus was drawn up, which promised incalculable wealth to those -who would take shares, and, by means of Mr. Fenton's brilliant command -of words, and skilful manipulation of figures, The Never-say-die -Insurance Company soon became an accomplished fact. A handsome suite -of offices was taken in Collins' Street, a large staff of clerks -engaged, a genial medical man, whose smile itself was a -recommendation, remained on the premises to examine intending -policy-holders, and the emissaries of the company went to the four -quarters of the globe to trumpet forth the praises of the affair, and -persuade people to insure their lives. The company prospered, a -handsome dividend was soon declared, and, thanks to his Yankee -sharpness, Mr. Fenton now found himself occupying the enviable -position of manager with a large salary.</p> - -<p>He was a handsome man in a bold, sensual way, with a certain dash and -swagger about him which impressed strangers favourably, but a -physiognomist would have mistrusted his too ready tongue and the keen -glance of his eye. There is no greater mistake than to suppose a -villain cannot meet an honest eye, for, as a matter of fact, a -successful villain having his nerves under admirable control can stare -any one out of countenance, and the keen, rapid glance can take in at -once the weak points of a stranger.</p> - -<p>Mr. Fenton occupied pleasant apartments, went into society a great -deal, and altogether was a very popular man. Cold, calculating, and -far-seeing as he was, he had yet a weak spot in his character, and -this was extreme partiality for the female sex. Any woman, provided -she was pretty, could twist him round her finger; and as Kitty -Marchurst now had him in her toils, she took full advantage of his -infatuation. There was a certain amount of notoriety in being the -lover of the now famous Caprice; but Fenton had to pay pretty dearly -for his position. Kitty spent his money like water, and when he -ventured to remonstrate, laughed in his face, and told him he could go -if he liked, an intimation which only made him resolve to stick closer -to her. Nevertheless, about this time relations were rather strained -between them, and any one knowing the facts of the case would have -seen that the end was not far off.</p> - -<p>As to Evan Malton, he was Fenton's assistant manager, and was the moon -to the astute American's sun. Weak, irresolute, and foolish, he was, -nevertheless, by some strange contradiction, a capital business man. -This arose from his long training in office work; he could do nothing -by himself, but guided by Fenton, he made an admirable subordinate, -and was amenable to his superior in every way. He admired Fenton -greatly, copied him in his dress and mannerisms, affected a rakish -demeanour towards his friend's mistress, and thoroughly neglected his -poor wife, a neglect of which Fenton tried to take advantage. Had -Malton known this, it would doubtless have changed his feelings -towards the American, for though he thought he was justified in -leading a fast life, he strongly objected to his wife showing any -liking for any one but himself. Fenton, however, believing in no -woman's virtue, did not despair, but protected Kitty openly, to delude -Malton into a false security, and made love to Mrs. Malton <i>sub rosâ</i>.</p> - -<p>It was quite warm out of doors in spite of the season, and out on -Kitty's lawn were a group of people laughing and talking together. -Kitty, in a comfortable chair, was chatting to Keith and Ezra, who had -just arrived, and there were several other ladies present, including -Milly Maxwell, who was the second lady at the Bon-Bon--dark-browed, -majestic, and passionate; Dora Avenant, who looked like a doll and had -the brains of one; and Mrs. Wadby, who wrote scandal and dresses for -<i>The Penny Whistle</i> under the <i>nom de plume</i> of "Baby."</p> - -<p>As to the gentlemen, there were present Ted Mortimer, bland -and smiling; Slingsby, the parliamentary reporter; Delp, the -theatrical critic; Toltby, the low comedian at the Bon-Bon, and about -half-a-dozen others, who were more or less connected with the stage -and the press. The men were smoking, chatting, or drinking, according -to their various tastes, whilst the ladies were sipping their -afternoon tea; and, of course, the conversation was mostly about -theatrical matters.</p> - -<p>In the drawing-room, however, close to the window, sat Meg, buried in -a big armchair, reading a fairy tale, and a pretty picture she made -with her little loose white dress, and her glorious hair falling about -her pale face.</p> - -<p>"And the beautiful Princess," read Meg in ecstasy, "fell asleep in the -Magic Castle for one hundred years--oh!" breaking off suddenly, "how -hungry she must have been when she woke up."</p> - -<p>Meg shook her head over this problem and resumed the story.</p> - -<p>"And a great forest grew round the castle, which could not be got -through till the handsome Prince arrived." Here the drawing-room door -opened, and Meg looked up, half expecting to see the handsome prince.</p> - -<p>It was only Fenton, however, and he disliked Meg intensely, a dislike -which that young person was by no means backward in returning, so she -went calmly on reading her book.</p> - -<p>"Well, where's mother?" asked Fenton, in his slightly nasal voice, -looking at the little figure with a frown.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey's in the garden," replied Meg with great dignity, flinging -back her curls.</p> - -<p>"Just where you ought to be," said Fenton ill-naturedly, "getting -fresh air."</p> - -<p>"I'm reading a fairy tale," explained Meg, closing her book; "mumsey -said I could do what I liked."</p> - -<p>"Your mother don't rear you well," retorted the American, and he -walked away, when a peal of laughter made him turn round.</p> - -<p>"What funny faces you make," said the child; "I feel quite laughy."</p> - -<p>"I'd like to spank you," observed Fenton, with no very amiable -expression of countenance.</p> - -<p>"You're a bad man," said Meg indignantly; "I don't know a badder--not -a bit like my Mr. Keith."</p> - -<p>"Oh," sneered Fenton, "and who is Mr. Keith?"</p> - -<p>"He is a very nice gentleman," replied Meg, pursing up her lips; "he -stopped the wheels going over me."</p> - -<p>"I wish he hadn't," muttered Fenton vindictively. "Meg, go and tell -mother I want her right away."</p> - -<p>"I sha'n't," retorted Meg obstinately; "you're a rude man."</p> - -<p>"I'll make you smart," said Fenton, catching her arm.</p> - -<p>"Oh, mumsey," cried the child, in a tone of relief, and Fenton turned -just to see Kitty looking at him like an enraged tigress.</p> - -<p>"You lay a finger on my child," she said viciously, "and I'll kill -you!"</p> - -<p>The American released his hold on Meg with an awkward laugh, and took -a seat.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you teach her manners," he growled.</p> - -<p>"That's my business," flashed out Kitty haughtily. "And now you are -here, I wish to speak with you. Meg, my treasure, run out and say -mumsey won't be long."</p> - -<p>"Mumsey's going to be cross with you now," said Meg consolingly to -Fenton, and then ran out laughing, the man looking angrily after her.</p> - -<p>Left alone, Kitty sat down near Fenton and began to talk.</p> - -<p>"I asked you for five hundred," she said coldly.</p> - -<p>"Yes--and I refused," sulkily.</p> - -<p>"So I saw by your letter. What is your reason?"</p> - -<p>"That's my business."</p> - -<p>"Mine also. Why did you refuse?" she reiterated.</p> - -<p>"I'm sick of your extravagance."</p> - -<p>Caprice laughed in a sneering way that brought the blush to his cheek.</p> - -<p>"Do you think I'm dependent on you for money?" she said, with scorn. -"I know fifty better men than you who would give me the money if I -asked them."</p> - -<p>"Then go and ask them," he returned brutally.</p> - -<p>Kitty sprang to her feet.</p> - -<p>"Of course I will; that means your dismissal."</p> - -<p>Fenton caught at her dress in genuine alarm.</p> - -<p>"No, no! don't go; you know I love you--"</p> - -<p>"So well," she interrupted, "that you refuse me a paltry five hundred -pounds."</p> - -<p>"I would give it to you, but I haven't got it."</p> - -<p>"Then get it," she said coolly.</p> - -<p>"I'm nearly ruined," he cried desperately.</p> - -<p>"Then retire, and make room for better men."</p> - -<p>"You're a devil!" hissed Fenton.</p> - -<p>"No doubt. I told you what to expect when I first met you."</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say you will throw me over because I've no money -left?" he said fiercely, grasping her wrist.</p> - -<p>"Like an old glove," she retorted.</p> - -<p>"I'll kill you first."</p> - -<p>"Bah! you are melodramatic."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Kitty, Kitty!" with a sudden change to tenderness.</p> - -<p>"Don't call me by that name," said the woman, in a low, harsh voice. -"Kitty Marchurst is dead; she died when she went on the stage, and all -womanly pity died with her. You are speaking to Caprice, the most -notorious woman in Melbourne."</p> - -<p>Fenton sat sullenly silent, glancing every now and then at her -beautiful, scornful face.</p> - -<p>"If you won't give me money," she said at length, mindful of her -promise to Mrs. Malton, "you can do something else."</p> - -<p>"What's that?" eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Malton was here--"</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Malton!" he interrupted, springing to his feet. "What did she -say?"</p> - -<p>"Several unpleasant things about your love for her," said Kitty -coolly.</p> - -<p>"It's a lie," he began, but Kitty shrugged her shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Bah! I'm not jealous; I only care for your money, not for you. But -about this visit; her husband has embezzled money in your office."</p> - -<p>Fenton turned a little pale, and looked steadily at her.</p> - -<p>"Embezzled money, the scoundrel!" he said furiously.</p> - -<p>"Yes, isn't he?" said Kitty derisively. "Not a noble, upright -gentleman like Hiram Fenton."</p> - -<p>He turned from her with an oath.</p> - -<p>"I've been a good friend to him right along," he said in an angry -tone. "He was fixed up for life, if he'd only behaved himself; now -I'll put him in prison."</p> - -<p>"So that you can make love to his wife," retorted Kitty coolly.</p> - -<p>"I don't care two straws about his wife," replied Fenton, with a -scowl. "You are the only woman I love."</p> - -<p>"Then promise me to help this unhappy man?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly not; you are asking me to compound a felony."</p> - -<p>"I'm not a lawyer," she said coldly, "and don't understand legal -terms. I am only asking you to save him from gaol for his wife's -sake."</p> - -<p>"You don't love him?" jealously.</p> - -<p>"Bah! do I love any one except myself?"</p> - -<p>"And your child," with a sneer.</p> - -<p>"Let my child be. Will you help Evan Malton?"</p> - -<p>"No; the law must take its course."</p> - -<p>"Then I'll help him myself."</p> - -<p>"But how?"</p> - -<p>"That's my business--the money must be replaced--find out how much is -missing, and let me know."</p> - -<p>"What's the good? you've not got the cash."</p> - -<p>"Do what I ask!"</p> - -<p>"Very well!" sulkily. "I can't pay the money myself; but I'll give him -time to repay it."</p> - -<p>"You will?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; and Kitty," shamefacedly, "I'll let you have that five hundred.'</p> - -<p>"Good boy," said Kitty approvingly, and laughed. She had gained both -her points, so could afford to do so. At this moment Meg entered the -room from the garden, followed by Keith, on seeing whom Fenton's face -darkened.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey!" said Meg, bounding up to Kitty, "I've given him the knife, -and he says it's lovely--don't you," turning to Keith.</p> - -<p>"Words fail me to express my appreciation," said Stewart, with a -smile, looking at the large--very large ivory-handled knife, "and it's -got an inscription, 'From Meg,'--beautiful."</p> - -<p>"It will cut love, Mr. Stewart," said Kitty, with a laugh.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no," interposed Meg, "he's given me a lucky sixpence. He says -we're engaged now, and when I grow up, mumsey, I'm going to marry -him."</p> - -<p>"Is this true?" asks Kitty gaily. "Are you going to rob me of my -daughter? This is dreadful! What do you say, Mr. Fenton?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Fenton smiled in a ghastly manner, then hurried away muttering -under his breath.</p> - -<p>"It's bad temper," observed Stewart, looking after him.</p> - -<p>"No, my dear," said Kitty airily, "it's jealousy."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_07" href="#div1Ref_07">CHAPTER VII.</a></h4> - -<h5>MIRTH AND LAUGHTER.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">Kitty's supper parties were always delightful, though slightly -godless. The guests were usually men and women of the world, connected -with art, literature, and the drama, so a general tone of brilliancy -permeated the atmosphere. The hostess herself was an admirable -conversationalist, and what with the wine, the laughter, and the -influence of the midnight hour, the excitement seemed contagious. -Every one was amusing, and witty stories, caustic remarks, and -sarcastic epigrams followed one after the other in reckless profusion.</p> - -<p>Very pretty the supper-table looked, though, it must be confessed, -rather disorderly. It was not a very large table, but accommodated the -present company admirably, and under the soft light of the tapers, -with which the room was illuminated, the silver and glass sparked -brilliantly. Half-filled glasses of champagne and burgundy, crumbs on -the white table-cloth, and a general array of disorderly plates, -showed that supper was over. The guests had pushed away their chairs, -and were smoking and chatting, while a light breeze came in through -the open French window, and somewhat cooled the temperature of the -room. The smoky atmosphere, the flashing of the light on the bare -shoulders of the women, gay feminine, laughter, and the general air of -unconventionality, fascinated Keith as he sat beside his hostess, -listening to the desultory conversation, and occasionally joining in. -Slingsby was speaking about a new book which had come out, and this -gave rise to a brilliant rattle of pungent wit.</p> - -<p>"It's called 'Connie's Crime,' a mixture of blood and atheism."</p> - -<p>"Yes, so they say; a hash-up of the Newgate Calendar and Queen Mab, -with a dash of realism to render it attractive."</p> - -<p>"Awfully bad for the public."</p> - -<p>"Bah! they read worse in papers. <i>The Penny Whistle</i> was bewailing the -prevalence of criminal literature, yet you can't take up a night's -issue without finding a divorce case or a murder--the pot calling the -kettle black with a vengeance."</p> - -<p>"Don't suppose either it or shilling shockers have much to do with the -morals of the public--we're all going to the deuce."</p> - -<p>"Pessimistic!"</p> - -<p>"But true. It's a game of follow my leader, with Father Adam at the -head."</p> - -<p>"Gad, he ought to have arrived at his destination by this time!"</p> - -<p>"Oh! we'll all find that out when we get there."</p> - -<p>"But' you forget we start in this new country with all the old-world -civilisation."</p> - -<p>"Yes, and all the old-world vices."</p> - -<p>"Which are a natural concomitant of aforesaid civilisation."</p> - -<p>"How abusive you all are," said Kitty, shrugging her shoulders; -"people are not so bad as you make out."</p> - -<p>"No, they're worse," said Delp lightly. "Put on your diamonds and go -through Victoria like that young person in Moore's song, 'Rich and -rare were the gems she wore,' you won't be treated as well, I promise -you."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid I'm very careless of my diamonds," laughed Kitty; "I -certainly take them home from the theatre every night, but I generally -put the case safely away in the drawer of my looking-glass."</p> - -<p>"A very safe place," observed Lazarus approvingly; "for illustration -see Poe's story of 'The Purloined Letter.'"</p> - -<p>"All the same, I wouldn't trust to fiction for suggestions," said -Fenton gaily; "some night you'll be minus your jewels."</p> - -<p>"I'll take the risk," retorted Kitty rising. "I'm going into the -drawing-room. Mr. Lazarus, you come also. I have got the score of that -new opera-bouffé 'Eblis,' and I want you to try it."</p> - -<p>"Bah! a failure in town," growled Mortimer.</p> - -<p>"That doesn't necessarily mean a failure in Melbourne," replied Kitty, -and with this parting shot she went away, followed by the ladies and -Ezra Lazarus. Keith remained behind, and, lighting a fresh cigarette, -listened to the conversation, which was now slightly horsey.</p> - -<p>"I know what's going to win the cup.</p> - -<p>"Never knew a man who didn't."</p> - -<p>"This is true, 'Devil-may-care.'"</p> - -<p>"An outsider."</p> - -<p>"They generally win, but don't prophesy too soon."</p> - -<p>"No, or like Casandra, your prophecies won't be believed."</p> - -<p>"Who is Casandra--another dark 'un?"</p> - -<p>"No--a woman."</p> - -<p>"Talking about women, I wish you'd get more chorus girls, Mortimer."</p> - -<p>"Got quite enough."</p> - -<p>"Of course--quantity, not quality."</p> - -<p>"They've been snubbing you?"</p> - -<p>"Wrong again; they never snub any one who can give them diamonds."</p> - -<p>"Which you can't."</p> - -<p>"No, by Jove. I wish I had some myself--say Caprice's."</p> - -<p>"Don't grudge them to her, dear boy--the savings of years."</p> - -<p>Every one grinned.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Keith grew tired of this scintillating talk, and leaving -Ezra rattling away at a gallop in the drawing-room, he arose and went -out into the hall. Glancing carelessly up the stairs, he saw a little -figure in white coming down.</p> - -<p>"Why, Meg," said Keith, going to the foot of the stairs to receive -her, "what are you doing at this hour of the night?"</p> - -<p>"Meg wants mumsey," said the child, putting her arms round his neck.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey's busy," replied Keith, lifting her up. "I'll take you back to -bed, dear."</p> - -<p>"Don't want to go to bed," said the child, though she could hardly -keep her eyes open.</p> - -<p>Keith laughed, and rocked her slowly to and fro in his arms for a few -minutes, humming softly till Meg grew tired.</p> - -<p>"Will Meg go to bed now?" he whispered, seeing she had closed her -eyes.</p> - -<p>"Yes! Meg's sleepy."</p> - -<p>Keith went upstairs with the quiet little figure in his arms, and -seeing an open door leading to a room in which there was a subdued -light, caused by the lowering of the gas, he went in, and finding -Meg's cot, placed her in it, and tucked her carefully in.</p> - -<p>"Good-night, dear," he whispered, kissing her.</p> - -<p>"Good-night, mumsey; good-night, God," murmured Meg, thinking she was -saying her prayers, and fell fast asleep.</p> - -<p>Keith went downstairs again, and met Fenton in the hall.</p> - -<p>"Say!" exclaimed that gentleman, "where have you been?"</p> - -<p>"Putting Meg to bed," replied Stewart, laughing. "I found her -wandering about like an unquiet spirit," and having no desire for a -conversation with Fenton, he strolled off to the drawing-room leaving -the American looking after him with an angry frown.</p> - -<p>No one was in the drawing-room but Ezra and the ladies--the former -being seated at the piano playing over the music of "Eblis," while -Kitty Marchurst stood beside him, looking over his shoulder. Lazarus -had just finished a valse, which was not by any means original, being -made out of reminiscences of other music.</p> - -<p>"There's only one decent thing in the whole opera," said Kitty -impatiently--"this," and she hummed a few bars; "it's called, 'Woman's -Deceit.'"</p> - -<p>"Disagreeable title," said Keith idly.</p> - -<p>"But a capital song," retorted Kitty "Eblis sings it--that's the -principal character."</p> - -<p>"You seem anxious to play the devil," said Stewart, with a smile.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>Keith shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Eblis is the Oriental name for the Devil."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I understand." Kitty's quick perception seized the idea at once. -"Yes, there would be some fun in playing such a character."</p> - -<p>"Then give myself and Lazarus a commission to write you a part. I am -anxious to make a start, and I think Lazarus would write charming -music. I'll be librettist, and, of course, can write the character to -suit you."</p> - -<p>Kitty glanced critically at him.</p> - -<p>"Can you compose music," she asked Lazarus.</p> - -<p>In answer, he played a charming gavotte, bright and crisp, with a -quaint rhythm.</p> - -<p>"Very pretty," said Kitty critically, "but not my style. Play -something with a little more 'go' in it."</p> - -<p>"Like this?" He brought his hands down on the ivory keys with a -tremendous crash, and plunged into a wild fantastic galop that made -everybody long to dance. Kitty clapped her hands, and her whole face -lighted up with enthusiasm as the brilliancy and dash of the melody -carried her away.</p> - -<p>"Bravo!" she cried, when he finished. "That's what I want; write me -music like that, and I'll engage to have it produced. You'll do. Now, -sir," turning to Keith, "what's your idea?"</p> - -<p>"Rather a burlesque than opera-bouffe," he answered; "what would you -say to 'Faust Upset?'"</p> - -<p>"Ah, bah! we've had so many burlesques on Faust."</p> - -<p>"Not such a one as I propose to write. I intend to twist the whole -legend round; make Miss Faust a Girton girl who has grown old, and -longs for love, invokes the Power of Evil, enter Caprice as Miss -Mephistopheles, a female demon, rejuvenates Miss Faust by paint and -powder, takes her to see Mr. Marguerite, who is a young athlete, and -so throughout the whole legend; to conclude with Miss Mephistopheles -falling in love with Mr. Marguerite, and disputing possession with -Miss Faust."</p> - -<p>"Ha! ha!" laughed Kitty, "what a capital idea. It will be new, at all -events; but I won't decide till I see the first act complete; if it's -as good as it promises, I'll get Mortimer to stage it after 'Prince -Carnival.'"</p> - -<p>Keith was delighted, as now he seemed to have obtained a chance of -seeing what he could do. Ezra smiled, and nodded to Stewart.</p> - -<p>"I told you she'd be a good friend," he said.</p> - -<p>The gentlemen all came into the room, and in a short time there was a -perfect babel of voices talking about everything and everyone. -Suddenly Fenton, with a half-smoked cigar in his hand, entered the -room and crossed over to Kitty.</p> - -<p>"There's a rough-looking man outside who wants to see you," he said -quietly.</p> - -<p>"What's his name?"</p> - -<p>"Villiers."</p> - -<p>Kitty turned a little pale.</p> - -<p>"The husband of Madame Midas," she said, in an annoyed tone. "Where is -he?"</p> - -<p>"Walking up and down in front of the dining-room."</p> - -<p>"Remain here; I'll see him," she said, in a decided tone, and, without -being noticed, left the room.</p> - -<p>On entering the dining-room, she found Mr. Villiers seated at the -supper-table drinking champagne from a half-empty bottle, having -entered through the window.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" she asked, coming down to him.</p> - -<p>Mr. Villiers was in his usual condition of intoxication, and began to -weep.</p> - -<p>"It's Kitty, dear little Kitty," he said, in a maudlin tone, "the -friend of my dear wife."</p> - -<p>"Your dear wife," said Kitty scornfully; "the woman you deceived so -shamefully; she was well quit of you when she went to live in -England."</p> - -<p>"She left me to die alone," wept Villiers, filling his glass again, -"and only lets me have a hundred pounds a year, and she's rolling in -money."</p> - -<p>"Quite enough for you to get drunk on," retorted Kitty. "What do you -want?"</p> - -<p>"Money."</p> - -<p>"You sha'n't get a penny."</p> - -<p>"Yes I shall. You talk about me treating my wife badly; what about -you--eh?"</p> - -<p>Kitty clenched her hands.</p> - -<p>"I did treat her badly," she said, with a cry. "God help me, I've -repented it often enough since!"</p> - -<p>"You were a nice girl till you met Vandeloup," said Villiers. "Ah, -that confounded Frenchman, how he made me suffer!"</p> - -<p>"Leave Vandeloup alone; he's dead, and it will do no good you reviling -him now. At all events, he was a man, not a drunkard."</p> - -<p>"She loves him still, blow me!" hiccupped Mr. Villiers rising--"loves -him still."</p> - -<p>"Here's a sovereign," said Kitty, thrusting some money into his hand. -"Now, go away at once."</p> - -<p>"I want more."</p> - -<p>"You won't get more. Get away, or I'll order my servants to turn you -out."</p> - -<p>Villiers staggered up to her.</p> - -<p>"Will you, indeed? Who are you to talk to me like this? I'll go now, -but I'll come back, my beauty! Don't try your fine airs on me. I'll -get money from you when I want it; if I don't, I'll make you repent -it."</p> - -<p>Kitty stood looking at him like a statue of marble, and pointed to the -open window.</p> - -<p>"I spare you for your wife's sake," she said coldly. "Go!"</p> - -<p>Villiers lurched towards the window, then, turning round, shook his -fist at her.</p> - -<p>"I've not done with you yet, my fine madam," he said thickly. "You'll -be sorry for these fine airs, you----"</p> - -<p>He staggered out without saying the vile word, and disappeared in the -darkness.</p> - -<p>A vile word, and yet what was that Mrs. Malton said about her child -blushing for her father? God help her, would Meg live to blush for her -mother? Kitty put out her hands with a sob, when a burst of laughter -from the next room sounded in her ears. The momentary fit of -tenderness was over, and, with a harsh laugh, she poured out a glass -of champagne and drank it off.</p> - -<p>"My world is there," she muttered. "I must part with the child for her -own good, and she will lead that virtuous, happy life which a -miserable wretch like myself can never hope to reach."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_08" href="#div1Ref_08">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h4> - -<h5>A MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue"><i>The Penny Whistle</i> was a purely sensational newspaper, and all those -who liked spicy articles and exaggerated details purchased it, in -order to gratify their tastes. Its circulation was enormous, and its -sale increased still more when the following article appeared in its -columns on the Tuesday after Kitty's supper party:--</p> -<br> - -<p class="center">"Burglary at the House of a well-known Actress.</p> -<br> - -<p>"We often hear accounts of great jewel robberies having taken place in -London, but nothing of the kind, at least in any noticeable degree, -has been perpetrated in the colonies until last Sunday night, or, to -speak more exactly, Monday morning, when the house of Caprice, the -well-known actress, was entered, and jewels to the amount of £5000 -were stolen. The house in question is situated in Toorak, almost -immediately on the banks of the Yarra-Yarra, and, as far as we can -learn, the following are the circumstances connected with the -affair:--</p> - -<p>"On Sunday night Caprice entertained a number of friends at a supper -party, and the servants all being downstairs attending to the guests, -the upper part of the house was left entirely uninhabited. It is at -this time, probably between twelve and one o'clock, that the burglary -is supposed to have been perpetrated. The company departed about three -o'clock, and on going up to her room, Caprice found the window wide -open. Knowing that it had been closed, she suspected something was -wrong, and went to the place where she kept her diamonds, only to find -them gone. She sent at once for her servants, and an examination was -made. It was found that the house had evidently been entered from the -outside, as the window was not very far from the ground, and some ivy -growing on the wall made a kind of natural ladder, which any man of -ordinary agility could scale. Curiously enough Caprice's child, aged -seven, was asleep in the room, but appears to have heard nothing. Next -morning another examination was made, and it was found that the ivy -was broken in several places, showing clearly the mode of entrance. -The window had not been latched, as no chance of a burglary was -apprehended, the house always having been looked upon as a remarkably -safe one. The diamonds were usually kept in a small safe, but on -returning from the theatre on Saturday night they had been placed in -the drawer of the looking-glass, where they were judged to be safe, as -it was not thought likely any thief would look in so unlikely a place -for valuable jewellery. Below will be found a plan of the house and -grounds as furnished by our special reporter, and the probable track -of the burglars indicated."</p> -<br> -<p class="center"> -<img border="0" src="images/House_Floor_Plan.png" -alt="House Floor Plan"><br> - -Floor Plan of First and Ground Floor.</p> -<br> - -<p>"It will be seen from this plan that the drawing-room and dining-room, -in both of which the guests were assembled, are in the front of the -house, so that the most likely thing is that the burglar or burglars -entered the grounds by the gate, or along the banks of the river, and -climbed up into the house by the window C shown on the plan.</p> - -<p>"After securing the plunder, two modes of exit were available, either -as indicated by the dotted line which would take the thief out of the -gate into the road, from whence it would be easy to escape, or along -the banks of the river, as shown by the other lines. In either case -escape was perfectly easy. Of course the danger lay in detection while -in the house, but this was considerably guarded against by the fact -that the noise and laughter going on below effectually drowned all -sounds of any one entering the house.</p> - -<p>"The thief must have known that the diamonds were in the bedroom, and -that a number of people would be present on Sunday night, therefore he -chose a time when he would be most likely to escape detection. We -believe that a detective has gone down to Toorak to make inquiries, -and we have no doubt that the thief will soon be secured, as it would -be impossible for such valuable jewels to be disposed of in Melbourne -or other colonial cities without arousing suspicion."</p> -<br> - -<p>It was Fenton who insisted upon a detective being employed to -investigate the robbery, as, for some extraordinary reason, Kitty -seemed unwilling to allow the matter to be inquired into.</p> - -<p>The detective who accompanied Fenton to Kitty's house was known by the -name of Naball, and on the retirement of Kilsip had taken his place. -He was only of the age of thirty, but remarkably clever, and had -already distinguished himself in several difficult cases. Detective -work was a positive mania with him, and he was never so happy as when -engaged on a difficult case--it had for him the same fascination as an -abstruse mathematical problem would have for an enthusiastic student. -To Kilsip belonged the proud honour of having discovered this genius, -and it seemed as though the pupil would soon surpass the master in his -wonderful instinct for unravelling criminal puzzles. Mr. Naball was an -ordinary-looking young man, who always dressed fashionably, and had -very little to say for himself, so that few guessed the keen astute -brain that was hidden under this somewhat foppish exterior. He -listened to everything said to him, and rarely ventured an opinion, -but the thieves of Melbourne well knew that when "The Toff," as they -called Naball, was on their track, there was very little chance of -escape from punishment.</p> - -<p>On this day when they were on their way to Toorak, Fenton was excited -over the matter, and ventured all kinds of theories on the subject, -while Mr. Naball smoked a cigarette, and admired the fit of his -gloves.</p> - -<p>"Do you think the thief will try and dispose of them in Melbourne?" he -asked.</p> - -<p>"Possibly," returned Naball, "if he's a born fool."</p> - -<p>"I'm certain I know the thief," said Fenton quietly. "I told you that -the man Villiers was seen about the place on the night of the -robbery."</p> - -<p>"By whom?"</p> - -<p>"Myself and Caprice."</p> - -<p>"Who saw him last?"</p> - -<p>"Caprice."</p> - -<p>"Oh," said Naball imperturbably, "then she's the best person to see on -the subject."</p> - -<p>"He's a bad lot," said Fenton; "he was mixed up in that poisoning case -eight years ago."</p> - -<p>"The Midas case?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Caprice, or rather Kitty Marchurst, was concerned in it also."</p> - -<p>"So I believe," replied Naball; "every one was innocent except Jarper -and Vandeloup--one was hanged, the other committed suicide. I don't -see what it has to do with the present case."</p> - -<p>"Simply this," said Fenton sharply, annoyed at the other's tone, -"Villiers is a scoundrel, and wouldn't stop at robbery if he could -make some money over it."</p> - -<p>"He knew Caprice had diamonds worth five thousand?"</p> - -<p>"Of course; every one in Melbourne knows that."</p> - -<p>"Did he know where they were kept?"</p> - -<p>"There's a safe in the room, and a thief, of course--"</p> - -<p>"Would go there first--precisely--but you forget the diamonds were -taken out of the drawer of her looking-glass--a most unlikely place -for a thief to examine. The man who stole the jewels must have known -where they were kept."</p> - -<p>"Oh," said Fenton, and looked astonished, as he was quite unable to -explain this. He was about to reply, when the train having arrived at -its destination, they got out, and walked to Kitty's house.</p> - -<p>She was in the drawing-room writing letters and looked pale and -haggard, her eyes having dark circles beneath them, which told of a -sleepless night. When the two men entered the room she welcomed them -gracefully, and then resumed her seat as they began to talk.</p> - -<p>"I have brought you Mr. Naball to look after this affair," said -Fenton, looking at her.</p> - -<p>"You are very kind," she replied coldly; "but, the fact is, I have not -yet decided about placing it in the hands of the police."</p> - -<p>"But the diamonds?"--began Fenton in amazement.</p> - -<p>"Were mine," finished Kitty coolly; "and as the loss is mine, not -yours, I will act as I think fit in the matter."</p> - -<p>Then, turning her back on the discomfited Fenton, she addressed -herself to the detective.</p> - -<p>"I should like your opinion on the subject," she said graciously, "and -then I will see if the case can be gone on with."</p> - -<p>Naball, who had been keeping his keen eyes on her face the whole time, -bowed.</p> - -<p>"Tell me all the details of the robbery," he observed cautiously.</p> - -<p>"They are simple enough," replied Kitty, folding her hands. "I bring -them home from the theatre every night, and usually put them in the -safe, which is in my room. On Saturday night, however, I was tired, -and, I must confess, rather careless, and as the case was on my -dressing-table, I placed it in the drawer of my looking-glass, to save -me the trouble of going to the safe. I gave a supper party on Sunday -night, and when every one had gone away, I went upstairs to bed, and -found the window open; recollecting where I had put the diamonds, I -opened the drawer and found them gone. My servants examined the -ground beneath the window, and found footmarks on the mould of the -flower-bed, so I suppose the thief must have entered by the window, -stolen the jewels, and made off with them."</p> - -<p>When she had finished, Naball remained silent for a minute, but just -as Fenton was about to speak, he interposed.</p> - -<p>"I will ask you a few questions, madame," he said thoughtfully. "When -did you see the diamonds last?"</p> - -<p>"About six o'clock on Sunday night. I opened the drawer to get -something, and saw the case."</p> - -<p>"Not the diamonds?"</p> - -<p>"They were in the case."</p> - -<p>"Are you sure?"</p> - -<p>"Where else would they be?"</p> - -<p>"Some one might have stolen them previously, and left the case there -to avert suspicion."</p> - -<p>Kitty shook her head.</p> - -<p>"Impossible. The case is also gone besides, I locked the case on -Saturday night, and had the key with me. No other key could have -opened it, and had the case been forced, I would have seen it at once. -See," lifting up her arm, "I always wear this bracelet, and the key is -attached to it by a chain."</p> - -<p>Naball glanced carelessly at it, and went on with his questions.</p> - -<p>"You generally kept the diamonds in the safe?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"And it was quite an oversight not placing them in there on Saturday?"</p> - -<p>"Quite."</p> - -<p>"No one knew they were in the drawer of your looking-glass on that -particular night?"</p> - -<p>"No one."</p> - -<p>Here Fenton interposed.</p> - -<p>"You get along too fast," he said quickly. "Everyone at the -supper-table knew you kept them there; you said it to them yourself."</p> - -<p>Naball glanced sharply at Kitty.</p> - -<p>"I know I did," she replied quietly; "but I spoke as if the diamonds -were always kept there, which they were not. I did not say they were -in the drawer on that particular night."</p> - -<p>"You mentioned it generally?" said Naball tranquilly.</p> - -<p>"Yes. All the people present were my guests, and I hardly think any of -them would rob me of my diamonds."</p> - -<p>"Were any of the servants in the room when you made the remark?" said -the detective slowly.</p> - -<p>"No, none; and the door was closed."</p> - -<p>Naball paused a moment.</p> - -<p>"I tell you what," he said slowly, "the diamonds were stolen between -six o'clock and the time you went to bed."</p> - -<p>"About three o'clock," said Kitty.</p> - -<p>"Precisely. You saw the diamonds last at six; they were gone by three; -you mentioned where you kept them at the supper-table; now, the thief -must have overheard you."</p> - -<p>"You--you suspect my guests, sir," cried Kitty angrily.</p> - -<p>"Certainly not," said the detective quietly; "but I suspect Villiers."</p> - -<p>"Villiers!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Mr. Fenton tells me you saw him on that night."</p> - -<p>Kitty flashed a look of anger on the American, who bore it unmoved.</p> - -<p>"Yes, he was outside, and wanted to see me. I saw him, gave him some -money, and he left."</p> - -<p>"Then I tell you he overheard you say where you kept the diamonds, -because he was hiding outside the window; so, after seeing you, he -committed the robbery."</p> - -<p>"That's what I think," said Fenton.</p> - -<p>"You!" cried Kitty. "What have you got to do with it? I don't believe -he stole them, and, whether he did or not, I'm not going to continue -this case."</p> - -<p>"You'll lose your diamonds," cried Fenton.</p> - -<p>"That's my business," she returned, rising haughtily; "at all events, -I have decided to let the matter rest, so Mr. Naball will have all his -trouble for nothing. Should I desire to reopen the affair, I will let -you both know. At present, good morning," and, with a sweeping bow, -she turned and left the room.</p> - -<p>Fenton stared after her in blank amazement.</p> - -<p>"Good God! what a fool!" he cried, rising. "What's to be done now?"</p> - -<p>Naball shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," he replied, "since she declines to give me power to -investigate. I must throw the affair up. But," also rising, and -putting on his hat, "I'd like to have a look at the ground beneath the -window."</p> - -<p>They both went out, Naball silent, and Fenton in great wrath, talking -of Kitty's conduct.</p> - -<p>"What an idiot she is!" he cried. "What is she going on in this way -for?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>"She must have some motive."</p> - -<p>"Women don't require a motive for anything," said Naball, -imperturbably proceeding to examine the ground under the window, -through which the thief had made his exit. The flower-bed was filled -with tall hollyhocks, and some of these were broken as if some heavy -body had fallen from above.</p> - -<p>"He clambered down by the ivy," murmured Naball to himself, as he bent -down. "The ivy is broken here and there; the flowers are also broken, -so he fell on them in a heap--probably having missed his footing. -Humph! Clever man, as he did not step again on the flower-bed, but -jumped from where he fell on to the grass. Humph! grass hard and -rather dry; no chance of footmarks. Question is, which way did he go?"</p> - -<p>"By the gate, of course," said Fenton impatiently.</p> - -<p>The detective walked across the lawn to the gate, but could find no -trace of footmarks, as the lawn was dry, and the footpath, leading out -into the pavement of the street was asphalted.</p> - -<p>"No; he did not go by the gate, as a man in such rags as Villiers -would have been sure to be seen coming out of a private house. That -would be suspicious; besides, he would have been afraid."</p> - -<p>"Of the police?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly; he's been in prison two or three times since his connection -with the Midas case, and has got a wholesome dread of the law. No; he -did not go by the gate, but by the river."</p> - -<p>"The river!" repeated Fenton, in amazement.</p> - -<p>Naball did not answer, but walked back to the window, then along the -side of the house, turned the corner, and went down the sloping green -bank which led to the river. Still he could see no footmarks. The -grass ended at an iron fence, and beyond was the uncultivated -vegetation, rank and unwholesome, that clothed the banks of the river. -Between this and the grass, however, there was a strip of black earth, -and this Naball examined carefully, but could find nothing. If -Villiers had come this way, he could only have climbed the fence by -first standing on this earth in order to get near enough, but -apparently he had not done so.</p> - -<p>"He did not come this way," he said, as they walked back.</p> - -<p>"But how could he have left the place?" asked Fenton.</p> - -<p>"By the gate."</p> - -<p>"The gate? You said he would be afraid of the police."</p> - -<p>"So he would, had he been doing anything wrong. Had he stolen the -diamonds, he would have gone down by the bank of the river rather than -chance meeting a policeman on the street."</p> - -<p>"But what does this prove?"</p> - -<p>"That, had he met a policeman, he could have explained everything, and -referred him to Caprice as to his interview, and right to come out of -the house. In a word, it proves he did not steal the diamonds."</p> - -<p>"Then who, in Heaven's name, did?"</p> - -<p>"I don't give an opinion unless I'm certain," said Naball -deliberately; "but I'll tell you what I think. You heard Caprice say -she won't go on with the case?</p> - -<p>"Yes; I can't understand her reason."</p> - -<p>"I can; she stole the diamonds herself."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_09" href="#div1Ref_09">CHAPTER IX.</a></h4> - -<h5>AN UNKNOWN BENEFACTOR.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">Everyone was greatly excited over the great jewel robbery, especially -as it had taken place at the house of so celebrated a person as -Caprice, and numerous were the conjectures as to the discovery of the -thieves. When, however, it became known that the lady in question -declined to allow an investigation to be made, and was apparently -contented to lose five thousand pounds' worth of diamonds, the -excitement grew intense. What was her motive for acting in such a -strange way? All Melbourne asked itself this question, but without -obtaining a satisfactory answer. Reference was made to Kitty's -antecedents in connection with the Midas poisoning case, and the -public were quite prepared to hear any evil of her, particularly as -her career since then had been anything but pure.</p> - -<p>The name of Villiers was mentioned, and then it transpired that -Villiers had been seen outside her house on the night of the robbery -It was curious that another crime should have happened where these -two, formerly implicated in a murder case, should have come together, -and disagreeable rumours began to circulate. Then, by some unexplained -means, the opinion of Naball became known regarding his assertion that -Caprice had stolen the diamonds herself. Here was another mystery. Why -on earth should she steal her own jewels? One theory was that she -required money, and had sold them for this purpose, pretending that -they were stolen, in order to satisfy the lovers who gave them to her. -This was clearly absurd, as Caprice cared nothing for the opinion of -her lovers, and, moreover, the donors of the diamonds were long since -dead or ruined, so the idea of the detective was unanimously laughed -at. But then the fact remained, she would not allow an investigation -to be made; and how was this to be accounted for? One idea was mooted, -that Villiers had stolen the diamonds, and she would not prosecute him -because he was the husband of the woman who had been kind to her. In -this case, however, she would have easily got back her jewels by a -threat of prosecution, whereas they were still missing. Other -solutions of the problem were offered, but they were unsatisfactory, -and Melbourne settled itself down to the opinion that the whole affair -was a mystery which would never be solved.</p> - -<p>Keith and Ezra had both been puzzled over the affair, and offered -Kitty their services to unravel the mystery, but she curtly dismissed -them with the remark that she wished the affair left alone, so they -had to obey her, and remain in ignorance like the rest of the public. -Affairs thus went on as usual, and the weeks slipped by with no -further information being forthcoming.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, "Prince Carnival" was still running to crowded houses, and -Kitty appeared nightly, being now a still greater attraction on -account of the robbery of which she was the heroine. She had fulfilled -her promise to Keith, in seeing Mortimer about the chances of -production for "Faust Upset." The manager was doubtful about the -success of the experiment of trying Colonial work, and told Kitty -plainly he could not afford to lose money on such a speculation.</p> - -<p>"It's all stuff," he said to her when she urged him to give the young -men a chance; "I can get operas from London whose success is already -assured, and I don't see why I should waste money on the crude -production of two unknown Colonials."</p> - -<p>"That's all very true," retorted Caprice, "and, from a business point -of view, correct; but considering you make your money out of Colonial -audiences, I don't see why you shouldn't give at least one chance to -see what Colonial brains can do. As to crudity, wait and see. I don't -want you to take the opera if it is bad, but if you approve of it, -give it a chance."</p> - -<p>In the end Mortimer promised, that if he approved of the libretto and -music, he would try the piece at the end of the run of "Prince -Carnival," but put "Eblis" in rehearsal, in case his forebodings of -failure should be justified. When, however, the first act was finished -and shown to him, he was graciously pleased to say there was good -stuff in it, and began to be a little more hopeful as to its success. -So Keith worked hard all day at his employment, and at night on his -libretto, to which Ezra put bright, tuneful music. With the usual -sanguine expectations of youth, they never dreamt of failure, and -Keith wrote the most enthusiastic letters to his betrothed, announcing -the gratifying fact that he had got his foot on the lowest rung of the -ladder of fame.</p> - -<p>As to his uncongenial employment at the pawnshop, he strove to conquer -his repugnance to it, and succeeded in winning the approval of old -Lazarus by his assiduous attention to business. He attended to the -books, and, as time went on, the pawnbroker actually let him pay money -into the bank, so great had his confidence in the young man become. He -increased Keith's salary, and even then chuckled to himself over his -cleverness in retaining such a clever servant at so low a price.</p> - -<p>Though his business was ostensibly that of a pawnbroker, he was in the -habit of conducting very much more delicate transactions. In his dingy -little den at the back of the shop he sat like a great spider waiting -for flies, and the flies generally came in at a little door which -led from the room into a dirty yard, and there was a kind of narrow -right-of-way which gave admittance to this yard from the street. -By this humble way many well-known people came, particularly at -night--the fast young man who had backed the wrong horse, the -speculative sharebroker, and the spendthrift society lady, all came -here in quest of money, which they always got, provided their security -was good, and, of course, they paid an exorbitant percentage. Lazarus -had dealings with all sorts and conditions of men and women, but he -was as silent as the grave over their affairs, and no one knew what -secrets that dirty old Hebrew carried in his breast. Of these -nocturnal visitors Keith saw nothing, as he left at six o'clock, after -which Isaiah shut up the shop, and the front of the house was left in -profound darkness, while business went on in the little back room.</p> - -<p>It was now a fortnight since the robbery, and the nine days' wonder -having ceased to amuse, people were beginning to forget all about it. -Keith still lived in East Melbourne with Ezra, and on going home one -night was surprised to find a letter from the manager of the Hibernian -Bank, which informed him that the sum of five hundred pounds had been -placed to his credit. Stewart went next day to find out the name of -his unknown benefactor, but the manager refused to tell him, as he had -been pledged to secrecy. So Keith returned to Ezra in a state of great -perplexity to talk over the affair. They sat in Ezra's sitting-room, -and discussed the matter late at night with great assiduity, but were -unable to come to any conclusion.</p> - -<p>"You don't know any one who would do you a good turn?" asked Lazarus, -when he heard this news.</p> - -<p>"No--no one," replied Keith. "I haven't a single relative in the -Colonies, and no friend rich enough to give me so much money--unless -it were your father," with a sudden inspiration.</p> - -<p>"He!" laughed Ezra scornfully; "he'd as soon part with his blood. Why, -I asked him to give me some money so that I could marry, and he -refused. What he wouldn't do for his son he certainly would not do for -a stranger."</p> - -<p>"It's very queer," observed Keith meditatively. "It can't be Caprice?"</p> - -<p>"Not likely; she needs all her money herself," said Ezra. "Besides, I -hear she's been rather hard up of late. I suppose Fenton will soon go -broke, and then, <i>Le roi est mort, vive le roi</i>."</p> - -<p>"What a pity she goes on like that," said Keith, regretfully. "I like -her so much."</p> - -<p>"Yes, and she likes you," retorted Ezra pointedly. "Don't you get -entangled in the nets, or you'll forget all about the girl at -Sandhurst. Does she know you're engaged?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't tell her if I were you," said the Jew significantly, "or -she'll withdraw the light of her countenance, and then it will be all -up with our burlesque."</p> - -<p>"Pooh, nonsense," replied Stewart, with an uneasy laugh. "I wonder -who'll be Fenton's successor?"</p> - -<p>"Yourself."</p> - -<p>"Not I. I'm not far enough gone for that. Besides, I've no money."</p> - -<p>"True, except your anonymous five hundred, which would be nothing to -Caprice. So, as she wants money, I expect it will be old Meddlechip."</p> - -<p>"But he's married."</p> - -<p>"True, O Sir Galahad," retorted Ezra sarcastically; "but he's an -unholy old man for all that--she'll ensnare him, and we'll see how -long it will take her to break the richest man in the Colonies."</p> - -<p>"Oh, the deuce take Kitty Marchurst and her affairs," said Keith -impatiently. "I want to know who sent me this money?"</p> - -<p>"Better not ask," murmured Ezra. "Curiosity is a vice. Remember Adam -and Eve, Bluebeard's wife, etcetera. Take the goods the gods bestow, -and don't try to find out where they come from; but now you are rich, -you'll be giving up the shop."</p> - -<p>"No, I'll stay on for a time till I find that the five hundred is -really and truly mine. Who knows, some day it may take to itself -wings and fly."</p> - -<p>"It certainly would with some young men," said Ezra; "but I don't -think you are that sort."</p> - -<p>"You are right. I want to save up all my money for Eugénie."</p> - -<p>"Ah! you are going to marry her?"</p> - -<p>"When I get rich. Yes."</p> - -<p>"You won't marry her if Caprice can help it."</p> - -<p>"Why?" disbelievingly.</p> - -<p>"Because she's fallen in love with you, and her love, like the gifts -of the Danaes, is fatal.</p> - -<p>"Rubbish. I'm not a child. Caprice will never take my heart from -Eugénie."</p> - -<p>"Hercules," remarked Ezra musingly, "was a strong man; yet he became -the slave of a woman. Solomon was a wise man--same result. My friend, -you are neither Hercules nor Solomon, therefore--"</p> - -<p>Keith departed hurriedly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_10" href="#div1Ref_10">CHAPTER X.</a></h4> - -<h5>NABALL MAKES A DISCOVERY.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">When Kilsip undertook to educate Naball in the business of a -detective, he gave him an epigrammatical piece of advice: "Cultivate -curiosity." This golden rule Naball constantly followed, and found it -of infinite service to him in his difficult profession. He was always -on the lookout for queer cases, and when he discovered one that -piqued his curiosity, he never rested until he found out all about it. -The Red Indian follows the trail of his enemy by noting the most -trivial signs, which to others with a less highly cultivated instinct -would appear worthless. And Naball was a social Red Indian, following -up the trail of a mystery by a constant attention to surrounding -events. A casual observation, a fleeting expression, a scrap of -paper--these were the sign-posts which led him to a satisfactory -conclusion, and he never neglected any opportunity of exercising his -faculties. By this constant practice he sharpened his senses in a -wonderful degree, and cultivated to the highest extent the unerring -instinct which he possessed in discovering crimes.</p> - -<p>Consequently, when he found there was no legal authority to be given -him in unravelling the mystery of the diamond robbery, he determined -to investigate it on his own account, in order to satisfy his -curiosity. To a casual spectator, it appeared to be a mere vulgar -burglary, in which the thieves had got off with their plunder, and -until his interview with Caprice the detective had supposed it to be -so. But when he went over in his own mind the peculiar circumstances -of that interview, he saw there was a complicated criminal case to be -investigated, so he set himself to work to unravel the mystery, and -gratify his inquiring mind.</p> - -<p>In the first place, he drew up a statement of the case pure and -simple, and then, deducing different theories from the circumstances, -he tried to get a point from whence to start. He placed his ideas in -the form of questions and answers, as follows:--</p> - -<p><i>Q</i>. Was Villiers outside on the verandah when Caprice mentioned where -her diamonds were kept?</p> - -<p><i>A</i>. To all appearances he was.</p> - -<p><i>Q</i>. Had he any inducement to steal the diamonds?</p> - -<p><i>A</i>. Undoubtedly. He was poor, and wanted money, proved by his calling -on Caprice and asking for some. He said he would be revenged because -she did not give him more than a sovereign, and there would be no -sweeter revenge than to steal her diamonds, as it would punish her, -and benefit himself.</p> - -<p><i>Q</i>. Did he know the room where the diamonds were kept?</p> - -<p><i>A</i>. Yes. Caprice said her bedroom, and as Villiers had been several -times to the house before, he knew where it was.</p> - -<p><i>Q</i>. Did Caprice know Villiers had stolen her jewels?</p> - -<p><i>A</i>. Extremely probably, hence her refusal to prosecute, as he was the -husband of Madame Midas, whom she had treated so basely. The refusal -to prosecute Villiers might be, in Caprice's opinion, an act of -expiation.</p> - -<p>When he had got thus far, Naball paused. After all, this was pure -theory. He had not a single well authenticated fact to go on, but all -the circumstances of the case seemed to point to Villiers, so he -determined to go on the trail of Villiers, and find out what he was -doing.</p> - -<p>Mr. Villiers had of late been under the espionage of the police, owing -to some shady transactions with which he was connected, so Naball knew -exactly where to find him, and, putting on an overcoat, he sallied -forth in the direction of the slums in Little Bourke Street, with the -intention of calling on a Chinaman named Ah Goon, who kept an opium -den in that unsavoury locality.</p> - -<p>To his drinking habits Villiers now added that of being a confirmed -opium smoker, and was on terms of intimacy with Ah Goon, in whose den -he was accustomed to pass his evenings. Naball therefore intended to -watch for Villiers, and find out, if possible, when, owing to drink -and opium combined, he was not master of himself, what he had done on -the night of the robbery after leaving Caprice.</p> - -<p>He soon entered Little Bourke Street, and plunged into the labyrinth -of slums, which he knew thoroughly. It was a clear, starry night, but -the cool, fresh air was tainted in this locality by the foul miasma -which pervaded the neighbourhood, and even the detective, accustomed -as he was to the place, felt disgusted with the sickly odours that -permeated the atmosphere.</p> - -<p>Ah Goon's house was in a narrow right-of-way off one of the larger -alleys, and there was a faint candle burning in the window to attract -customers. Pausing at the door a moment, Naball listened to hear if -there was any European within. The monotonous chant of a Chinese -beggar could be heard coming down the alley, and every now and then -the screams of two women fighting, while occasionally a number of -noisy larrikins would come tramping heavily along, forming a strong -contrast to the silent, soft-footed Orientals.</p> - -<p>Pushing open the door, Naball entered the den, a small, low-ceilinged -room, which was filled with a dull, smoky atmosphere. At the end was a -gaudy-looking shrine, all yellow, red, and green, with tinsel flowers, -and long red bills with fantastic Chinese letters on them in long -rows. Candles were burning in front of this, and cast a feeble light -around--on a pile of bamboo canes and baskets heaped up against the -wall; on strange-looking Chinese stools of cane-work; on <i>bizarre</i> -ivory carvings set on shelves; and on a low raised platform at the -end of the room, whereon the opium-smokers reclined. Above this -ground-floor were two or three other broad, shallow shelves, in each -of which a Chinaman was lying, sunk deep in an opium slumber; there -was also a kerosene lamp on the lower floor, beside which Ah Goon was -reclining, and deftly preparing a pipe of opium for a fat, -stolid-looking Chinaman, who watched the process with silent apathy.</p> - -<p>Ah Goon looked up as the detective entered, and a bland smile spread -over his face as he nodded to him, and went on preparing his pipe, -while Naball stood watching the queer operation. There was an oil lamp -with a clear flame in front of Ah Goon, who was holding a kind of -darning-needle. Dipping this into a thick, brown, sticky-looking -substance, contained in a small pot, he twirled the needle rapidly, -spinning round the glutinous mass like treacle. Then he placed it in -the flame of the lamp, and turned it slowly round and round for a -short time until it was ready; then, having placed it in the small -hole of the opium pipe, which he held ready in his other hand, he gave -it to his countryman, who received it with a grunt of satisfaction, -and, lying back, took the long stem between his lips and inhaled the -smoke with long, steady breaths. When his pipe was done, which was -accomplished in three or four whiffs, he devoted himself to preparing -another, while Ah Goon arose to his feet to speak to Naball.</p> - -<p>He was a tall man, with a thin, yellow-skinned, emaciated face, -cunning, oblong eyes, and flattish nose. His pigtail, of course--black -hair craftily lengthened by thick twisted silk--was coiled on top of -his head; and his dress, consisting of a dull blue blouse, wide -trousers of the same colour, and thick, white-soled Chinese slippers, -by no means added to his personal beauty. Standing before Naball, with -an unctuous smile on his face, and his long, slender hands clasped in -front of him, Ah Goon waited for the detective to speak.</p> - -<p>Naball glanced rapidly round the apartment, and not seeing Villiers, -addressed himself to the stolid Celestial, who was looking slyly at -him.</p> - -<p>"Ah Goon, where is the white man who comes here every night?"</p> - -<p>"Plenty he come allee muchee night--me no have seen," replied Ah Goon, -blinking his black eyes.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know that," retorted Naball quickly; "but this one is -short--black hair and whiskers--smokes opium--drinks a lot--is called -Villiers."</p> - -<p>Whether Ah Goon recognised the gentleman thus elegantly described was -doubtful; at all events, he put on a stolid air.</p> - -<p>"Me no sabee," he answered.</p> - -<p>Naball held out a half-a crown, upon which Ah Goon fixed his eyes -lovingly.</p> - -<p>"Where is he?"</p> - -<p>The money was too much for Ah Goon's cupidity, so he gave in.</p> - -<p>"Him playee fan-tan-ayah!" he answered, in a sing-song voice, "allee -same."</p> - -<p>"Oh!"</p> - -<p>Mr. Naball did not waste any words, but threw the half-crown to the -expectant Ah Goon, and turned towards the door. Just as he reached it -there was a noise of hurried footsteps outside, and Villiers' voice, -husky and savage, was heard,--</p> - -<p>"Ah Goon, you yellow devil, where are you?" and there came a heavy -kick at the door.</p> - -<p>In a moment Naball drew back into a shadowy corner, and placed his -finger on his lips to ensure silence, a pantomime which the -intelligent Ah Goon understood at once.</p> - -<p>Villiers opened the door and lurched noisily into the room, stopping -for a minute on the threshold, dazed by the yellow, smoky glare.</p> - -<p>"Here, you, Ah Goon," he cried, catching sight of the Chinaman, "I -want some money--more money."</p> - -<p>"Ah Goon no have," murmured that individual, clutching his half-crown.</p> - -<p>"I've lost all I had on that infernal fan-tan of yours," shrieked -Villiers, not heeding him; "but my luck must change--give me another -fiver."</p> - -<p>"Ah Goon no have," reiterated the Chinaman, edging away from the -excited Villiers.</p> - -<p>"Curse your no have," he said fiercely; "why, I've only had twenty -pounds from you, and those diamonds were worth fifty."</p> - -<p>Diamonds! Naball pricked up his ears at this. He was winning after -all. Kitty did not steal her jewels, but this was the thief, or -perhaps an accomplice.</p> - -<p>"Give me more money," cried Villiers, lurching forward, and would have -laid his hand on the shoulder of the shrinking Chinaman, when Naball -stepped out of his corner.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" he asked, in his silky voice.</p> - -<p>Villiers turned on the new-comer with a sudden start, and stared -suspiciously at him; but the detective being muffled up in a heavy -ulster, with his hat pulled over his eyes, he did not recognise him.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" he said ungraciously.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," replied Naball quickly. "I'm only strolling round the -Chinese quarter out of curiosity, and heard you rowing this poor -devil."</p> - -<p>"Poor devil!" sneered Villiers, with a glance of fury at Ah Goon, who -had complacently resumed his occupation of preparing an opium pipe; -"he's rich enough."</p> - -<p>"Indeed," said the detective, carelessly--"to lend money?"</p> - -<p>"What's that to you?" growled Villiers, with a snarl. "I s'pose I can -borrow money if I like."</p> - -<p>"Certainly, if you've got good security to give."</p> - -<p>Villiers glared angrily at the young man.</p> - -<p>"Don't know what you're talking about," he said sulkily.</p> - -<p>"Security," explained Naball smoothly; means "borrowing money on land, -clothes, or--or diamonds."</p> - -<p>Villiers gave a sudden start, and was about to reply, when the door -opened violently, and a bold, handsome woman, dressed in a bright -green silk, dashed into the room and swooped down on Ah Goon.</p> - -<p>"Well, my dear," she said effusively, "'ere I am; bin to the theatre, -and 'ere you are preparing that pisin of yours. Oh, I must 'ave one -pipe to-night, just one, and--Who the blazes are you?" catching sight -of the two strangers.</p> - -<p>"Shut up," said Villiers, and made a step towards her, for just on the -bosom of her dress sparkled a small crescent of diamonds set in -silver. The woman's eyes caught his covetous glance, and she put her -hand over the ornament.</p> - -<p>"No, you don't," she said scowling. "Lay a finger on me and I'll--ah!"</p> - -<p>She ended with a stifled cry, for without warning, Villiers had sprung -on her, and his hands were round her throat. Ah Goon and another -Chinaman jumped up and threw themselves on the two, trying to separate -them. The woman got Villiers' hands off her, and started to sing out -freely, so Naball began to think of retreating, as the noise would -bring all the undesirable bullies of the neighbourhood into the -unsavoury den.</p> - -<p>While thus hesitating, the woman flung the diamond ornament away from -her with an oath, and it fell at Naball's feet. In a moment the -detective had picked it up and slipped in into his pocket.</p> - -<p>Villiers, seeing the ornament was gone, flung the woman from him with -a howl of fury, and turned to look for it, when the door was burst -violently open, and a crowd of Chinese, all chattering in their high -shrill voices like magpies, surged into the room. Ah Goon, with many -gesticulations, began to explain, Villiers to swear, and the woman to -shriek, so in the midst of this pandemonium Naball slipped away, and -was soon walking swiftly down Little Bourke Street, with the diamond -ornament safe in his pocket.</p> - -<p>"I believe this is one of the stolen jewels," he muttered exultingly, -"and Villiers was the thief after all. Humph! I'm not so sure of that. -Well, I'll find out the truth when I see how she looks on being shown -this little bit of evidence."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_11" href="#div1Ref_11">CHAPTER XI.</a></h4> - -<h5>WHAT NABALL OVERHEARD.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">It is said that "Counsel comes in the silence of the night," so next -morning Mr. Naball, having been thinking deeply about his curious -discovery, decided upon his plan of action. It was evidently no good -to go straight to Caprice and show her the diamond crescent, as, -judging from her general conduct with regard to the robbery, she would -deny that the jewel belonged to her.</p> - -<p>The detective therefore determined to ascertain from some independent -person whether the jewel was really the property of Caprice, and after -some consideration came to the conclusion that Fenton would be the -most likely individual to supply the necessary information.</p> - -<p>"He's her lover," argued Naball to himself as he walked along the -street, "so he ought to know what jewellery she's got. I dare say he -gave her a lot himself; but, hang it," he went on disconsolately, "I -don't know why I'm bothering about this affair; nothing will come of -it; for some reason best known to herself, Caprice won't let me follow -up the case. I can't make it out; either she stole the jewels herself, -or Villiers did, and she won't prosecute him. Ah! women are rum -things," concluded the detective with a regretful sigh.</p> - -<p>He had by this time arrived at The Never-say-die Insurance Office, and -on entering the door found himself in a large, lofty apartment, with a -long shiny counter at one end, and a long shiny clerk behind it. This -individual, who looked as if he were rubbed all over with fresh -butter, so glistening was his skin, received him with a stereotyped -smile, and asked, in a soft oily voice, what he was pleased to want?</p> - -<p>"Take my card up to Mr. Fenton," said Naball, producing his pasteboard -from an elegant card-case, "and tell him I want to see him for a few -minutes."</p> - -<p>The oleaginous clerk disappeared, and several other clerks looked up -from their writing at the detective with idle curiosity. Naball -glanced sharply at their faces, and smiled blandly to himself as he -recognised several whom he had seen in very equivocal places. Little -did the clerks know that this apparently indolent young man knew a -good deal about their private lives, and was anticipating coming into -contact with several of them in a professional manner.</p> - -<p>Presently the oily clerk returned with a request to Mr. Naball to walk -into the manager's office, which that gentleman did in a leisurely -manner; and the shiny clerk, closing the door softly, returned to his -position behind the shiny counter.</p> - -<p>Mr. Fenton sat at a handsome writing-table, which was piled up with -disorderly papers, and looked sharply at the detective as he took a -seat.</p> - -<p>"Well, Naball," he said, in his strident voice, "what is the matter? -Can't give you more than five minutes--time's money here. Yes, sir."</p> - -<p>"Five minutes will do," replied the detective, tapping his varnished -boots with his cane. "It's about that robbery."</p> - -<p>"Oh, indeed!" Mr. Fenton laid down his pen, and, leaning back in his -chair, prepared to listen.</p> - -<p>"Yes! I've been looking after Villiers."</p> - -<p>"Quite right," said the American. "That's the man I suspect--fixed up -anything, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet, but I was down Little Bourke Street last night in an opium -den, to which Villiers goes, and I found this."</p> - -<p>Fenton took the diamond crescent, which Naball held out to him, and -looked at it closely.</p> - -<p>"Humph!--set in silver--rather toney," he said; "well, is this part of -the swag?"</p> - -<p>"That's what I want to find out," said Naball quickly. "You know the -peculiar way in which Caprice has treated this robbery."</p> - -<p>"I know she's a fool," retorted Fenton politely. "She ought to go -right along in this matter; but for some silly reason, she won't."</p> - -<p>"No; and that's why I've come to you. I'm going down to see her when I -leave here, and it's likely she'll deny that this belongs to her. Now, -I want your evidence to put against her denial. Is this the property -of Caprice?"</p> - -<p>Fenton examined the jewel again and nodded.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir," he replied, with a nasal drawl, "guess I gave her this."</p> - -<p>"I thought you'd recognise it," said Naball, replacing the jewel in -his pocket; "so now I'll go and see her, in order to find out how -Villiers got hold of it."</p> - -<p>"Stole it, I reckon?"</p> - -<p>"I'm not so sure of that," replied the detective coolly. "I don't -believe Caprice cares two straws about Villiers being the husband of -Madame Midas. If he stole the diamonds, she'd lag him as sure as fate; -no, as I told you before, she's got a finger in this pie herself, and -Villiers is helping her."</p> - -<p>"But the diamonds were stolen on that night," objected the American.</p> - -<p>"I know that--don't you remember you told me that Caprice had an -interview in the supper room with Villiers? Well, I believe she went -upstairs, took the diamonds, and gave them to Villiers to dispose of."</p> - -<p>"For what reason?"</p> - -<p>"That's what I'd like to find out," retorted Naball. "She evidently -wanted a sum of money for something; now, are you aware that she -wanted money?"</p> - -<p>"Why, she's always wanting money."</p> - -<p>"No doubt--but this must have been a specially large sum?"</p> - -<p>Fenton glanced keenly at Naball's impassive face, drummed impatiently -with his fingers on the table, then evidently made up his mind.</p> - -<p>"Tell you what," he said rapidly, "she did want a large sum of -money--fact is, a friend of hers got into a fix, and his wife went -howling to her, so she said she would replace the money, and I've no -doubt sold her diamonds to do so."</p> - -<p>"I thought it was something like that," said Naball coolly; "but why -the deuce couldn't she sell her diamonds openly without all this row?"</p> - -<p>"Guess you'd better ask her," said Fenton, rising to his feet; "she -won't let me meddle with the affair, so I can't do anything--if she's -fool enough to lose or sell five thousand pounds' worth of diamonds, I -can't help it: and now, sir, the five minutes--" glancing at his -watch.</p> - -<p>"Are up long ago," replied Naball, rising to his feet. "Well, I'm -curious about this case, and I'm going to get at it somehow, so at -present I'm off down to see Caprice about this," and he tapped his -breast-pocket, where the jewel was placed.</p> - -<p>"You won't get anything out of her," said Fenton yawning, "if all you -surmise is true."</p> - -<p>"I don't care what she says," observed Naball, going to the door. "I -can discover all I want from the expression of her face when she knows -what I've got, and where I got it."</p> - -<p>With this Naball disappeared, and Fenton, returning to his desk, flung -himself back in his chair.</p> - -<p>"Why the devil won't she prosecute?" he muttered savagely to himself. -"Guess she knows more about this robbery than she says, but even -then--confound it, I'm mixed."</p> - -<p>Having come to this unsatisfactory conclusion, Mr. Fenton went on with -his work, and dismissed all thoughts of the diamond robbery from his -mind.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Naball was on his way down to Toorak, meditating over the -revelation made to him by Fenton about Caprice's sudden fit of -generosity.</p> - -<p>"I didn't think she was so tender-hearted," murmured Naball, full of -perplexity; "she must have had some strong reason for selling her -diamonds. I wonder who the man is?--and the wife called. Humph! this -is quite a new game for Caprice."</p> - -<p>When he left the station, and walked to the house, instead of -ringing the front-door bell, he strolled round the corner to the -verandah, on which the drawing-room windows looked out. He did this -because--wondering if Villiers was concerned in the robbery--he wanted -to see the window by which he entered the dining-room on the night of -the robbery. Soft-footed and stealthy in his motions, the detective -made no noise, and was just pausing on the edge of the verandah, -wondering whether he would go forward or return to the front door, -when he heard Kitty's voice in the drawing-room raised in a tone of -surprise.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Malton!"</p> - -<p>"Hullo!" said Naball to himself, "that's the name of Fenton's -assistant manager. Now, I wonder what his wife is calling here about? -I'll wait and hear."</p> - -<p>So the detective, filled with curiosity, took up his position close to -one of the windows, so that he could hear every word that was said, -but, of course, was unable to see anything going on inside. He -commenced to listen, out of mere curiosity, but soon the conversation -took a turn which interested him greatly, and, to his mind, threw a -great deal of light on the diamond robbery.</p> - -<p>"Why have you called to see me again?" asked Kitty, in a cold tone.</p> - -<p>"Because I want to thank you for saving my husband," replied Mrs. -Malton. "They told me you were busy, but I have waited in the next -room for half-an-hour to see you. My husband is safe."</p> - -<p>"I congratulate you--and him," answered Caprice, in an ironical tone. -"It is to be hoped Mr. Evan Malton won't embezzle any more money."</p> - -<p>Naball, outside, could hardly refrain from giving a low whistle. So -this was the man mentioned by Fenton--his own familiar friend--and -Kitty Marchurst had helped him. In Heaven's name, why?</p> - -<p>"It is due to your kindness that he is safe," said Mrs. Malton, in a -faltering tone; "you replaced the money."</p> - -<p>"Not at all," said Caprice; "I never replaced a sixpence."</p> - -<p>"But you did, you did!" said Mrs. Malton vehemently, falling on her -knees before Kitty; "every penny of the money has been paid back, and -only you could have done it."</p> - -<p>"I did not pay a penny, I tell you," said Caprice; "still, I have had -something to do with it."</p> - -<p>"I knew it! I knew it!" cried the poor wife, kissing the hand of the -actress. "May God bless you for doing this good action."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't have done it had it not been for the sake of your child," -said Kitty coldly.</p> - -<p>"Wonderful," thought the listener; "Kitty Marchurst has a heart."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, good-bye!" said Mrs. Malton, rising to her feet. "I may -never see you again."</p> - -<p>"I've no doubt of that," replied Caprice, with a cynical laugh; -"you've got all you wanted, so now you leave me."</p> - -<p>"No, no!" cried the other woman vehemently. "I am not ungrateful. I -will visit you if you will let me. I am sorry for you. I pity you."</p> - -<p>"Keep your pity and your visits for some one else--I want neither."</p> - -<p>"But your heart?"</p> - -<p>"My heart is stone; it was hardened long, long ago. Leave me--I have -done all I can for you--now go."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Malton made a step forward, and, catching Kitty in her arms, -kissed her.</p> - -<p>"God bless you!" she cried, in a low voice, and as she kissed her she -felt a hot tear fall on her hand. It was Caprice who wept, but, with a -stifled sigh, she pushed Mrs. Malton away.</p> - -<p>"You are a good woman," she said hoarsely. "Go! go! and if you ever -think of me, let it be as one who, however bad her life, did at least -one good action."</p> - -<p>She sank back into a chair, covering her face with her hands, while -Mrs. Malton, with a look of pity on her face, and a low "God bless -you," left the room.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the detective outside was smitten with a kind of remorse at -having overheard this pathetic scene.</p> - -<p>"I've found out what Caprice wanted the money for," he muttered; "but -I'm sorry for her--very sorry. I never knew before she was a woman--I -thought she was a fiend."</p> - -<p>Kitty, drying her eyes, arose from her seat and dragged herself slowly -across the room to the window near which the detective was standing. -He heard her coming and tried to escape, and in another moment Kitty -had opened the window, and they were face to face.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Naball," she cried, with a sudden, angry light in her eyes, "you -have heard--"</p> - -<p>"Every word," said Naball, looking straight at her wrathful face.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_12" href="#div1Ref_12">CHAPTER XII.</a></h4> - -<h5>NABALL TELLS A STORY.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">Kitty looked at him in silence with flashing eyes, and then laughed -bitterly.</p> - -<p>"And how long is it since you added the spy business to your usual -work?" she asked, with a sneer on her colourless face.</p> - -<p>"Since a few moments ago," replied Naball coolly. "I came to see you -on business, and, hearing you in conversation with a lady, did not -like to interrupt till you were disengaged."</p> - -<p>"I'm very much obliged to you for your courtesy," said Caprice -scornfully; "but now you have satisfied your curiosity. M. le -Mouchard, I'll trouble you to take yourself off."</p> - -<p>"Certainly, after I've had a few moments' conversation with you."</p> - -<p>"I decline to listen," said Kitty haughtily.</p> - -<p>"I think you had better," observed Naball significantly, "as it's -about the robbery of your jewels."</p> - -<p>"I forbade you to go on any further with that matter."</p> - -<p>"You did; but I disobeyed your injunction."</p> - -<p>"So I understand," replied Kitty indignantly; "and may I ask if you -have discovered anything?"</p> - -<p>"Yes--this!" and he showed the diamond crescent to Caprice. She -started violently, and her pale face flushed a deep red.</p> - -<p>"Where did you get it?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"From Randolph Villiers."</p> - -<p>"Villiers!" she echoed in surprise. "How did it come into his -possession?"</p> - -<p>"That is what I want to discover."</p> - -<p>"Then you may save yourself the trouble, for you will never know."</p> - -<p>"I understand that," said Naball quietly; "nothing can be done unless -you permit me to go on."</p> - -<p>"I forbid you to go on," she retorted angrily.</p> - -<p>Naball bowed.</p> - -<p>"Very well," he said quietly, "then there is nothing for me but to -leave."</p> - -<p>"No, I don't think there is," assented Kitty coldly, turning to -re-enter the house.</p> - -<p>"But, before I go," went on the detective, playing his great card, "I -will leave your jewel with you."</p> - -<p>"That," said Kitty, glancing over her shoulder at the crescent--"that -is not mine."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Fenton says it is."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Fenton!" echoed Caprice jeeringly; "and how does Mr. Fenton -know?"</p> - -<p>"I should think he was the best person to know," retorted Naball, -nettled at her mockery.</p> - -<p>"A good many people think the same way," said Kitty disdainfully, "but -in this case Mr. Fenton is wrong--I never saw those diamonds before."</p> - -<p>"Then how did it come into Mr. Villiers' possession?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know, not being in Mr. Villiers' confidence."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" said Naball significantly, "you are quite certain you are not?"</p> - -<p>"I don't understand you," replied Kitty coldly; "explain yourself."</p> - -<p>"Certainly, if you wish it," said the detective smoothly. "I will tell -it in the form of a little story--have I your permission to be -seated?"</p> - -<p>She nodded carelessly, whereupon Naball sat down on one of the -lounging chairs, and, crossing his legs, settled himself composedly, -while Kitty, standing near him with loosely-clasped hands, looked idly -at the green lawn, with its brilliant border of many-coloured flowers.</p> - -<p>"There was once a woman called Folly, who lived--let us say--in -Cloudland--" began Naball airily.</p> - -<p>"Rubbish!" said Kitty angrily.</p> - -<p>"Nothing of the sort," retorted Naball coolly, "it is truth in -disguise. I have been to school--I have read Spenser's 'Faery -Queen'--if you please, we will consider this story, though not in -verse, as one of the lost cantos of the poem."</p> - -<p>Kitty shrugged her shoulders with contempt. "I think you're mad," she -said coldly. "Perhaps I am," retorted Naball sharply, "but there's -method in my madness, as you will soon find out--so, to go on with the -lost canto of the 'Faery Queen.' This woman, Folly, was reputed to -have a hard heart--no doubt she had, but there was one soft spot in -it--love for her child. Many men loved this charming Folly, and paid -dearly for the privilege. One man, misnamed Strength, loved her madly, -and gave her many jewels. Strength had a friend, called Weakness, and -though they were so dissimilar in character, they worked together. -Weakness also loved Folly, though he had a wife, and, to gain Folly's -love, he stole a lot of money. His wife discovered this, and going -to Folly, implored her to help Weakness, but in vain, till at last -she gained her point by appealing to the one soft spot in Folly's -heart--love for her child. She was successful, and Folly promised to -save the husband by replacing the money, which she could do through -the agency of Strength, who was her lover.</p> - -<p>"Folly, however, did not know where to get the money, so, in despair, -determined to part with her jewels. She dared not do so openly, lest -the inhabitants of Cloudland should find out what Weakness had done, -so she enlisted the services of a man called Vice. Here," said Naball -gaily, "we will leave the narrative style, and finish the story -dramatically."</p> - -<p>Kitty, who had grown pale, made no sign, so Naball resumed.</p> - -<p>"Scene, a supper-room, with a window open--time, night--supper -ended--guests away--enter Vice through open window--helps himself to -champagne. Folly, informed of presence of Vice, enters the room and -orders him out--he refuses to leave till he gets money--she refuses to -give it to him. Suddenly an idea strikes her, and she tells Vice she -will give him money if he sells her jewels for her secretly--Vice -consents. Folly goes up to her room, gets jewels, gives them to Vice, -who goes away and breaks down shrubs under window, which is opened by -Folly to show every one that a burglar has stolen the jewels. Rumours -of the theft get about--Bloodhound goes on the track--traces Vice to -his den--finds one jewel--comes to show it to Folly--overhears wife -of Weakness thanking Folly for replacing money stolen by her -husband--exit wife of Weakness--enter Bloodhound to Folly, who denies -having ever seen jewel before. Bloodhound tells a story to Folly, -which Folly--"</p> - -<p>"Denies, yes, denies!" broke in Kitty angrily; "your story is wrong."</p> - -<p>"Pardon me," said Naball, rising, "allegorical."</p> - -<p>"I can understand what you mean," said Kitty, after a pause; "but it's -all wrong. I never paid this money for Malton."</p> - -<p>"Pardon me,--Weakness," said Naball politely.</p> - -<p>"Bah! why keep up this transparent deception? Your story is excellent, -and I understand all about Folly, Vice, and Strength, but you are -wrong--that jewel is not mine. I never paid the money, and I don't -know anything about Malton's business, so you can leave me at once, -and never show your face again."</p> - -<p>"But the jewel?" said the detective, holding it out.</p> - -<p>Kitty snatched it out of his hand, and flung it across the lawn. It -flashed brilliantly in the sunlight, and fell just on the verge of the -flower-bed.</p> - -<p>"You can follow it,--Bloodhound," she said disdainfully, and, entering -the house, closed the window after her.</p> - -<p>Naball stood for a moment smiling in a gratified manner to himself, -then, sauntering slowly across the lawn, picked up the jewel and -replaced it in his pocket.</p> - -<p>"I knew I was right," he murmured quietly, as he strolled to the gate; -"she stole the diamonds to pay Malton's debt, and Villiers got this -for payment as an accomplice. I wish I could get on with the case, but -she won't let me--what a pity; dear, dear, what a pity!"</p> - -<p>He had by this time reached the gate, and was passing through it, when -a hansom drove up, from out which Fenton jumped.</p> - -<p>"Well?" he asked, when he saw Naball.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Naball, dusting his varnished boots with a silk -handkerchief.</p> - -<p>"What does she say?" asked Fenton inquiringly</p> - -<p>"What a woman generally does say--everything but the truth. Going to -see her?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Fenton, paying his cab fare; "can I do anything?"</p> - -<p>"Two things," observed Naball quietly: "in the first place, let me -have your cab; and in the second, give this to Caprice with my -compliments," and he handed the crescent of diamonds to Fenton.</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you give it to her yourself?" asked Fenton, taking it.</p> - -<p>"Because she said it wasn't hers," replied Naball, getting into the -cab. "I can't do anything more in the matter; it's a beautiful case -spoiled."</p> - -<p>"Why spoiled?" asked Fenton, pausing at the gate.</p> - -<p>"Because there's a woman in it," replied Naball; "good-bye!" and the -cab drove off in a cloud of dust, leaving Fenton at the gate looking -in a puzzled manner at the diamond crescent.</p> - -<p>"Why the deuce did she deny this being hers?" he asked himself as he -opened the gate. "I know it well--I ought to, considering I paid for -it--there's some game in this."</p> - -<p>He rang the bell, which was answered by Bliggings, who, in reply to -his question as to whether Kitty was at home, burst out into a volley -of language.</p> - -<p>"Oh, gracious an' good 'eavens, missus 'ave bin talkin' to a lady this -mornin', and is that upset as never was--chalk is black to her -complexing, and penny hices 'ot to the chill of her feets."</p> - -<p>"Humph!" said Fenton, entering the house and leisurely taking off his -hat, "just tell your mistress I want to see her."</p> - -<p>"Oh, gracious an' good 'eavens!" cried Bliggings, "she's a-lyin' down -in company with a linseed poultase an' a cup of tea, both bein' good -for removin' 'eadaches."</p> - -<p>"Great Scot!" said Fenton impatiently, pushing the voluble Bliggings -aside, "I'll go and see her straight off myself."</p> - -<p>He went upstairs and knocked at the sitting-room door. Hearing a faint -voice telling him to come in, he entered the room, which he found in -semi-darkness, with the pungent aroma of <i>eau de cologne</i> pervading -the atmosphere.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" asked Kitty fretfully, thinking it was the -servant.</p> - -<p>"To see you," replied Fenton gruffly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's you!" cried Caprice, sitting up on the sofa, looking pale -and wan in her white dress. "I'm glad of that--I've just seen that -Naball, and he's been accusing me of stealing my own jewels."</p> - -<p>"Well, did you?" asked Fenton complacently.</p> - -<p>"Of course I didn't," she retorted angrily; "why should I? Naball -thinks I did it to replace the money Malton stole."</p> - -<p>"How did he find out that?" asked Fenton, who knew quite well he had -told him about it himself.</p> - -<p>"He overheard Mrs. Malton thanking me," retorted Kitty impatiently; -"the money has been replaced, so I suppose, you did it."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I did," said Fenton boldly, "for your sake."</p> - -<p>"You're a good fellow, Fenton," said Kitty, in a softened tone. "I'm -glad you did what I asked you--now, go away, for I must get a sleep, -or I'll never be able to act to-night."</p> - -<p>"But what about this jewel?" asked Fenton, taking the crescent out of -his pocket. "Naball said you denied it being yours."</p> - -<p>"So I did," replied Caprice pettishly.</p> - -<p>"But why? I gave it to you."</p> - -<p>"Well, you can give it to me again," she said coolly. "Put it on the -table, and go away."</p> - -<p>Fenton thought a moment, then, going over to the table, placed the -jewel thereon, and turned once more to Caprice.</p> - -<p>"Look here, Kitty," he said slowly, "did you do anything with those -diamonds?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I did, and perhaps I didn't," replied Caprice enigmatically; -"at all events, I'm not going to have any more fuss made over them."</p> - -<p>"Well, good-bye at present," said Fenton carelessly. "I say, you might -give me a kiss, after fixing up Malton's affair."</p> - -<p>"So I will--at the theatre to-night. Do leave me, my head is so bad."</p> - -<p>"Not so bad as you are, you little devil," murmured Fenton, closing -the sitting-room door softly after him. "Well, I guess there'll be no -more trouble about those diamonds, at all events."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_13" href="#div1Ref_13">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h4> - -<h5>THE GOSSIP OF CLUBS.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">It was called "The Skylarks' Club," because, like those tuneful birds, -the members were up very early in the morning. Not that the aforesaid -members were early risers by any means--but because they never went to -bed till three or four o'clock. To put it plainly, they stayed up -nearly all night, and it seemed to be a point of honour with them -that, as long as a quorum were on the premises, the club should be -kept open.</p> - -<p>Most of the members were dissipated and led fast lives, drank a good -deal, gambled away large sums, betted freely, and, to all appearances, -were going to the dogs as fast as they possibly could. The code of -morality was not very strict, and the "Skylarks" generally viewed each -other's good or bad luck in a cynical manner. Occasionally a member -disappeared from his accustomed place, and it was generally understood -he had "gone under," or, in other words, was vegetating on some -up-country station, doubtless cursing the "Skylarks" freely as the -cause of his ruin.</p> - -<p>Other clubs in Melbourne were fast--not a doubt about that--but every -one declared that the "Skylarks" overstepped all bounds of decency. -Whatever devilment was to be done, they would do it, and, as they had -no characters to lose, they generally amused themselves by trying to -destroy other people's good name, and generally succeeded.</p> - -<p>It was a Bohemian club, and among its members were stock-brokers, -musicians, journalists, and actors, so that, whatever the moral tone -of the place, the conversation was generally brilliant, albeit rather -malicious. One way and another, there was a good deal of money -floating about, for if the members worked hard at business during the -day, they also worked hard at pleasure during the night, so, -systematically, burned the candle at both ends. "<i>Fay ce que -vouldras</i>" was their motto, and they certainly carried it out to the -very last letter.</p> - -<p>Keith Stewart was a member of this delectable fraternity, having been -introduced by Ezra Lazarus, and, thanks to his mysterious five hundred -pounds, was able to cut a very decent figure among the members. He was -still in the pawnbroker's office, although he very much wanted to -leave it, but, having passed his word to old Lazarus to stay six -months, he was determined to do so.</p> - -<p>It was now about three months since the diamond robbery, and, after -being a nine days' wonder, it had passed out of the minds of every -one. Nothing more was heard of the theft, and, after a great number of -surmises, more or less wrong, the matter was allowed to drop, as a new -divorce case of a novel character now engrossed the public mind.</p> - -<p>"Prince Carnival" had been withdrawn after a very successful run, and -Kitty Marchurst was now appearing in "Eblis," which, as she expected, -had turned out a failure. Under these circumstances, "Prince Carnival" -was revived, pending the production of "Faust Upset," a new burlesque -by Messrs. Stewart and Lazarus.</p> - -<p>Both these young men had worked hard at the piece, and Mortimer, -having approved of the first act, had determined to put the play on -the stage: first, because he saw it was by no means a bad piece, and -secondly, he had nothing else handy to bring forward. If he could have -obtained a new and successful opera-bouffe from London, "Faust Upset" -would have been ignominiously shelved, but, luckily for Keith and his -friends, all the late opera-bouffes had been failures, so Mortimer -made a virtue of necessity, and gave them a chance.</p> - -<p>It was about eleven o'clock at night, and the smoking-room of the -"Skylarks" was full. Some of the members had been there for some -hours, others had dropped in after the theatres were closed, and here -and there could be seen a reporter scribbling his notes for -publication next day.</p> - -<p>A luxurious apartment it was, with lounging chairs covered with -crimson plush, plenty of mirrors, and a number of marble-topped -tables, which were now covered with various beverages. Every one was -talking loudly, and the waiters were flitting about actively employed -in ministering to the creature comforts of the patrons of the club. -What with the dusky atmosphere caused by the smoking, the babel of -voices, the jingle of glasses, and the constant moving about of the -restless crowd, it looked like some fantastic nightmare.</p> - -<p>Keith was seated in a corner smoking a cigarette and waiting for Ezra, -who had promised to meet him there, and in the meantime was idly -watching the crowd of his friends, and listening to their gossip. -Malton was also lounging about the room, chatting to his friends on -current topics.</p> - -<p>"Anything going on in the House?" asked Pelk, a theatrical critic, of -Slingsby, who had just entered.</p> - -<p>That gentleman shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"A slanging match, as usual," he replied, taking a seat and ringing -the bell. "Some members have got an idea that abuse is wit. I don't -think much of the Victorian Parliament."</p> - -<p>"It's better than the New South Wales one, at all events," said Keith, -smiling.</p> - -<p>"That's not saying much," retorted Slingsby, lighting a cigar. "The -Sydney men are more like fractious children than anything else, though -to be sure that's only proper, seeing our Parliaments are nurseries -for sucking politicians."</p> - -<p>"That's severe."</p> - -<p>"But true--the truth is always disagreeable."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps that's the reason so few people speak it."</p> - -<p>"Exactly--truth is a sour old maid whom nobody wants."</p> - -<p>"Not you, at all events, Slingsby"</p> - -<p>"No--it's a matter of choice--<i>Video meliora proboque deteriora -sequor</i>."</p> - -<p>"Don't be classical--it's out of place here."</p> - -<p>"Not a bit," retorted Slingsby smoothly, looking round at the circle -of grinning faces, "it's out of the dictionary, you know, foreign -words and affixes."</p> - -<p>Every one roared at this candid confession.</p> - -<p>"No wonder <i>The Penny Whistle</i> flourishes when there's such men as you -on the staff," said Toltby, with a sneer.</p> - -<p>"You've no cause to complain," replied Slingsby; "they've been kind -enough to you."</p> - -<p>"Yes; they recognise good acting."</p> - -<p>Slingsby looked at him queerly.</p> - -<p>"Dear boy, I prefer the stage of the House to that of the theatre--the -actors are much more amusing."</p> - -<p>At this moment Felix Rolleston, now looking much older since the -Hansom Cab murder case, but as lively as ever, entered the room and -danced up to the coterie.</p> - -<p>"Well, gentlemen," he said gaily, "what is the news?"</p> - -<p>"Good news, bad news, and such news as you've never heard of," quoted -Keith lazily.</p> - -<p>"Thank you, my local Gratiano," replied Felix, quickly recognising the -quotation as from the "Merchant of Venice." "By the way, there's a -letter for you outside."</p> - -<p>"Oh, thanks," said Stewart rising, "I'll go and get it," and he -sauntered out lazily.</p> - -<p>"Humph!" ejaculated Felix, looking after him, "our friend is the -author of 'Faust Upset,' I understand?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Toltby; "deuced good piece."</p> - -<p>"That means you've got an excellent part," struck in Slingsby -mercilessly.</p> - -<p>"Quite right," retorted Toltby complacently; "all the parts are -good--especially Caprice's."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that goes without saying," said Pelk, with a grin; "our friend is -rather sweet there."</p> - -<p>"So is she," said Felix significantly; "case of reciprocity, dear -boy!"</p> - -<p>"She's given Fenton the go-by."</p> - -<p>"Yes, and Meddlechip is elevated to the vacancy. Wonder how long it -will be before she breaks him?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, even with her talents for squandering, Caprice can't burst up the -richest man in Victoria," said Slingsby vulgarly; "when she does give -him up, I suppose Stewart will succeed him."</p> - -<p>"Not enough cash."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! what is cash compared to love?"</p> - -<p>"Eh! a good deal in this case, as Fenton found out."</p> - -<p>"Speak of the devil," said Felix quickly; "here comes the gentleman in -question."</p> - -<p>Fenton, looking harassed and worn, entered the room, and glanced -round. Seeing Rolleston, he came over to him and began to talk.</p> - -<p>"Guess you look happy, boys," he said, in his nasal voice.</p> - -<p>"It's more than you do," replied Rolleston, scanning him keenly.</p> - -<p>"No; I've overworked myself," said Fenton coolly, "I need pulling up a -bit."</p> - -<p>"Go and see a doctor--try tonics."</p> - -<p>"Ah, bah! glass of champagne will fix me straight. Here, waiter, bring -in a bottle of Heidsieck. Any of you boys join?"</p> - -<p>All the boys assenting to the hospitable proposition, Fenton ordered -two bottles, and lighted a huge cigar. When the waiter came back with -the wine, Keith also entered, with a soft look on his face which -puzzled Rolleston. He had put on his overcoat.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said that astute gentleman, "you look pleased--your letter was -pleasant?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, very," replied Keith laconically.</p> - -<p>"Then it was from a woman," said Fenton.</p> - -<p>"Humph! that's generally anything but pleasant," grunted Slingsby.</p> - -<p>"No doubt, to such a Don Juan as you," said Pelk, amid a general -laugh.</p> - -<p>The waiter was opening the wine so slowly that Fenton lost patience, -and snatched one bottle up from the table.</p> - -<p>"Guess we had better fix those two up at once," he said. "Any one got -a knife?"</p> - -<p>Keith put his hand in his pocket, and produced therefrom Meg's -present.</p> - -<p>"Great Cæsar, what a pig-sticker," said Fenton, holding it up.</p> - -<p>"What made you buy such a thing, Stewart?" asked Felix, laughing.</p> - -<p>"I didn't buy it," replied Keith; "it's a present from a lady."</p> - -<p>"A very young lady, I should say," said Slingsby drily; "not much idea -of taste."</p> - -<p>"Matter of opinion," said Keith serenely; "I like the knife for the -sake of the donor--her name's on the handle."</p> - -<p>Fenton by this time had opened the bottle, and laid the knife down on -the table, from whence Felix picked it up and examined it.</p> - -<p>"'From Meg,'" he read, in an amused tone; "gad, Stewart, I thought it -was the mother, not the daughter."</p> - -<p>Fenton shot a fiery glance at Keith, who laughed in rather an -embarrassed manner.</p> - -<p>"It was just the child's whim," he said, laughing. "I saved her from -the tram-car, so she gave me this as a souvenir;" and, taking up the -knife, he shut it with a sharp click, and slipped it into his overcoat -pocket.</p> - -<p>When they had all finished the wine, Fenton said he had to see -Mortimer about some business.</p> - -<p>"Half-past ten," he said, looking at his watch; "they'll just be about -through."</p> - -<p>"I've got to see Mortimer to-night," observed Keith, "and I'm waiting -here for Lazarus."</p> - -<p>"About the new play, I reckon," said Fenton; "well, you'd better walk -up with me."</p> - -<p>Keith shook his head.</p> - -<p>"No, thanks; I must wait for Lazarus."</p> - -<p>"Then come and have a game of billiards in the meantime," said Felix, -rising; "take off your coat, you'll find it hot."</p> - -<p>"All right," assented Keith readily "Here, Alfred," and, slipping off -his coat, handed it to a waiter, who was just passing, "hang this up -for me."</p> - -<p>The waiter took the coat, threw it over his arm, and vanished; while -Keith and Felix strolled leisurely away in the direction of the -billiard-room.</p> - -<p>"How the deuce does Stewart run it?" asked Fenton, looking after them; -"he can't get much salary at old Lazarus' place."</p> - -<p>"Case of God tempering the wind to the shorn lamb," said Slingsby -ironically.</p> - -<p>"Hang it, I don't think he ought to be a member of the Club, a -confounded pawnbroker's clerk."</p> - -<p>"It is rather a topsy-turvy business, ain't it; but you see, in the -colonies Jack's as good as his master."</p> - -<p>"And in some cases a deal better," said Pelk, referring to the -relative positions of Malton and Fenton.</p> - -<p>"Particularly when Jack's got a pretty wife," finished Toltby -significantly.</p> - -<p>Fenton knew this was a hint at his <i>penchant</i> for Mrs. Malton, but he -did not very well see how he could take it to himself, particularly -when he saw every one smiling, so he smiled back saturninely at the -circle.</p> - -<p>"You're devilish witty, boys," he said coldly; "guess the wine has -sharpened your brains."</p> - -<p>As he strolled away in his usual cool manner, Slingsby looked after -him.</p> - -<p>"Our friend's hard hit over Mrs. Malton," he said at length.</p> - -<p>"Every one knows that," grinned Toltby, "except the husband."</p> - -<p>"Yes, the husband is generally the last to find out these things," -remarked Pelk drily; and the conversation ended.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Rolleston and Keith were playing their game of billiards, a -pastime in which the former was an adept, and soon defeated Keith, who -threw down his cue in half anger.</p> - -<p>"You always win," he said pettishly; "it's no use playing with you."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, it is," said Felix cheerfully. "I know I'm a good player, so -if you play with me it will improve you very much--that remark sounds -conceited, but it's true--come and have another game."</p> - -<p>"Not to-night," replied Keith; "I've got to keep my appointment with -Mortimer--it's no use waiting for Lazarus."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, it is," cried a new voice, and Lazarus made his appearance -at the door of the billiard-room. "I'm sorry for having kept you -waiting, but it was unavoidable. I'll tell you all about it as we walk -up."</p> - -<p>"All right," replied Keith, and turned to go, followed by Ezra, who -nodded to Rolleston.</p> - -<p>"Good-night," cried that gentleman, making a cannon. "Good luck be -with you."</p> - -<p>"Amen," responded Keith laughing, and disappeared with Ezra.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_14" href="#div1Ref_14">CHAPTER XIV</a>.</h4> -<h5>A STRUGGLE FOR FAME.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">The two young men walked slowly up the street in the direction of the -Bon-Bon Theatre, passing into Swanston Street just as the Town Hall -clock struck eleven. It was a beautiful moonlight night, but no breeze -was blowing, and the heat which the earth had drawn to her bosom -during the day was now exhaled from the warm ground in a faint humid -vapour. Crowds of people were in the streets sauntering idly along, -evidently unwilling to go to bed. The great buildings stood up white -and spectral-like on the one side of the street, while on the other -they loomed out black against the clear sky. The garish flare of the -innumerable street lamps seemed out of place under the serene -splendour of the heavens, and the frequent cries of the street boys, -and noisy rattling of passing cabs, jarred on the ear. At least Keith -thought so, for, after walking in silence for some time, he turned -with a gesture of irritation to his companion.</p> - -<p>"Isn't this noise disagreeable?" he said impatiently; "under such a -perfect sky the city ought to lie dead like a fantastic dream of the -Arabian Nights, but the gas lamps and incessant restlessness of -Melbourne vulgarises the whole thing."</p> - -<p>"Poetical, certainly," replied Ezra, rousing himself from his -abstraction; "but I should not care to inhabit an enchanted city. To -me there is something grand in this restless crowd of people, all -instinct with life and ambition--the gas lamps jar on your dream, but -they are evidences of civilisation, and the hoarse murmur of the mob -is like the mutterings of a distant storm, or white waves breaking on -a lonely coast. No, my friend, leave the enchanted cities to -dreamland, and live the busy life of the nineteenth century."</p> - -<p>"Your ideas and wishes are singularly at variance," said Keith -smiling. "The city suggests poetical thoughts to you, but you reject -them and lower yourself to the narrow things of everyday."</p> - -<p>"I am a man, and must live as one," replied the Jew, with a sigh; -"it's hard enough to do so--Heaven knows!--without creating Paradises -at whose doors we must ever stand like lost Peris."</p> - -<p>"What's the matter with you to-night?" asked Keith abruptly.</p> - -<p>"Nothing particular; only I've had a quarrel with my father."</p> - -<p>"Is that all? My dear Lazarus, your father lives in an atmosphere of -quarrelling--it's bread and meat to him--so you needn't fret over a -few words. What was the quarrel about?"</p> - -<p>"Money."</p> - -<p>"Humph!--generally a fruitful cause of dissension. Tell me all about -it."</p> - -<p>"You know how I love Rachel?" said Lazarus quietly. "Well, I am -anxious to marry her and have a home of my own. It's weary work living -in tents like a Bedouin. I get a good salary, it's true; but I asked -my father to give me a sufficient sum of ready money to buy a piece of -land and a house. I might have saved myself the trouble--he refused, -and we had angry words, so parted in anger."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't bother about it, if I were you," said Keith consolingly. -"Words break no bones--besides, this burlesque may bring us a lot of -money, and then you can marry Rachel when you please."</p> - -<p>"I don't expect much money out of it," replied the Jew, with a frown. -"It's our first piece, and Mortimer will drive a hard bargain with -us--but you seem very hopeful to-night."</p> - -<p>"I have cause to. Eugénie has written me a letter, in which she says -she is coming to Melbourne."</p> - -<p>"That's good news, indeed. Is she going to stay?"</p> - -<p>"I think so," said Keith gaily. "I told you she was a governess, so -she has replied to an advertisement in the <i>Argus</i>. and hopes to get -the situation."</p> - -<p>"I trust she will," observed Ezra, smiling at Keith's delight. "She -will do you a lot of good by her presence, and guard you from the -spells of Armida."</p> - -<p>"<i>Alias</i> Caprice. Thanks for the warning, but I've not been ensnared -by the fair enchantress yet, and never mean to; but here we are at the -theatre. I hope we get good terms from Mortimer."</p> - -<p>"So do I, for Rachel's sake."</p> - -<p>"We are both <i>preux chevaliers</i>. anxious to gain for our lady-loves -not fame, but money. Oh, base desire!"</p> - -<p>"It may be base, but it's very necessary," replied the prudent Jew, -and they both entered the stage-door of the theatre.</p> - -<p>Mortimer's sanctum was a very well-furnished room, displaying -considerable taste on the part of the occupant, for the manager of the -"Bon-Bon" was sybaritic in his ideas. The floor was covered with a -heavy velvet carpet, and the walls adorned with excellent pictures, -while the furniture was all chosen for comfort as well as for -ornament. Mortimer was seated at his desk with a confused mass of -papers before him, and leaning back in a chair near him was Caprice, -who looked rather pale and worn.</p> - -<p>There was a lamp on the table with a heavy shade, which concentrated -all the light into a circle, and Kitty's pale face, with its aureole -of fair hair seen in the powerful radiance, appeared strange and -unreal. Dark circles under her heavy eyes, faint lines round the small -mouth, and the weary look now habitual to her, all combined to give -her face a wan and spiritual look which made even Mortimer shiver as -he looked at her.</p> - -<p>"Hang it, Kitty," he said roughly, "don't look so dismal. You ought to -see a doctor."</p> - -<p>"What for?" she asked listlessly. "I'm quite well."</p> - -<p>"Humph! I don't think so. You've been going down the hill steadily the -last few months. Look how thin you are--a bag of bones."</p> - -<p>"So was Rachel," replied Caprice, with a faint smile.</p> - -<p>"Well, she didn't live very long. Besides, you ain't Rachel," growled -Mortimer, "and I don't want you to get ill just now."</p> - -<p>"No, you could hardly supply my place," said Caprice, with a sneer. -"Don't you bother yourself, Mortimer, I'm not going to die yet. When I -do I sha'n't be sorry; life hasn't been so pleasant to me that I -should wish to live."</p> - -<p>"I don't know what you want," grumbled the manager; "you've got all -Melbourne at your feet."</p> - -<p>"I can't say much for Melbourne's morality, then," retorted Caprice -bitterly; "circumstances have made me what I am, but I'm getting tired -of the cakes and ale business. If I could only secure the future of my -child, I'd turn religious."</p> - -<p>"Mary Magdalen!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, a case of history repeating itself, isn't it?" she replied, with -a harsh laugh.</p> - -<p>"Strange!" said Mortimer, scrutinising her narrowly; "the worse a -woman is in her youth, the more devout she becomes in her old age."</p> - -<p>"On the authority of M. de la Rochefoucauld, I suppose," answered -Caprice; "old age gives good advice when it no longer can give bad -example."</p> - -<p>"Who told you that?"</p> - -<p>"A man you never knew--Vandeloup."</p> - -<p>"I don't know that my not being acquainted with him was much to be -regretted."</p> - -<p>"No, I don't think it was," replied Caprice coolly; "he had twice your -brains--to know him was a liberal education."</p> - -<p>"In cheap cynicism, gad, you've been an apt pupil."</p> - -<p>Kitty laughed, and, rising from her seat, began to walk to and fro.</p> - -<p>"I wish those boys would come," she said restlessly; "I want to go -home."</p> - -<p>"Then go," said Mortimer; "you needn't stay."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, I need," she replied; "I want to see that they get good -terms for their play."</p> - -<p>"I'll give them a fair price," said Mortimer; "but I'm not going to be -so liberal as you expect."</p> - -<p>"I've no doubt of that."</p> - -<p>"I believe you're sweet on that Stewart."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I am!"</p> - -<p>"Meddlechip won't like that,"</p> - -<p>"Pish! I don't care two straws for Meddlechip."</p> - -<p>"No; but you do for his money."</p> - -<p>"Of course; that goes without saying."</p> - -<p>"You're a hardened little devil, Caprice."</p> - -<p>"God knows I've had enough to make me hard," she replied bitterly, -throwing herself down in her chair, with a frown.</p> - -<p>There was a knock at the door at this moment, and, in reply to -Mortimer's invitation to "come in," Ezra and Keith appeared.</p> - -<p>"Well, you two are late," said Mortimer, glancing at his watch; "a -quarter-past eleven."</p> - -<p>"I'm very sorry," said Ezra quietly; "but it was my fault. I was -telling Stewart about some business."</p> - -<p>"Well, we won't take long to settle this affair," remarked Mortimer, -looking over his papers. "Be seated, gentlemen."</p> - -<p>Keith took off his overcoat and threw it over the back of a chair, on -which Kitty's fur-lined mantle was already resting.</p> - -<p>Caprice, who had flushed up on the advance of Stewart, leaned back in -her chair, while Keith sat down near her, and Ezra took a position -opposite, close to Mortimer.</p> - -<p>"Now then, gentlemen," said Mortimer, playing with a paper-cutter, -"about this burlesque--what is your opinion?"</p> - -<p>"That's rather a curious question to ask an author," replied Keith -gaily. "We naturally think it excellent."</p> - -<p>"I hope the public will think the same," observed Mortimer drily; "but -I don't mean that. I want to know your terms."</p> - -<p>"Of course," said Ezra, smoothly; "but just tell us what you are -prepared to give."</p> - -<p>"I'm buyer, gentlemen, you are sellers," replied the manager shrewdly; -"I can't take up your position."</p> - -<p>Kitty leaned back in her chair and bent over close to Keith's ear.</p> - -<p>"Ask five pounds a night," she whispered.</p> - -<p>Stewart glanced at Ezra, and seeing he was in doubt as to what to say, -spoke out loudly.</p> - -<p>"Speaking for myself and partner, I think we'll take five pounds a -night."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I'll agree to that," observed Ezra eagerly</p> - -<p>"I've no doubt you will," rejoined Mortimer, raising his eyebrows; -"that's thirty pounds a week, fifteen pounds apiece--a very nice sum, -gentlemen--if you get it."</p> - -<p>"Then what do you propose to give?" asked Keith.</p> - -<p>"One pound for every performance."</p> - -<p>Stewart laughed.</p> - -<p>"Do you take us for born fools?" he asked angrily.</p> - -<p>"No, I do not," replied Mortimer, catching his chin between finger and -thumb, and looking critically at the two young men; "I take you for -very clever boys who are just making a start, and I'm willing to help -you--at my own price--which is one pound a night."</p> - -<p>"The game's not worth the candle," said Ezra, in a disappointed tone.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, it is," retorted Mortimer; "it gives you a chance. Now, look -here, I've no desire to take advantage of my position, which, as you -see, is a very strong one."</p> - -<p>"In what way?" asked Caprice, elevating her eyebrows.</p> - -<p>Mortimer explained in his slow voice as follows,--"I can write home to -London and get successful plays with big reputations already made."</p> - -<p>"Yes, and pay big prices for them."</p> - -<p>"That may be," replied the manager imperturbably; "but if I give a -good price I get a good article that is sure to recoup me for my -outlay. I don't say that 'Faust Upset' isn't good, but at the same -time it's an experiment. Australians don't like their own raw -material."</p> - -<p>"They never get the chance of seeing it," said Keith bitterly; "you of -course look at it from a business point of view, as is only proper, -but seeing that you draw all your money from Colonial pockets, why not -give Colonial brains a chance?"</p> - -<p>"Because Colonial brains don't pay, Colonial pockets do," said -Mortimer coolly; "besides, I am giving you a chance, and that at -considerable risk to myself. I will put on this burlesque in good -style because Caprice is dead set on it; but business is business, and -I can't afford to lose money on an untried production."</p> - -<p>"Suppose it turns out a great success," said Ezra, "we, the authors, -only make six pounds a week, while you take all the profits."</p> - -<p>"Certainly," retorted Mortimer; "I've taken the risk."</p> - -<p>"Then if we make a great success of this burlesque," said Keith, "you -will give us better terms for the next thing we write?"</p> - -<p>"Well, yes," said the manager, in a hesitating manner; "but, of -course, though your position is improved, mine is still the same."</p> - -<p>"I understand; as long as you have the run of the London market, you -can treat Colonial playwrights as you choose?"</p> - -<p>"You've stated the case exactly."</p> - -<p>"It's an unfair advantage."</p> - -<p>"No doubt, but business is business. I hold the trump card."</p> - -<p>"It's a bad lookout for the literary and musical future of Australia -when such men as you hold the cards," said Ezra gloomily; "but it's no -use arguing the case. I've heard all this sort of thing before. The -Australians are too busy making money to trouble about such a -contemptible thing as literary work."</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you what, Mortimer," broke in Caprice, "give them two -pounds a night for the piece."</p> - -<p>"Not I."</p> - -<p>"Yes you will, or I don't show at the Bon-Bon."</p> - -<p>"You forget your engagement, my dear," said Mortimer complacently.</p> - -<p>"No, I don't," retorted Kitty, snapping her fingers; "that for my -engagement. I don't care if I broke it to-morrow. You've got your -remedy, no doubt; try it, and see what you'll make of it."</p> - -<p>Mortimer looked uneasily at her. He knew he had the law on his side, -but Caprice was so reckless that she cared for nothing, and would do -what she pleased in spite of both him and the law. Besides, he could -not afford to lose her, so he met her half way.</p> - -<p>"Tell you what," he said genially, "I've no wish to be hard on you, -boys--I'll give you one pound a night for a week, and if the burlesque -is a success, two pounds--there, that's fair."</p> - -<p>"I suppose it's the best terms we can get," said Keith recklessly; -"anything for the chance of having a play put on the stage. What do -you say, Lazarus?"</p> - -<p>"I accept," replied the Jew briefly.</p> - -<p>"In that case," said Kitty, rising, "I needn't stay any longer. Mr. -Lazarus, will you take me to my carriage?"</p> - -<p>"Allow me," said Keith advancing.</p> - -<p>Kitty recoiled, and an angry light flashed in her eyes.</p> - -<p>"No, thank you," she said coldly, snatching up her cloak, "Mr. Lazarus -will see me down," and without another word she swept out of the room, -followed by Ezra, who was much astonished at the rebuff Keith had -received.</p> - -<p>"What's that for?" asked Mortimer looking up. "I thought you were the -white boy there."</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I don't know," said Keith, in a puzzled tone. "She has been -rather cold to me for the last three months, but she never snubbed me -till now."</p> - -<p>"Oh, she's never the same two minutes together," said Mortimer, -turning once more to his desk. "Have a drink?"</p> - -<p>Keith nodded, whereupon Mortimer, who was the most hospitable of men, -brought forth whisky and seltzer. As he was filling the glasses, Ezra -re-entered with Keith's coat.</p> - -<p>"Caprice carried this downstairs with her by mistake," he said, giving -it to Keith, "and called me back to return it."</p> - -<p>"Gad! she went off in such a whirlwind of passion I don't wonder she -took it. I'm glad she left the chair," said Mortimer coolly. "Will you -join us?"</p> - -<p>"No, thanks," replied Ezra, putting on his hat. "I've got to go back -to the office. Good-night. See you to-morrow, Keith; you can settle -with Mortimer about the agreement," and thereupon he vanished.</p> - -<p>Keith and Mortimer sat down, and the latter drafted out an agreement -about the play which he promised to send to his lawyer, and then, if -the young men approved of it, the whole affair could be settled right -off.</p> - -<p>This took a considerable time, and it was about half-past twelve when -Keith, having said good-night to Mortimer, left the theatre. He walked -down Collins Street, smoking his cigarette, and thinking about his -good luck and Eugénie. How delighted she would be at his success. He -would make lots of money, and then he could marry her. After wandering -about for some considerable time, he turned homeward. Walking up -Bourke Street, he entered Russell Street, and went on towards East -Melbourne. Passing along in front of Lazarus' shop, he saw a man -leaning against the door.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing there?" asked Keith sharply, going up to him.</p> - -<p>The man struck out feebly with his fists, and giving an indistinct -growl, lurched heavily against Keith, who promptly knocked him down, -and had a tussle with him. The moon was shining brightly, and, as the -light fell on his face, Keith recognised him instantly--it was -Randolph Villiers.</p> - -<p>"You'd better go home, Villiers," he said quickly, raising him to his -feet, "you'll be getting into trouble."</p> - -<p>"Go to devil," said Mr. Villiers, in a husky voice, lurching into the -centre of the street. "I'm out on business. I know what I know, and if -you knew what I knew, you'd know a lot--eh! wouldn't you?" and he -leered at Stewart.</p> - -<p>"Pah, you're drunk," said Stewart in disgust, turning on his heel; -"you'd better get home, or you'll get into some mischief."</p> - -<p>"No, I won't," growled Villiers, "but I know some 'un as will."</p> - -<p>"Who?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I know--I know," retorted Villiers, and went lurching down the -street, setting the words to a popular tune,--</p> -<div style="margin-left: 10%"> - -<p style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; text-indent:-12px"> -"I know a thing or two,<br> -Yes I do--just a few."</p> -</div> -<br> -<p>Keith looked at the drunken man rolling heavily down the street--a -black, misshapen figure in the moonlight--and then, turning away with -a laugh, walked thence to East Melbourne thinking of Eugénie.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_15" href="#div1Ref_15">CHAPTER XV.</a></h4> -<h5>THE RUSSELL STREET CRIME.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">The next morning a rumour crept through the city that a murder had -been committed in a house in Russell Street, and many people proceeded -to the spot indicated to find out if it were true. They discovered -that for once rumour had not lied, and Lazarus, the pawnbroker, one of -the best known characters in the city, had been found dead in his bed -with his throat cut. The house being guarded by the police, who were -very reticent, no distinct information could be gained, and it was not -until <i>The Penny Whistle</i> came out at four o'clock that the true facts -of the crime were ascertained. A general rush was made by the public -for copies of the paper, and by nightfall nothing was talked of -throughout Melbourne but the Russell Street crime. The version given -by <i>The Penny Whistle</i>. which was written by a highly imaginative -reporter, was as follows, and headed by attractive titles:--</p> -<br> - -<h4>TERRIBLE CRIME IN RUSSELL STREET</h4> -<p class="center"><i>Lazarus has passed in his Checks</i>.</p> -<h5><span class="sc">An Unknown Assassin<br> -is<br> -In Our Midst</span>.</h5> -<br> - -<p>It is often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and we have now -an excellent illustration of this proverb. A crime has been committed -before which the marvellous romances of Gaboriau sink into -insignificance, and the guilty wretch who has stained his soul with -murder is still at large. The bare facts of the case are as follows:--</p> - -<p>Early this morning it was noticed by a policeman that the shop of -Lazarus, a well-known pawnbroker, was not opened, and knowing the -methodical habits of the old man, the policeman was much surprised. -However, thinking that Lazarus might have overslept himself, he passed -on, and had gone but a few yards when a boy called Isaiah Jacobs -rushed into the street from an alley which led to the back of the -house. The lad was much terrified, and it was with considerable -difficulty that the policeman elicited from him the following story:--</p> - -<p>He had come to his work as usual at eight o'clock, and went round to -the back door in order to get into the house. This door was generally -open, and Lazarus waiting for him, but on this morning it was closed, -and although the boy knocked several times, no response was made. He -then noticed that the window which is on the left-hand side of the -door going in, was wide open, and becoming impatient, he climbed up to -it, and looked in to see if the old man was asleep. To his -consternation he saw Lazarus lying on the floor in a pool of blood, -and, seized with a sudden terror, he dropped from the window and -rushed into the street.</p> - -<p>On hearing this, the policeman sent him for Sergeant Mansard, who soon -arrived on the scene, with several other members of the force. They -went round to the back and found the door closed and the window open -as the boy had described. Having tried the door and found it locked, -the police burst it open, and entered the house to view a scene which -baffles description.</p> - -<p>The murdered man was lying nearly nude in the middle of the room in a -pool of blood. His throat was cut from ear to ear, and, judging from -the bruises and cuts on his hands and arms, there must have been a -terrible struggle before the murderer accomplished his act. The -bed-clothes, all stained with blood, were lying half on the bed and -half on the floor, so that it is surmised that the deceased must have -been attacked while asleep, and woke suddenly to fight for his life.</p> - -<p>A large iron safe which stood near the head of the bed was wide open, -the keys being in the lock, and all the drawers pulled out. A lot of -papers which had evidently been in the safe were lying on the floor, -but in spite of a rigid examination, no money could be found, so it is -presumed that the murder was effected for the sake of robbery. On one -sheet of the bed were several stains of blood, as if the assassin had -wiped his hands thereon, but the weapon with which the crime was -committed cannot be found. A door looking into the shop was closed and -bolted, so the murderer must have made his entry through the window, -and, departing the same way, forgot to close it.</p> - -<p>The body of the deceased has been removed to the Morgue, and an -inquest will be held to-day. The case has been placed in the hands of -Detective Naball, who is now on the spot taking such notes as he deems -necessary for the elucidation of this terrible mystery.</p> - -<p>Hereunder will be found a plan of the room in which the murder was -committed, and also the alley leading to the street. We wish our -readers to take particular note of this, as we wish to give our theory -as to the way in which the murderer went about his diabolical work.</p> -<br> -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/Pawn_Shop.png" -alt="Pawn Shop"></p> -<br> -<p>A. Door leading into shop--found bolted.</p> - -<p>B. Bed with clothes in disorder.</p> - -<p>C. Safe found open, with all valuables abstracted.</p> - -<p>D. Window found open by which assassin probably entered.</p> - -<p>E. Door leading to alley--found locked.</p> - -<p>F. Alley leading to street, by which entrance was gained to back of -house.</p> - -<p>G. Place where body of murdered man was discovered.</p> - -<p>In the first place, there is no doubt that the motive of the crime was -robbery, as is proved by the open safe rifled of its contents. The -murderer evidently knew that Lazarus slept in the back room and had -the keys of the safe--as we have since ascertained--under his pillow. -He must also have known the position of the safe and bed, for had he -groped about for them, he would have awakened the old man, who would -have instantly have given the alarm.</p> - -<p>The window D is about five feet from the ground, and was fastened with -an ordinary catch, as it never seemed to have entered the old man's -head that an attempt would be made to rob him.</p> - -<p>Our theory is that the murderer is a man who knew the deceased, and -had been frequently in the back room, so as to assure himself of the -position of things. Last night he must have entered the alley--at what -hour we are not prepared to say, as the time of the murder can only be -determined by medical evidence--and opened the window by slipping the -blade of his knife between the upper and lower parts, and pushing back -the latch.</p> - -<p>He then climbed softly into the room, and going straight to the bed, -found the deceased asleep. Very likely he did not intend to kill him -had he slept on, but in trying to abstract the keys from under the -pillow, Lazarus must have sprung up and tried to give the alarm. -Instantly the murderer's clutch was on his throat; but the old man, -struggling off the bed, fought with terrible strength for his life. -The struggle took them into the centre of the room, and there Lazarus, -becoming exhausted, must have fallen, and the murderer, with -diabolical coolness, must have cut his throat, so as to effectually -silence him.</p> - -<p>Then, taking the keys from under the pillow, he must have opened the -safe, taken what he wished, and made his escape through the window, -and from thence into the street. Probably no one was about, and he -could slink away unperceived, for, had he met any one, his clothes, -spotted with the blood of his victim, would have attracted attention.</p> - -<p>We conclude he must have had a dark lantern in order to see the -contents of the safe, but, as none has been found, he must have taken -it with him, together with the knife with which the crime was -committed.</p> - -<p>This is all we can learn at the present time, but whether any sounds -of a struggle were heard, can only be discovered from the witnesses at -the inquest to-morrow.</p> - -<p>Of one thing we are certain, the murderer cannot escape, as his -blood-stained clothes must necessarily have been noticed by even the -most casual observer.</p> - -<p>We will issue a special edition of <i>The Penny Whistle</i> to-morrow, with -a full account of the inquest and the witnesses examined thereat.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_16" href="#div1Ref_16">CHAPTER XVI.</a></h4> - -<h5>THE INQUEST.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">There was naturally a great deal of excitement over the murder, as, -apart from the magnitude of the crime, Lazarus was a well-known -character in Melbourne. He knew more secrets than any priest, and many -a person of apparently spotless character felt a sensation of relief -when they heard that the old Jew was dead. Lazarus was not the sort of -man to keep a diary, so to many people it was fortunate that he had -died unexpectedly, and carried a number of disagreeable secrets with -him to the grave.</p> - -<p>The report of the inquest was followed with great interest, for though -it was generally thought that robbing was the motive for the crime, -yet some hinted that, considering the character of the old man, there -might be more cogent reasons for the committal of the murder. One of -these sceptics was Naball, in whose hands the case had been placed for -elucidation.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it was robbery," he said to a brother detective. "Old -Lazarus knew a good many dangerous secrets, and I wouldn't be a bit -surprised to find that the murderer was some poor devil whom he had in -his power."</p> - -<p>"But the open safe?" said the detective.</p> - -<p>"Pish! that can easily be accounted for; there may have been papers -implicating the murderer, or the robbery might have been a blind, -or--oh, there's dozens of reasons--however, we'll find it all out at -the inquest."</p> - -<p>In opening the proceedings, the Coroner mentioned all the -circumstances in connection with the murder which had come to the -knowledge of the police, and said that as yet no clue had been found -likely to lead to the detection of the assassin, but without doubt the -evidence of the witnesses about to be examined would afford some -starting point.</p> - -<p>The first witness called was the policeman who had found the body, and -he deposed to the circumstances which led to the discovery. He was -succeeded by Dr. Chisholm, who had examined the body of the deceased, -and, having been sworn in the usual manner, deposed as follows:--</p> - -<p>"I am a duly qualified medical practitioner. I have examined the body -of the deceased. It is that of an old man--I should say about seventy -years of age--very badly nourished; I found hardly any food in the -stomach. There were many bruises and excoriations on the body, which, -I have no doubt, are due to the struggle between the murderer and his -victim. I examined the neck, back, and limbs, but could find no -fractures. The throat was cut evidently by some very sharp instrument, -as the windpipe was completely severed. I examined the body about nine -o'clock in the morning,--it was then warm, and, according to my -belief, the deceased must have been dead eight or nine hours."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Are you certain of that?"</p> - -<p><i>Dr. Chisholm</i>.--"Not absolutely. It is a very difficult thing to tell -exactly, by the temperature of the body, what length of time has -elapsed since death. After a sudden and violent death, the body often -parts with its heat slowly, as I think it has done in this case. -Besides, the night was very hot, which would be an additional reason -for the body cooling slowly."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Was the body rigid when you examined it?"</p> - -<p><i>Dr. Chisholm</i>.--"Yes; <i>rigor mortis</i> had set in. It generally occurs -within six hours of death, but it might occur earlier if there had -been violent muscular exertion, as there was in this case. I think -that the deceased was awakened from his sleep, and struggled with his -murderer till he became exhausted; then the murderer cut his throat -with a remarkably sharp knife."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"And, according to your theory, death took place about -midnight?"</p> - -<p><i>Dr. Chisholm</i>.--"Yes--I think so; but, as I said, before, it is very -difficult to tell."</p> - -<p>The next witness called was Isaiah Jacobs, who gave his evidence in an -aggressively shrill voice, but the Coroner was unable to elicit more -from him than had already been published in <i>The Penny Whistle</i>. After -the echo of the young Israelite's shrill voice had died away, Keith -Stewart was sworn, and deposed as follows:--</p> - -<p>"I was clerk to the deceased, and had occupied the position for some -months. On the day previous to the murder, I had received a hundred -pounds, in twenty bank notes of five pounds each, which I gave to the -deceased, and saw him place them in his safe. He always slept on the -premises, and kept his keys under his pillow. He told me that he -always had a loaded revolver on the table beside his bed. On the -night, or rather morning, of the murder I was passing along Russell -Street on my way home. I saw a man standing near the shop. I knew him -as Randolph Villiers. I asked him what he was doing, but could get no -very decided answer--he was quite intoxicated, and went off down the -street."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"About what time was this?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"Two o'clock."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"You are certain?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"Quite--I heard it striking from the Town Hall tower."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Was Villiers' intoxication real or feigned?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"Real, as far as I could see."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"It was a moonlight night, I believe?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"Yes; the moon was very bright."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Did you notice anything peculiar about Villiers? Was he -confused? Were his clothes in disorder? Any marks of blood?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"No; I saw nothing extraordinary about him. He is -generally more or less drunk, so I did not notice him particularly."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"I believe, Mr. Stewart, you belong to the Skylarks' -Club?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"I do."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"And yet you are a clerk in a pawnbroker's office--aren't -the two things rather incongruous?"</p> - -<p><i>Stewart</i>.--"No doubt; but I am in a position to be a member of the -Skylarks' Club, and as to being a clerk to Lazarus, it's merely a -matter of honour. When he engaged me he stipulated that I should stay -for six months, and though I unexpectedly came in for some money, I -felt myself bound in honour to keep my agreement."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Thank you, that will do, Mr. Stewart. Call Mrs. Tibsey."</p> - -<p>That lady, large, red-faced, and energetic, was sworn and gave her -evidence in a voluble manner. She had evidently been drinking, as -there was a strong odour of gin in the air, and kept curtseying to the -Coroner every time she answered.</p> - -<p>"My name's Tibsey, my lord--Maria Tibsey. I've bin married twice, my -first being called Bliggings, and died of gunpowder--blowed up in a -quarry explosion. My second, also dead, sir, 'ad no lungs, and a corf -which tored him to bits. Only one child, sir, 'Tilda Bliggings, out in -service, my lord."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Yes, yes, Mrs. Tibsey, we don't want to learn all these -domestic affairs. Come to the point."</p> - -<p><i>Mrs. Tibsey</i>.--"About Sating, sir?--I called 'im Sating, sir, 'cause -he were a robber of the widder and orfin--me, sir, and my darter. I -was a-talking to my darter on that night, your worships, she 'aving -visited me. I lives near old Sating, as it was 'andy to drop in to pop -anything, and about twelve I 'eard a scream--a 'orrid 'owl, as made my -back h'open and shut, so I ses, ''Tilda,' ses I,' old Sating is 'avin' -a time of it, e's boozin',' and that's all, sir."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"You never went to see what it was?"</p> - -<p><i>Mrs. Tibsey</i>.--"Me, my lord? no, your worship, it weren't my -bisiniss. I didn't think it were murder."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"You are quite sure it was twelve o'clock?"</p> - -<p><i>Mrs. Tibsey</i>.--"I swears h'it." Miss Matilda Bliggings was then -called, and deposed she also heard the scream, and that her mother had -said it must be old Lazarus. It was twelve o'clock.</p> - -<p>Ezra Lazarus was then called, but could give no material evidence. He -said he had quarrelled with his father on the day preceding the -murder, and had not seen him since.</p> - -<p>The next witness called caused a sensation, as it was none other than -Mr. Randolph Villiers, who stated:--</p> - -<p>"My name is Villiers. I do nothing. I know old Lazarus. I was passing -through Russell Street, and leaned up against the shop door--I was -drunk--on my way to Little Bourke Street. I remember meeting Mr. -Stewart--think it was two, but ain't sure."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Where were you before you met Mr. Stewart?"</p> - -<p><i>Villiers</i>.--"About the town somewhere."</p> - -<p><i>Coroner</i>.--"Alone?"</p> - -<p><i>Villiers</i>.--"Sometimes I was, sometimes I wasn't."</p> - -<p>This ended all the evidence procurable, and the Coroner summed up.</p> - -<p>The crime had evidently been committed for the purpose of robbery, as -the hundred pounds which Mr. Stewart swore had been placed in the safe -by the deceased were gone; the knife with which the deed had been -committed had not yet been found; in fact, all the evidence was of the -barest character. According to Dr. Chisholm's evidence, the deceased -had been murdered about midnight, and as Mrs. Tibsey and her daughter -heard a scream also at that time, all the evidence seemed to point to -that hour as having been the time of death. Mr. Stewart met Villiers -at two o'clock, and Villiers stated that he had only been in Russell -Street a few minutes before he met Mr. Stewart. The jury would be kind -enough to bring in a verdict in accordance with the facts before them.</p> - -<p>The jury had a long argument; some wanted to bring in a charge of -murder against Villiers, as he certainly had not accounted for his -presence in Russell Street; but the evidence altogether was so vague -that they at length came to the conclusion it would be best to leave -the matter to the police, and brought in a verdict that the deceased -had met his death at the hands of some person or persons unknown.</p> - -<p>Great dissatisfaction was expressed by the public at this verdict, as, -in the opinion of most people, Villiers was the guilty man. A regular -battle was fought in the newspapers over the whole affair; but one man -said nothing.</p> - -<p>That man was Naball!</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_17" href="#div1Ref_17">CHAPTER XVII.</a></h4> - -<h5>A COUNCIL OF THREE.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">When the inquest was over, Naball went straight home, and carefully -read all the notes he had taken of the evidence given. After doing so, -he came to the conclusion that the person on whom most suspicion -rested was Keith Stewart.</p> - -<p>"In the first place," said Naball, thoughtfully eyeing his papers, -"Stewart was the clerk of old Lazarus, and knew what was in the safe, -and where the keys were kept; he is a member of an expensive club, -which he can't possibly afford to pay for out of his salary as a -clerk; as to his coming in for money, that's bosh!--if he had, -agreement or no agreement, he wouldn't have remained with old Lazarus. -He states that he left the theatre at half-past twelve, and the doctor -says the death took place at midnight; but then he wasn't sure, and it -might have taken place at half-past one, which would give Stewart time -to commit the crime. He could not account for his time between leaving -the theatre and seeing Villiers except by saying he had been walking, -which is a very weak explanation. Humph! I think I'll see Mr. Stewart -and ask him a few questions."</p> - -<p>Mr. Naball glanced at himself in the mirror, arranged the set of his -tie, dusted his varnished boots, and then sallied forth in search of -Keith. Passing along Swanston Street, he went into a florist's, and -purchased himself a smart buttonhole of white flowers, then held a -short council of war with himself as to where to find Stewart.</p> - -<p>"Wonder where he lives?" muttered the detective, in perplexity; "let -me see, what's the time," glancing at his watch--"nearly five; he's a -great friend of Mr. Lazarus, and I know Lazarus is sub-editor of <i>The -Penny Whistle</i>; I'll go along and ask him--he's sure to be in just -now."</p> - -<p>He walked rapidly along to the newspaper office, and, being admitted -to Ezra's room, found that young man just putting on his coat -preparatory to going away, his labours for the day now being -concluded.</p> - -<p>"Well, Mr. Naball," asked Ezra, in his soft voice, "what can I do for -you--anything about this unfortunate affair?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Naball bluntly; "I want to see Mr. Stewart."</p> - -<p>"Oh, you do!" broke in a new voice, and Stewart stepped out of an -adjoining room, where he had been waiting for his friend; "what is the -matter?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing much," observed Naball, in a frank voice; "but as this case -has been put into my hands, I want to ask you a few questions.'</p> - -<p>"Am I in the way?" asked Lazarus, taking up his hat.</p> - -<p>"By no means," replied Naball politely; "in fact, you may be of -assistance."</p> - -<p>"Well, fire away," said Keith, coolly lighting a cigarette. "I'm ready -to answer anything."</p> - -<p>Naball glanced keenly at both the young men before he began to talk, -and noted their appearance. Keith had a rather haggard look, as though -he had been leading a dissipated life; while Ezra's face looked -careworn and pale.</p> - -<p>"Cut up over his father's death, I guess," said Naball to himself; -"poor chap!--but as for the other, it looks like late hours and drink. -I must find out all about your private life, Mr. Stewart."</p> - -<p>"I'm waiting," said Keith impatiently; "I wish you wouldn't keep me -very long; I've got to meet a train from the country to-night."</p> - -<p>Naball closed both doors of the room, and, resuming his seat, looked -steadily at Keith, who, seated astride a chair, leaned his elbows on -the back, and smoked nonchalantly.</p> - -<p>"Are you aware," asked Naball deliberately, "if the late Mr. Lazarus -had any enemies?"</p> - -<p>"I can answer that question best," said Ezra quickly, before Keith -could speak. "Yes, he had plenty; my father, as you know, was a -moneylender as well as a pawnbroker, and, as he took advantage of his -possession of money to extort high interest, I know it made a lot of -people feel bitter against him."</p> - -<p>"Considering that you are his son, sir," said Naball, in a tone of -rebuke, "you do not speak very well of the dead."</p> - -<p>"I have not much cause to," rejoined Ezra bitterly; "he was father to -me in name only. But you need not make any comments--my duty to my -father's memory is between myself and my conscience. I have answered -your question--he had many enemies."</p> - -<p>"So I believe also," said Keith slowly; "but I don't think any one was -so hostile as to desire his death."</p> - -<p>"As you don't think so," observed Naball sharply, "I myself believe -that the murder was committed for the sake of robbery."</p> - -<p>"That's easily seen," said Ezra calmly, "from the fact of the safe -being open and the money gone."</p> - -<p>"That might have been a blind," retorted Naball quickly, "but you talk -of money being stolen; I think, Mr. Stewart, in your evidence to-day -you said they were bank notes?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; twenty ten-pound notes," replied Keith.</p> - -<p>"Do you know the numbers of them?"</p> - -<p>"No; I never thought of taking the numbers."</p> - -<p>"And you handed them to Mr. Lazarus?"</p> - -<p>"I did; at half-past five--he put them in his safe."</p> - -<p>"Were there any other valuables in the safe?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," retorted Keith coldly; "I was not in the confidence of -my employer."</p> - -<p>"Do you know?" said Naball, turning to Ezra.</p> - -<p>The young Jew smiled bitterly.</p> - -<p>"I also was not in my father's confidence," he said, "so know -nothing."</p> - -<p>"There was some gold and silver money also in the safe," said Keith to -Naball, knocking the ashes off his cigarette.</p> - -<p>"Humph! that's not much guide," replied the detective; "it's the notes -I want--if I could only find the numbers of those notes--where did -they come from?"</p> - -<p>"A man at Ballarat, called Forbes."</p> - -<p>"Oh! I'll write to Mr. Forbes of Ballarat," said Naball, making a -note, "but if those notes are put in circulation, do you know of any -means by which I can identify them?"</p> - -<p>Keith shook his head, then suddenly gave a cry.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I can tell you how to identify one of the notes."</p> - -<p>"That will be quite sufficient," said the detective eagerly. "How?"</p> - -<p>"That boy, Isaiah," said Stewart, "he's great on backing horses, and -frequently tells me about racing. When I was making up my cash on that -night, the notes were lying on the desk, and as the door of Mr. -Lazarus' room was open, Isaiah was afraid to speak aloud about his -tip, so he wrote it down."</p> - -<p>"But how can that identify the bank-note?" asked the perplexed -detective.</p> - -<p>"Because the young scamp wrote his tip, 'Back Flat-Iron,' on the back -of a ten-pound note."</p> - -<p>"In pencil?" asked Naball.</p> - -<p>"No; in ink!"</p> - -<p>"So one of the notes that were stolen has the inscription 'Back -Flat-Iron' on the back of it?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly!"</p> - -<p>Naball scribbled a line or two in his pocket-book, and shut it with a -snap.</p> - -<p>"If that note goes into circulation," he said, in a satisfied tone, -"I'll soon trace it to its original holder."</p> - -<p>"And then?" asked Ezra.</p> - -<p>"And then," reiterated Naball quietly, "I'll lay my hands on the man -who killed your father. And now, Mr. Stewart, I want to ask you a few -questions about yourself."</p> - -<p>"Go on!" said Keith imperturbably; "I hope you don't think I killed -Lazarus?"</p> - -<p>"I think--nothing," replied Naball quietly; "I only want to find out -as much as I can. You were at the Bon-Bon Theatre on that night?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; talking to Mr. Mortimer."</p> - -<p>"Any one else with you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Ezra, "I was, and Caprice; we left about half-past -eleven."</p> - -<p>"And you, Mr. Stewart?"</p> - -<p>"I left at half-past twelve."</p> - -<p>"Where did you go then?"</p> - -<p>"I was excited over some business I had done, and strolled about the -city."</p> - -<p>"Anywhere in particular?"</p> - -<p>"No. I went along Collins Street, up William Street, round about the -Law Courts, and then came down Bourke Street, on my way home."</p> - -<p>"How long were you thus wandering about?"</p> - -<p>"I think about an hour and a half, because as I turned into Russell -Street the clock struck two."</p> - -<p>"Why did you turn into Russell Street?"</p> - -<p>"Why!" echoed Keith, in surprise, "because I wanted to go home. I went -through Russell Street, down Flinders Street, and then walked to East -Melbourne, past the Fitzroy Gardens."</p> - -<p>"Oh! and you saw Villiers standing about the shop?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; he was leaning against the door."</p> - -<p>"Drunk?"</p> - -<p>"Very!"</p> - -<p>"What did you do?"</p> - -<p>"I ordered him off."</p> - -<p>"Did he go?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; rolled down the street towards Bourke Street, singing some -song."</p> - -<p>"You noticed nothing peculiar about him?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Was the door of the alley leading to the back open or shut?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know--I never noticed."</p> - -<p>"After Villiers disappeared, you went home?"</p> - -<p>"I did--straight home."</p> - -<p>Naball pondered for a few moments. Stewart certainly told all he knew -with perfect frankness, but then was he telling the truth?</p> - -<p>"Do you want to ask me any more questions?" asked Keith, rising.</p> - -<p>Naball made up his mind, and spoke out roughly,--</p> - -<p>"I want to know how you, with a small salary, can afford to belong to -an expensive club like the 'Skylarks?'"</p> - -<p>Keith's face grew as black as thunder.</p> - -<p>"Who the devil gave you permission to pry into my private affairs?"</p> - -<p>"No one except myself," retorted Naball boldly, for, though inferior -to Stewart in size, he by no means wanted pluck; "but I'm engaged in a -serious case, and it will be best for you to speak out frankly.</p> - -<p>"You surely don't suspect Stewart of the murder?" interposed Ezra -warmly.</p> - -<p>"I suspect nobody," retorted Naball. "I'm only asking him a question, -and, if he's wise, he'll answer it."</p> - -<p>Keith thought for a moment. He saw that, for some extraordinary reason -or another, Naball suspected him, so, in order to be on the safe side, -resolved to take the detective's advice and answer the question.</p> - -<p>"It is, as you say, a serious matter," he observed quietly, "and I am -the last person in the world not to give any assistance to the finding -out of the criminal; ask what you please, and I will answer."</p> - -<p>This reply somewhat staggered Naball, but, as he had strong suspicions -about Stewart's innocence, he put down the apparent frankness of the -answer to crafty diplomacy.</p> - -<p>"I only want to know," he said mildly, "how a gentleman in your -position can afford to belong to an expensive club."</p> - -<p>"Because I can afford to do so," replied Keith calmly. "When I first -came to Melbourne, I had no money, and was engaged by Mr. Lazarus as -his clerk, with the understanding I should stay with him six months. -To this I agreed, but shortly afterwards a sum of five hundred pounds -was placed to my credit, and afforded me a chance of living in good -style. I wished to leave the pawnshop, but Mr. Lazarus reminded me of -my position, and I had to stay. That is all."</p> - -<p>"Who placed this five hundred to your credit?" asked Naball.</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>"You don't know?" echoed Naball, in surprise. "Do you mean to say that -a large sum like that was placed to your credit by a person whom you -don't know?"</p> - -<p>"I do."</p> - -<p>"And I can substantiate that statement," said Ezra quietly.</p> - -<p>Naball looked from one to the other in perplexity, puzzled what to ask -next. Then he felt the only thing to be done was to go away and think -the matter over. But he did not intend to lose sight of Keith, and -this absurd statement about the five hundred only seemed to strengthen -his suspicions, so he determined to have him shadowed.</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Mr. Stewart," he said quietly. "I have nothing more to -ask. What time did you say you were going to meet a country train?"</p> - -<p>"I mentioned no time," replied Keith sharply.</p> - -<p>Baffled by this answer, Naball tried another way.</p> - -<p>"Will you kindly give me your address?" he asked, pulling out his -pocket-book. "I may want to communicate with you."</p> - -<p>"Vance's boarding-house, Powlett Street, East Melbourne."</p> - -<p>Mr. Naball noted this in his book, and then, with a slight nod, took -his leave.</p> - -<p>"Damn him," cried Keith fiercely, "he suspects me of this crime."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! that's nonsense," replied Ezra, as they went out, "you can -easily prove an alibi."</p> - -<p>"No, I can't," replied Keith, in a hard tone. "From half-past twelve -o'clock till two I was by myself, and no one saw me. I say I was -wandering about the streets, he thinks I was in Russell Street -committing a murder."</p> - -<p>"I don't think you need be a bit afraid of anyone suspecting you," -said Ezra bitterly. "Why, they might as well think I killed my -father."</p> - -<p>"You!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I had a quarrel with him, and then he was murdered. Oh, I assure -you they could get up an excellent case against me."</p> - -<p>"But you could prove an alibi."</p> - -<p>"That's just where it is," said Ezra coolly; "I can't."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Because, after leaving Kitty Marchurst, I went down the street to -<i>The Penny Whistle</i> office, and found it closed. I then walked home -along Collins Street, through the Fitzroy Gardens. It was a beautiful -night, and, as I was thinking over my quarrel with my father, I sat -down on one of the seats for a time, so I did not get home till two -o'clock in the morning. No one saw me, and I've got quite as much -difficulty in proving an alibi as you have."</p> - -<p>"Do you think Naball suspects you?"</p> - -<p>"No; nor do I think he suspects you, but I've got a suspicion that he -suspects some one."</p> - -<p>"And that some one--"</p> - -<p>"Is called Randolph Villiers."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_18" href="#div1Ref_18">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></h4> - -<h5>CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">When Naball left the two young men, he went straight to the Detective -Office in order to get some one to look after Keith Stewart, and see -that he did not leave Melbourne. Naball did not believe that he was -going to meet any one that night, and wanted to find out why he was -going to the station.</p> - -<p>"If he wanted to give me the slip," he thought, "he wouldn't have told -me he was going to the railway station--humph! can't make out what -he's up to."</p> - -<p>The gentleman who was to act as Mr. Stewart's shadow was a short, -red-nosed man with a humbled appearance and a chronic sniffle. He was -sparing of words, and communicated with his fellow-man by a series of -nods and winks which did duty with him for conversation.</p> - -<p>"Tulch!" said Naball, when this extraordinary being appeared, "I want -you to go to Vance's boarding-house, Powlett Street, East Melbourne, -and keep your eye on a man called Keith Stewart."</p> - -<p>An interrogatory sniff from Tulch.</p> - -<p>"Ah, I forgot you don't know his personal appearance," said -Naball thoughtfully; "he's tall, with fair hair, wears a suit of -home-spun--humph;--that won't do, there are dozens of young men of -that description. Here!--tell you what, I'll give you a note to -deliver to him personally; muffle yourself up in an ulster when you -deliver it, so that he won't know you--understand?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Tulch sniffed in the affirmative.</p> - -<p>"Follow him wherever he goes, and tell me what he's up to," said -Naball, scribbling a note to Stewart and handing it to Tulch. "That's -all--clear out."</p> - -<p>A farewell sniffle, and Tulch was gone.</p> - -<p>"Humph," muttered Naball to himself, "now I'd like to know the meaning -of all this--I don't believe this cock-and-bull story about Stewart -having money left him in this mysterious manner--people don't do that -sort of thing now-a-days--I believe he's been robbing the old man for -some time and was found out--so silenced him by using his knife. -Knife," repeated Naball, "that's not been found yet--I must see about -this--now there's Villiers--I wonder if he could help me? It was -curious that he should have been about the shop at that special -time--he's a bad lot--gad, I'll go and see what I can find out from -him."</p> - -<p>Knowing Mr. Villiers' habits, he had no difficulty in discovering his -whereabouts. Ah Goon's was where Villiers generally dwelt, so, after -Naball had partaken of a nice little dinner, he went off to Little -Bourke Street.</p> - -<p>It was now between seven and eight o'clock, which was the time -Villiers generally dined, so, Naball not finding him at Ah Goon's, -betook himself to a cook-shop in the neighbourhood, to which he was -directed by a solid-looking Chinaman.</p> - -<p>It was a low-roofed place, consisting of a series of apartments all -opening one into the other by squat little door-ways. The atmosphere -was dull and smoky, and the acrid smell of burning wood saluted -Naball's nostrils when he entered. Near the door-way a Chinaman was -rolling out rice bread to the thinness of paper; then, cutting it into -little squares, he wrapped each round a kind of sausage meat, and -placed the rolls thus prepared on a tray for cooking.</p> - -<p>In the next apartment was a large boiler, with the lid off, filled -with water, in which ten or twelve turkeys, skewered and trussed, were -bobbing up and down amid the froth and scum of the boiling water. A -crowd of Chinese, all chattering in their high shrill voices, were -moving about half seen in the smoky atmosphere, through which candle -and lamp light flamed feebly.</p> - -<p>Villiers, in a kind of little cell apartment, was having his supper -when the detective entered. Before him was a large bowl filled with -soup, and in this were squares of thin rice bread, and portions of -turkey and duck mixed up into a savoury mess, and flavoured with the -dark brown fluid which the Chinese use instead of salt.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's you," growled Villiers, looking up with a scowl, "what do -you want?"</p> - -<p>"You, my friend," said Naball cheerfully, taking a seat.</p> - -<p>"Oh, do you?" said Villiers, rubbing his bleared eyes, inflamed by the -pungent smoke of the wood-fire. "I s'pose you think I killed old -Lazarus?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't," retorted the detective, looking straight at him, "but I -think you know more than you tell."</p> - -<p>"He! he!" grinned the other sardonically. "Perhaps I do--perhaps I -don't--it's my business."</p> - -<p>"And mine also," said Naball, somewhat nettled. "You forget the case -is in my hands."</p> - -<p>"Don't care whose hands it's in," retorted Villiers, finishing his -soup, "t'aint any trouble of mine."</p> - -<p>The detective bit his lip at the impenetrable way in which Villiers -met his advances. Suddenly a thought flashed across his mind, and he -bent forward with a meaning smile.</p> - -<p>"Got any more diamonds?"</p> - -<p>Villiers pushed back his chair from the table, and stared at Naball.</p> - -<p>"What diamonds?" he asked, in a husky voice.</p> - -<p>"Come now," said Naball, with a wink, "we know all about that--eh? Ah -Goon is a good pawnbroker, isn't he?"</p> - -<p>"Ah Goon!" gasped Villiers, turning a little pale.</p> - -<p>"Yes; though he did only lend twenty pounds on those diamonds."</p> - -<p>"Look here, Mr. Jack-o'-Dandy," said Villiers, bringing his fist down -on the table, "I don't want no beating about the bush, I don't. What -do you mean, curse you?"</p> - -<p>"I mean that I know all about your little games," replied Naball, -leaning over the table.</p> - -<p>"I know Caprice stole her own jewels for some purpose, and gave you -some of the swag to shut your mouth, and I know that you're going to -tell me all you know about this Russell Street business, or, by Jove, -I'll have you arrested on suspicion."</p> - -<p>Villiers gave a howl like a wild beast, and, flinging himself across -the table, tried to grapple with the detective, but recoiled with a -shriek of wrath and alarm as he saw the shining barrel of a revolver -levelled at his head.</p> - -<p>"Won't do, Villiers," said Naball smoothly; "try some other game."</p> - -<p>Whereupon Villiers, seeing that the detective was too strong for him, -sat down sulkily in his chair, and after invoking a blessing on -Naball's eyes, invited him to speak out. The detective replaced the -revolver in his pocket, whence it could be easily seized if necessary, -and smiled complacently at his sullen-faced friend.</p> - -<p>"Aha!" he said, producing a dainty cigarette, "this is much better. -Have you a light?"</p> - -<p>Villiers flung down a lucifer match with a husky curse, which Naball, -quite disregarding, took up the match and lighted his cigarette. -Watching the blue smoke curling from his lips for a few moments, he -turned languidly to Villiers, and began to talk.</p> - -<p>"You see, I know all about it," he said quietly; "you were too drunk -to remember that night when you tried to take a diamond crescent off -that woman, and I expect Ah Goon never told you!"</p> - -<p>"It was you who took it, then," growled Villiers fiercely.</p> - -<p>"In your own words, perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't," replied -Naball, in an irritating tone; "at all events, it's quite safe. You -had better answer all my questions, because you bear too bad a -character not to be suspected of the crime, particularly as you were -about Russell Street on that night."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was," said Villiers angrily; "and who saw me--Keith Stewart--a -mighty fine witness he is."</p> - -<p>"Aha!" thought the astute Naball, "he does know something, then."</p> - -<p>"I could put a spoke in Stewart's wheel," grumbled the other -viciously.</p> - -<p>"I don't think so," replied the detective, fingering his cigarette, -"he is far above you--he's got money, is going to make a name by a -successful play, and, if report speaks truly, Caprice loves him.</p> - -<p>"I don't care a farthing whether she does or not," said Villiers -loudly; "she'd love any one who has money. Stewart's got some, has he; -where did he get it?"</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I don't know."</p> - -<p>"I do!"</p> - -<p>"Indeed! where?"</p> - -<p>"Never you mind," said Villiers suspiciously. "I know my own knowing."</p> - -<p>"Remember what I said," observed Naball quietly, "and tell me all."</p> - -<p>"If I tell you all, what will you do?" asked Villiers.</p> - -<p>"I'll save your neck from the gallows," replied Naball smoothly.</p> - -<p>"Not good enough."</p> - -<p>"Oh, very well," said the detective rising, "I've no more to say. I'm -off to the magistrate."</p> - -<p>"What for?"</p> - -<p>Naball fixed his keen eyes on the bloated face of the other.</p> - -<p>"To get a warrant for your arrest."</p> - -<p>"You can't do that."</p> - -<p>"Can't I--you'll see."</p> - -<p>"No; wait a bit," said Villiers in alarm; "I can easily prove myself -innocent."</p> - -<p>"Indeed; then you'd better do so now, before a warrant is out for your -arrest."</p> - -<p>"You won't give me any money?"</p> - -<p>"Not a cent--it's not a question of money with you, but life or -death."</p> - -<p>Villiers deliberated for a moment, and then apparently made up his -mind.</p> - -<p>"Sit down," he said sullenly. "I'll tell you all I know."</p> - -<p>Naball resumed his seat, lighted a fresh cigarette, and prepared to -listen.</p> - -<p>"I was rather drunk on the night of the murder," he said, "but not so -bad as Stewart thought me. He saw me at the shop-door at two o'clock, -but I was there a quarter of an hour before."</p> - -<p>"Did you see anything?"</p> - -<p>"I saw the gate which led into the alley open," replied Villiers. "No -one was about, so I walked in."</p> - -<p>"What for?" asked Naball, glancing at him keenly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, nothing," replied Villiers indifferently; "the fact was, I saw a -policeman coming along, and though I was pretty drunk, I'd sense -enough to know I might be run in, so I went into the alley and closed -the gate till he passed."</p> - -<p>"And then you came out."</p> - -<p>"No, I didn't. I walked to the back of the house just to see where it -led to. I saw the window wide open, and looked in and saw--"</p> - -<p>"The murdered man?"</p> - -<p>Villiers nodded.</p> - -<p>"Yes; the moonlight was streaming in at the window, and I could see -quite plainly. I was in a fright, as I thought, seeing I had no -business on the premises, I might be accused, so I got down from the -window and went off, closing the gate of the alley after me."</p> - -<p>"It wasn't wise of you to stay about the premises," said Naball.</p> - -<p>"I know that," rejoined Villiers tartly; "but I couldn't get away, -because I saw Stewart coming up the street just as I was wondering -where to go; I then pretended to be drunk, so that I could get away -without suspicion."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you run?" asked Naball.</p> - -<p>"Because he was too close, and besides, he might have given chase, -thinking I had been robbing the shop; then, with the open window and -the murdered man, it would have been all up with me."</p> - -<p>"I don't know if it isn't all up with you now," said Naball drily. -"How do I know you are innocent!"</p> - -<p>"Because I know who killed Lazarus."</p> - -<p>"The deuce you do--who?"</p> - -<p>"Stewart himself."</p> - -<p>"Humph! that's what I thought; but what proof have you?"</p> - -<p>Villiers put his hand in his pocket and brought out a large knife.</p> - -<p>"I found this just under the window," he said, handing it to Naball. -"You'll see there's blood on the handle, so I'm sure it was with it -the crime was committed."</p> - -<p>"But how do you know it's Stewart's knife?" asked Naball.</p> - -<p>Villiers placed his finger on one side of the handle.</p> - -<p>"Read that," he said briefly.</p> - -<p>"From Meg," read Naball.</p> - -<p>"Exactly," said Villiers. "Meg is Kitty Marchurst's child, and she -gave it to Keith Stewart."</p> - -<p>"By Jove, it looks suspicious," said Naball. "He is in possession -of a large sum of money, and can't tell how he got it. He can't -account for his time on the night of the murder, and this knife with -his name on it is found close to the window through which the murderer -entered--humph!--things look black against him."</p> - -<p>"I suppose you'll arrest him at once?" said Villiers malignantly.</p> - -<p>"Then you suppose wrong," retorted Naball. "I'll have him looked after -so that he won't escape; but I'll hold my tongue about this, and so -will you."</p> - -<p>"Until when?"</p> - -<p>"Until I find out more about Stewart. I must discover if the knife was -in his possession on the night of the murder, and also if this story -about his money is true; again, I want to wait till some of these -stolen bank notes are in circulation, so as to get more evidence -against him."</p> - -<p>"But what am I to do?" asked Villiers sulkily.</p> - -<p>"You are to hold your tongue," said Naball, rising to his feet, "or -else I may make things unpleasant for you--it's a good thing for your -own sake you have told me all."</p> - -<p>"Told you all," muttered Villiers, as Naball took his departure. "I'm -not so sure about that."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_19" href="#div1Ref_19">CHAPTER XIX.</a></h4> - -<h5>A LOVERS' MEETING.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">It is a great blessing that the future is hidden from our anxious -eyes, otherwise, to use a familiar expression, we would go out in a -coach and four to meet our troubles. If Keith Stewart had only known -that the detective suspected him of the murder of Lazarus, and was -surely but slowly finding out strong evidence in favour of such a -presumption, he, no doubt, would have been much troubled. But he -thought that Naball's hints at the interview were not worth thinking -about, for, strong in the belief of his own innocence, such an idea of -his being accused of the crime never entered his mind.</p> - -<p>In spite of the disagreeable event which had occurred, Keith felt very -happy on this night. He was young, he had a good sum of money in the -bank, the gift of some beneficent fairy, he was going to make his -<i>début</i> as a dramatic author, and, above all, he was going to see -Eugénie again. Therefore, as he sat at dinner, his heart was merry, -and to him the future looked bright and cheerful. Things seemed so -pleasant that, with the sanguine expectations of youth, he began to -build castles in the air.</p> - -<p>"If this burlesque's a success," he thought, "I'll write a novel, and -save every penny I make; then I'll go to London, after marrying -Eugénie, and see if I can't make a name there--with perseverance I'm -bound to do it."</p> - -<p>Poor youth, he did not know the difficulty of making a name in London; -he was quite unaware that the literary market was overstocked, and -that many criticisms depend on the state of the critic's liver. He did -not know any of these things, so he went on eating his dinner and -building castles in the air, all of which buildings were inhabited by -Eugénie.</p> - -<p>From these pleasant dreams he was aroused by the entrance of the -housemaid, a fat young person, who breathed hard, and rolled up to -Keith, puffing and panting like a locomotive.</p> - -<p>"If you please," said the young lady, "the man."</p> - -<p>"What man?" asked Keith sharply.</p> - -<p>"He's waiting to see you," returned the housemaid stolidly.</p> - -<p>From experience Keith knew it was useless to expect sense from the -housemaid, so he got up from the table and went out to the front-door, -where a bundle, with a head at one end and a pair of boots at the -other, held out a letter.</p> - -<p>"For me?" asked Keith, taking it.</p> - -<p>The bundle sniffed in an affirmative manner, so Stewart opened the -letter and read it quickly. It only contained a line from Naball that -if he heard of any new development of the case he would let Keith -know, so that young gentleman, wondering why the detective took the -trouble to write to him slipped the letter in his pocket, and nodded -to the bundle.</p> - -<p>"All right," he said quickly; "no answer," and he shut the door in the -bundle's face, whereupon the bundle sniffed.</p> - -<p>"I know him now," said Mr. Tulch to himself in a husky voice, as he -walked away. "I'd know 'im if he was dooplicated twice h'over." Having -come to this satisfactory conclusion, Mr. Tulch took up his position a -short distance away, and began his dreary task of watching the house.</p> - -<p>And it was dreary work. The long hot day was over, and the long hot -night had begun. It was just a quarter past seven, and the sky was a -cloudless expanse of darkish blue, blazing with stars; a soft wind was -whispering among the leaves of the trees, and making little whirls of -white dust in the road. Every now and then a gay party of men and -women on their way to some amusement would pass the spy, but he -remained passively at his post, watching the sun-blistered varnished -door of Vance's boarding-house. At last his patience was rewarded, -for, somewhere about half-past seven, Keith came hurriedly out, and -sped rapidly down the street.</p> - -<p>"What's he arter?" sniffed Mr. Tulch, stretching his cramped limbs. -"I'll 'ave to ketch 'im h'up," and he rolled as quickly as he was able -after the tall figure of the young man.</p> - -<p>A tram came along, and, without stopping it, Keith jumped on the -dummy--the spy, breathless with running, sprang on the step of the end -car and got inside, keeping his eye on Keith. The tram car went -rapidly along Flinders Street, stopping every now and then to pick up -or drop passengers, at which Keith seemed impatient. At last Spencer -Street station was reached, and Keith sprang out; so did Tulch, -keeping close to his heels.</p> - -<p>Stewart walked impatiently up and down one of the long platforms, -which shortly began to fill with people expecting their friends. The -shrill whistle of an approaching engine was heard, a red light -suddenly appeared, advancing rapidly, and presently the long train, -with its lighted carriages, drew up inside the station.</p> - -<p>Such a hurry-scurry; people jumping out of the train to meet those -pressing forward on the platform, porters calling to one another, -boxes, rugs, portmanteaus, bundles, all strewing the ground--a babel -of voices, and at intervals the shrill whistle of a departing train.</p> - -<p>Amid all this confusion Tulch missed Keith, and was in a terrible -state, for he knew what Naball would say. He dived hither and thither -among the crowd with surprising activity, and at last came in sight of -Stewart putting a young lady into a cab, in front of which was the -luggage. He tried to hear the address given the cabman, but was -unsuccessful, so he rapidly jumped into another cab and told him to -follow. The cabby obeyed at once, and whipping up his horse, which was -a remarkably good one, he easily kept the first cab in sight.</p> - -<p>The front cab drove up Collins Street as far as the Treasury -Buildings, and then turned off to the left, going towards Fitzroy. It -stopped at the Buttercup Hotel, in Gertrude Street, and, Stewart -alighting, helped the young lady out; then the luggage was taken care -of by the porter of the hotel, and Keith, with his charge, vanished -through the swing doors of the private entrance.</p> - -<p>On seeing this, Tulch dismissed his cab, went into the bar of an hotel -on the opposite side of the street, and, ordering a pint of beer, sat -watching the door of the Buttercup Hotel.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Keith and Eugénie had been shown into a private room, and -the landlady, a stout, buxom woman, in a silk dress and lace cap, made -her appearance.</p> - -<p>"Miss Rainsford?" she said interrogatively, advancing towards the -girl.</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Eugénie brightly. "You are Mrs. Scarth, I suppose. Did -you get Mrs. Proggins' letter?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, that's all right," replied the landlady, nodding. "Your room -is ready, and I will do anything I can for you. Mrs. Proggins is an -old friend of mine, and I'm only too happy to oblige her."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Eugénie, taking off her hat. "Let me introduce Mr. -Stewart to you; he kindly came to the station to meet me."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Scarth nodded with a smile, for Mrs. Proggins had informed her of -the relationship between the two young people, then observing she -would go and order some tea for Eugénie, sailed majestically out of -the room.</p> - -<p>"Why did you introduce me to that old thing?" asked Keith, in a -discontented tone.</p> - -<p>"Policy, my dear," replied Eugénie mildly. "Mrs. Proggins wrote to her -to look after me, and I'm very glad, otherwise a young lady with you -as escort would hardly have found shelter for the night in this place. -I always like to be in favour with the powers that be."</p> - -<p>Eugénie Rainsford was a tall, dark-complexioned girl, with clearly -cut features and coils of black hair twisted round the top of her -well-shaped head. She was dressed in a blue serge costume, with a red -ribbon round her throat, and another round her waist. A handsome girl -with a pleasant smile, and there was a look in her flashing dark eyes -which showed that she had a will of her own. Keith stood beside her, -as fair as she was dark, and a handsomer couple could not have been -found in Melbourne.</p> - -<p>"Well, here I am at last. Keith," said Eugénie, slipping her arm -through his. "Aren't you pleased to see me?"</p> - -<p>"Very," replied Stewart emphatically; "let me look at you--ah, you are -more beautiful than ever."</p> - -<p>"What delightful stories you do tell," said Eugénie with a blush. "I -wish I could believe them; now, my friend, let me return the -compliment by looking at you."</p> - -<p>She took his face between her hands and looked at it keenly beneath -the searching glare of the gas, then shook her head.</p> - -<p>"You are much paler than you used to be," she said critically. "There -are dark circles under your eyes, deep lines down the side of your -mouth, and your face looks haggard. Is it work, or--or the other -thing?"</p> - -<p>"Do you mean dissipation, Eugénie?" said Keith, with a smile, taking a -seat. "Well, I expect I have been rather dissipated, but now you are -here I'll be a good boy."</p> - -<p>"Have you been worried?" asked Miss Rainsford.</p> - -<p>Keith sighed.</p> - -<p>"Yes; very much worried over this terrible case. I suppose you've seen -all about it?"</p> - -<p>Eugénie nodded.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I've read all about it in the papers. Now I suppose you've -nothing to do?"</p> - -<p>"No--not that I care much--you see I've got this burlesque coming off, -and then there's that money."</p> - -<p>"The five hundred pounds," said Miss Rainsford reflectively. "Have you -found out who sent you that?"</p> - -<p>"No; I can't imagine who did so, unless it was Caprice."</p> - -<p>"Caprice!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Keith hurriedly, flushing a little; "the actress I told -you about, who is going to play the principal part in 'Faust Upset.'"</p> - -<p>"Oh!"</p> - -<p>It was all the comment Miss Rainsford made, but there was a world of -meaning in the ejaculation.</p> - -<p>"From what I've heard of the lady, I don't think it's likely," she -said quietly.</p> - -<p>"Well, at all events, I suppose I'd better use the money."</p> - -<p>"Yes; I suppose so."</p> - -<p>"You're not very encouraging, Eugénie," said her lover angrily.</p> - -<p>"Well," observed the girl deliberately, "if you think this money came -from Caprice, I certainly would not touch it. Why don't you ask her?"</p> - -<p>"I can't; she's been so disagreeable to me lately."</p> - -<p>"Oh!"</p> - -<p>Eugénie Rainsford was of a very jealous temperament, and she began to -feel vaguely jealous of this actress whom Keith seemed to know so -well. She remained silent for a few moments, during which Keith felt -somewhat awkward. He was not in love with Kitty, nor, as far as he -knew, was she in love with him, yet he saw that some instinct had -warned Eugénie against this woman.</p> - -<p>"Come, Eugénie," said Keith, putting his arm round her slender waist; -"you mustn't be angry with me the first night we meet."</p> - -<p>"I'm not angry," said the girl, turning her face towards him; "but I'd -like to see this Caprice."</p> - -<p>"So you shall, dear--on the stage."</p> - -<p>"Why not in private?"</p> - -<p>Keith frowned, and pulled his moustache in a perplexed manner.</p> - -<p>"Well, she's hardly a fit person for a girl to see."</p> - -<p>"Pshaw!" replied Eugénie impatiently; "I'm not a girl, but a woman, -and am not afraid of anything like that, and besides--besides," with -hesitation, "I'm going to see her."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" asked Keith, abruptly withdrawing his arm.</p> - -<p>"Nothing; only I saw an advertisement in the paper wanting a governess -for a little girl. I answered it, and found it was Miss Marchurst who -wanted a governess. She engaged me, and I'm going there to-morrow."</p> - -<p>"No, no," cried Keith vehemently; "you must not--you shall not go."</p> - -<p>Eugénie raised her eyes to his.</p> - -<p>"Have you any reason for wishing me not to go?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, every reason--she's a bad lot."</p> - -<p>"I thought you knew her?"</p> - -<p>"So I do, but men may know women of that class, and women like you may -not."</p> - -<p>"I don't agree with you," said Eugénie, rising; "what is sauce for the -goose is sauce for the gander, and if you persist in wishing me not to -go, I'll begin to think you've some reason."</p> - -<p>"I have none except what I've stated," said Keith doggedly.</p> - -<p>"Then I'll go to-morrow," replied Eugénie quietly; "at all events, -I've got the right to have a personal interview, whether I take the -situation or not."</p> - -<p>"You must not see her."</p> - -<p>"That decides it," said Eugénie composedly; "I will."</p> - -<p>"Eugénie, don't go, or I'll begin to think you don't trust me."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do, but--but you've been so much with this Caprice lately, -that I want to see her."</p> - -<p>"I don't care two straws about her."</p> - -<p>"I know that, but I wish to see her."</p> - -<p>"You intend to go?"</p> - -<p>"I do."</p> - -<p>Keith snatched up his hat and stick.</p> - -<p>"Then I'll say good-bye," he said angrily; "if you disregard my wishes -so much, you can't love me."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I can!"</p> - -<p>"You are jealous of this confounded woman."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I am."</p> - -<p>Keith looked at her angrily for a moment--then dashed out of the room, -whereon Eugénie burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>"What a dear old boy he is," she said to herself; "he thinks I'm -jealous. Well," with a frown, "perhaps I am. I wonder, if he knew that -I gave him the five hundred pounds, what he'd say? He doesn't know -that I'm a rich woman now, so I can test his love for me. I'm sure -he's as true as steel."</p> - -<p>She picked up her hat, and, going over to the mirror, leaned her -elbows on the mantelpiece, looked searchingly at her beautiful face.</p> - -<p>"Are you jealous, you foolish woman?" she said, with a laugh. "Yes, my -dear, you are; at all events, you'll see your rival to-morrow. I'm -afraid I'll make Keith a dreadful wife," she said, with a sigh, -turning away. "For I think every woman is in love with him. Poor -Keith, how angry he was!"</p> - -<p>She burst out laughing, and left the room.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_20" href="#div1Ref_20">CHAPTER XX.</a></h4> - -<h5>THE RIVALS.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">Eugénie Rainsford was a very clever young woman, much too clever to -pass her life in the up-country wilds of Australia, and no doubt she -would have left her solitude in some way even had not fortune favoured -her. Luckily, however, fortune did favour her and in a rather curious -way, for a rich sharebroker having seen her, fell in love with her, -and wanted to marry her; she however refused, telling him that she was -engaged to marry Keith Stewart, whereupon he made inquiries, and she -told him the whole story.</p> - -<p>He was so delighted with her fidelity to a poor man, that he made his -will in her favour, feeling sure that, as he had no relations, she -would be the most deserving person to leave it to. A carriage accident -killed him six months afterwards, and Eugénie found herself a very -rich woman, with as many thousands as she had pence before.</p> - -<p>She took her good fortune very calmly, telling no one about it, not -even her employers; but, after consultation with the lawyer, she sent -five hundred pounds to Keith, with instructions to the bank that he -was not to know where it came from. Then she set herself to work out a -little scheme she had in her head, to find out if he were true to her.</p> - -<p>In many of the letters he had written, she had been struck with the -frequent mention of one name, Caprice, and on making inquiries, found -out all about the actress. She bought a photograph of her, and was -struck with the pathetic face of a woman who was said to lead so vile -a life. Dreading lest Keith should have fallen in love with this -divinity of the stage, she determined to go down to Melbourne and see -for herself.</p> - -<p>By chance, however, she found in a newspaper an advertisement that -Kitty Marchurst wanted a governess for her little girl, and seeing at -once an excellent opportunity of finding out if her suspicions were -correct, wrote offering herself for the situation.</p> - -<p>Kitty on her side remembered the name of Eugénie Rainsford as that of -the girl to whom Keith told her he was engaged, so, curious to see -what she was like, engaged her for a governess at once. Eugénie was -delighted when she received this letter, and, still in the character -of a poor and friendless girl, she left Mr. Chine, the lawyer, to -manage her property, after binding him to secrecy, and came down to -take the situation.</p> - -<p>Keith's evident desire that she should not accept the situation made -her all the more determined to do so, and twelve o'clock the next day -found her in the drawing-room of Caprice's house, waiting for the -entrance of her future mistress.</p> - -<p>When Kitty entered the room she could not help admiring the handsome -woman before her, and on her part Eugénie was astonished to see the -bright vivacity of the melancholy face, for Caprice's features were -sad only when in repose.</p> - -<p>The two women stood opposite to one another for a moment, mentally -making up their minds about each other. Kitty was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>"Miss Rainsford, I believe?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I came to see you about--about the situation."</p> - -<p>"Governess for my little girl," said Kitty, nodding her head. "Yes, I -want some one whom I can trust."</p> - -<p>"I hope you will be able to trust me."</p> - -<p>Caprice looked keenly at her, and then burst out into a torrent of -words.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I think I can trust you--but the question is, will you take care -of my child--I mean will you accept the trust? You have come from the -country--you don't know who I am?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do--Miss Marchurst."</p> - -<p>"No! not Miss Marchurst--Caprice!"</p> - -<p>She waited for a moment to see what effect this notorious name would -have on her visitor, but, to her surprise, Eugénie simply bowed.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know," she replied.</p> - -<p>Caprice arose and advanced towards her.</p> - -<p>"You know," she exclaimed vehemently, "and yet can sit down in the -same room with a woman of my character. Are you not afraid I'll -contaminate you--do you not shrink from a pariah like me--no--you do -not--great heavens!" with a bitter laugh, sitting down again; "and I -thought the age of miracles was past--ah, bah! But you are only a -girl, my dear, and don't understand."</p> - -<p>Eugénie arose and crossed over to her.</p> - -<p>"I do understand; I am a woman, and feel for a woman."</p> - -<p>Kitty caught her hand and gave a gasping cry. "God bless you!" she -whispered, in a husky voice.</p> - -<p>Then in a moment she had dashed the tears away from her eyes, and sat -up again in her bright, resolute manner.</p> - -<p>"No woman has spoken so kindly as you have for many years," she said -quickly; "and I thank you. I can give you my child, and you will take -care of her for me when I am far away."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" asked Eugénie, puzzled.</p> - -<p>"Mean--that I am not fit to live with my child, that I am going to -send her to England with you, that she may forget she ever had a -mother."</p> - -<p>"But why do this," said Eugénie in a pitying tone, "when you can keep -her with you?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot let her grow up in the atmosphere of sin I live in."</p> - -<p>"Then why not leave this sinful life, and go to England with your -child?"</p> - -<p>Kitty shook her head with a dreary smile.</p> - -<p>"Impossible--to leave off this life would kill me; besides, I saw a -doctor some time ago, and he told me I had not very long to live; -there is something wrong with my heart. I don't care if I do die so -long as my child is safe--you will look after her?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Eugénie firmly; "I will look after her."</p> - -<p>Kitty approached her timidly.</p> - -<p>"May I kiss you?" she said faintly, and seeing her answer in the -girl's eyes, she bent down and kissed her forehead.</p> - -<p>"Now I must introduce you to your new pupil," she said, cheerfully -overcoming her momentary weakness.</p> - -<p>"Wait a moment," said Eugénie, as Caprice went to the bell-pull. "I -want to ask you about Mr. Stewart."</p> - -<p>Caprice turned round quickly.</p> - -<p>"Yes--what--about him?"</p> - -<p>"Does he love you?"</p> - -<p>Caprice came over to the fire and looked closely at her.</p> - -<p>"You are the girl he is engaged to?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Then, make your mind easy, my dear, he loves no one but you."</p> - -<p>Eugénie gave a sigh of relief, at which Kitty smiled a little -scornfully.</p> - -<p>"Ah! you love him so much as that?" she said half pathetically; "it's -a pity, my dear, he's not worth it."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Don't be angry, Miss Rainsford," said Kitty, quietly; "I don't mean -that he loves any one else, but he's not the man I took him for."</p> - -<p>"I don't understand."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't try to, if I were you," replied Kitty significantly. "I -helped him when I first met him, because he saved my child's life. He -came down here, and I liked him still more."</p> - -<p>"You loved him?"</p> - -<p>"No; love and I parted company long ago. I liked him, but though I do -my best to help him, I don't care for him so much as I did, my dear: -he's not worthy of you."</p> - -<p>"That's all very well, but I don't see the reason."</p> - -<p>"Of course not, what woman in love ever does see reason; however, make -your mind easy, things are all right. I will tell you the reason some -day."</p> - -<p>"But I want to know now."</p> - -<p>"Curiosity is a woman's vice," said Kitty lightly "Don't worry -yourself, Miss Rainsford, whatever I know of Keith Stewart won't alter -him in your eyes--now, don't say anything more about it. I'll ring for -Meg."</p> - -<p>Eugénie tried to get a more explicit answer out of her, but Kitty only -laughed.</p> - -<p>"It can't be anything so very bad," she said to herself, "or this -woman would not laugh at it."</p> - -<p>Meg came in quietly, a demure, pensive-faced little child, and after -Kitty had kissed her she presented her to Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"This is your new governess, Meg," she said, smoothing the child's -hair, "and I want you to love her very much."</p> - -<p>Meg hung back for a few moments, with the awkward timidity of a child, -but Eugénie's soft voice and caressing manner soon gained her -confidence.</p> - -<p>"I like you very much," she said at length, nestling to Eugénie's -side.</p> - -<p>"As much as mumsey, Meg?" said Kitty, with a sad smile.</p> - -<p>"Oh, never--never as much as mumsey," cried Meg, leaving her new-found -friend for her mother, "There's no one so good and kind as mumsey."</p> - -<p>Kitty kissed the child vehemently, and then bit her lips to stop the -tears coming to her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey," said Meg at length, "can I tell the lady a secret?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, dear," replied Kitty smiling. Thereupon Meg slipped off Kitty's -lap and ran to Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"What is this great secret?" asked Eugénie, bending down with a laugh.</p> - -<p>Meg put her mouth to Eugénie's ear, and whispered,--</p> - -<p>"When I grow up I'm going to marry Keith."</p> - -<p>"You see," said Kitty, overhearing the whisper, "my daughter is your -rival."</p> - -<p>"And a very dangerous one," replied Eugénie with a sigh, touching the -auburn hair.</p> - -<p>Meg was sent off after this, and then Kitty arranged all about the -salary with Eugénie, after which she accompanied her to the door to -say good-bye.</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry I put any distrust into your heart about Mr. Stewart," she -said; "but don't trouble, my dear, get him to give up his dissipated -habits, and you'll no doubt find he'll make an excellent husband."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said Eugénie to herself as she walked to the station, "it was -only dissipation she meant--as if anything like that could hurt Keith -in my eyes."</p> - -<p>Then she began to think of the strange woman she had left--with her -sudden changes of temperament from laughter to tears--with her -extraordinary nature, half-vice half-virtue, of the love she bore for -her child, and the strong will that could send that child away for -ever from her lonely life.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_21" href="#div1Ref_21">CHAPTER XXI.</a></h4> - -<h5>A FIRST NIGHT AT THE BON-BON.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">"Faust Upset" had been put into rehearsal at once, and three weeks -after the murder of Lazarus it was to be produced. Mortimer had -hurried on the production of the burlesque with the uttermost speed, -as "Prince Carnival" was now playing to empty houses. The Bon-Bon -company were kept hard at work, and, what with rehearsals during the -day, the performance of the opera-bouffe in the evening, and -rehearsals afterwards till two in the morning, they were all pretty -well worn-out.</p> - -<p>In spite of Kitty's indomitable spirit, she was looking haggard and -ill, for the incessant work was beginning to tell on her system. The -doctor told her plainly that she was killing herself, and that -absolute rest was what she required; but in spite of those warnings -she never gave herself a moment's peace.</p> - -<p>"I don't care two straws if I die," she said recklessly to Dr. -Chinston; "I've made arrangements for the future of my child, and -there's nothing else for me to live for."</p> - -<p>She was determined to make the burlesque a success, and worked hard -at rehearsals getting the author and composer to alter some things, -and cut out others, making several valuable suggestions as to -stage-management, and in every way doing her best. But though friendly -towards Keith, yet he was conscious of a kind of reserve in her manner -towards him, and thought it was due to the knowledge that he was -engaged to Eugénie.</p> - -<p>He had become reconciled to his sweetheart, and she went down every -day to teach Meg at Toorak. It had been arranged that in three months -she was to go to England with Meg, and Kitty guaranteed to pay a -certain sum annually for the salary of the governess and the -maintenance of the child. Of course Eugénie never meant to take any -money, as she had become strongly attached to Meg, but still kept up -her semblance of poverty till such time as she judged it fit to tell -Keith. Meanwhile, in spite of Keith's opposition, she lived with -Caprice, and led a very quiet life, for what with the state of her -health and constant rehearsals, Kitty gave no Sunday receptions.</p> - -<p>But while Stewart fumed and fretted over the fact of his sweetheart -staying with a woman of bad character like Caprice, and attended to -all the rehearsals of the burlesque, Naball was silently winding his -net round him. The detective had made inquiries at the Skylarks' Club, -and found that Keith had been there on that night, in the company of -Fenton. On discovering this, he went to Fenton and discovered that -Stewart had lent the American the knife with which the crime had been -committed, to cut the wires of a champagne bottle, and afterwards -slipped it into his coat pocket. From the club he went to the Bon-Bon -Theatre, and, as the detective knew from Keith's own admission, had -left there at half-past twelve.</p> - -<p>"And then," said Naball to himself, "he told me he wandered about the -streets till two o'clock, and then saw Villiers--rubbish--he went -straight to Russell Street and committed the crime."</p> - -<p>It had taken Naball some time to collect the necessary evidence, and -it was only on the day previous to the production of "Faust Upset" -that he was able to get a warrant for Keith's arrest, so he determined -to let the performance take place before he arrested him.</p> - -<p>"If it's a success," said Naball to himself, as he slipped the warrant -in his pocket, "he'll have had one jolly hour to himself, and if it's -a failure--well, he'll be glad enough to go to gaol." So, with this -philosophical conclusion, Mr. Naball settled in his own mind that he -would go to the theatre.</p> - -<p>Keith wanted Eugénie to go to a box with him in order to see the play, -but she said she would rather go to the stalls by herself, in order to -judge of the effect the burlesque had on the audience. After a good -deal of argument, Stewart gave way; so on the momentous night she took -her seat in the stalls, eager to see the first bid her lover made for -fame.</p> - -<p>Tulch had been recalled from his task of watching Stewart, as Naball -judged that the vanity of an author seeing his work on the stage would -be enough to keep the young man in Melbourne; but Tulch, true to his -instincts of finishing a job properly, took his place in the gallery -and kept his eye on Keith, who sat with Ezra in a private box. The Jew -was calm and placid, as having succeeded to his father's fortune, he -had not staked everything, like Keith, on the burlesque being a -success; still, for his partner's sake as well as his own, he was -anxious that it should go well.</p> - -<p>Such a crowded house as it was--everybody in Melbourne was there--for -a new play by a colonial author was a rare thing, and a burlesque by a -colonial author, with original music by a colonial composer, was -almost unheard of.</p> - -<p>The critics who were present felt an unwonted sense of responsibility -to-night, for as this was the first production of the piece on any -stage, they had to give an opinion on their own responsibility. -Hitherto the generality of plays produced in Melbourne had their good -and bad points settled long before by London critics, so it was -comparatively easy to give a verdict; but to-night it was quite a -different thing, therefore the gentlemen of the press intended to be -extra careful in their remarks.</p> - -<p>Although "Faust Upset" was called a burlesque, it was more of an -opera-bouffe, as there was an absence of puns and rhyme about the -dialogue, besides which, the lyrics were really cleverly written, and -the music brisk and sparkling. Keith had taken the old mediæval legend -of Faust, and reversed it entirely--all the male characters of the -story he made female, and <i>vice versa</i>. There was a good deal of -satire in the piece about the higher education of women, and the -devotion of young men to athletics, to the exclusion of brain work. In -fact, the libretto was of a decidedly Gilbertian flavour, albeit -rather more frivolous, while the music was entirely of the -Offenbachian school, light, tuneful and rapid.</p> - -<p>After a medley overture, containing a number of taking melodies in the -piece, the curtain rose on the study of Miss Faust, a blue-stocking of -the deepest dye, who, after devoting her life to acquiring knowledge, -finds herself, at the age of fifty, an old maid with no one to care -for her. The character was played by Toltby, who was a genuine -humorist; and he succeeded in making a great deal out of the part, -without ever condescending to vulgarity. His appearance as a lank, -long maiden, in a dingy sage-green gown, with wan face and tousled -hair, was ludicrous in the extreme.</p> - -<p>The opening chorus was sung by a number of pretty girls, in caps and -gowns, and on their going out to meet their lovers, Miss Faust, -overcome with loneliness, summons to her aid the powers of evil, and -in response "Miss Mephistopheles" appears.</p> - -<p>Kitty looked charming as she stood in the centre of the red limelight. -She was arrayed in the traditional dress of red, but as a female demon -wore a petticoat, and her face was also left untouched. Miss Faust -fainted in her chair, and Miss Mephistopheles, with a bright light in -her eyes, and a reckless devil may-care look on her expressive face, -whirled down to the footlights, and dashed into a rattling galop song, -"Yes, this is I," which melody ran all through the opera.</p> - -<p>With the assistance of various cosmetics, new dress, and sundry other -articles of feminine toilet, which were brought in by a number of -small imps, Miss Mephistopheles succeeds in making Miss Faust young; -shows her a vision of Mr. Marguerite, a young athlete; and finally -changes the scene to the market-place, where there was a chorus of -young men in praise of athletic sports.</p> - -<p>It would be useless to give the plot in detail, as Keith followed the -lines of the legend pretty closely. Miss Faust meets Mr. Marguerite, -who is beloved by Miss Siebel, a sporting young woman. There was the -garden scene, with a lawn tennis ground; a vision on the Brocken, of -the future of women, with grotesque ballets and fantastic dresses; the -scene of the duel, which was a quarrel scene between Mrs. Valentine -and Miss Faust, after the style of Madame Angot; then Miss -Mephistopheles runs off with Mr. Marguerite, having fallen in love -with him; the lovers are followed and thrown into a prison, which is -changed by the magic power of Miss Mephistopheles to a race-course, in -which scene there is a bewildering array of betting men, pugilists, -pretty girls, and fortune-tellers. Miss Mephistopheles then resigns -Mr. Marguerite to Miss Siebel, and wants to carry off Miss Faust to -the nether regions, when a flaw is discovered in the deed, and -everything is settled amicably, the whole play ending with the galop -chorus of the first number.</p> - -<p>When the curtain fell on the first act, the audience were somewhat -bewildered; it was such an entirely new departure from the story of -Faust, that they almost resented it. But as the piece progressed, they -saw the real cleverness of the satire, and when the curtain came down -they called loudly for the author and composer, who came forward and -bowed their acknowledgments.</p> - -<p>When Mortimer heard the eulogies lavished on the piece, he drew a long -breath of relief.</p> - -<p>"Jove! I thought it was going to fail," he said, "and I believe it -would have, if Caprice hadn't pulled it out of the fire."</p> - -<p>And, indeed, Caprice, with her wonderful spirits and reckless -<i>abandon</i>. had carried the whole play with her, and saved it at the -most critical moment, A young man sitting near Eugénie summed up his -idea of the piece in a few words.</p> - -<p>"It's a deuced clever play," he said; "but Caprice makes it go--if any -one else plays her part, the theatre will be empty."</p> - -<p>Eugénie turned angrily to look for the author of this remark, but -could not see him. Just as she was turning away, a shrill voice near -her said,--</p> - -<p>"Ain't Caprice a stunner! I've seen 'er lots of times at old -Lazarus's."</p> - -<p>The speaker was a small, white-faced Jewish youth, being none other -than Isaiah.</p> - -<p>Miss Rainsford pondered over these words as she walked out of the -theatre.</p> - -<p>"Goes to old Lazarus's," she said to herself; "that was the old man -who was killed. I wonder why she went there."</p> - -<p>There was a crowd in the vestibule of the theatre, and she saw Keith -standing in the corner, looking as pale as death, talking to a man.</p> - -<p>She went up to congratulate him on the success of the performance, but -something in his face made her afraid.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter, Keith?" she asked, touching him.</p> - -<p>"Hush!" he said in a hoarse whisper, "don't say a word--I'm arrested."</p> - -<p>"Arrested! What for?" she gasped.</p> - -<p>The man standing next to Keith interposed.</p> - -<p>"For the murder of Jacob Lazarus," he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p>Eugénie closed her eyes with a sensation of horror, and caught hold of -the wall for support. When she opened her eyes again, Keith and the -detective had both vanished.</p> - -<p>"Arrested for the murder of Lazarus!" she muttered. "My God! it can't -be true!"</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_22" href="#div1Ref_22">CHAPTER XXII.</a></h4> - -<h5>EUGÉNIE <i>V</i> NABALL.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">As a rule first performances in Melbourne take place on Saturday -night, consequently the criticisms on "Faust Upset" were in Monday's -papers. Simultaneously with the notices of the burlesque, there -appeared an announcement that the author of the piece had been -arrested for the murder of Jacob Lazarus.</p> - -<p>Keith was very little known in Melbourne, so his arrest personally -caused little talk; but the fact that a successful author and a -murderer were one and the same person caused a great sensation.</p> - -<p>The criticisms on the burlesque were, as a rule, good, and though some -of the papers picked out faults, yet it was generally agreed that the -piece had been a wonderful success; but the sensation of a successful -colonial production having taken place was merged in the greater -sensation of the discovery of the Russell Street murderer.</p> - -<p>Keith Stewart, protesting his innocence of the charge, had immediately -been taken off to gaol, and Eugénie was unable to see him until she -got the permission of the proper authorities; but feeling certain that -he had not committed the crime, she called on Ezra at <i>The Penny -Whistle</i> early on Monday morning.</p> - -<p>On sending up her card, she was shown into Ezra's room, and there -found that Naball was present. The detective, who was fully convinced -of Keith's guilt, had called in order to find out for certain from -Ezra all about the prisoner's movements on the night in question.</p> - -<p>When Eugénie entered the room, Ezra, who looked pale and careworn, -arose and greeted her warmly. He then introduced her to Naball, who -looked keenly at the sad face of the woman who was engaged to the man -he had hunted down.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Naball," said Ezra, indicating the detective, "has called upon me -to find out about Stewart's movements on the night my father was -murdered."</p> - -<p>"Yes; that's so," replied Naball, with a shrewd glance at the Jew.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Eugénie impatiently, "surely you can explain them, for -Keith told me you were with him all the time."</p> - -<p>Ezra looked dismal.</p> - -<p>"No, I wasn't with him all the time; I only met him at the Bon-Bon, -and I left before he did."</p> - -<p>"Yes," interposed the detective smoothly; "and, according to Mr. -Mortimer, Stewart left there about half-past twelve o'clock."</p> - -<p>"And then, I presume," said Eugénie, with fine disdain, "you think he -went and murdered Lazarus right off?"</p> - -<p>"Well," observed Naball, deliberately smoothing his gloves, "according -to the doctor's evidence, the crime was committed about twelve -o'clock, or a little later. Now Stewart can't say where he was between -the time he left the theatre and the time he met Villiers."</p> - -<p>"He was wandering about the streets," explained Eugénie.</p> - -<p>Naball smiled cynically.</p> - -<p>"Yes; so he says."</p> - -<p>"And so every one else says who knows Keith Stewart," retorted the -girl. "He is incapable of such an act."</p> - -<p>Naball shrugged his shoulders as much as to say that he had nothing to -urge against such an eminently feminine argument.</p> - -<p>Eugénie looked angrily at the detective, and then turned in despair to -the Jew.</p> - -<p>"You don't believe him guilty?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"No, on my soul, I do not," he replied fervently; "still appearances -look black against him."</p> - -<p>Miss Rainsford thought for a few moments, and at last bluntly asked -Naball the same question.</p> - -<p>"Do you believe him guilty?"</p> - -<p>"As far as my experience goes," said the detective coolly, "I do."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>Naball produced a little pocket-knife, and began to trim his nails.</p> - -<p>"The evidence is circumstantial," he said, shrugging his shoulders, -"but the evidence is conclusive."</p> - -<p>"Would you mind telling me what the evidence is?"</p> - -<p>The detective shut his knife with a sharp click, slipped it into his -waistcoat pocket, and, leaning over the table, looked steadily at -Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Miss Rainsford," he said gravely, "I admire you very much for the way -you stand up for Stewart, but, believe me, that though I would gladly -see him free, yet the proofs are too strong to suppose him innocent."</p> - -<p>Eugénie bent her head coldly. "Would you mind telling me the -evidence?" she reiterated.</p> - -<p>Naball, rather perplexed, looked at Ezra. "Yes, tell her all you -know," said that gentleman. "I think, myself, Stewart is innocent, and -perhaps Miss Rainsford may throw some light on the mystery."</p> - -<p>"I don't call it a mystery," retorted Naball impatiently; "it's as -clear as day. I'm willing to tell all I know; but as to Miss Rainsford -throwing any light on the subject, it's absurd."</p> - -<p>Eugénie questioned him for the third time in the same words.</p> - -<p>"Would you mind telling me the evidence?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said Naball sharply. "Stewart was in employment of the -deceased as his clerk. He came to Melbourne with no money, and, -according to his own account, given in this very room, and in the -presence of this gentleman, he becomes possessed of a sum of five -hundred pounds, which was mysteriously placed to his credit at the -Hibernian Bank. I went to the bank, and discovered from the manager -that such a sum had been placed to the prisoner's credit, but he -refused to tell me by whom, so, as was only natural, I concluded that -Stewart had robbed his employer of the money, and under a feigned name -placed it to his credit. My reasons for such a belief are this--he had -full command of all the books, and could cook the accounts as he -liked. He did so, and obtained this money. Lazarus, however, who I -know was a very sharp man, had suspicions, and determined to examine -the books; this, of course, meant ruin to Stewart, so he made up his -mind to kill his master. He was at the Skylarks' Club on the night of -the murder, and gave Mr. Fenton, the manager of The Never-say-die -Insurance Company, his knife to open a champagne bottle; that knife -was one given to him by the child of Kitty Marchurst, and has on it an -inscription, 'From Meg.' On receiving it back, he placed it in the -pocket of his overcoat, and walked to the Bon-Bon. After an interview -with Mr. Mortimer, he left the Bon-Bon at half-past twelve o'clock, -went up to Russell Street, and entering by the back window (the -position of which he knew thoroughly), killed the old man; then he -took the keys from under the pillow, and robbed the safe of various -things, including bank-notes to the amount of one hundred pounds, -which he knew were placed therein; while leaving the place, he dropped -his knife outside the window; he then wanders about the streets, -perhaps goes home, but horror-struck with the dread of being found -out, returns to the scene of his crime, and there sees Villiers, whom -he questions, but getting no response from him, thinks Villiers is -drunk. Villiers, however, was only shamming, and tells me some time -afterwards that he picked up a knife under the open window, and was -cognisant of the murder. I obtain the knife, and it is the one Stewart -had in the club, with the inscription on it. I think, therefore, the -evidence is very clear."</p> - -<p>"In what way?" asked Eugénie quietly.</p> - -<p>The detective became a little exasperated.</p> - -<p>"Good heavens!" he said in an annoyed tone of voice, "there are three -strong proofs: first, he is possessed of a large sum of money he can't -account for; second, he is unable to prove an <i>alibi</i>; and third, his -knife, covered with blood, is found on the scene of the crime."</p> - -<p>"So far so good," said Eugénie ironically; "your reasoning is -excellent, Mr. Naball, but untrue."</p> - -<p>"Untrue?"</p> - -<p>"I repeat untrue," she replied. "With regard to the five hundred -pounds--I paid that into his credit."</p> - -<p>"You," said Ezra, while Naball stared at her thunder-struck, "a poor -girl."</p> - -<p>"I'm not a poor girl," said Miss Rainsford coolly. "On the contrary, -I'm worth fifty thousand pounds left to me by a sharebroker in -Sandhurst. I did not tell Keith of my fortune as I wanted him to love -me for myself. But as I knew he was poor, I placed to his credit the -sum of five hundred pounds; so that settles your first proof, Mr. -Naball."</p> - -<p>"Well, it's certainly very curious," said Naball, after a pause. "I -hardly know what to think--what about my second proof?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! that's more difficult to prove," said Eugénie; "but I quite -believe he did wander about. He's rather absent-minded, I know."</p> - -<p>"Your answer to my second proof is weak," replied Naball sardonically. -"And the third--"</p> - -<p>"About the knife? Well," said Miss Rainsford, knitting her brows, "he -had it at the club, you say, and slipped it into his overcoat pocket."</p> - -<p>"Exactly."</p> - -<p>"Then he went to the Bon-Bon."</p> - -<p>"He did."</p> - -<p>"And what happened to his overcoat there?' asked Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"I can tell you," replied Ezra. "He took it off, and in mistake -Caprice carried it downstairs with her fur mantle."</p> - -<p>"Oh, did she take it away with her?" asked Naball quickly.</p> - -<p>"No," said Ezra quietly, "she found out she had it when she was -putting on her mantle in the carriage, and called me back to return -it. I took it upstairs again, and gave it to Keith, who put it on."</p> - -<p>"And the knife was still in the pocket?" said Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"I suppose so," replied Ezra, rather confused. "I didn't even know the -knife was there."</p> - -<p>"What do you think?" asked Miss Rainsford, turning to Naball.</p> - -<p>That astute young man wrinkled his brows.</p> - -<p>"I see what you are driving at," he said rapidly. "You think that -Caprice took the knife out of the pocket, saw the whole chance in a -flash, and committed the crime."</p> - -<p>"No! no!" cried Eugénie, horror struck. "I'm sure I don't believe she -could be guilty of a crime."</p> - -<p>"Humph! I don't know so much about that," said Naball disbelievingly.</p> - -<p>"What nonsense," broke in Ezra angrily; "she could not have done such -a thing--she had no motive."</p> - -<p>Naball did not reply to this remark, but rising from his seat, walked -hurriedly up and down the room in a state of great excitement. He had -been fully convinced of the guilt of Stewart, but the conversation of -Eugénie had shaken his belief, and he began to puzzle over the new -aspect of the case.</p> - -<p>"I wonder if Caprice ever had any dealings with Lazarus?" he said to -himself, thinking of the diamond robbery.</p> - -<p>"Yes," broke in Eugénie sharply, "she had--at least," in answer to -Naball's questioning look, "when I was at the theatre on Saturday -night a boy near me said he had seen her at Lazarus's place."</p> - -<p>"A boy," asked Ezra sharply, "what boy?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," she replied; "a thin, pale-faced Jewish-looking boy, -with a shrill voice."</p> - -<p>"Isaiah," said Naball and Ezra with one voice, and then looked at one -another, amazed at this new discovery.</p> - -<p>"By Jove!" said the detective, "this is becoming exciting. You are -sure you heard the boy say that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I'm sure--quite sure," answered Eugénie firmly; "but I don't -think that could prove Caprice guilty. Much as I wish to serve Keith, -I don't want to ruin her."</p> - -<p>Naball glanced at her keenly, then turned to Ezra.</p> - -<p>"Send for the boy," he said sharply, "and we'll find out all about -Caprice's visits to your father's place."</p> - -<p>"It mightn't have anything to do with the murder," said Ezra, ringing -the bell for the messenger.</p> - -<p>"True," replied Naball, "but, on the other hand, it might have a good -deal to do with the diamond robbery."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_23" href="#div1Ref_23">CHAPTER XXIII.</a></h4> - -<h5>THE CYPHER.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">When the messenger had been despatched, Naball drew his seat up to the -table, and began to make some notes, after which he turned to Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"I was firmly convinced of Stewart's guilt," he said quietly; "but -what you have told me throws a new light on the subject. I said you -could not do that--I beg your pardon--you can."</p> - -<p>Eugénie bowed her head in acknowledgment of the apology, and asked him -a question in a hesitating manner.</p> - -<p>"You don't think Caprice is guilty?"</p> - -<p>"I think nothing at present," he replied evasively; "not even that -Stewart is innocent. When I see the boy, I'll tell you what I think."</p> - -<p>They talked on together for a few minutes, and then there came a knock -at the door. In reply to Ezra's permission to enter, the door opened, -and Isaiah appeared on the threshold, holding some papers in his hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you've come," said Ezra, as the boy shut the door after him.</p> - -<p>"Yes; did you want me?" demanded Isaiah in a jerky manner, "'cos I -never knowed you did."</p> - -<p>"Didn't you meet a messenger?" asked Naball, turning his head round.</p> - -<p>Isaiah deposited the papers he carried on Ezra's desk, and shook his -head.</p> - -<p>"No, I never met any one, I didn't," he answered. "Mr. Ezra asked me -to bring all letters that came to the old 'un, so as these came, I -did."</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Lazarus, looking through the letters. -"By-the-way, Isaiah, this gentleman wants to ask you a few questions."</p> - -<p>"What, Mr. Naball?" said Isaiah in alarm. "Oh, sir, I never had -nothing to do with it."</p> - -<p>Naball smiled.</p> - -<p>"No! no! that's all right," he said good-naturedly. "It would take a -bigger man than a sprat like you to commit such a crime; but, tell me, -do you know Caprice?"</p> - -<p>Isaiah leered significantly.</p> - -<p>"I've seen her on the stage, that's all."</p> - -<p>"Never off?"</p> - -<p>"Drivin' about the streets."</p> - -<p>"Anywhere else?"</p> - -<p>Isaiah glanced uneasily at Ezra, who laughed.</p> - -<p>"Go on, Isaiah; it's all right."</p> - -<p>"Well, I've seen her at the old 'un's place."</p> - -<p>"Oh, indeed," said Naball quickly. "Often?"</p> - -<p>"Yes--lots of times--at night--came to do business, I s'pose."</p> - -<p>"When did you see her last?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, not for a long time," replied Isaiah; "but do you remember the -week them diamonds were stolen?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," said Naball eagerly.</p> - -<p>Isaiah nodded.</p> - -<p>"Well, she came to see the old 'un, then."</p> - -<p>Naball suppressed his exultation with difficulty, and asked Isaiah -another question.</p> - -<p>"I say--those bank-notes that were stolen--"</p> - -<p>"I never stole 'em."</p> - -<p>"No one said you did," retorted Naball tartly; "but you wrote -something on the back of one of 'em."</p> - -<p>Isaiah turned scarlet, and shifted from one leg to the other.</p> - -<p>"Well, you see," he murmured apologetically, "Mr. Stewart wanted to -know a good 'un to back for the Cup, so I was afraid of the old 'un -hearing, and as there wasn't no paper, I wrote on the back of one of -'em, 'Back Flat-Iron.'"</p> - -<p>"In pencil?"</p> - -<p>"No, in ink. Mr. Stewart, he laughs and nods, then puts the notes in -the cash box, and puts 'em in the safe."</p> - -<p>"That's all right," said Naball, dismissing him; "you can go."</p> - -<p>Isaiah put on his hat, put his hands in his pockets, and departed, -whistling a tune. When the door closed on him, Naball turned to his -two companions with an exulting light in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"What do you think now, Mr. Naball?" asked Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Think. I think as I've done all along," he replied. "Caprice stole -those jewels herself, and sold them to old Lazarus."</p> - -<p>"But what's that got to do with the death of my father?" asked Ezra.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps nothing--perhaps a lot," said the detective. "I don't know -but that boy's evidence has given me a clue. Suppose--I'm only -supposing, mind you--Caprice stole her own diamonds, with Villiers as -an accomplice. Suppose she took them to old Lazarus and sold 'em. -Suppose Villiers, thinking the old man has them in his safe, goes to -rob him, and commits the murder to do so. Suppose all that--I should -think there would be a very pretty case against Villiers."</p> - -<p>"Yes; but Keith's knife?" said Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Ah, now you have me," answered Naball, puzzled. "I don't know, unless -Villiers managed to get it while Stewart was fighting with him on that -night, and covered it in blood in order to throw suspicion on him."</p> - -<p>"All your ideas are theoretical," said Ezra drily. "Perhaps Caprice -never stole her own jewels, or sold them to my father."</p> - -<p>"Yes, she did, I'll swear," retorted Naball decisively. "Why wouldn't -she prosecute? why did I find Villiers with one of the jewels? You -bet, she stole them for some freak, and I daresay Villiers committed -the murder to get them back."</p> - -<p>"I don't think my father would have kept such valuable jewels as that -about the premises."</p> - -<p>"No; he'd put 'em in the bank."</p> - -<p>"No, he wouldn't," retorted Ezra; "he sent all his jewels to -Amsterdam. And here," holding up a letter, "is an envelope with the -Dutch postmark."</p> - -<p>"By Jove!" ejaculated Naball, under his breath, "what a queer thing if -it should turn out to be those diamonds of Caprice's. Open the -letter."</p> - -<p>"Suppose it does turn out to be the diamonds," said Ezra, slowly -tearing the envelope.</p> - -<p>"Well"--Naball drew a long breath--"it will be the beginning of the -end."</p> - -<p>"I hope it will end in Keith's being released," said Eugénie, looking -at Ezra with intense anxiety.</p> - -<p>That gentleman took out the letter, and glancing at it for a moment, -gave vent to an ejaculation of disgust.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" asked Eugénie and Naball together.</p> - -<p>"The letter is in cypher," said Lazarus, tossing it over to the -detective. "I don't think we'll be able to read it."</p> - -<p>"Oh, we'll have a try," said Naball, quickly spreading oat the letter. -"Let's have a look at it."</p> - -<p>The letter was as follows:--</p> -<br> - -<p>"Dsidanmo seaf utnes teh ssteon ryiks sgenlil gto teher tdhnoaus -sgennid it lses teher hduenrd bneiertns."</p> -<br> - -<p>"What the deuce does it mean?" asked Naball in a puzzled tone.</p> - -<p>"It's a cypher, evidently, of which my father alone possesses the -key," said Ezra. "I'll have a look among his papers, and if I find it, -it will soon make sense of this jumble of words."</p> - -<p>"It's like a Chinese puzzle," observed Naball, glancing at it. "I -never could find out these things."</p> - -<p>"Let me look," said Eugénie, taking the letter. "I used to be rather -good at puzzles."</p> - -<p>"We'll find this one out," said Naball significantly, "and you'll do -some good for Stewart."</p> - -<p>"You think it's about Caprice's diamonds?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"I think it's about Caprice's diamonds," he replied.</p> - -<p>"I think the words have been written backwards," said Ezra, looking -over her shoulder.</p> - -<p>Eugénie shook her head.</p> - -<p>"I don't think so," she replied, scanning the letter closely. "If so, -the word 'it' would have been written 'ti.'"</p> - -<p>"Try a word of three letters, if there's one," suggested Naball, "and -you can see how the letters are placed."</p> - -<p>"Here's one spelt 'g-t-o.' What word can be made out of that."</p> - -<p>"Got," said Ezra eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Well, if so, in the cypher it reads, the first letter 'g,' the last, -letter 't,' and the middle letter at the end."</p> - -<p>"What do you think of that?" asked Naball bluntly.</p> - -<p>"That the sender of this has taken the first and last letters of a -word, and written them in rotation."</p> - -<p>"I don't understand," said Naball in a puzzled tone.</p> - -<p>"I think I do," said Eugénie quickly. "Let us take another word, and -instead of guessing it, try my idea, Here is a word, 'teher.' Now, Mr. -Naball, take a sheet of paper and write down what I say."</p> - -<p>Naball got some paper and a pencil.</p> - -<p>"Now," said Eugénie, "this word 'teher.' The first letter is 't,' now -the second letter, which, I think, is the end one of the proper word, -is 'e'--place that at the end."</p> - -<p>Naball wrote "t--e."</p> - -<p>"The third letter of the cypher, and the second of the proper word, is -'h'--put that next the 't;' and the fourth letter of the cypher, and -third of the proper word, is 'e'--place that at the end also."</p> - -<p>Naball added two letters as instructed, "t,h--e,e."</p> - -<p>"Now," said Eugénie, "there's only one letter left, which must -naturally be in the middle."</p> - -<p>Naball finished his writing thus: t-h-r-e-e.</p> - -<p>"That is three," he said, with a cry of triumph. "By Jove! Miss -Rainsford, you are clever; let's make certain, by trying another -letter."</p> - -<p>"Take 's-s-t-e-o-n,'" suggested Ezra.</p> - -<p>Naball wrote the letters as follows:--</p> -<br> -<p>s -- s</p> -<p>t -- e</p> -<p>o -- n</p> -<br> -<p>Then he wrote them in a line, down the first column and up the second, -which made the word "stones."</p> - -<p>"Glad we've got it right, after all," he said delightedly, and then -the whole three of them went to work on the same system, with the -result that the letter read thus:--</p> -<br> - -<p>"Diamonds safe, unset the stones, risky selling, got three thousand, -sending it less three hundred, bernstein."</p> -<br> - -<p>"Ah!" said Naball when he read this, "wasn't I right?"</p> - -<p>"So I think," said Ezra sadly; "my father evidently bought the jewels -from her, and sent them to Amsterdam to be sold."</p> - -<p>"Still," said Eugénie impatiently, "this does not clear up the mystery -of the murder."</p> - -<p>"You don't think Caprice did it?" said Ezra.</p> - -<p>"No," replied the detective; "but Villiers might have done it in order -to recover the jewels. But I tell you what, there's only one thing to -be done, we'll go down and see Caprice."</p> - -<p>This was agreed to, and without losing a moment they started.</p> - -<p>"I may be wrong, as I was before," said Naball when they were in the -train, "but I'll lay any money that Villiers has seen Caprice since -the murder."</p> - -<p>"You don't think she's an accomplice?" cried Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"I think nothing," retorted Naball, "till I see Caprice."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_24" href="#div1Ref_24">CHAPTER XXIV.</a></h4> - -<h5>WHAT KITTY KNEW.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">The trio soon arrived at Kitty's house, and Ezra was just about to -ring the front-door bell, when suddenly Naball touched his arm to stop -him.</p> - -<p>"Hist!" he said in a quick whisper; "listen."</p> - -<p>A woman's voice, talking in a high key, and then the deep tones of a -man's voice, like the growl of an angry beast.</p> - -<p>"What did I tell you?" whispered Naball again. "Villiers and Caprice, -both in the drawing-room; wait a moment, count twenty, and then ring -the bell."</p> - -<p>He stepped round the corner of the porch, stepped stealthily on to the -verandah, and then stole softly towards one of the French windows in -order to listen. He was correct in his surmise; the two speakers were -Kitty Marchurst and Randolph Villiers.</p> - -<p>"You'd better give me what I ask," growled Villiers in a threatening -tone, "or I'll go straight and tell how you were at Lazarus's on the -night of the murder."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you'll tell I killed him?" said Caprice, with a sneer.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I will," retorted Villiers; "there's no knowing."</p> - -<p>"There's this much knowing," said Kitty deliberately, "that I won't -give you a single penny. If I am called on to explain my movements, I -can't do so; but it will be the worse for you, it will place--"</p> - -<p>At this moment the bell rang, and Caprice started in alarm.</p> - -<p>"Hush," she cried, advancing towards Villiers; "come to me again. I -must not be seen talking with you here. Go away--not by the door," she -said, with an angry stamp of her foot as Villiers went towards the -door; "by the window--no one will see you."</p> - -<p>Villiers moved towards the French window, opened it, and was just -about to step out when Naball stepped forward.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid some one will," he said serenely, pushing Villiers back -into the room, and closing the window.</p> - -<p>"Naball!" cried Kitty and Villiers in a breath.</p> - -<p>"Exactly," replied that gentleman, taking a chair. "I've come to have -a talk with you both."</p> - -<p>"How dare you force your way into my house?" cried Kitty angrily, -while Villiers stood looking sullenly at the detective.</p> - -<p>"It's about the diamond robbery," went on Naball, as if he never heard -her.</p> - -<p>"Leave the house," she cried, stamping her foot.</p> - -<p>"And about the murder," he finished off, looking from one to the -other.</p> - -<p>Kitty glanced at Villiers, who looked at her with a scowl, and sank -into a chair. Just as he did so, the drawing-room door opened, and -Eugénie entered, followed by Ezra Lazarus.</p> - -<p>"I don't understand the meaning of all this," said Caprice, with a -sneer; "but you seem to have a good idea of dramatic effect."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps so," replied Naball lazily. Kitty shrugged her shoulders and -turned to Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you can explain all this, Miss Rainsford?" she said coolly.</p> - -<p>"Yes," answered Eugénie slowly; "it's about Mr. Stewart. You know he -has been arrested for this murder?"</p> - -<p>"Know," repeated Kitty impatiently, "of course, I know. I'm sure I -ought to--morn, noon and night I've heard nothing else. I don't know -how it will affect the piece, I'm sure."</p> - -<p>"Never mind the piece," said Ezra, a trifle sternly. "I don't mind -that, as long as I save my friend."</p> - -<p>"I hope you will," said Caprice heartily. "I am certain he never -committed the crime. What do you say?" turning to the detective.</p> - -<p>"I'm beginning to be of your opinion," replied Naball candidly. "I did -think him guilty once," fixing his eyes on Villiers, "but now I don't."</p> - -<p>"What about the knife I gave you?" asked Villiers abruptly.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said Naball musingly, "what, indeed."</p> - -<p>"I found it on the scene of the crime," said Villiers in a defiant -manner.</p> - -<p>"So you said."</p> - -<p>"Don't you believe me?"</p> - -<p>"Humph!"</p> - -<p>At this ambiguous murmur Villiers gave a savage growl, and would have -replied, but Kitty stopped him by waving her hand.</p> - -<p>"It's no good talking like this," she said quickly. "There is some -reason for you all coming here; what is it?"</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you," said Naball in a sharp official tone. "Do you -remember the diamond robbery at this place? Well, those diamonds were -sold to old Lazarus, and he sent them to Amsterdam for sale. The -person who stole those diamonds thought they were still in the safe of -Jacob Lazarus; and the person who stole those diamonds murdered Jacob -Lazarus to recover them."</p> - -<p>He finished triumphantly, and then waited to see what effect his -accusation would have on Kitty. To his astonishment, however, she -never moved a muscle of her face, but asked calmly,--</p> - -<p>"And who is the thief and the murderer?"</p> - -<p>"That's what I want to find out."</p> - -<p>"Naturally; but why come to me?"</p> - -<p>"Because, you know."</p> - -<p>"I!" she cried, rising to her feet in anger. "I know nothing."</p> - -<p>"Yes, you do, and so does Villiers there," persisted Naball.</p> - -<p>Villiers glanced strangely at Kitty, and growled sullenly.</p> - -<p>"Now, look here Miss Marchurst," said Naball rapidly, "it's no use -beating about the bush--I know more than you think. You denied that -you stole your own jewels, but I know you did, in order to pay the -money embezzled by Malton. Lazarus's boy saw you go to his place -during the week of the robbery, late at night. You did so in order to -dispose of the jewels. The crescent I took from Villiers down Bourke -Street was given to him by you as an accomplice; and I listened at -that window to-day and heard Villiers say you were on the Russell -Street premises on the night of the murder. Now, what do you say?"</p> - -<p>Kitty, still on her feet, was deadly pale, but looked rapidly at -Naball.</p> - -<p>"You have made up a very clever case," she said quietly; "but entirely -wrong--yes, entirely. I did not take my own jewels, as I told you -before, therefore I was unable to pay the money for Mr. Malton. I did -go to see Lazarus one night during the week of the robbery, in order -to get some money, but was unable to do so. I never gave the crescent -to Villiers, as he will tell you; and lastly, as you overheard him -state, I was at Lazarus's on the night of the murder, but did not -think it necessary to state so. I went there after I left the Bon-Bon, -and made no secret of my doing so, as my coachman can inform you. I -found the door locked, and no light inside, so thinking the old man -had gone to bed, I came away, and went home; so, you see, your very -clever case means nothing."</p> - -<p>"Is this true?" asked Naball, turning to Villiers.</p> - -<p>"Is what true?" asked that gentleman angrily.</p> - -<p>"What she says."</p> - -<p>"Some of it. Well, yes, most of it."</p> - -<p>"You'd better go a little further," said Kitty quietly, "and say all -of it. Did I give you the diamond crescent?"</p> - -<p>"No, you didn't."</p> - -<p>"Then, who did?" asked Naball pertinaciously.</p> - -<p>"I sha'n't tell you," growled Villiers.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, you will," said the detective, "because if you know who -stole the diamonds, you know the murderer of Lazarus."</p> - -<p>"No, I don't," retorted Villiers savagely. "I tell you I saw her round -about the place on that night, and I picked up the knife I gave you; -that's all I know."</p> - -<p>"Humph! we'll see about that."</p> - -<p>"You are sure that the person who stole the diamonds committed the -crime?" asked Caprice, with a strange smile on her pale lips.</p> - -<p>"Well, I'm pretty sure; it looks uncommon like it."</p> - -<p>"And you think I stole the diamonds?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," retorted Naball bluntly; "I believe you did."</p> - -<p>"In that case, by your own reasoning, I'm a murderess," said Caprice.</p> - -<p>"I don't say that," said the detective; "but I believe you know who -did it," looking significantly at Villiers.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid your reasonings and your assertions are at variance," said -Kitty quietly. "I don't know who committed the murder, but I do know -who stole my diamonds."</p> - -<p>"Who?" asked Ezra, in an excited tone.</p> - -<p>"Keith Stewart!"</p> - -<p>"Keith Stewart!" echoed all; "impossible!"</p> - -<p>Eugénie stepped forward with a frown on her pale face, and looked at -Kitty.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it," she said, "and you are a wicked woman to say -so."</p> - -<p>"Unfortunately, it's true," replied Caprice, with a sigh. "I have -kept the secret as long as I could, but now it's impossible to do -so any longer. Keith Stewart was at my place on the night of the -robbery, and heard me say where my diamonds were. He was coming to the -drawing-room, and saw my child descending the stairs, having got out -of bed. He picked her up, and put her in bed again. The temptation was -too strong to resist, I suppose, and he opened the drawer of the -mirror, and took the jewels. He then got out of the window, and came -round by the front of the house so as to enter by the front-door. Meg -was awake all the time, and told it to me in her childish way, how he -had gone to the window and got out of it. I told her not to speak of -it, and kept silence."</p> - -<p>"Why did you keep silence?" asked Naball.</p> - -<p>"Why," cried Kitty, her face flushing with anger, "because he saved my -child from death. He might have stolen anything of mine, but I would -have kept silent, nor would I have betrayed him now but that you -accuse me of murder."</p> - -<p>There was a dead silence in the room, as every one was touched by the -way in which Kitty spoke. Then Villiers gave a coarse laugh.</p> - -<p>"Ha! ha!" he said harshly; "you said, Naball, that the person who -stole the diamonds committed the murder also, so you've got the right -man in gaol."</p> - -<p>Naball cast a look of commiseration at Eugénie, and said nothing.</p> - -<p>"Wait a moment," cried Ezra, stepping forward, "we've got to find the -stolen bank-notes first. I don't believe Keith Stewart committed such -a base crime; he is no murderer."</p> - -<p>"No," cried Eugénie, springing to her feet; "nor is he a thief. I will -prove his innocence."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid that's difficult," said Naball reflectively; "things look -black against him."</p> - -<p>"Of course they do," said Villiers coarsely. "Who knows he is -innocent?"</p> - -<p>Eugénie stepped in front of the ruffian, and raised her hand to the -ceiling.</p> - -<p>"There is One who knows he is innocent--God."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_25" href="#div1Ref_25">CHAPTER XXV.</a></h4> - -<h5>THE EVIDENCE OF A BANK-NOTE.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">All this time while his friends were trying to prove his innocence, -Keith was mewed up in prison, having now been there a week. The -disgrace of being arrested on such a charge had aged him considerably, -and his face had changed from a healthy bronzed colour to a waxen -paleness, while the circles under his eyes, and the deep lines -furrowing his brow, showed how deeply he was affected by the position -in which he found himself.</p> - -<p>He steadily denied that he committed the crime imputed to him, and -regarding the knife found by Villiers, could only say that, after -putting it in his pocket at the club, he thought no more of it till -next morning, when, having occasion to use it, he found it had -disappeared.</p> - -<p>Some time after the interview with Kitty, when she told how Keith had -stolen the diamonds, Eugénie was admitted to the presence of her -unfortunate lover. She had tried to see him before, but had always -been refused; so when she did gain her object at last, and they stood -face to face, both were so overcome with emotion that they could -hardly speak. Keith held out his arms to her, with a smile on his wan -face, and with an inarticulate cry she flung herself on his breast, -weeping bitterly.</p> - -<p>"Don't cry, dear," he said soothingly, making her sit down on the bed. -"There! there!" and he quieted her as if she had been a little child.</p> - -<p>"I can't help it," she said, drying her eyes; "it seems so terrible to -see you here."</p> - -<p>"No doubt," replied Keith quietly; "but I know I am innocent, and that -robs the disgrace of a good deal of its sting."</p> - -<p>"I know you are innocent," answered Eugénie, "but how to prove it; I -thought things would have turned out all right; but when we saw Kitty -Marchurst--"</p> - -<p>"She said I had stolen her diamonds," finished Stewart, with a -satirical laugh. "I've no doubt she fully believes it, and I thank her -for having held her tongue so long; but she was never more mistaken in -her life. I did put Meg back to bed, but I came down the stairs again, -and did not leave the room by the window."</p> - -<p>"But how is it the child saw you? Of course, you know--"</p> - -<p>"I know everything. Yes. Naball told me all. Meg says she saw a man -she thought was me getting out of the window. I've no doubt she did -see a man, but not me."</p> - -<p>"But why should she think it you?" asked Eugénie, puzzled.</p> - -<p>"Simply in this way. I put her to bed when she was half-asleep, and -she knew I was in the room with her. When I left, she fell asleep, and -as her slumber was fitful, as I am sure it was, seeing she came -downstairs, she no doubt woke up at the sound of the window being -opened, and saw a man getting out. You know how an hour's sleep passes -as a moment when one wakes, so I've no doubt Meg thought she'd just -closed her eyes, and opened them again to see me getting out of the -window."</p> - -<p>"I understand," said Eugénie; "but who could it have been?"</p> - -<p>"I believe it was Villiers," observed Keith thoughtfully. "He was -about the house on that night; he was in want of money, so no doubt -when Caprice left him in the supper-room, he walked upstairs to the -bedroom, stole the diamonds, and left by the window. He could easily -do this, as every one was in the drawing-room. Then Naball found that -diamond clasp in his possession, or, at least, in the possession of -the Chinaman to whom he sold it."</p> - -<p>"But if he sold all those diamonds to old Lazarus, he must have got a -good deal of money for them. Why did he not leave the country?"</p> - -<p>Keith sighed.</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I don't know. It seems all so mysterious," he said dismally. -"What do you think should be done, Eugénie?"</p> - -<p>"I think I'll see Naball again, or some other detective, and sift the -whole affair to the bottom."</p> - -<p>Keith looked at her with a pitying smile.</p> - -<p>"My dear child, that will cost a lot of money, and you have not--"</p> - -<p>Eugénie gave a laugh. She was not going to tell him just yet, so she -gave an evasive answer.</p> - -<p>"I've got my salary," she said gaily. "Some of it was paid to me the -other day. See!" And taking out her purse, she emptied it into his -hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh! what a lot of money," said Keith smiling. "A five-pound note, -three sovereigns, and two one-pound notes."</p> - -<p>"Which makes exactly ten pounds," remarked Eugénie, with a smile; "and -I'm going to pay it all away to Naball, to get you out of this -trouble."</p> - -<p>Stewart, kissed her, and smoothed out the notes one after the other.</p> - -<p>"It's no use, Eugénie," he said, offering her the notes back; "it will -take more than that to help me; besides, you forget I have five -hundred pounds in the bank."</p> - -<p>"Yes," she said, turning away her face; "five hundred."</p> - -<p>"And you'll have it--if--if I die."</p> - -<p>She turned to him, and threw her arms round his neck.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my darling! my darling!" she cried vehemently, "why do you say -such things? You will not die. You will live to be happy and famous."</p> - -<p>"Famous!" he said bitterly, "no; I'm not famous yet, but notorious -enough. There's only one chance of escape for me."</p> - -<p>"And that is?"</p> - -<p>"To trace those notes that were stolen--twenty five-pound notes like -this," taking up the five-pound note.</p> - -<p>"But you haven't got the numbers."</p> - -<p>"No; but, as I told Naball, that boy wrote something on the back of -one of them." Here Keith turned over the five-pound note; and then, -giving a cry of surprise, sprang to his feet. "Eugénie, look, look!"</p> - -<p>She snatched the note from him, and there on the back were traced in -ink the words, "Back Flat-Iron."</p> - -<p>"One of the notes," said Keith hoarsely. "One of the notes stolen on -that night by the person who murdered Jacob Lazarus."</p> - -<p>Eugénie had also risen to her feet and her face wore a look of horror. -She looked at her lover, and he looked back again, with the same name -in their thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Kitty Marchurst!"</p> - -<p>"Good God!" said Stewart, moistening his dry lips with his tongue, -"can she be guilty, after all?"</p> - -<p>"I can't believe it," said Eugénie determinedly, "though Naball says -he thinks she did it. But I certainly got this note from her."</p> - -<p>"She may have received it from some one else," cried Keith eagerly. -"God knows, I don't want to die myself, but to put the rope round the -neck of that unhappy woman--horrible," and he covered his face with -his hands.</p> - -<p>Eugénie put on her gloves, and then touched his arm.</p> - -<p>"I'm going," she said in a quiet voice.</p> - -<p>"Going?" he repeated, springing to his feet.</p> - -<p>"Yes, to see Naball, and show him the note."</p> - -<p>"But Kitty Marchurst!"</p> - -<p>"Don't trouble about her," said Eugénie, a trifle coldly. "She is all -right, and I've no doubt can explain where she got this note. Wherever -it was, you can depend it was not from the dead man's safe. Good-bye, -Keith," kissing him. "This note gives us the clue, and before many -days are over you will be free, and the murderer of Jacob Lazarus will -be in this cell."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_26" href="#div1Ref_26">CHAPTER XXVI.</a></h4> - -<h5>ON THE TRACK.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">When Eugénie left the prison, she went straight to Naball's office, -and finding him in, told all about the wonderful discovery of the -veritable five-pound note endorsed in Isaiah's writing. To say that -Naball was astonished would be a mild way to state his feelings on -receipt of this intelligence.</p> - -<p>"It's an uncommon piece of luck," he said, looking at the note; "we -might have searched for a twelvemonth, and never come across this -piece of evidence. I think we'll get to the bottom of things this -time. You got it from Kitty Marchurst?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I got it yesterday in payment of my salary"</p> - -<p>Naball whistled softly.</p> - -<p>"Things look uncommon black against that young woman," he observed -thoughtfully. "I didn't half believe that story of hers about -Stewart's stealing the diamonds, and now this note turning up in her -possession--humph!"</p> - -<p>"But you don't think she's guilty?" said Eugénie, clasping her hands.</p> - -<p>"I don't say anything," replied Naball savagely, for the difficulties -of this case were beginning to irritate him. "I only say things look -black against Caprice--she's as deep as a well."</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do now?" asked Miss Rainsford in a trembling -voice, as she rose to go.</p> - -<p>The detective placed his hat jauntily on one side of his head, drew on -his gloves, then taking his cane, walked to the door of the office, -which he he held open for Eugénie to pass through.</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do now?" she repeated when they were standing -in the street.</p> - -<p>"I'm going down to Toorak," said Naball quietly, "to trace this note, -beginning with Kitty Marchurst as the last holder of it; she'll tell -lies, but whether she does or not, I'll get to the bottom of this -affair. Good-day, Miss Rainsford," and taking off his hat with a -flourish, he left her abruptly, and strolled leisurely down the -street.</p> - -<p>Eugénie watched him with eager eyes until he was out of sight, and -then turned round to walk home.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my dear! my dear!" she murmured, "if I can only save you from -this terrible danger--but not at the cost of that poor woman's -life--oh, not that!"</p> - -<p>The detective, on his way down to Toorak, went over the case in his -own mind, in order to see against whom the evidence was strongest. At -last, after considerable cogitation, he came to the conclusion that, -after all, Villiers must be the guilty man, and that Kitty knew more -about the crime than she chose to tell.</p> - -<p>"I can't get over Villiers having had that diamond crescent," he -thought, looking out of the carriage windows. "She denied it was hers, -and then Fenton told me he gave it to her. I wonder if he had anything -to do with the affair--humph!--not likely. If she thought it was him, -she'd tell at once. Perhaps she really thinks Stewart stole the -diamonds. Pish! I don't believe it. She's had a finger in the pie, -whoever did it, and this murder is the outcome of the robbery. Well, -I'll see if she can account for her possession of this five-pound -note--that's the main thing."</p> - -<p>Kitty Marchurst was at home, and sent a message to the detective that -she would see him in a few minutes, so Naball walked up and down the -long drawing-room with some impatience.</p> - -<p>"If she'll only tell the truth," he muttered restlessly; "but I'm -getting to doubt her, so that I can't be sure. There's one thing, -Keith Stewart's fate rests entirely with her now, so if he saved her -child's life, as she says he did, this is the time to prove her -gratitude."</p> - -<p>At this moment the door opened, and Caprice entered. She looked pale -and weary, for the trials of the last few months had not been endured -without leaving some mark of their passage. Naball did not know -whether this haggard-looking woman was guilty or innocent, but he -could not help pitying her, so worn-out did she seem.</p> - -<p>"You are not well," he said when she seated herself.</p> - -<p>Kitty sighed wearily, and pushed the loose hair off her forehead.</p> - -<p>"No," she replied listlessly. "I'm getting worn-out over this trouble. -It's no good my telling you anything, because you don't believe me. -What is the matter now? Have you got further proof of my guilt?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," said Naball, coolly producing the five-pound note; -"unless you call this proof."</p> - -<p>"A five-pound note," she said contemptuously. "Well?"</p> - -<p>"It is a five-pound note," explained Naball smoothly; "but not an -ordinary one--in fact, it is one of the notes stolen from Lazarus's -safe."</p> - -<p>"Oh, how do you know that? By a very curious thing. One of the notes -placed in the safe on the night of the murder was endorsed by the -office-boy with the words 'Back Flat-Iron,' and strange to say the -endorsed note has turned up."</p> - -<p>"And that is it?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly. Now, do you understand?"</p> - -<p>Kitty shrugged her shoulders.</p> - -<p>"I understand that you have secured an excellent piece of evidence, -nothing more. Where did you get the note?"</p> - -<p>"From Miss Rainsford."</p> - -<p>"From Miss Rainsford!" repeated Kitty in surprise; "but you surely -don't suspect--"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't," interposed the detective; "because she was able to tell -me where she got the note from."</p> - -<p>"Well, I presume she got it from me."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Naball, rather surprised at this cool admission. "She -received it yesterday from you."</p> - -<p>"Oh! then, you think I'm guilty?"</p> - -<p>"Not if you can tell me where you got the note from."</p> - -<p>"Certainly I can--from Mortimer--paid to me the day before yesterday."</p> - -<p>"Your salary?"</p> - -<p>"Not exactly," answered Kitty; "if it had been, you'd never be able to -trace the note further back. No; I was at the theatre in the morning, -and found myself short of money, so I asked Mortimer for some. He gave -me that five-pound note, and, as he took it, from his waistcoat -pocket, I've no doubt he'll be able to recollect from whom he received -it."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because Mortimer doesn't carry fivers in his waistcoat pocket -generally," said Caprice impatiently, "so he must have put that note -there for some special reason. You'd better go and ask him."</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said Naball, and arose to his feet. "I'm very much -obliged to you."</p> - -<p>"Then you don't think me guilty?" asked Kitty, with a smile.</p> - -<p>"Upon my word, I don't know what to think," said the detective -dismally. "The whole case seems mixed up. I'll tell you when I find -the man who can't account for the possession of this fiver."</p> - -<p>Kitty smiled, and then Naball took his leave, going straight from -Toorak to the Bon-Bon Theatre, where he found Mortimer in his sanctum, -up to the ears in business, as usual.</p> - -<p>"Well, Naball," said the manager, looking up sharply, "what's up? -Look sharp, I'm awfully busy."</p> - -<p>"I only want to know where you got this?" asked Naball, giving him the -five-pound note.</p> - -<p>Mortimer took it up, and looked perplexed.</p> - -<p>"How the deuce should I know; I get so many. Why do you want to know?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, nothing. I just want to trace the note. Caprice said you gave it -to her the day before yesterday."</p> - -<p>"Eh! did I?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. You took it from your waistcoat pocket."</p> - -<p>"Of course; to be sure, she wanted some money. Yes; I kept it apart -because it was made money--won it off Malton at euchre."</p> - -<p>"Malton!" repeated Naball in amazement; "are you sure?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, quite. You know I'm generally unlucky at cards, and this is -about the first fiver I've made, so I kept it just to bring me luck; -but Caprice wanted money, so I handed over my luck to her. There's -nothing wrong, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, dear, no," replied Naball; "not the slightest--only some -professional business."</p> - -<p>"Because I shouldn't like to get any poor devil into a row," said -Mortimer. "Now, be off with you, I'm busy. Good-day."</p> - -<p>"Good-day, good-day."</p> - -<p>Naball departed, curiously perplexed in his feelings. He had never -thought of Malton in the light of a possible criminal, and yet it was -so very strange that this note should have been traced back to him. -Then he remembered the conversation he had overheard between Mrs. -Malton and Kitty concerning the embezzlement, when Kitty denied that -she had paid the money.</p> - -<p>"By Jove!" said Naball, a sudden thought striking him, "he was present -at that supper, and was in a regular hole for want of money. I -wouldn't be a bit surprised if he stole those diamonds to replace the -money, and his wife's thanking Caprice was all a blind, and then this -note--humph!--things look rather fishy, my friend."</p> - -<p>When he arrived at the Never-say-die Insurance Company Office, he sent -in his card to the assistant manager, and in a few minutes was shown -into Malton's room, where that individual received him with visible -uneasiness.</p> - -<p>"Well, Naball, and what brings you here?" he asked, watching the -detective's face stealthily.</p> - -<p>"Only a little business, in which I want your help," said Naball, -taking the note out of his pocket-book. "Can you tell me where you got -that?"</p> - -<p>Malton's pink-and-white complexion grew a little pale, but he laughed -in a forced manner as he glanced at the note.</p> - -<p>"Got this?" he said. "I can't tell you. Was it ever in my possession?"</p> - -<p>"It was," asserted Naball. "You gave it to Mortimer the day before -yesterday."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, I remember now," said Malton quickly. "He won it off me at -cards."</p> - -<p>"Exactly. Where did you get the note?"</p> - -<p>Malton shifted uneasily in his seat, and his nether lip twitched -uneasily.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid I can hardly remember," he murmured, pushing back his -chair.</p> - -<p>Naball's suspicions were now rapidly ripening to certainties. If -Malton were innocent, why these signs of agitation? He wriggled and -twisted about like an eel, yet never once met the keen eye of the -detective.</p> - -<p>"You'd better remember," said Naball mercilessly, "or it will be the -worse for you."</p> - -<p>"Why?" asked Malton, trying to appear composed.</p> - -<p>"Because," explained Naball, in a low voice, "that note is one of -those stolen by the man who murdered Jacob Lazarus."</p> - -<p>Malton, with a smothered exclamation, started to his feet, and then, -shaking in every limb, sat down again.</p> - -<p>"No, no," he stammered, "that's absurd. It can't be--I tell you, it -can't be."</p> - -<p>"Oh, but it can be, and it is. I tell you, the note is endorsed 'Back -Flat-Iron,' which was done by the office-boy a few moments before the -notes were put in the safe by Stewart. They were gone after the -murder, so there is no doubt they were taken by the man who committed -the crime. I got this note from Miss Rainsford, who received it from -Caprice; she, in her turn, got it from Mortimer, and he has referred -us to you. Now, where did you get it?"</p> - -<p>Malton drummed nervously on the table.</p> - -<p>"I can't tell you," he said in a tremulous voice.</p> - -<p>"You must."</p> - -<p>"It's impossible."</p> - -<p>"I tell you what, sir," said Naball coolly, "if you don't tell, it -means trouble for you and the other man."</p> - -<p>"What other man?" asked Malton shakily.</p> - -<p>"The man you got this note from."</p> - -<p>Malton thought for a moment, and then apparently made up his mind.</p> - -<p>"You saw I was taken aback?" he asked Naball curiously.</p> - -<p>The detective nodded.</p> - -<p>"It's because I'm sorry for what I have to tell you--the man I got the -note from was Ezra Lazarus."</p> - -<p>Naball jumped to his feet with a cry.</p> - -<p>"The dead man's son?" he said.</p> - -<p>"Yes; the dead man's son," replied Malton slowly.</p> - -<p>Naball stood for a few minutes, then putting the note in his -pocket-book, once more took up his hat, and moved to the door.</p> - -<p>"Where are you going?" asked Malton, rising.</p> - -<p>"To see Mr. Ezra Lazarus," said Naball, pausing a moment. "In the -meantime, till I have certain proof of his guilt, you hold your -tongue." And he walked out, leaving Malton standing at his desk as if -turned into stone.</p> - -<p>Naball, on his way to the newspaper office, rapidly ran over in his -own mind all the details of the case against Ezra.</p> - -<p>"His father wouldn't give him any money, and he wanted to get married -to that girl; father and son had a quarrel on the day preceding the -murder; he was at the Bon-Bon on that night, and took Caprice -downstairs to her carriage; she gave him Stewart's coat to take back -to him again; in that coat was the knife found by Villiers under the -window; she left the theatre long before Stewart,--where did he go? to -his office, or--good heavens! if it should turn out to be true--"</p> - -<p>Ezra received him, looking rather knocked up, but his face, though -pale, was quite placid, and Naball wondered how a man guilty of such a -terrible crime as parricide could be so calm.</p> - -<p>"You look tired," he said, taking a seat.</p> - -<p>"I am tired," admitted Ezra wearily. "I've been busy with my father's -affairs."</p> - -<p>"Humph!" thought Naball; "counting his gains, I suppose."</p> - -<p>"Any fresh development of the case?" asked Ezra.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Naball solemnly. "I received this note to-day, and traced -it back to Malton; he says it was given to him by you."</p> - -<p>Ezra examined the note with great interest, and on turning it over saw -the fatal words endorsed. He looked up quickly to Naball.</p> - -<p>"This is one of the notes that were stolen?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Naball; "and Malton said it was given to him by you."</p> - -<p>"By me!" repeated Ezra in amazement. "How on earth could I come across -this note?"</p> - -<p>"That's what I want to find out," said Naball.</p> - -<p>Ezra looked at him for a moment, then the whole situation seemed to -burst on him, and with a stifled groan the unhappy young man fell back -into his chair, burying his face in his hands.</p> - -<p>"Good God!" he cried, "you don't suspect me of killing my father?"</p> - -<p>"If you are innocent, you can explain where you got the note."</p> - -<p>"I cannot--I cannot," cried Ezra feverishly. "I had to pay some money -to Malton, and did so last week. There were some five-pound notes -among that money, but I cannot tell where this particular one came -from."</p> - -<p>"Where did you get the money?" asked Naball.</p> - -<p>"From the Hibernian Bank."</p> - -<p>"Oh, but if you had to pay Malton money, why did you not do so by -cheque?"</p> - -<p>"Because I wanted some money myself, and did not care about drawing -two cheques, so I drew one, covering what I owed to him and a little -over."</p> - -<p>"Humph!" Naball thought a moment. "You are sure of this?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; it's the only way I can account for having the note. Whoever -killed my father, must have paid it into the bank, and it came round -to me by some fatality."</p> - -<p>"Where were you on the night of the murder?"</p> - -<p>"At the Bon-Bon Theatre."</p> - -<p>"Afterwards?"</p> - -<p>"At this office."</p> - -<p>"You can prove an <i>alibi?</i>"</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid I can't. I was all alone."</p> - -<p>"Look here, Mr. Lazarus," said Naball in a kind tone, "I must say -things look black against you; but I'm not satisfied yet about the -real criminal. To-day is Saturday, so I'll go to the bank the first -thing on Monday, and find out what I can. There's so many suspected of -this business, that one more or less don't matter."</p> - -<p>Ezra groaned.</p> - -<p>"You don't think I'm guilty?" he asked imploringly.</p> - -<p>Naball looked keenly at him.</p> - -<p>"No; I believe you innocent," he replied abruptly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_27" href="#div1Ref_27">CHAPTER XXVII.</a></h4> - -<h5>MEG PROVES USEFUL.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">The next day was Sunday, and Caprice, quite worn-out with the -excitement of the week and the strain of the performances of "Faust -Upset," was lying in bed. The burlesque had become a great success, -but the papers, with their usual kindly generosity towards authors, -declared that it was due not so much to the intrinsic merit of the -work, as to the wonderfully clever acting of Caprice. Last night, -however, she had acted badly, going through her part with mechanical -precision, but without that dash which usually characterised her -performance. The worry of this murder case, anxiety for the future of -her child, and pity for the unfortunate young man now in prison, had -all wrought on her nerves, so that she felt overcome with extreme -lassitude, and lay supinely in bed, with half-closed eyes, incapable -of the slightest exertion.</p> - -<p>From this state of tranquillity she was aroused by the entrance of -Eugénie, who was also looking pale and worn. She had learned all about -the tracing of the five-pound note to Ezra, and had now come to tell -Kitty about it.</p> - -<p>The room was in a kind of semi-darkness, as all the blinds had been -pulled down to keep out the dazzling sunlight, and the atmosphere was -permeated by the smell of some pungent scent which Kitty had been -using to bathe her aching head. Eugénie came straight to the bed, and -bent over it, on which Kitty opened her eyes and smiled faintly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, is it you, Miss Rainsford?" she said drowsily. "I did not expect -you to-day."</p> - -<p>"No!" replied Eugénie. "I came to tell you all about that five-pound -note; but I'm sorry to find you so ill."</p> - -<p>"I'm worn-out," said Kitty fretfully. "All the worry and trouble of my -earlier years are beginning to tell on me, and the anxiety of this -case is the climax. I believe I'll die soon, and I don't much care, -for I have your promise about the child."</p> - -<p>"You have!--my solemn promise."</p> - -<p>"Thank you. I don't mind when I die. My life has been a very unhappy -one. I've had more than my share of sorrow, and now I would like to go -to sleep, and slumber on--on for ever."</p> - -<p>She finished the sentence in a sleepy tone, then suddenly recollecting -why Eugénie had come down, she opened her eyes wide, and spoke -briskly.</p> - -<p>"Well, what about this five-pound note? To whom did it originally -belong?"</p> - -<p>"I'd better go through the whole history," said Eugénie slowly. "I -received it from you."</p> - -<p>"Exactly," interrupted Caprice, raising herself on her elbow; "and I -got it from Mortimer. Who gave it to him?"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Malton, for a gambling debt."</p> - -<p>"Malton," repeated Kitty vivaciously. "Why, is he--did they--"</p> - -<p>"Suspect him of the murder. No; because he says he got the note from -Ezra Lazarus, and he cannot tell from whom he received it."</p> - -<p>Kitty was wide awake by this time, and sitting up in bed, pushed the -fair curls off her forehead.</p> - -<p>"But, my dear," she said rapidly, "surely they don't suspect that poor -young man of murdering his father?"</p> - -<p>"Not exactly suspect him," observed Eugénie; "but, you see, Mr. -Lazarus cannot account for the possession of that particular note, so -that makes things look bad against him."</p> - -<p>"I don't see why," said Caprice impatiently. "I'm sure I couldn't -account for every individual five-pound note I receive--it's -absurd;--is that all the case they have against him?"</p> - -<p>"I think so; but Mr. Naball says--"</p> - -<p>"Says!" interrupted Kitty impatiently; "Naball's a fool. I often heard -what a clever detective he was, but I'm afraid I can't see it. He's -mismanaged the whole of this case shamefully. Why he suspects every -one all round on the slightest suspicion: first he thought it was me, -because I was at Lazarus's place on that night; then he swore it was -Villiers, because he found the knife Meg gave Mr. Stewart; then poor -Mr. Stewart is arrested simply because he cannot prove an alibi. I -daresay, when he found Malton had the note, he suspected him, and now, -I'll be bound, he has firmly settled in his own mind that Ezra Lazarus -killed his own father--pish! My dear, I tell you again Naball's a -fool."</p> - -<p>"That may be," observed the other woman bitterly; "but he's a fool on -whose folly Keith's life depends."</p> - -<p>"Not a bit of it," said Caprice cheerfully; "we'll find some way to -save him yet. The only evidence against him is that knife, and I don't -believe it was in his possession at the Bon-Bon Theatre."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Because no one could have taken it out of his overcoat pocket there. -I took the coat downstairs by mistake, but I'm sure I never abstracted -the knife. Ezra Lazarus took it back, and I'll swear, in spite of Mr. -Naball, he didn't take it. It's not likely Mortimer would go fiddling -in another man's pockets, so I believe the knife was taken from the -coat pocket, without his knowledge, at the club."</p> - -<p>"But who took it, and how?" asked Eugénie, with great interest.</p> - -<p>"My dear," replied Kitty, with a shrug, "how do I know. Perhaps, after -receiving back the knife from Fenton, and putting it in his pocket, he -hung his coat up again; in that case, anyone who saw him put the knife -away could have stolen it."</p> - -<p>"But who would do so?"</p> - -<p>"That's what our clever Naball ought to find out," said Caprice, with -a disdainful smile, "only he's such an idiot. I tell you whom I -suspect--mind you, it's only suspicion--and yet appearances are quite -as black against him as any one else."</p> - -<p>"Who is it?"</p> - -<p>"Malton."</p> - -<p>"Malton!" repeated Eugénie, starting up.</p> - -<p>"None other," said Kitty coolly. "He was at the club, and I know was -hard up for money. His wife came to me one day, and told me he had -embezzled a lot of money at his office. Then, after the crime, she -came to me, and thanked me for paying it. I never did so. Fenton said -he did, but I doubt it, as there isn't much of the philanthropist -about him, so the only one who could have replaced the money was -Malton himself. How? Well, easily enough. He was at the club--saw -Keith's knife, and, knowing he was Lazarus's clerk, the idea flashed -across his mind of murdering the old man with the knife, and dropping -it about, so as to throw suspicion on Stewart. So, by some means, I -don't know how, he obtains the knife before Stewart leaves the club, -commits the crime, gets the money, circulates the notes, and when -taxed with the possession of a marked one, says he got it from Ezra -Lazarus--very weak, my dear, very weak indeed. Ezra says he paid him -some money, so naturally doesn't know each individual note; so such a -thing favours Mr. Malton's little plan. So there you are, my dear. -I've made up a complete case against Malton, and quite as feasible as -any of Naball's theories. Upon my word," said Kitty gaily, "I ought to -have been a detective."</p> - -<p>Eugénie was walking to and fro hurriedly.</p> - -<p>"If this is so, he ought to be arrested," she said quickly.</p> - -<p>"Then go and tell Naball, my dear," said Kitty in a mocking voice. -"He'll arrest any one on suspicion. I wonder half the population of -Melbourne aren't in jail, charged with the murder. Oh, Naball's a -brilliant man! He says the man who committed the murder stole my -diamonds--pish!"</p> - -<p>"And you say Keith stole them," said Eugénie reproachfully, -"therefore--"</p> - -<p>"Therefore the lesser crime includes the greater," finished Kitty -coolly. "No, my dear, I don't believe he is a murderer; but as to the -diamonds, what am I to think after what Meg told me?"</p> - -<p>"Meg! Meg!" said that young person, dancing into the room, holding a -disreputable doll in her arms, "mumsey want Meg?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Kitty, as Meg came to the bedside.</p> - -<p>"Come up here, dear, and tell mumsey how you are."</p> - -<p>"Meg is quite well, and so is Meg's daughter," holding out the doll -for Kitty to kiss; "but, mumsey, why is the lady so sad?"</p> - -<p>Eugénie, who had remained silent since Kitty's speech, now came -forward and kissed the child.</p> - -<p>"I'm not sad, dear," she said quietly, taking her seat by the bed, -"only I want Meg to tell me something."</p> - -<p>Meg nodded.</p> - -<p>"A fairy tale?" she asked sedately.</p> - -<p>Kitty laughed, though she looked anxious.</p> - -<p>"No, my dear, not a fairy tale," she said, smoothing the child's hair; -"mumsey wants you to tell the story of the man who got out of the -window."</p> - -<p>"My Mr. Keith," said Meg at once.</p> - -<p>Kitty glanced at Eugénie, who sat with bowed head, gazing steadfastly -at her hands.</p> - -<p>"You see," she observed with a sigh, "the child says it was Mr. -Keith."</p> - -<p>Miss Rainsford re-echoed the sigh, then looked at Meg.</p> - -<p>"Meg, dear," she said in her soft, persuasive voice, "come here, dear, -and sit on my knee."</p> - -<p>Meg, nothing loth, scrambled down off the bed, and soon established -herself on Eugénie's lap, where she sat shaking her auburn curls. -Kitty glanced affectionately at the serious little face, and picked up -her doll, which was lying on the counterpane.</p> - -<p>"Now, Meg," she said gaily, "you tell Miss Rainsford the story of the -man and the window. I'll play with this."</p> - -<p>"Meg's daughter," observed Meg reprovingly.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Meg's daughter," repeated Kitty with a smile.</p> - -<p>"Come, Meg," said Eugénie, smoothing the child's hair, "tell me all -about the man."</p> - -<p>"It was my Mr. Keith, you know," began Meg, resting her cheek against -Eugénie's breast, "He took me upstairs--'cause I was so sleepy--an' he -put me to bed, an' then I sleeped right off."</p> - -<p>"And how long did you sleep, dear?" asked Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Oh, a minute," said Meg, "just a minute; then I didn't feel sleepy, -and opened my eyes wide--quite wide--as wide as this," lifting up her -face in confirmation, "and Mr. Keith, he was getting out of the -window."</p> - -<p>"How do you know it was Mr. Keith?" asked Eugénie quickly,</p> - -<p>"'Cause he put me in bed," said Meg wisely, "and he was there all the -time."</p> - -<p>"He didn't speak to you when he was near the window?"</p> - -<p>"No; he got out, and tumbled. I laughed when he tumbled," finished Meg -triumphantly; "then I sleeped again, right off."</p> - -<p>Eugénie put the girl down off her knee, and turned to Kitty.</p> - -<p>"I believe Keith did put the child to bed," she said quietly, "but I -think she must have slept for some time, and that the man she saw -getting out of the window was some one else; of course, being awakened -by the noise, she would only think she had slept a minute."</p> - -<p>"A minute, a minute," repeated Meg, who had climbed back on to the -bed, and was jumping the doll up and down.</p> - -<p>"But who could the second man have been?" asked Kitty, perplexed.</p> - -<p>"You know Naball's theory that the man who stole the diamonds -committed the murder," said Eugénie. "You think Malton is guilty of -the murder, why not of the robbery also? He was present at the -supper-party, and knew where the jewels were kept."</p> - -<p>Kitty drew her brows together and was about to speak, when Meg held up -her doll for inspection.</p> - -<p>"Look at the locket," she said triumphantly; "it's like Bliggings's -locket--all gold."</p> - -<p>Kitty smiled, and touched the so-called locket, which was in reality -part of a gold sleeve-link, and was tied round the neck of the doll -with a bit of cotton.</p> - -<p>"Who gave you this?" she said. "Bliggings?"</p> - -<p>"No; Meg found it herself, here, after the man had got out of the -window."</p> - -<p>Eugénie gave a cry, and started up, but Kitty in a moment had seized -the doll, and wrenched off the gold link which Meg called the locket.</p> - -<p>"When did you find this, Meg?" she asked the child in a tone of -suppressed excitement.</p> - -<p>"After the man went out of the window," said Meg proudly.</p> - -<p>"In the dark?" asked her mother.</p> - -<p>"No, when Meg was dressed, and the sun was shining," said Meg, trying -to get back the locket.</p> - -<p>"Wait a moment, dear," said Kitty, pushing the child away.</p> - -<p>"Miss Rainsford, do you know what this link means?"</p> - -<p>"I half guess," faltered Eugénie, clasping her hands.</p> - -<p>"Then you guess right," cried Kitty, raising herself on her elbow. "It -means that the man who stole the jewels dropped this link, and I know -who he is, because I gave it to him myself."</p> - -<p>"Keith?" said Eugénie faintly.</p> - -<p>"Keith!" repeated Caprice in a tone of scorn. "No; not Keith, whom I -have suspected wrongfully all these months, but my very good friend, -Hiram J. Fenton."</p> - -<p>"Fenton!" echoed Eugénie in surprise.</p> - -<p>"Yes; he must have committed the crime," said Kitty in anger, grinding -her teeth. "The coward, he knew I suspected Keith, and let another man -bear the stigma of his crime. I spared Keith when I thought him -guilty, because he saved my child's life; but I'll not spare Fenton -now I know he is a thief."</p> - -<p>"What will you do?" asked Eugénie quickly.</p> - -<p>"What will I do!" cried Caprice, with a devilish light shining in her -beautiful eyes. "I'll put him in prison--ring the bell for pen, ink, -and paper--I'll write him to come down here to-night to see me; and -when he comes, I'll have Naball waiting to arrest him."</p> - -<p>"But Keith?" faltered Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"As for Keith," said Caprice, throwing herself back in the bed, "I'm -sure he'll soon be free, for it's my belief that Fenton stole the -diamonds, but was too cowardly to commit a murder. No; he did not do -it himself, but he got some one else to do it."</p> - -<p>"And that some one?" cried Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Is Evan Malton," said Caprice solemnly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_28" href="#div1Ref_28">CHAPTER XXVIII.</a></h4> - -<h5>MALTON MAKES A DISCOVERY.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">Evan Malton had a house in Carlton, not a very fashionable locality -certainly, but the residence of the assistant manager was a -comfortable one. His wife and child were invariably to be found at -home, but Malton himself was always away--either at his club, the -theatre, or at some dance. He was one of those weak men who can deny -themselves nothing, and kept his wife and child stinted for money, -while he spent his income on himself. But with such tastes as he -possessed, his income did not go very far, so in a moment of weakness -he embezzled money in order to gratify his desires.</p> - -<p>When he told his wife what he had done, the news came like a -thunder-clap on her. She knew her husband was weak, pleasure-loving -and idle, but she never dreamt he could be a criminal. With the desire -of a woman to find excuses for the conduct of a man she loved, Mrs. -Malton thought that his crime was due to the evil influence of Kitty -Marchurst; hence her visit and appeal to the actress. It seemed to -have been successful, for the money had been replaced, though Kitty -denied having paid it, and Mrs. Malton breathed freely.</p> - -<p>Her husband loved her in a kind of a way; he did not mind being -unfaithful himself, but he would have been bitterly angered had he -found her following his example. This type of husband is not uncommon; -he likes to be a butterfly abroad, to lead a man-of-the-world -existence, neglecting his home; yet he always expects on his return to -find a hearty welcome and a loving-wife.</p> - -<p>Of course, as Mrs. Malton was a handsome woman, with a neglectful -husband, the inevitable event happened, and Fenton, the bosom friend -of the husband, fell in love with the solitary wife. She repelled his -advances proudly, as she really loved her husband; but the effect of -long months of neglect were beginning to tell on her, and she asked -herself bitterly if it was worth while for her to remain faithful to a -husband who neglected her.</p> - -<p>On the Sunday afternoon following the interview Malton had with -Naball, she sat down in her drawing-room, idly watching the child -playing at her feet. Malton had come home in a fearful temper the -night before, and had been in bed all Sunday. Dinner had been early, -and she had left him in the dining-room, with a scowling face, -evidently drinking more than was good for him.</p> - -<p>"What is the use of trying to make his life happy?" she said to -herself with a sneer. "He cares no more for me than he does for the -child. If I were to allow his dearest friend to betray me, I don't -believe he would care a fig about it."</p> - -<p>While she was thus talking, the door opened, and her husband came into -the room, with a sullen look on his face. He was, as she saw, in a -temper, and ready for a domestic battle; but, determined not to give -him a chance, she sat in her chair in silent disdain.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said, throwing himself on the sofa, "haven't you got a word -to say for yourself?"</p> - -<p>"What can I say?" she replied listlessly.</p> - -<p>"Anything! Don't sit there like a cursed sphynx. How do you expect a -man to come home when he finds things so disagreeable?"</p> - -<p>She looked at him scornfully.</p> - -<p>"You find things disagreeable," she said slowly. "You, who have -neglected me ever since our marriage; who have passed your time with -actresses and betting men; you, who--"</p> - -<p>"Go to the devil," said Malton sulkily, cutting short her catalogue of -his vices. "I don't want you to preach. I'll go where I like, and do -what I like."</p> - -<p>"Yet you deny me the right to do the same."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Mean!" she cried, rising to her feet; "mean that I'm tired of this -sordid way of living. I'm tired of seeing you at the beck and call of -every woman except your wife. I have tried to do my duty by you and -the child, yet you neglect me for others. You squander your honestly -earned money, and then embezzle thousands of pounds. I tell you, I'm -sick of this life, Evan Malton; and if you don't take care, I'll make -a change."</p> - -<p>He listened in amazement to this tirade coming from his meek wife, -then, with a coarse laugh, flung himself back on the sofa.</p> - -<p>"You'll make a change!" he said, with a sneer. "You--I suppose that -means bolting with another man--you do, my lady, and I'll kill you and -your lover as well."</p> - -<p>"My lover, as you call him, could break your neck easily," she said -contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"Then you have a lover!" he cried, starting to his feet in a transport -of fury. "You tell me <i>that</i>--you a wife and a mother--in the presence -of our child."</p> - -<p>Without a word, she touched the bell, and a maid-servant appeared. -Mrs. Malton pointed to the child.</p> - -<p>"Take her away," she said coldly, and when the door closed again, she -turned once more to her husband. "Now that the child is away," she -said calmly, "I do tell you I have a would-be lover. Stay," she cried, -holding up her hand, "I said a would-be lover. Had I been as careless -of your honour as you have been of mine, I would not now be living -with you."</p> - -<p>Evan Malton listened in dogged silence, and then burst out into a -torrent of words.</p> - -<p>"Ah! I knew it would be so--curse you! What woman was ever satisfied -with a husband?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, and such a husband as you have been," she said sarcastically.</p> - -<p>He stepped forward, with an oath, to strike her, then restraining -himself by an effort, said in a harsh voice,--</p> - -<p>"Tell me his name."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Malton walked over to a writing-desk, unlocked it, and taking -from thence a bundle of letters, flung them on the floor before him.</p> - -<p>"You'll find all about him there."</p> - -<p>Malton bent down, picked up the letters, and staggered back, with a -cry, as he recognised the writing.</p> - -<p>"My God! Fenton!" he cried.</p> - -<p>"Exactly," she said coolly. "Your dear friend Fenton, who came to me -with words of love on his lips, and lies in his heart, to get me to -elope with him--in the last letter, you see, he asked me to go with -him to Valparaiso."</p> - -<p>"Oh, did he?" muttered Malton vindictively; "and you were going, I -suppose?"</p> - -<p>"If I had been going," she replied, with grave scorn, "I would not now -be here, for he leaves for Valparaiso to-night."</p> - -<p>"To-night!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I presume he's followed your example, and embezzled money. At -all events, I refused his offer, and left him as I now leave you, Evan -Malton, with the hope that this discovery may teach you a lesson."</p> - -<p>"Where are you going?" he cried hoarsely, as she moved towards the -door.</p> - -<p>She turned with a cold smile.</p> - -<p>"I am going to our child; and you--"</p> - -<p>"And I," he said vindictively, "I'm going to Hiram Fenton's house, to -give him back those letters. He'll go to Valparaiso will he? No, he -won't. To-night, the police shall know all."</p> - -<p>"All what?" his wife cried in sudden terror.</p> - -<p>"All about the diamond robbery and the Russell Street murder."</p> - -<p>She shrank back from him with a cry; but he came straight to the door, -and taking her by the arm, flung her brutally on the floor.</p> - -<p>"You lie there," he hissed out. "I'll deal with him first, and -afterwards with you."</p> - -<p>She heard the door close, and knew that he had left the house: then, -gathering herself up slowly and painfully, she went to the chamber of -her child, and sank on her knees beside the cot.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Malton, with his brain on fire, his heart beating with -jealous rage, and the bundle of letters in his breast-pocket, was -rapidly walking down the hill, intending to go to Fenton's rooms and -tax him with his treachery. It was partly on this account that he -wished to see him; but there was also a more serious cause, for in the -event of Fenton bolting, as he intended to do, things would be very -awkward for his assistant manager.</p> - -<p>"Curse him!" muttered Malton as he hailed a hansom, and told the man -to drive to East Melbourne. "Does he think I'm such a fool as to let -him go now? No, no, my boy; we've floated together for a good time, -and, by Jove! we'll sink together."</p> - -<p>Like all weak men, he was unable to restrain his temper, and was now -working himself up into a state of fury which boded ill for the peace -of Mr. Fenton. Fast as the cab was rolling along, it seemed hours to -the impatient man, and it was with a cry of joy that he jumped out at -Fenton's door, keeping the hansom waiting in case he should find the -American absent.</p> - -<p>The woman who opened the door told him that Mr. Fenton had gone out -about half-an-hour ago, with a black bag in his hand, and had told her -he was going to see some friends.</p> - -<p>"Curse the man," groaned Malton, who saw what this meant at once, -"he's off; I must follow---but where? I don't suppose he'd leave his -address in his room, but I'll see if I can find anything there."</p> - -<p>"Can I give him any message, sir?" asked the woman, who was still -holding the door open.</p> - -<p>"Yes; that is, I'll write him a note; show me up to his sitting-room."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir," and in a few minutes Malton found himself alone in the -room so lately occupied by his enemy. He sat down at the writing-table -till the woman closed the door, then springing to his feet, began to -examine the desk with feverish energy to see if Mr. Fenton had left -any trace as to his whereabouts.</p> - -<p>There was a newspaper lying on a small table near, and Malton, seizing -this, looked at the shipping announcements to see by what boat Fenton -intended to go to South America.</p> - -<p>"He's certain to go there," he said, as he ran his finger eagerly down -the column, "or he wouldn't have told my wife. Here, oh, here it -is--The 'Don Pedro,' for Valparaiso, at eight, Monday morning. He's -going by that boat, now," he went on, putting down the paper, and -pulling out his watch; "it's about six o'clock--why did he leave -to-night, eh? I suppose he means to go on board, so as to avoid -suspicion by going so early in the morning. He can't have gone back to -see my wife, or she would have told me, for I'll swear she's true. -Confound him, where can he have gone?"</p> - -<p>He turned over the papers on the desk in feverish eagerness, as if he -expected to find an address left for him, when suddenly, slipped in -between the sheets of the blotting-pad, he found a note in Caprice's -handwriting asking Fenton to come down to Toorak on that night. Melton -struck a blow on the desk with his fist when he read this.</p> - -<p>"He's gone there, I'll swear," he cried, putting the letter in his -pocket. "It was only because Caprice laughed at him that he made love -to my wife. Now she's whistled him back, he'll try and get her to go -off with him to Valparaiso. Ah, Hiram Fenton, you're not off yet, and -never will be--sink or swim together, my boy--sink or swim together."</p> - -<p>He called the woman, gave her a short note for Fenton, in order to -avert suspicion, then getting into the cab once more, told the man to -drive to Toorak as quickly as possible.</p> - -<p>"If I don't find you there, my friend," he muttered angrily, "I'll -go straight down to the 'Don Pedro' at Sandridge. You won't escape -me--sink or swim together, sink or swim together."</p> - -<p>The evening sky was overcast with gloomy clouds, between the rifts of -which could be seen the sharp, clear light of the sky, and then it -began to rain, a tropical downpour which flooded the streets and -turned the gutters to miniature torrents; a vivid flash of lightning -flare in the sky, and the white face of the man in the hansom could be -seen for a moment; then sounded a deep roll of thunder, as if warning -Hiram Fenton that his friend and victim was on his track.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_29" href="#div1Ref_29">CHAPTER XXIX.</a></h4> - -<h5>LIGHT AT LAST.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">It was certainly a remarkable thing that when Kitty had prepared her -trap for Fenton just on the eve of his going away, by having Naball in -hiding to arrest him, that Malton, the only man who could effectually -accuse the American, should also have come down to Toorak in the nick -of time. But, then, coincidences do happen in real life as well as in -novels; and had Kitty carefully constructed the whole scene with an -eye to dramatic effect, it could hardly have turned out better.</p> - -<p>Eugénie sat with the actress in the drawing-room, waiting for the -arrival of Fenton, and talking to Naball, who was seated near them. -The detective had listened to all with the keenest interest, but, much -to Kitty's disgust, seemed doubtful of the American's guilt.</p> - -<p>"You were quick enough in accusing other people," she said angrily, -"myself among the number, and now, when I show you plain proof, you -disbelieve."</p> - -<p>"I don't think the proof is strong enough, that's all," replied Naball -drily. "We have only the word of a child that she picked up the link -in the bedroom."</p> - -<p>"Meg never tells falsehoods," interposed Eugénie quickly.</p> - -<p>"I daresay not," he replied coolly. "However, Fenton may have lost -this link before."</p> - -<p>"No, he didn't," said Caprice decisively. "He had the links on when he -was at supper. I saw them, and I ought to know, because I gave them to -him myself."</p> - -<p>"But why should Fenton steal your diamonds? He's got lots of money," -argued Naball, who was rather annoyed at Kitty finding out more than -he had.</p> - -<p>"I don't know why he should," retorted the actress; "it's not my -business or yours to discover motives--all I know is, he did it, and -I'm going to have him arrested."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he'll be suspicious, and won't come."</p> - -<p>"Oh yes, he will. He thinks I believe Stewart to be the thief, and as -to coming, I can whistle him back at any moment. Hark!" as a ring came -at the door. "There he is; get behind that screen. Miss Rainsford, you -go into the next room till I call."</p> - -<p>Naball promptly did as he was told, so did Eugénie, and when Fenton -entered the room, he only found Kitty, calmly seated beside a little -table, reading a book.</p> - -<p>Fenton was looking wonderfully well, but with a watchful look on his -face, as if he feared discovery. He had a good sum of money with him, -his passage to Valparaiso, and never for a moment thought that he was -on the edge of an abyss. Of course, Kitty did not know he was about to -abscond, and never thought how near her prey had escaped. She received -him quietly, with friendly interest, and Fenton, pulling a chair next -to hers, began to talk eagerly, never dreaming that an officer of the -law was listening to every word.</p> - -<p>Not only that, but outside, crouching on the verandah, was a dark -figure, with a livid face, listening to what the man inside was -saying. Hiram Fenton, utterly unconscious, was surrounded on all sides -by his enemies, and went on telling all his plans to Kitty, never -thinking how near he was to the felon's dock from which he was flying.</p> - -<p>"And what did you want to see me about!" asked Fenton, taking -Caprice's hand.</p> - -<p>"Nothing in particular," she replied carelessly; "the fact is, I -haven't seen you for such a long time."</p> - -<p>"Then you do care for me a little?"</p> - -<p>Caprice shrugged her shoulders.</p> - -<p>"As much as I do for any man; but I didn't ask you to come here to -make love. I want to talk seriously about giving up the stage."</p> - -<p>She was leading him on so that he should betray himself to the -detective, and he walked straight into the trap.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you're tired of acting," said Fenton thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Yes; and of Melbourne. I want to go away."</p> - -<p>Fenton started, and wondered if she knew he was going away also. He -thought for a moment, and then replied,--</p> - -<p>"Then, why not come with me?"</p> - -<p>"With you!" cried Kitty derisively. "What about Mrs. Malton?"</p> - -<p>"I tell you, I don't care two straws about Mrs. Malton," he rejoined -angrily. "I was only amusing myself with her."</p> - -<p>Amusing himself! The man outside ground his teeth together in anger, -and clutched the packet of letters fiercely.</p> - -<p>"And what about your dear friend--her husband?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, Malton," said Fenton carelessly. "I don't know, nor do I care; he -was a very useful man to me for a time. But, now, I'm off."</p> - -<p>"Off!--where?"</p> - -<p>"To Valparaiso. Yes, I'm sick of Australia, so I sail to-morrow -morning for South America. Will you come with me, Kitty?"</p> - -<p>Kitty looked doubtful.</p> - -<p>"I don't know. We have no money."</p> - -<p>"I have plenty. I've arranged all that, and if there's a row, my dear -friend Malton will have to bear it. But now, Kitty, I've told you all, -you must come with me. We can live a delightful life in South America. -I know it well, and some of the places are Paradises. Come, say you'll -come to-night."</p> - -<p>He put his arms round her, and pressed a kiss on her lips. She -shuddered at the impure caress, then pushing him away, arose to her -feet.</p> - -<p>"Don't touch me," she said harshly, "you--you thief!"</p> - -<p>In a moment Fenton was on his feet, with an apprehensive look on his -face.</p> - -<p>"Thief! thief!" he cried fiercely; "what do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Mean," she said, turning on him like a tiger, "that I know now who -stole my diamonds, Mr. Hiram Fenton."</p> - -<p>"Do you accuse me?" he asked, with a pale face, gripping her wrist.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do," said Kitty, wrenching her wrist away, "and I've got a -proof--this broken sleeve-link, dropped by you in my room on the night -of the robbery."</p> - -<p>"It's a lie!"</p> - -<p>"It's true! I accuse you of stealing my diamonds. Detective Naball, -arrest that man."</p> - -<p>Fenton started as Naball stepped out from behind the screen, and then -folded his arms, with an evil smile.</p> - -<p>"So!" he said coolly, "this is a trap, I see; but I'm not to be caught -in it. You say I stole your diamonds?"</p> - -<p>"I do," said Kitty boldly.</p> - -<p>"And your proof is that you picked up a broken sleeve-link?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Then, Mr. Detective," said Fenton, holding out both his wrists to -Naball, "if you examine these, you will see neither of the links are -broken."</p> - -<p>Naball, with an ejaculation of surprise, examined both the links, and -found what he said was correct--neither of the sleeve-links were -broken.</p> - -<p>"Have you not made a mistake?" he said to Caprice.</p> - -<p>"No, I have not," she replied coolly. "When he found he had lost a -sleeve-link, he got another made, in order to avert suspicion. I say -Hiram Fenton stole my diamonds, and I give him in charge."</p> - -<p>Naball stepped forward, but the American, who was now uneasy at the -turn affairs had taken, waved him back.</p> - -<p>"Wait a moment," he said quickly; "I deny the charge, and will prove -it false to-morrow."</p> - -<p>Kitty laughed derisively.</p> - -<p>"By which time you will be on your way to Valparaiso. No, I'm not -going to let you go."</p> - -<p>"Neither am I," said Naball decisively. "I arrest you on this charge -of robbery now," and he laid his hand on the shoulder of the American.</p> - -<p>In a moment Fenton twisted himself away, and dexterously throwing -Naball on the ground, darted towards one of the French windows.</p> - -<p>"Not so fast, my friend," he said sneeringly, while Naball, -half-stunned, was picking himself up; "guess I'll beat you this time. -I care nothing for you nor that she-devil there. You can prove -nothing."</p> - -<p>Naball made a bound forward, but with a mocking laugh Fenton was about -to step lightly through the window, when he was dashed violently back -into Naball's arms, and Malton, pale as death sprang into the room.</p> - -<p>"Hold him," he cried, clutching Fenton, who was too much astonished to -make any resistance. "Don't let him go. He's guilty--I can prove it."</p> - -<p>Eugénie had hurried into the room, attracted by the noise, and Kitty -was standing near her, the two women clinging together for protection. -Naball held Fenton firmly, while Malton, in a frenzy of rage, spoke -rapidly.</p> - -<p>"He is guilty of the robbery," he shrieked, menacing Fenton with his -fists. "He embezzled money with me, and had it been found out, we -would both have been put in prison. He stole the diamonds on the night -of the supper, by going upstairs to your room, and then leaving by the -window, so as to make people think it was a burglary."</p> - -<p>"A cursed lie!" growled Fenton, making an effort to shake Naball off.</p> - -<p>"No, it isn't," cried Malton furiously. "Villiers can prove it. You -met him as you were coming round the house, and gave him some diamonds -to make him hold his tongue."</p> - -<p>"Oh, the crescent!" cried Naball.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes; and then he sold the diamonds to old Lazarus, and -afterwards murdered him. Yes, he killed Jacob Lazarus!"</p> - -<p>Fenton's nostrils dilated, he drew a deep breath, and gave a cry of -anger; but Malton went on speaking rapidly.</p> - -<p>"I got that note not from Ezra Lazarus, but from Fenton, and lied to -shield him; but now, when I find out he makes love to my wife, I'll do -anything to hang him. See, these letters--your cursed letters," -flinging them on the ground before Fenton. "You liar, thief, murderer, -you're done for at last!"</p> - -<p>"Not yet!" yelled Fenton, and with a sudden effort he flung Naball -off, and dashed for the window, but Malton sprang on him like a wild -cat, and they both rolled on the floor. Naball jumped up, and went to -Malton's help, when suddenly the American, with a supreme effort, -wrenched himself clear of them, and ran once more for the window.</p> - -<p>Seeing this, Kitty, who had remained a passive spectator, tried to -stop him, but with an oath he hurled her from him, and she, falling -against a table, knocked it over, and fell senseless on the ground. -Fenton, with a cry of anger, dashed through the window, and -disappeared into the darkness. But, quick as he was, Malton was -quicker; for seeing his enemy escape him, he also sprang through the -window, and gave chase.</p> - -<p>Naball, breathless, and covered in blood, was about to go also, when a -cry from Eugénie stopped him. The girl was kneeling down beside Kitty, -while the frightened servants crowded in at the door.</p> - -<p>"Oh, she is dead! dead!" cried Eugénie, looking down at the still -face. "No; she can't be. Brandy--bring some brandy!"</p> - -<p>A servant entered with the brandy, and Eugénie, filling a glass, -forced some of the liquid between Kitty's clenched teeth. Naball also -took a glass, as he was worn-out with the struggle, then, hastily -putting on his hat, went out, leaving Kitty lying, to all appearances -dead, in Eugénie's arms.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Malton was close on the heels of the American, who had -cleared out by the gate, and was making for the railway station. There -were few people about; but the spectacle of two men racing bare-headed -soon brought a crowd around. Fenton, with deep curses, sped on through -the driving rain, and at last flew on to the platform, followed by -Malton, who gasped out,--</p> - -<p>"Seize him! Murderer! murderer!"</p> - -<p>The station-master, a porter, and some passengers who were waiting, -all sprang forward at this; so Fenton, seeing himself surrounded, gave -one yell of rage, and, jumping on the line, ran along.</p> - -<p>"My God!" cried the station-master, "the train is coming down; he will -be killed."</p> - -<p>He tried to hold Malton, who was mad with anger at seeing his prey -escape him, and, foaming with anger, wrenched himself away.</p> - -<p>"You'll be killed!" cried the porter; but Malton, with a hoarse cry, -sprang on to the line, and sped after Fenton through the driving rain.</p> - -<p>It was pitch dark, and the rain swept along in slanting sheets, -through which gleamed the red and green of the signals. Malton, only -actuated by a mad desire to seize Fenton, staggered blindly over the -sleepers, stumbling at every step.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he heard the hard breathing of the man he was pursuing, and -the foremost figure loomed up dark and misshapen in the thick night. -They were now near the railway bridge which crosses the Yarra-Yarra at -this point, and the steady sweep of the river could be heard as it -flowed against the iron girders.</p> - -<p>Fenton, hearing some one close behind him, made a bound forwards, then -fell on the line, with a shriek of despair. In a moment Malton was on -him, and the two men rolled on the line, fighting like devils.</p> - -<p>"Curse you!" hissed Malton, putting his knee on Fenton's chest, "I'll -kill you!--I'll kill you!" And he dashed Fenton's head against the -iron rails.</p> - -<p>The American, in despair, flung up his hands, and caught Malton round -the neck. Once more they fought, wrapped in a deadly embrace, when -suddenly they felt the bridge vibrate, and, even in their struggle, -saw rapidly approaching, through the darkness the light of the down -train.</p> - -<p>Malton, with a cry of horror, tried to release himself from Fenton's -grip, but the American held him tight, and in another moment the -train, with a roar, was on the bridge, and over their bodies.</p> - -<p>One hoarse yell, and all was over. Evan Malton and Hiram Fenton were -torn to pieces under the cruel wheels.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_30" href="#div1Ref_30">CHAPTER XXX.</a></h4> - -<h5>EXIT KITTY MARCHURST.</h5> -<br> - -<p class="continue">So this was the end of it all. The criminal, guilty of the two crimes -which had agitated Melbourne for so many months, turned out to be the -respected manager of The Never-say-die Insurance Company. After the -discovery of his guilt, the affairs of the company were examined, and -found to be in a terrible state of confusion. Fenton, aided by Malton, -had embezzled large sums of money, and so carefully manipulated the -accounts that their defalcations had never been noticed.</p> - -<p>It was true that once they were on the verge of discovery unless some -of the money was paid back, and this had been accomplished by the -robbery of Kitty Marchurst's diamonds. As the two guilty men were -dead, the only man who knew anything about the affair was Mr. -Villiers, who soon found things made so warm for him that he confessed -all he knew about the crime.</p> - -<p>It appeared that, on the night of the supper, Fenton was in great -straits for want of money to replace that embezzled by himself -and Malton. Hearing Kitty state where she kept her diamonds, he -determined to steal them if he could do so with safety. In going to -the drawing-room, he saw Stewart descending the stairs, and, as the -young man told him he had been in Kitty's room putting the child to -bed, he thought he could steal the jewels on that night, and let -Stewart bear the blame.</p> - -<p>With this idea, he went upstairs, took the diamonds from their place, -and, in order to make things doubly secure, should his idea of -implicating Stewart fail, he got out of the window, and clambered -down, so as to show that the house had been burglariously entered.</p> - -<p>In stealing round to the front of the house, he met Villiers, who had -seen all, and, in order to make him hold his tongue, had given him the -small diamond crescent which Naball secured in Little Bourke Street. -Of course, Kitty would not prosecute Keith, as he had saved her -child's life; and it was his security in this belief that caused -Fenton to urge on the detective.</p> - -<p>About the murder, Villiers, as a matter of fact, knew very little; but -when Naball said that the man who stole the diamonds also committed -the crime, he went to Fenton, and taxed him with it. Fenton, at first, -indignantly denied the accusation, but ultimately confessed to -Villiers that he had done so. After giving back Keith his knife at the -club, he had seen him hang up his coat, and dexterously extracted the -weapon therefrom unknown to the owner. Then he went to Russell Street -and committed the crime, in reality to gain possession of the -diamonds, thinking they were in the safe, as he did not know that -Lazarus had sent them to Amsterdam.</p> - -<p>Therefore, the whole mystery was cleared up; and after making his -confession, Villiers found public opinion so much against him, that he -left the colony, and disappeared, no one knew where.</p> - -<p>The dead bodies of the American and Malton were found on the railway -line, and, after an inquiry had been made, were duly buried. Mrs. -Malton went back to live with her father, and shortly afterwards -married again.</p> - -<p>Stewart was released from prison and became quite the hero of the -hour, as every one sympathised with him for the way in which he had -been treated. Eugénie told him all about her accession to fortune, and -they agreed to get married and go to Europe. Ezra, also, now that he -was wealthy, turned Benedict, and was united to Rachel a short time -after his father's death.</p> - -<p>"Faust Upset" ran for some time, but was ultimately withdrawn, as the -part of Miss Mephistopheles was taken by another woman, and she failed -to draw the public.</p> - -<p>But Caprice?</p> - -<p>Ah! poor woman, she was dying. In the struggle with Fenton, she had -fallen in a perilous position, and had so injured her spine, that -there was no hope of recovery.</p> - -<p>It was on a Tuesday evening, and poor, wicked Kitty was lying in bed, -with her weary eyes fixed on Meg, who was seated on Eugénie's lap, -rather puzzled by the whole affair. Keith and Ezra were also present, -in deference to Kitty's desire, as she wanted to formally give Meg -over to Eugénie to bring her up. All the legal formalities had been -gone through, and now they were waiting for the end--alas! it was not -very far off.</p> - -<p>"Do you feel easier, dear?" asked Eugénie, gently bending over the -bed.</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Kitty in a slow, tired voice. "Better now; it will soon -be over. You--you will look after my child?"</p> - -<p>"I promise you, I will," said Eugénie fervently. "Would you like to -see a minister?"</p> - -<p>Kitty smiled with a touch of her old cynicism, and then her eyes -filled with tears.</p> - -<p>"A minister, yes," she said in a faltering voice. "God help me! and I -was a minister's daughter. Look at me now, fallen and degraded, dying, -with my life before me, and glad--yes, glad to die."</p> - -<p>In obedience to a sign from Eugénie, Keith had slipped out of the room -in order to bring the clergyman, and Kitty lay quiet, with the clear -light of the evening shining on her pale face.</p> - -<p>"Give me my child," she said at length, and then, as she took Meg to -her breast and kissed her, she wept bitterly.</p> - -<p>"God bless you, my darling," she sobbed; "think of me with pity. -Eugénie, never--never let her know what I was. Let her believe me to -have been a good woman. If I have sinned, see how I was tempted--see -how I have suffered--let my child think her mother was a good woman."</p> - -<p>Eugénie, crying bitterly, promised this, and then tried to take Meg -away.</p> - -<p>"Mumsey," said Meg, clinging to her mother, "why do you cry? Where are -you going?"</p> - -<p>"I'm dying, Meg, darling."</p> - -<p>"Dying!" said Meg, to whom the word conveyed no idea, "dying!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, dear; going away."</p> - -<p>"I'll go, too."</p> - -<p>"No, dear, no. You must stay here, and be a good girl. Mumsey is going -far away--to the sky," finished poor Kitty, in a faltering voice.</p> - -<p>"To the sky--then you'll see God," said Meg.</p> - -<p>At this Kitty could bear no more, but burst into tears, and Meg was -taken out of the room, being pacified with difficulty. Then Keith -entered with the clergyman, who was left alone with the dying woman -for some time.</p> - -<p>When they all returned, they saw she was sinking rapidly, but she -smiled faintly as Eugénie approached.</p> - -<p>"I've told him all," she said in a low voice, "and he says God will -forgive me."</p> - -<p>"I'm sure He will, dear," said Eugénie in a faltering voice.</p> - -<p>"Strange," said the dying woman, in a dreamy voice, "I, who never -cared for religion, should want it now. I'm glad to die, for there was -nothing to live for; but this terrible Death--I fear it. I don't know -where I'm going--where am I going?" she asked piteously.</p> - -<p>"To Heaven, dear," said Eugénie.</p> - -<p>"Heaven!" repeated Kitty, her memory going back to her childhood; -"that is where there is neither sun nor moon--the glory of God is -there. Oh, I'll never go there--never--never!"</p> - -<p>The room w T as now filled with floating shadows, and all present were -kneeling by the bed. Meg, who had been brought back, and held by -Eugénie, was beside her mother, awed by the solemnity of the scene. A -pale shaft of clear light came through the window, and shone on the -disordered white clothes of the bed and the still face of the dying -woman.</p> - -<p>No sound save the sighing of the wind outside, the sobs of Eugénie, -and the grave tones of the clergyman's voice, reading the Sermon on -the Mount, which in former days had been a great favourite with Kitty.</p> - -<p>"<i> -Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God</i>."</p> - -<p>Poor soul, she that had not been pure was now dying, and dreaded lest -her impurity should be brought up against her.</p> - -<p>"<i> -Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy</i>."</p> - -<p>Ah, Kitty Marchurst, what mercy did you ever show? The inward voice -came to her like an accusing spirit, and she shrank back in the bed. -Then she opened her eyes.</p> - -<p>"I would have been a good woman," she said pathetically; "but I--I was -so young when I met Gaston."</p> - -<p>Her voice became inarticulate, and with an effort she kissed her -child, while the clergyman said the Lord's Prayer.</p> - -<p>"<i> -Our Father which art in Heaven</i>."</p> - -<p>"Meg, Meg," she murmured, "Meg--God bless my little child!" And those -were the last words of Kitty Marchurst, for when the prayer was ended -she was lying back, with her pure, childlike face stilled in death.</p> - -<p>So she went into the outer darkness laden with sins, but surely God in -His mercy pardoned this woman, whose impurity was more the result of -circumstances than anything else.</p> - -<p>Let us not deny to others the mercy which we ourselves will need some -day. Kitty was dead, with all her frailties and passions; and as the -clergyman arose from his knees, he repeated reverently the words of -his Master,--</p> - -<p>"<i>He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at -her</i>."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>FINIS.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<hr class="W90"> -<h5>COLSTON AND COMPANY, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Miss Mephistopheles, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS MEPHISTOPHELES *** - -***** This file should be named 55378-h.htm or 55378-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/3/7/55378/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by Web -Archive (Emory University) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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